Steely Dan - The Royal Scam (Analogue Productions) [200g 45RPM 2LP]

Steely Dan's gold-selling fifth studio album The Royal Scam was produced by Gary Katz and was originally released by ABC Records in 1976. The Royal Scam features more prominent guitar work than the prior Steely Dan album, Katy Lied, which had been the first without founding guitarist Jeff Baxter. Guitarists on the recording include Walter Becker, Denny Dias, Larry Carlton, Elliott Randall and Dean Parks.

The album is known for its intricate arrangements, sophisticated musicianship, and cynical lyrics, and is considered one of the band's most musically adventurous works. The album features a diverse range of musical styles, from the funky and up-tempo 'Kid Charlemagne' to the Latin-influenced 'The Caves of Altamira' and the jazzy 'Don't Take Me Alive.' The lyrics explore themes of deception, corruption, and disillusionment, with characters that are often morally ambiguous or outright villainous.

Musically, the album is notable for its use of complex harmonies and intricate instrumental arrangements, with the band utilizing a wide range of instruments including guitars, keyboards, horns, and percussion. The production is polished and professional, with a clean and precise sound that emphasizes the band's technical proficiency.

Rolling Stone, in its review of the album, described The Royal Scam as Steely Dan's 'most atypical record, possessing neither obvious AM material nor seductive lyrical mysteriousness. It also contains some of their most accomplished and enjoyable music.' The overall feeling of Scam is one of just that: tension. There is little of the self-confident gentleness that dotted Pretzel Logic, less still of the omniscience that suffused Katy Lied. 

This stereo UHQR reissue will be limited to 20,000 copies, with gold foil individually numbered jackets, housed in a premium slipcase with a wooden dowel spine.

Tracklist:

1. Kid Charlemagne
2. The Caves of Altamira
3. Don't Take Me Alive
4. Sign in Stranger
5. The Fez
6. Green Earrings
7. Haitian Divorce
8. Everything You Did
9. The Royal Scam

UPC: 753088134579
Label: ANALOGUE PROD.
Release Date: 7.11.25
Format: Vinyl