Steely Dan’s 1976 album The Royal Scam is set to be reissued on vinyl on June 6 via Geffen/UMe, whose reissue campaign included reissues of Can’t Buy A Thrill, Countdown To Ecstasy, Pretzel Logic, Katy Lied, Aja, and Gaucho.
The Royal Scam LP is a noteworthy chapter in Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s much written about songwriting history. The duo were at the peak of their sharp cynical wit and complex musical vision when they wrote The Royal Scam, which features songs like “Kid Charlemagne,” “The Fez,” “The Caves of Altamira,” and the title track.
The album, which marked the band’s first album with drummer Bernard Purdie, peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
While Rolling Stone gave The Royal Scam five stars in a 2004 Hall of Fame review, 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 reissue marked the first time the album’s been available on vinyl in 45 years. It has been remastered from the analog tapes and will be released on 180-gram black vinyl, along with a limited-edition premium 45 RPM version on ultra high-quality vinyl. It will also be available to stream on digital services.
The Royal Scam (33 RPM Vinyl)
Side A
1. “Kid Charlemagne”
2. “The Caves of Altamira”
3. “Don’t Take Me Alive”
4. “Sign In Stranger”
5. “The Fez”
Side B
1. “Green Earrings”
2. “Haitian Divorce”
3. “Everything You Did”
4. “The Royal Scam”
Source: RTT Music News
