{"product_id":"steely-dan-the-royal-scam-cd","title":"Steely Dan - The Royal Scam [CD]","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Royal Scam is Steely Dan at their most guitar-heavy and darkly funny, presented here on CD.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReleased in 1976, the band's fifth album found Walter Becker and Donald Fagen again working with producer Gary Katz and an elite team of session players. Compared to the polished jazz textures of later albums, this set has more bite, with sharp rock guitar and noir-tinged stories of hustlers, outcasts and people living just on the wrong side of the law.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Kid Charlemagne\" opens the album in style, a tale loosely inspired by the rise and fall of a 1960s underground chemist, featuring a celebrated guitar solo from Larry Carlton. \"Haitian Divorce\" brings a reggae lilt and a twisted sense of humour, while \"The Fez\" rides a sleek, funky groove. \"Don't Take Me Alive\" is a tense, cinematic story of a man cornered with nothing left to lose.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFagen's vocals are dry and knowing throughout, and the arrangements are as sharp as anything the band ever recorded. Every song feels like a short story set to music, full of strange characters and sly wordplay.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Aja and Gaucho, The Royal Scam is an essential companion, capturing the band at a creative high just before their full move into studio perfectionism. It rewards every listen.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alliance Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57518451196209,"sku":"008811205126","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0704\/2026\/7313\/files\/Steely_Dan-The_Royal_Scam_CD.jpg?v=1794678548","url":"https:\/\/vinyl.com\/products\/steely-dan-the-royal-scam-cd","provider":"Vinyl.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}