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Originally released in May 1976, The Royal Scam was an album by rock group Steely Dan. The album went gold and peaked at #15 on the charts. The Royal Scam is the most guitar-friendly of Steely Dan's albums, featuring extended solos by Becker, Larry Carlton and former band member Denny Dias.
The song Kid Charlemagne is partially inspired by Owsley Stanley.
With irony-leaden verses about drug dealers, safe sex, and hardships faced by immigrants, The Royal Scam is arguably Steely Dan at their most cynical. The album cover, which shows a well-dressed, possibly homeless man sleeping underneath (or perhaps dreaming of) mutating skyscrapers, is a satirical take on the American Dream (although Fagen and Becker claim to have hated the cover design when it was released). The cover was designed by Zox, and at least a portion was originally created for a Van Morrison album from 1974-75 that was never released . The mood of the album stands in contrast with the band's mellower and hugely successful follow-up, Aja.
Track listing
All songs by Becker and Fagen, except where noted
- "Kid Charlemagne" - 4:38
- "The Caves of Altamira" - 3:33
- "Don't Take Me Alive" - 4:16
- "Sign in Stranger" - 4:23
- "The Fez" (Becker, Fagen, Paul Griffin) - 4:01
- "Green Earrings" - 4:05
- "Haitian Divorce" - 5:51
- "Everything You Did" - 3:55
- "The Royal Scam" - 6:30
Personnel
- Walter Becker - bass, guitar, vocals
- Donald Fagen - keyboards, vocals, background vocals
- Larry Carlton - guitar
- Gary Coleman - percussion
- Denny Dias - guitar
- Victor Feldman - percussion, keyboards
- Venetta Fields - vocals, background vocals
- Bob Findley - horn
- Chuck Findley - horn
- Paul Griffin - keyboards, vocals
- Don Grolnick - keyboards
- Jim Horn - saxophone
- Dick Hyde - horn
- Richard Hyde - trombone
- Slyde Hyde - horn
- Plas Johnson - saxophone
- Clydie King - vocals, background vocals
- John Klemmer - horn
- Rick Marotta - drums
- Shirley Matthews - vocals, background vocals
- Hugh McCracken - guitar
- Michael McDonald - vocals, background vocals
- Dean Parks - guitar
- Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - drums
- Chuck Rainey - bass
- Elliott Randall - guitar
- Timothy B. Schmit - bass, vocals, background vocals
Production
- Producer: Gary Katz
- Engineer: Roger Nicholas
- Mixdown engineer: Barney Perkins
- Sound Consultant: Dinky Dawson
- Horn arrangements: Walter Becker, Donald Fagen, Chuck Findley
- Art direction: Ed Caraeff
- Cover art: Zox
- Typography: Tom Nikosey
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Pop Albums | 15 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Kid Charlemagne" | Pop Singles | 82 |
| 1976 | "The Fez" | Pop Singles | 59 |