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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 album featured the only Steely Dan song to be written with help from an outside source (i.e., not written solely by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker), "The Fez", written with help from Paul Griffin. 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 |