CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

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AKA - A Smooth Jazz Tribute to Steely Dan

Search: The Royal Scam
by: Steely Dan

Release Date February 24, 2003
As a big fan of the Dan and their songs, I thought I would try this one out as it can be interesting to hear different interpretations of great songs. What a mistake! A brutal assassination of 13 Dan classics performed by musicians who, whilst at the top of their game technically, simply don't 'get' the Dan or their music. Don & Walt used to get their musicians to the point where everything was perfect and would then deliberately loosen things up, giving their performances real character and soul.

Everything on this album is way too mechanical and rigid. If you are a true Dan fan I guarantee you will hate it. The only reason I gave it one star is that there isn't a '0 stars' option. Dreadful!

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

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The Royal Scam [VINYL]

Search: The Royal Scam
by: Steely Dan

Release Date October 17, 1990
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 ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

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The Royal Scam

Search: The Royal Scam
by: Steely Dan

Release Date
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 ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

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Can't Buy a Thrill/Pretzel Logic/the Royal Scam

Search: The Royal Scam
by: Steely Dan

Release Date August 16, 2000
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 ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

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The Royal Scam [VINYL]

Search: The Royal Scam
by: Steely Dan

Release Date June 26, 2000
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 ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

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The Royal Scam

Search: The Royal Scam
by: Steely Dan

Release Date November 01, 1992
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!

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

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The Royal Scam

Search: The Royal Scam
by: Steely Dan

Release Date June 25, 2008
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!

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

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The Katy Lied/Royal Scam [CASSETTE]

Search: The Royal Scam
by: Steely Dan

Release Date October 17, 1990
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!

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

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The Royal Scam

Search: The Royal Scam
by: Steely Dan

Release Date
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!

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

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Citizen Steely Dan [CASSETTE]

Search: The Royal Scam
by: Steely Dan

Release Date July 28, 1998
Not so much a box set per se, but a back to back album collection from the first seven Dan albums. In one sense this might seem a little lazy, but to be honest, it's very hard selecting (or de-selecting) any specific numbers from the dynamic duo. The remastering is a bonus if you haven't collected the majority of the set on individual albums - plus you get a few bonus numbers thrown in for good measure.

My one disappointment with the set is the omission of the early SD single, Dallas/Sail the Waterway. These two fine songs I believe are currently only available on a long deleted 12" single. Lyrically, maybe these two songs don't quite fit in the SD pantheon, but musically they're very much in the style of Can't Buy a Thrill. But all in all, this is a very minor quibble ... Read More: