Royal Scam (2025 Remaster) Steely Dan

• 1 Kid Charlemagne (2025 Remaster) 04:37
• 2 The Caves Of Altamira (2025 Remaster) 03:32
• 3 Don't Take Me Alive (2025 Remaster) 04:14
• 4 Sign In Stranger (2025 Remaster) 04:21
• 5 The Fez (2025 Remaster) 03:58
• 6 Green Earrings (2025 Remaster) 04:04
• 7 Haitian Divorce (2025 Remaster) 05:48
• 8 Everything You Did (2025 Remaster) 03:54
• 9 The Royal Scam (2025 Remaster) 06:31
• Total Runtime 40:59

Info for Royal Scam (2025 Remaster)

Steely Dan’s darkly cynical and musically intricate fifth album, 1976’s The Royal Scam is released for the first time as a HiRes ReMaster-Edition.

The Royal Scam is another fantastic chapter in Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s storied songwriting history, showing off the duo at the peak of their sharp, cynical wit and intricate musical vision. The album boasts beloved tracks like “Kid Charlemagne,” “The Fez,” “The Caves of Altamira,” and the title track; though not received as an instant classic upon initial release, it has since been embraced by fans and critics. Rolling Stone gave it five stars in a 2004 Hall of Fame review, while Stereogum later ranked it as the second best album of Steely Dan’s career, praising it as “their fiercest, funkiest record in their entire catalog, a classic that transitioned them from the uneasy company of the yacht-rock smooth to a mean unit that grooved like Stevie for pessimists.”

The Dan’s longtime producer Gary Katz was once again behind the boards, and Fagen and Becker are backed as usual by a crack team of session musicians, including Larry Carlton, who contributes all-time great guitar solos to songs like “Kid Charlemagne” and “Don’t Take Me Alive.” The Royal Scam marked the band’s first album with drummer Bernard Purdie, and the soulful voice of Michael McDonald can be heard in the background throughout.

“Released in May 1976, The Royal Scam marked a pivotal moment in Steely Dan’s evolution toward studio perfectionism, delivering a darker, more cynical tone wrapped in complex jazz-rock arrangements. This album features some of the band’s sharpest songwriting and introduces drummer Bernard Purdie to the fold—his first appearance on a Steely Dan record—bringing his signature groove to tracks like “Kid Charlemagne” and “Green Earrings.” Guitarist Larry Carlton delivers searing solos throughout the album, particularly on “Don’t Take Me Alive,” while Dean Parks adds talk box flair to the reggae-influenced “Haitian Divorce.” The album also includes standout cuts like the funky, offbeat “The Fez” and the epic title track, “The Royal Scam,” a scathing portrait of shattered American dreams. With contributions from bassist Chuck Rainey, keyboardist Paul Griffin, and the soaring background vocals of Michael McDonald, The Royal Scam combines biting social commentary with masterful musicianship, making it a cult favorite and a testament to Steely Dan’s uncompromising artistic vision.”

"The Royal Scam is the first Steely Dan record that doesn't exhibit significant musical progress from its predecessor, but that doesn't mean the album is any less interesting. The cynicism that was suppressed on Katy Lied comes roaring to the surface on The Royal Scam -- not only are the lyrics bitter and snide, but the music is terse, broken, and weary. Not so coincidentally, the album is comprised of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's weakest set of songs since Can't Buy a Thrill. Alternating between mean-spirited bluesy vamps like "Green Earrings" and "The Fez" and jazzy soft rock numbers like "The Caves of Altamira," there's nothing particularly bad on the album, yet there are fewer standouts than before. Nevertheless, the best songs on The Royal Scam, like the sneering "Kid Charlemagne" and "Sign in Stranger," rank as genuine Steely Dan classics." (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG)

Steely Dan:
Donald Fagen, keyboards, lead vocals, background vocals
Walter Becker, guitar, bass
Additional musicians:
Paul Griffin, keyboards
Don Grolnick, keyboards
Larry Carlton, guitar
Denny Dias, guitar
Dean Parks, guitar
Elliott Randall, guitar
Chuck Rainey, bass
Rick Marotta, drums (tracks 3, 8)
Bernard Purdie, drums (all tracks except 3, 8)
Gary Coleman, percussion
Victor Feldman, percussion, keyboards
Chuck Findley, trumpet
Bob Findley, trumpet
Dick "Slyde" Hyde, trombone
Jim Horn, saxophone
Plas Johnson, saxophone
John Klemmer, saxophone
Venetta Fields, backing vocals
Clydie King, backing vocals
Sherlie Matthews, backing vocals
Michael McDonald, backing vocals
Timothy B. Schmit, backing vocals
Gary Sherman, horn arrangements

Recorded November 1975–March 1976 at ABC, Los Angeles; A&R, New York City

Digitally remastered by Bernie Grundman

Please Note: we do not offer the 192 kHz version of this album, because there is no considerable or audible difference to the 96 kHz version!

Walter Becker (bass) and Donald Fagen (vocals, keyboards) were the core members of Steely Dan throughout its variety of incarnations. The two met at Bard College in New York in 1967 and began playing in bands together shortly afterward. The duo played in a number of groups -- including the Bad Rock Group, which featured future comedic actor Chevy Chase on drums -- which ranged from jazz to progressive rock. Eventually, Becker and Fagen began composing songs together, hoping to become professional songwriters in the tradition of the Brill Building. In 1970, the pair joined Jay & the Americans' backing band, performing under pseudonyms; Becker chose Gustav Mahler, while Fagen used Tristan Fabriani. They stayed with Jay & the Americans until halfway through 1971, when they recorded the soundtrack for the low-budget film You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It, which was produced by the Americans' Kenny Vance. Following the recording of the soundtrack, Becker and Fagen attempted to start a band with Denny Dias, but the venture was unsuccessful. Barbra Streisand recorded the Fagen/Becker composition ‘I Mean to Shine’ on her album Barbra Joan Streisand, released in August 1971, and the duo met producer Gary Katz, who hired them as staff songwriters for ABC/Dunhill in Los Angeles, where he had just become a staff producer. Katz suggested that Becker and Fagen form a band as a way to record their songs, and Steely Dan -- who took their name from a dildo in William Burroughs' Naked Lunch -- was formed shortly afterward. (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic)

This album contains no booklet.