STEELY DAN - The Royal Scam (Reissue) - LP - Vinyl [JUN 6]

LP - 180g Black Vinyl. Remastered by Joe Nino-Hernes at Sterling Sound.

The band’s 1976 guitar classic features favourites like ‘Kid Charlemagne,’ ‘The Fez,’ and ‘The Caves of Altamira.’

Steely Dan’s 1976 LP The Royal Scam has been out of print on vinyl for 45 years, but that’s about to change. A new repress of the album is coming June 6 as part of Geffen/UMe’s extensive reissue campaign, which also includes recent reissues of Can’t Buy A Thrill, Countdown To Ecstasy, Pretzel Logic, Katy Lied, Aja, and Gaucho.

The Royal Scam is another fantastic chapter in Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s storied songwriting history, showing off the duo at the peak of their sharp, cynical wit and intricate musical vision. The album boasts beloved tracks like “Kid Charlemagne,” “The Fez,” “The Caves of Altamira,” and the title track; though not received as an instant classic upon initial release, it has since been embraced by fans and critics. Rolling Stone gave it five stars in a 2004 Hall of Fame review, while Stereogum later ranked it as the second best album of Steely Dan’s career, praising it as “their fiercest, funkiest record in their entire catalog, a classic that transitioned them from the uneasy company of the yacht-rock smooth to a mean unit that grooved like Stevie for pessimists.”

The Dan’s longtime producer Gary Katz was once again behind the boards, and Fagen and Becker are backed as usual by a crack team of session musicians, including Larry Carlton, who contributes all-time great guitar solos to songs like “Kid Charlemagne” and “Don’t Take Me Alive.” The Royal Scam marked the band’s first album with drummer Bernard Purdie, and the soulful voice of Michael McDonald can be heard in the background throughout. 

Tracklist: 

A1. Kid Charlemagne   
A2. The Caves of Altamira          
A3. Don't Take Me Alive
A4. Sign In Stranger
A5. The Fez
 
B1. Green Earrings
B2. Haitian Divorce
B3. Everything You Did
B4. The Royal Scam