The Royal Scam
Encyclopedia
The Royal Scam is the fifth album by Steely Dan
, originally released by ABC Records
in 1976. The album went gold and peaked at #15 on the charts. The Royal Scam features more prominent guitar
work than other Steely Dan albums. Guitarists on the recording include Walter Becker
, Denny Dias
, Larry Carlton
, Elliott Randall
and Dean Parks
.
The mood of the album stands in contrast with the band's more mellow and hugely successful follow-up, Aja
.
In common with other Steely Dan albums, The Royal Scam is littered with cryptic allusions to people and events both real and fictional. In a BBC interview in 2000, Becker revealed that Kid Charlemagne is loosely based on Augustus Owsley Stanley
, the notorious drug "chef" who was famous for manufacturing hallucinogenic compounds.
The album was re-issued by MCA Records
in 1979 following the sale of the ABC Records label to MCA.
-beast hybrids. The cover was designed by Larry Zox
, and was originally created for Van Morrison
's unreleased 1975 album, Mechanical Bliss. In the liner notes for the 1999 remaster of the album, Fagen and Becker claim it to be "the most hideous album cover of the seventies, bar none (excepting perhaps Can't Buy A Thrill
)."
review was more positive, and ultimately the magazine gave it five stars in a later Hall of Fame review.
Pop Singles
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
, originally released by ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
in 1976. The album went gold and peaked at #15 on the charts. The Royal Scam features more prominent guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
work than other Steely Dan albums. Guitarists on the recording include Walter Becker
Walter Becker
Walter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:...
, Denny Dias
Denny Dias
Denny Dias is an American guitarist, most known for being a founding member of Steely Dan.- Career :Dias was working with his own band out of his basement in Hicksville, Long Island, when he placed an ad in The Village Voice that read: "Looking for keyboardist and bassist. Must have jazz chops!...
, Larry Carlton
Larry Carlton
Larry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
, Elliott Randall
Elliott Randall
Elliott Randall is an American guitarist, most known for being a session musician with popular artists. Randall has played the well-known guitar solos from Steely Dan's hit "Reelin' in the Years" and Fame. Legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has reputedly said that Randall's solo on...
and Dean Parks
Dean Parks
Dean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Ft. Worth, TX.-Albums:Dean was member of The North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. Dean is best-known through his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan...
.
The mood of the album stands in contrast with the band's more mellow and hugely successful follow-up, Aja
Aja (album)
-Charts:AlbumPop Singles-Awards:Grammy Awards-External links:**, courtesy of The Museum of Classic Chicago Television...
.
In common with other Steely Dan albums, The Royal Scam is littered with cryptic allusions to people and events both real and fictional. In a BBC interview in 2000, Becker revealed that Kid Charlemagne is loosely based on Augustus Owsley Stanley
Owsley Stanley
Owsley Stanley also known as Bear, was an essential and transitional personality in the development of the San Francisco Bay counter-culture. Spanning the Beat-era years of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters scenes, he was equally pivotal to the explosion of 1960's Psychedelia culture...
, the notorious drug "chef" who was famous for manufacturing hallucinogenic compounds.
The album was re-issued by MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
in 1979 following the sale of the ABC Records label to MCA.
Cover
The album cover shows a man in a suit sleeping underneath (or perhaps dreaming of) images of skyscraperSkyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
-beast hybrids. The cover was designed by Larry Zox
Larry Zox
Lawrence "Larry" Zox was an American painter and printmaker who is classified as an Abstract expressionist, Color Field painter and a Lyrical Abstractionist, although he did not readily use those categories for his work....
, and was originally created for Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
's unreleased 1975 album, Mechanical Bliss. In the liner notes for the 1999 remaster of the album, Fagen and Becker claim it to be "the most hideous album cover of the seventies, bar none (excepting perhaps Can't Buy A Thrill
Can't Buy a Thrill
Can't Buy a Thrill is the first album by Steely Dan. Originally released in 1972, the album was a huge success. It went gold, and then platinum, peaking at #17 on the charts. In 2003, the album was ranked number 238 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time...
)."
Reception
The album was not as highly rated upon its release as its predecessors with most reviewers noting that it did not seem to represent any musical advancement. In contrast, the original Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
review was more positive, and ultimately the magazine gave it five stars in a later Hall of Fame review.
Side one
- "Kid CharlemagneKid Charlemagne"Kid Charlemagne" is a song by the rock group Steely Dan, which was released as a single from their 1976 album The Royal Scam. It is notable as a fusion of a funk rhythm and jazz harmonies with rock and roll instrumentals and lyrical style, as well as a very famous guitar solo by jazz-fusion...
" – 4:38- Guitar solo by Larry CarltonLarry CarltonLarry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
- Guitar solo by Larry Carlton
- "The Caves of AltamiraAltamira (cave)Altamira is a cave in Spain famous for its Upper Paleolithic cave paintings featuring drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild mammals and human hands....
" – 3:33- Alto saxophone solo by John KlemmerJohn KlemmerJohn Klemmer is an American saxophonist, composer, song writer and arranger.He was born in Chicago, Illinois and began playing guitar at age 5 and alto saxophone at age 11. His other early interests included graphics and visual art, writing, dance, puppetry, painting, sculpting and poetry...
- Alto saxophone solo by John Klemmer
- "Don't Take Me Alive" – 4:16
- Guitar solo by Larry CarltonLarry CarltonLarry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
- Guitar solo by Larry Carlton
- "Sign in Stranger" – 4:23
- Piano Solo by Paul GriffinPaul Griffin (musician)Paul Griffin was an American session musician and pianist, who recorded with hundreds of artists from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
- Guitar Solo by Elliott RandallElliott RandallElliott Randall is an American guitarist, most known for being a session musician with popular artists. Randall has played the well-known guitar solos from Steely Dan's hit "Reelin' in the Years" and Fame. Legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has reputedly said that Randall's solo on...
- Piano Solo by Paul Griffin
- "The Fez" (Becker, Fagen, Paul Griffin) – 4:01
- Guitar solo by Walter BeckerWalter BeckerWalter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:...
- Guitar solo by Walter Becker
Side two
- "Green Earrings" – 4:05
- Guitar solos by Denny DiasDenny DiasDenny Dias is an American guitarist, most known for being a founding member of Steely Dan.- Career :Dias was working with his own band out of his basement in Hicksville, Long Island, when he placed an ad in The Village Voice that read: "Looking for keyboardist and bassist. Must have jazz chops!...
(1st) and Elliott RandallElliott RandallElliott Randall is an American guitarist, most known for being a session musician with popular artists. Randall has played the well-known guitar solos from Steely Dan's hit "Reelin' in the Years" and Fame. Legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has reputedly said that Randall's solo on...
(2nd)
- Guitar solos by Denny Dias
- "Haitian Divorce" – 5:51
- Talk box guitar solo by Dean ParksDean ParksDean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Ft. Worth, TX.-Albums:Dean was member of The North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. Dean is best-known through his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan...
, altered by Walter BeckerWalter BeckerWalter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:...
- Talk box guitar solo by Dean Parks
- "Everything You DidEverything You Did"Everything You Did" is a 1976 song from Steely Dan's The Royal Scam. In it, a man tells a woman whom he suspects of cheating on him that she must confess to him...
" – 3:55- Guitar solo by Larry CarltonLarry CarltonLarry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
- Guitar solo by Larry Carlton
- "The Royal ScamThe Royal Scam (song)The Royal Scam is the title track from the 1976 Steely Dan album, The Royal Scam. The song was written by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, and the song itself seems to be about Puerto Rican immigrants who come to New York City to build a life, but only to be misled into the dingier side of life there...
" – 6:30- Guitar solo by Larry CarltonLarry CarltonLarry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
- Guitar solo by Larry Carlton
Personnel
- Donald FagenDonald FagenDonald Jay Fagen is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, lead singer, and the principal songwriter of the rock band Steely Dan ....
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, background vocals - Walter BeckerWalter BeckerWalter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Chuck RaineyChuck RaineyChuck Rainey, is an American bass guitar session musician, known for playing with many well-known American musicians and acts, including Donald Byrd, Steely Dan, Quincy Jones, and Aretha Franklin.-Biography:Rainey's youthful pursuits included violin, piano and trumpet...
– bass - Timothy B. SchmitTimothy B. SchmitTimothy Bruce Schmit is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as bass guitar player and singer for Poco and the Eagles. Schmit has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist.-Early career:Raised in Sacramento, Schmit began playing in the folk music group...
– bass, vocals, background vocals - Paul GriffinPaul Griffin (musician)Paul Griffin was an American session musician and pianist, who recorded with hundreds of artists from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
– keyboards, vocals - Don GrolnickDon GrolnickDon Grolnick was an American jazz and pop pianist and composer, most noteworthy for his work with artists such as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, Billy Cobham, David Sanborn, Marcus Miller, Bob Mintzer, Dave Holland and Steely Dan...
– keyboards - Denny DiasDenny DiasDenny Dias is an American guitarist, most known for being a founding member of Steely Dan.- Career :Dias was working with his own band out of his basement in Hicksville, Long Island, when he placed an ad in The Village Voice that read: "Looking for keyboardist and bassist. Must have jazz chops!...
– guitar - Larry CarltonLarry CarltonLarry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
– guitar - Phil McCracken – guitar
- Dean ParksDean ParksDean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Ft. Worth, TX.-Albums:Dean was member of The North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. Dean is best-known through his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan...
– guitar - Elliott RandallElliott RandallElliott Randall is an American guitarist, most known for being a session musician with popular artists. Randall has played the well-known guitar solos from Steely Dan's hit "Reelin' in the Years" and Fame. Legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has reputedly said that Randall's solo on...
– guitar - Bob Findley – horn
- Chuck FindleyChuck FindleyChuck Findley is an American session musician. Most widely-known as a trumpet player, he also plays other brass instruments such as flugelhorn and trombone...
– horn - Dick "Slyde" Hyde – horn, tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Jim HornJim HornJim Horn is an American saxophonist and woodwind player. He was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for five years, playing sax and flute on the road, and in the recording studio...
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... - Plas JohnsonPlas JohnsonPlas John Johnson Jr. is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most familiar as the lead on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme"....
– saxophone - John KlemmerJohn KlemmerJohn Klemmer is an American saxophonist, composer, song writer and arranger.He was born in Chicago, Illinois and began playing guitar at age 5 and alto saxophone at age 11. His other early interests included graphics and visual art, writing, dance, puppetry, painting, sculpting and poetry...
– saxophone - Rick MarottaRick MarottaRick Marotta is a US-based drummer and percussionist who appears on many recordings by leading artists such as Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Lennon, Hall & Oates, Stevie Nicks, Wynonna, Roy Orbison, Todd Rundgren, Roberta Flack, Peter Frampton, Quincy...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Bernard "Pretty" PurdieBernard PurdieBernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie is an American session drummer, and is considered an influential and innovative exponent of funk...
– drums - Gary Coleman – percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Victor FeldmanVictor FeldmanVictor Stanley Feldman was a British jazz musician, best known as a pianist.-Early history:...
– percussion, keyboards - Venetta FieldsVenetta FieldsVenetta Fields is an American singer best known as session musician for leading rock and pop acts of the 1970s including Pink Floyd, Barbra Streisand, Steely Dan and the Rolling Stones...
– vocals, background vocals - Clydie KingClydie KingClydie Crittendon is an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist....
– vocals, background vocals - Sherlie MatthewsSherlie MatthewsSherlie Matthews is an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known as a backing vocalist for Pop, R&B and Rock groups from the mid 1960s to the present time.-Early life:...
– vocals, background vocals - Michael McDonaldMichael McDonald (singer)Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
– vocals, background vocals
Production
- Producer: Gary Katz
- Engineer: Roger Nichols
- 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 | US Albums | 15 |
| 1976 | UK Albums | 11 |
Pop Singles
| Year | Single | Label & number | Chart & position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Kid Charlemagne" (B-side: "Green Earrings") | ABC 12195 | U.S. 82 |
| 1976 | "The Fez" (B-side: "Sign In Stranger") | ABC 12222 | U.S. 59 |
| 1976 | "Haitian Divorce" (B-side: "Sign In Stranger") | ABC 4152 (UK release) | U.K. 17 |