The Royal Scam

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, songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen revealed that "Kid Charlemagne" is loosely based on Owsley Stanley, the notorious drug "chef" who was famous for manufacturing hallucinogenic compounds, and that "The Caves of Altamira" is about the loss of innocence, the narrative about a visitor to the Cave of Altamira who registers his astonishment at the prehistoric drawings.{{cite web|url=http://www.steelydan.com/bbc.html|title=BBC Chat - 3/4/00|website=www.steelydan.com|access-date=1 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413164154/http://www.steelydan.com/bbc.html|archive-date=13 April 2009|url-status=dead}}

"The Fez" has the distinction of being, other than the instrumental "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" on Pretzel Logic (1974) and the title song from 1980's Gaucho, the only Steely Dan song with a credited writer other than Becker and Fagen. Of keyboardist Paul Griffin's contribution to the song, Becker has said that "There is an instrumental melody that Paul started playing in the session, and when we decided to build that melody up to a greater position, since we had some suspicion that perhaps this melody wasn't entirely Paul's invention, we decided to give him composer credit in case later some sort of scandal developed and he would take the brunt of the impact", while Griffin has said that Fagen already had the keyboard riff, and he just took it in a different direction.{{cite book|first=Brian|last=Sweet|title=Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years|publisher=Omnibus Press|year=2018|isbn=978-1787600638}} Fagen later said of Griffin, "There are some musicians who are hacks, and then there are guys like Paul who can create something so different and unique they make the record."{{cite web|website=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/25/nyregion/paul-griffin-62-session-pianist-for-a-multitude-of-pop-musicians.html|title=Paul Griffin, 62, Session Pianist For a Multitude of Pop Musicians|date=June 25, 2000|first=Jon|last=Pareles|accessdate=December 22, 2022}} Chris Willman described the song in an August 22, 1993, article in Los Angeles Times as "a cheerful ode to the importance of always wearing a condom".[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-walter-becker-steely-dan-archive-interview-20170903-story.html Willman, Chris. "From the Archives: The 1993 interview when Walter Becker opened up about Steely Dan’s subversive intentions," Los Angeles Times, Sunday, September 3, 2017.] Retrieved February 24, 2023.

"Everything You Did" features the lyric: "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening." About the origin of the reference, Glenn Frey of the Eagles said: "Apparently, Walter Becker's girlfriend loved the Eagles, and she played them all the time. I think it drove him nuts. So, the story goes that they were having a fight one day and that was the genesis of the line." Later in 1976, in a nod back to Steely Dan for the free publicity,[http://rulefortytwo.com/secret-rock-knowledge/chapter-8/steely-dan-vs-eagles/ Was there any kind of a feud going on between Steely Dan and the Eagles in the '70s?] Rule Forty Two.com. Glenn Frey: "We just wanted to allude to Steely Dan rather than mentioning them outright, so 'Dan' got changed to 'knives'" and inspired by the group's lyrical style,[http://www.feldermusic.com/quotes.html Quotes: Here are quotes from Don and others about his career] Feldermusic. "At the time we were also quite fond [of] Steely Dan and listening to a lot of their records. And one of the things that impressed us about Steely Dan was that they would say anything in their songs and it did not have to necessarily make sense you know" the Eagles included the line: "They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast", in their hit-song "Hotel California". Frey explained: "We just wanted to allude to Steely Dan rather than mentioning them outright, so 'Dan' got changed to 'knives', which is still, you know, a penile metaphor."{{efn|Referring to the fact that Steely Dan was named after a dildo mentioned in William S. Burroughs' novel Naked Lunch.}} Given that the two bands shared a manager (Irving Azoff) and the Eagles have proclaimed their admiration for Steely Dan, this was more likely part of a friendly rivalry than a feud.Excerpted from the 2006 book Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton's Little John?: Music's Most Enduring Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed byGavin Edwards, published by Three Rivers Press. Timothy B. Schmit, who sang backing vocals on The Royal Scam, joined the Eagles in 1977, after being a featured vocalist and bassist with Poco.

The album's cover features an image of a man in a suit sleeping on a bus stop bench in Boston and dreaming of skyscrapers with monstrous animal heads at the top. Zox originally created the painting of the skyscraper/beast hybrids for an unreleased Van Morrison album, and designer Ed Caraeff suggested superimposing a photograph of a sleeping vagrant taken by Charlie Ganse to make the cover for The Royal Scam.{{cite book|first=Brian|last=Sweet|title=Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years|publisher=Omnibus Press|year=2018|isbn=978-1787600638}} In the liner notes for the 1999 remastered reissue of the album, Fagen and Becker jokingly called it "the most hideous album cover of the seventies, bar none (excepting perhaps Can't Buy a Thrill)."

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-royal-scam-mw0000195860|title=The Royal Scam – Steely Dan|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=January 11, 2019}}

| rev2 = Chicago Tribune

| rev2score = {{Rating|3|4}}{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|date=August 16, 1992|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/08/16/thrills-scams-and-nightflys/|title=Thrills, Scams and Nightflys|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=February 15, 2017}}

| rev3 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev3score = B{{cite book|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=3314|chapter=Steely Dan: The Royal Scam|access-date=January 11, 2019|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|publisher=Ticknor and Fields|year=1981|isbn=0-89919-026-X}}

| rev4 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev4score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite book|chapter=Steely Dan|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=Omnibus Press|edition=5th concise|year=2011|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8}}

| rev5 = The Great Rock Discography

| rev5Score = 6/10{{cite book|last=Strong|first=Martin Charles|author-link=Martin C. Strong|title=The Great Rock Discography|publisher=The National Academies|year=2002|isbn=1-84195-312-1|chapter=Steely Dan}}

| rev6 = MusicHound Rock

| rev6score = 3/5{{cite book|editor1-last=Graff|editor1-first=Gary|editor2-last=Durchholz|editor2-first=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|chapter=Steely Dan|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612}}

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7score = 8.3/10{{cite web|last=Cook-Wilson|first=Winston|date=November 20, 2019|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/steely-dan-the-royal-scam/|title=Steely Dan: The Royal Scam|work=Pitchfork|access-date=November 24, 2019}}

| rev8 = Q

| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite journal|title=Steely Dan: The Royal Scam|journal=Q|issue=165|location=London|date=June 2000|page=131}}

| rev9 = Rolling Stone

| rev9score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Scoppa|first=Bud|date=October 14, 2004|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/steelydan/albums/album/321794/review/6487010/the_royal_scam|title=Steely Dan: The Royal Scam|magazine=Rolling Stone|issue=959|location=New York|access-date=August 22, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001161920/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/steelydan/albums/album/321794/review/6487010/the_royal_scam|archive-date=October 1, 2007|url-status=dead|ref=RSreissue}}

| rev10 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev10score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book|chapter=Steely Dan|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/778 778–79]|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=Simon & Schuster|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8}}

}}

Upon its release, the album was not met with as much critical acclaim as its predecessors, with many reviewers finding that it did not show any musical progress.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}} The original Rolling Stone review was more positive, however,{{cite magazine|last=Tucker|first=Kenneth|author-link=Ken Tucker|date=July 1, 1976|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/the-royal-scam-19760701|title=Steely Dan: The Royal Scam|magazine=Rolling Stone|issue=216|location=New York|access-date=December 26, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725154826/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/steelydan/albums/album/321794/review/6487010/the_royal_scam|archive-date=July 25, 2008|ref=RSreview}} and the magazine later gave the album five stars out of five in a Hall of Fame review.

In 2000, the album was voted number 868 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's book All Time Top 1000 Albums.{{cite book|title=All Time Top 1000 Albums|author=Colin Larkin|author-link=Colin Larkin|publisher=Virgin Books|date=2000|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=267}}

• "Kid Charlemagne" spent three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching a peak position of number 82 in July 1976.{{cite web |url=https://chart-history.net/wp-content/uploads/arch-steely-dan.pdf |title=Chart - History Singles |website=chart-history.net |access-date=11 November 2022}}
• "The Fez" spent five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 59 in October 1976.{{cite web |url=https://billboard.elpee.jp/single/The%20Fez/Steely%20Dan/ |title=The Fez |website=billboard.elpee.jp |access-date=11 November 2022}}
• "Haitian Divorce" spent nine weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 17 in January 1977.{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/haitian-divorce/ |title=Haitian Divorce |website=www.officialcharts.com |publisher=The Official UK Charts Company |access-date=10 November 2022}}

{{Track listing

| all_writing = Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, except where noted

| headline = Side one

| extra_column = Solo(s)

| title1 = Kid Charlemagne

| extra1 = guitar: Larry Carlton

| length1 = 4:39

| title2 = The Caves of Altamira

| extra2 = tenor saxophone: John Klemmer

| length2 = 3:34

| title3 = Don't Take Me Alive

| extra3 = guitar: Larry Carlton

| length3 = 4:16

| title4 = Sign In Stranger

| extra4 = piano: Paul Griffin; guitar: Elliott Randall

| length4 = 4:24

| title5 = The Fez

| writer5 = Becker, Fagen, Paul Griffin

| extra5 = guitar: Walter Becker

| length5 = 4:01

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| extra_column = Solo(s)

| title6 = Green Earrings

| extra6 = guitar: Denny Dias (bridge) and Elliott Randall (main)

| length6 = 4:05

| title7 = Haitian Divorce

| extra7 = talk box guitar: Dean Parks (altered by Walter Becker)

| length7 = 5:51

| title8 = Everything You Did

| extra8 = guitar: Larry Carlton

| length8 = 3:56

| title9 = The Royal Scam

| extra9 = guitar: Larry Carlton

| length9 = 6:31

| total_length = 41:12

}}

;Steely Dan

• Donald Fagen – keyboards, lead vocals, background vocals
• Walter Becker – guitar, bass guitar

;Additional musicians

{{Div col}}

• Paul Griffin – keyboards
• Don Grolnick – keyboards
• Larry Carlton – guitar
• Denny Dias – guitar
• Dean Parks – guitar
• Elliott Randall – guitar
• Chuck Rainey – bass guitar
• Rick Marotta – drums (3,8)
• Bernard Purdie – drums (all 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

{{div col end}}

{{col-start}}

{{col-2}}

;Production

• Gary Katz – producer
• Roger Nichols – engineer, mixing engineer
• Elliot Scheiner – engineer
• Barney Perkins – mixing engineer
• Brian Gardner – mastering engineer
• Stuart "Dinky" Dawson – sound consultant
• Karen Stanley – nurse
• Ed Caraeff – art direction and design
• Charlie Ganse – cover art
• Zox – cover art
• Tom Nikosey – typographic design

{{col-2}}

;Reissue

• Roger Nichols – remastering engineer
• Beth Stempel – coordinator
• Vartan – art direction
• Mike Diehl – design{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-royal-scam-mw0000195860/credits|title=The Royal Scam - Steely Dan - Credits - AllMusic|website=AllMusic|access-date=1 December 2018}}
• Daniel Levitin – consultant

{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Royal Scam|artist=Steely Dan|type=album|region=Canada|award=Gold|relyear=1976|certyear=1978|access-date=June 1, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Royal Scam|artist=Steely Dan|type=album|region=United States|award=Platinum|relyear=1976|certyear=1993|access-date=June 1, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090412122604/http://www.steelydan.com/lyrroyalscam.html Complete lyrics]
• {{YouTube|9YxK-swFREo|"Don't Take Me Alive"}}

{{Steely Dan}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Scam}}

Category:Steely Dan albums

Category:1976 albums

Category:ABC Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Gary Katz