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I enjoyed this cd very much.Steely Dan demonstrates their jazzy chops, and the musicians are very tight.I recommend this cd who appreciates what real musicianship sounds like.
If for no other reason buy it for Larry Carlton's too good to be true guitar work. This album is over 30 years old but remains one of the greatest jazz-rock albums ever made.
It is certainly about the life of Peurto Ricans after arriving in New York but the lyrics are very obscure. To sum it up, it is one their most memorable albums, full of wonderful melody and great stories. Maybe I am in the minority here but I think this is one of the more accessible albums from Steely Dan. For a recording act that seems to pride itself on obscure and esoteric lyrics, here we have very simple stories with no effort to follow along.Bitter, sardonic, sarcastic, cool, critical. Very jazzy and I hasve to admit it leaves me feeling cold and detached. SIGN IN STRANGER. Interesting song but the arrangement is rather one-dimensional and the middle eight sounds forced.THE ROYAL SCAM: It may be a retelling of WEST SIDE STORY but I don't think it's true.
Great music as always but lyrically dissapointing.GREEN EARRINGS: Too cool but lyrically too sparse for my liking. Stunning is the only word I can use.Out of nine songs, there are only two that I dislike: THE CAVES OF ALTAMIRA starts with plenty of promise but the chorus is really feeble and cliched.
Maybe it is autobiographical and Walter Becker and Donald Fagan are just putting their lives as popular recording artists (I do not want to use the word, Stars) under the microscope. But what makes the song so powerful is the backing female vocals of Clydie King, Venetta Fields and Sherlie Matthews.
Amazing that of the nine tracks, six have lyrics that are easy to understand. Either way it is my favourite song on the album with it's menacing repetitive brass arrangement.
They could never do anything wrong as far as I am concerned. Of course but what would an SD album be without these traits.You do not need an explanation for the following songs:DON"T TAKE ME ALIVEEVERYTHING YOU DIDTHE CAVES OF ALTAMIRATHE FEZHAITIAN DIVORCEGREEN EARINGSThe remaining tracks do take a little effort.KID CHARLAMAGNE: maybe about a drug dealer or someone who is really cool.
I need help here.
All the tunes are perfect creations melding rock guitars jazzy keys and horns with phat R&B and funk grooves. the drums and bass are really fat but clean and clear and the vocals are a thing of beauty,perfectly sung and blended and expertly recorded and mixed. I have to say that this album is fast becoming my favorite.
I actually like this album better then Aja. If your new to Steely Dan this wouldnt be a bad place to start cause the whole album jams with intensity. Also the remastered version sounds awesome.
I recently bought The Royal Scam along with two other dan favs Katy Lied and Pretzel Logic. I would say that Becker & Fagen where feeling the influence of funk and disco into their rock sounding stuff, check out "The Fez" my favorite tune and probably the funkiest groove on the album. I can listen from start to finish.
I own all of Steely Dan's quote classic albums and in my opinion The Royal Scam has it all. By this time the bands sound had definitely changed from the early 70's sound of Can't Buy a Trill & Countdown.
Will you be disapponted, no, so go ahead and get it. If you are a "Dan" fan you will probably get all their older works remastered, if you haven't already. This is done well, but I felt it sounded a bit compressed, it simply did not have that "live in the room sound" that the Aja remaster did.
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