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.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kid CharlemagneWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 2 | The Caves of AltamiraWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | Don't Take Me AliveWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 04:16 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 4 | Sign in StrangerWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | The FezWalter Becker, Donald Fagen, Paul Griffin | Steely Dan | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | Green EarringsWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 7 | Haitian DivorceWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 05:51 | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| 8 | Everything You DidWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 03:55 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | The Royal ScamWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 06:32 | 14 MB | 39 MB |
| 41 mins | 94 MB | |||||
| 41 mins | 264 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Becker | Bass, Composer, Guitar, Horn Arrangements, Liner Notes, Vocals |
| 2 | Ed Caraeff | Art Direction, Design |
| 3 | Larry Carlton | Guest Artist, Guitar |
| 4 | Gary Coleman | Drums, Percussion |
| 5 | Dinky Dawson | Sound Consultant |
| 6 | Stuart Dinky Dawson | Graphic Editing |
| 7 | Denny Dias | Guitar |
| 8 | Michael Diehl | Reissue Design |
| 9 | Donald Fagen | Composer, Horn Arrangements, Keyboards, Liner Notes, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 10 | Victor Feldman | Drums, Guest Artist, Keyboards, Percussion |
| 11 | Venetta Fields | Horn, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 12 | Bob Findley | Horn |
| 13 | Chuck Findley | Horn, Horn Arrangements |
| 14 | Paul Griffin | Composer, Keyboards, Vocals |
| 15 | Don Grolnick | Keyboards |
| 16 | Jim Horn | Horn, Saxophone |
| 17 | Dick Hyde | Horn |
| 18 | Richard Hyde | Trombone |
| 19 | Slyde Hyde | Horn |
| 20 | Plas Johnson | Horn, Saxophone |
| 21 | Gary Katz | Producer |
| 22 | Clydie King | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 23 | John Klemmer | Guest Artist, Horn |
| 24 | Rick Marotta | Drums |
| 25 | Sherlie Matthews | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 26 | Hugh McCracken | Guitar |
| 27 | Michael McDonald | Guest Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 28 | Roger Nicholas | Engineer |
| 29 | Roger Nichols | Digital Remastering, Engineer, Mixing |
| 30 | Tom Nikosey | Cover Art, Design, Typography |
| 31 | Dean Parks | Guest Artist, Guitar |
| 32 | Barney Perkins | Mixdown Engineer, Mixing |
| 33 | Bernard "Pretty" Purdie | Drums, Guest Artist |
| 34 | Chuck Rainey | Bass |
| 35 | Elliott Randall | Guest Artist, Guitar |
| 36 | Elliot Scheiner | Engineer |
| 37 | Tim Schmidt | Guest Artist |
| 38 | Timothy B. Schmit | Bass, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 39 | Elliott Shiner | Engineer |
| 40 | Karen Stanley | Nursery Rhyme |
| 41 | Steely Dan | Primary Artist |
| 42 | Beth Stempel | Reissue Coordination |
| 43 | Vartan | Reissue Art Director |
| 44 | Zox | Cover Art |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |