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Music : The Royal Scam
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Rating: 
- Yet Another Classic
For some reason when I first heard this album (and I've been a Dan fan for a long long time) it didn't really grip me, but as these things tend to do once I bought a new copy on CD and played it again and again I found myself... playing it again and again. I'd got an impression of some sort of darkness and pretentiousness around the album first time round, but actually it's inventive, light, and probably their most playful album - very tongue in cheek in places.
I'd now say this is one of the "must buy" Dan cluster, along with Countdown to Ecstacy, Kay Lied, and Aja (and the first two tracks on Gaucho).
Oh yeah - seen the boys twice, Birmingham and Aintree, and at the latter gig they let Becker sing Hiaitian Divorce! Stick to the day job, Walter!
Rating: - Never gonna do it without the fez on
That line from The Fez has always struck me as wonderfully cool. As a piece of music its pretty infectious too. 'The Royal Scam' is the fifth chapter in a line of impeccable albums from Steely Dan. I don't care how cynical Becker and Fagen were, how big their egos, or how much their 'bandmates' were pushed to the margins. They packed so much into forty minutes, from rock to funk to reggae influences, with jazz inflections and brass sections. The lyrics too are intriguing, often bizarre. I sometimes wonder if one day I'll get the joke.
Aside of 'The Fez,' the major highlights for me are 'Kid Charlemagne,' pretty obviously about someone who had it all, couched in the aura of a baseball star ('hit it long'), the disturbing, rock-oriented 'Don't Take Me Alive' and my favourite, 'Haitian Divorce,' a minor hit that ought to be considered in the front rank of great rock songs. It's all first rate stuff, however. No scam.
Rating:
- Worth it for "Kid Charlemagne" and "Haitian Divorce"....
Rating: 6.5/10
Best tracks: "Haitian Divorce", "Kid Charlemagne", "Don't Take Me Alive", "Everything You Did".
Steely Dan's fifth album kicks off with the delightful "Kid Charlemagne", which is one of the band's very best songs, a great, smoothly funky beat, terrific playing from all...it's a treat all the way. Even better is the wonderful "Haitian Divorce", which is by far and away the best thing here; a sun-kissed rhythm, a wonderfully drifting feel, an arresting guitar hook and a blissful coda make it one of the band's very finest. However, these are the only two songs that really stand out; to be honest, there's nothing at all bad on this album, but you do get the feeling that Steely Dan are coasting a bit on this one; the playing is as immaculate as ever, with lots of impressive licks, fills, riffs, hooks, etc., and it all makes for a fun listen. It's impossible to fault or criticise really, but some of the stuff here, "The Caves of Altamira", the title track, "Green Earrings" or "Sign in Stranger", for example, drift along without leaving too much of an impression, despite all being good, solid tunes. "Don't Take Me Alive" and "The Fez" both have terrific choruses though; rubbish girl-group All Saints sampled the latter for one of their early singles back in 1997 by the way! Finally a mention for "Everything You Did", which has plenty of very nice guitar and piano. All in all, The Royal Scam is definitely worth buying, it's a good album, but only occasionally great.
Rating: - Re-discovery
Many years ago I owned this album on vinyl. I was a Dan fan, but The Royal Scam wasn't my favourite. Last Christmas a friend gave me it as a present. He had rediscovered it and wanted to share the experience.
Re-hearing it, I'm tempted to think that it's appeal has grown because it represents the unthreatening certainties of the past, a familiar sound enhanced by nostalgia. But I don't really believe that, and I certainly don't want to. I think I simply failed to give it a chance. It didn't have the stand out tracks that my anticipation demanded. It asked for a little more than I gave. The more instant tracks - Kid Charlemagne and Haitian Divorce are good but not the Dan's best and that coloured my experience back in 1976. It obscured the quality of the set.
With hindsight, this is the sound of a band on its way to creating a classic ('Aja') but if you have read this far, it is certainly worth your pennies, time and attention. If a new young British band released something like this we'd all go bananas for it.
Rating: - Top Notch Dan
This was the first Steely Dan album I ever heard/bought (many decades ago), and although Aja is now my favourite (just) this remains the one I return to the most.
There are many great moments but the high point for me is the wonderful guitar solo, played by Larry Carlton, at the end of Kid Charlemagne.
Kid Charlemagne is typical of the whole album, which is full of fantastic grooves typified by The Fez and Green Earrings. However these grooves are actually played by musicians rather than machines (as is the tendency these days).
I'm not great on lyrics, but even I can spot some of the humour in these songs.
So to sum up, quality song-writing, top quality musicians and great production means an essential purchase for either the Steely Dan fan who has somehow missed this album, or if you're of a younger generation and want to try something different.
- Yet Another ClassicFor some reason when I first heard this album (and I've been a Dan fan for a long long time) it didn't really grip me, but as these things tend to do once I bought a new copy on CD and played it again and again I found myself... playing it again and again. I'd got an impression of some sort of darkness and pretentiousness around the album first time round, but actually it's inventive, light, and probably their most playful album - very tongue in cheek in places.
I'd now say this is one of the "must buy" Dan cluster, along with Countdown to Ecstacy, Kay Lied, and Aja (and the first two tracks on Gaucho).
Oh yeah - seen the boys twice, Birmingham and Aintree, and at the latter gig they let Becker sing Hiaitian Divorce! Stick to the day job, Walter!
Rating:
- Never gonna do it without the fez onThat line from The Fez has always struck me as wonderfully cool. As a piece of music its pretty infectious too. 'The Royal Scam' is the fifth chapter in a line of impeccable albums from Steely Dan. I don't care how cynical Becker and Fagen were, how big their egos, or how much their 'bandmates' were pushed to the margins. They packed so much into forty minutes, from rock to funk to reggae influences, with jazz inflections and brass sections. The lyrics too are intriguing, often bizarre. I sometimes wonder if one day I'll get the joke.
Aside of 'The Fez,' the major highlights for me are 'Kid Charlemagne,' pretty obviously about someone who had it all, couched in the aura of a baseball star ('hit it long'), the disturbing, rock-oriented 'Don't Take Me Alive' and my favourite, 'Haitian Divorce,' a minor hit that ought to be considered in the front rank of great rock songs. It's all first rate stuff, however. No scam.
Rating:
- Worth it for "Kid Charlemagne" and "Haitian Divorce"....Rating: 6.5/10
Best tracks: "Haitian Divorce", "Kid Charlemagne", "Don't Take Me Alive", "Everything You Did".
Steely Dan's fifth album kicks off with the delightful "Kid Charlemagne", which is one of the band's very best songs, a great, smoothly funky beat, terrific playing from all...it's a treat all the way. Even better is the wonderful "Haitian Divorce", which is by far and away the best thing here; a sun-kissed rhythm, a wonderfully drifting feel, an arresting guitar hook and a blissful coda make it one of the band's very finest. However, these are the only two songs that really stand out; to be honest, there's nothing at all bad on this album, but you do get the feeling that Steely Dan are coasting a bit on this one; the playing is as immaculate as ever, with lots of impressive licks, fills, riffs, hooks, etc., and it all makes for a fun listen. It's impossible to fault or criticise really, but some of the stuff here, "The Caves of Altamira", the title track, "Green Earrings" or "Sign in Stranger", for example, drift along without leaving too much of an impression, despite all being good, solid tunes. "Don't Take Me Alive" and "The Fez" both have terrific choruses though; rubbish girl-group All Saints sampled the latter for one of their early singles back in 1997 by the way! Finally a mention for "Everything You Did", which has plenty of very nice guitar and piano. All in all, The Royal Scam is definitely worth buying, it's a good album, but only occasionally great.
Rating:
- Re-discoveryMany years ago I owned this album on vinyl. I was a Dan fan, but The Royal Scam wasn't my favourite. Last Christmas a friend gave me it as a present. He had rediscovered it and wanted to share the experience.
Re-hearing it, I'm tempted to think that it's appeal has grown because it represents the unthreatening certainties of the past, a familiar sound enhanced by nostalgia. But I don't really believe that, and I certainly don't want to. I think I simply failed to give it a chance. It didn't have the stand out tracks that my anticipation demanded. It asked for a little more than I gave. The more instant tracks - Kid Charlemagne and Haitian Divorce are good but not the Dan's best and that coloured my experience back in 1976. It obscured the quality of the set.
With hindsight, this is the sound of a band on its way to creating a classic ('Aja') but if you have read this far, it is certainly worth your pennies, time and attention. If a new young British band released something like this we'd all go bananas for it.
Rating:
- Top Notch DanThis was the first Steely Dan album I ever heard/bought (many decades ago), and although Aja is now my favourite (just) this remains the one I return to the most.
There are many great moments but the high point for me is the wonderful guitar solo, played by Larry Carlton, at the end of Kid Charlemagne.
Kid Charlemagne is typical of the whole album, which is full of fantastic grooves typified by The Fez and Green Earrings. However these grooves are actually played by musicians rather than machines (as is the tendency these days).
I'm not great on lyrics, but even I can spot some of the humour in these songs.
So to sum up, quality song-writing, top quality musicians and great production means an essential purchase for either the Steely Dan fan who has somehow missed this album, or if you're of a younger generation and want to try something different.