Vinyl Reports

Steely Dan’s fifth studio LP on ABC, May 1976’s The Royal Scam, was a Top 5 Grammy-winning hit, but it is not often considered as being that popular, given the even more massive commercial breakthrough of its followup, September 1977’s Aja. Often dividing fans as far as favorite Steely Dan albums go, The Royal Scam is an arguable breakpoint between the harder-rocking early incarnations of the group and the more progressive, smoothly jazz-infused albums to come. Regarding that fan “division,” if you will, one need look no further than Analog Planet for a prime example. While The Royal Scam is my personal favorite Steely Dan album, Aja remains AP editor Mike Mettler’s favorite! (Footnote 1)

That said, hearing the new Analogue Productions 200g 45rpm 2LP UHQR edition of The Royal Scam, which was released on June 6, 2025, just may go to changing the minds of some of those SD fave-album fence-sitters out there, as this is very likely the definitive version of this mid-’70s classic.

Before we get too much deeper into the grooves, let’s first detail the all-important DNA that sets this UHQR release apart from the UMe/Geffen standard edition reissue released on the same day that I’ll discuss later in this review, as well as the original 1976 ABC pressings. From the official press materials for The Royal Scam, we learn that “the 45 RPM UHQR versions will be pressed at Analogue Productions’ Quality Record Pressings on 200-gram Clarity Vinyl, packaged in a deluxe box, and will include a booklet detailing the entire process of making a UHQR along with a certificate of inspection. Each UHQR is pressed, using hand-selected vinyl, with attention paid to every single detail of every single record. All of the innovations introduced by QRP that have been generating such incredible critical acclaim are applied to each UHQR. The 200-gram records feature the same flat profile that helped to make the original UHQR so desirable.” Lacquers for the new UHQR edition were mastered directly from the original master tape by Bernie Grundman of Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles. (Some of you may know all of that UHQR background already, but we provide it here as both a refresher service and for all of our newbie readers.)

As for the cost, as per usual for the SD UHQR series, the SRP for the 200g 45rpm 2LP UHQR edition of Steely Dan’s The Royal Scam is $149.99, which you can order directly from Music Direct here, and/or via the MD link graphic following the UHQR tracklisting section at the end of the review.

As for the new standard edition remaster LP from Geffen/UMe, it too also holds some solid credentials worth considering, especially for any of us on a budget who may not yet be prepared to make the financial commitment required to obtain the UHQR edition. From the 1LP edition’s official press materials, we find that, “UMe’s standard 33⅓ RPM 180-gram version has been remastered by Joe Nino-Hernes at Sterling Sound from high-resolution digital files and pressed at Precision. They will be housed in reproductions of the original artwork.”

The SRP for the standard 180g edition of The Royal Scam is $29.99, and it too is available from Music Direct. You can order that version here, or by way of the MD link graphic after the 1LP edition’s tracklisting section at the tail end of this review.

Before I get into the meat of the listening portion of this review, I’d like to offer up some detail as to why The Royal Scam has secured its lock on me as an “all-time favorite” title among all Steely Dan albums. As noted earlier, others give that divine appointment to Aja — and I get it, as I do love that album as well. However, when Aja came out, I remember an impactful moment I experienced in a favorite local record store in my hometown, upon my asking the owner what he thought of that then-new Steely Dan LP. He was disappointed, claiming it didn’t rock hard enough, and thus found it a bit of a letdown after The Royal Scam, which he loved. That gave me some pause, as it was enough to plant a seed in my brain to reconsider all other Steely Dan albums in that light.

Indeed, there was something different about Aja, and, after much relistening to every SD album, I ended up agreeing with the store owner. To my ear, The Royal Scam achieves the best balance, start to finish, between Steely Dan’s jazz and soul proclivities without sacrificing its rawer rock & roll roots. For that reason, it remains my favorite Dan album, with March 1975’s Katy Lied a close second. (C’mon — “Black Friday” is a smoker!) Aja is my third fave in the SD catalog, while the first three albums — November 1972’s Can’t Buy a Thrill, July 1973’s Countdown to Ecstasy, and February 1974’s Pretzel Logic — are a bit of a tossup for me as far as pole positions go, as they each have their own strengths. (Footnote 2)

One last related point to consider about The Royal Scam’s rock-centricity (if you will): while looking at Donald Fagen’s liner notes for the new UHQR reissue, it struck me as significant that legendary session drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie played drums on all the tracks, save for two played by equally talented (but very different) rock drummer Rick Marotta. Aja, in contrast, boasts no less than six (count ’em!) different drummers on its seven tracks (Purdie is on two). Katy Lied features Jeff Porcaro on all but one tune (and that one is played by Wrecking Crew legend Hal Blaine). Pretzel Logic showcases mostly Jim Gordon, with Porcaro on one track. And the first two, Can’t Buy a Thrill and Countdown to Ecstasy, feature Jim Hodder throughout. I think you can get the gist of where I’m going with this argument — perhaps having a consistent drummer across an album can help to create a more unified feel.

So maybe, just maybe, it is that factor — combined with the scorching guitar solos from the likes of Larry Carlton, Dean Parks, Elliot Randall, Denny Dias, Rick Derringer, and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter — that adds to the perception that Steely Dan albums like The Royal Scam rocked harder. Again, don’t get me wrong — I love Aja, and it does rock in its own special way, but it is a more swinging, jazz-fusion-y, funky, progressive soul-jazz-rock sensibility (especially Steve Gadd’s jaw-dropping solo on the title track). And that’s my two cents (or two dollars) on the matter.

Anyhow, moving on to the listening portion of this review, generally, I am very pleased with the new UHQR edition of The Royal Scam. It’s a lovely package, and I especially like how they repurposed the design of the original album’s inner sleeve for the new gatefold. And the deluxe laminated cover art is just sumptuous.

Now let’s run down some of the really, really good stuff from The Royal Scam UHQR playback experience I had. Everything started out fine with “Kid Charlemagne” (LP1, Side A, Track 1) rockin’ and a-groovin’ madly, sounding somehow tighter than I’ve ever heard it. This version of “Sign in Stranger” (LP1, Side B, Track 1) is also quite astonishing with the piano a particular standout, as it feels super-natural, vibrant, and alive. The tambourine here is also remarkable, coming across quite like being in the studio with the musicians (something I can attest to having been in studio recording sessions many times, including capturing tambourine sounds!). Thankfully, there is no distortion on “Stranger,” as it would have been easy to ride this track hot. But, by golly by gosh, that piano is amazing.

“The Fez” (LP1, Side B, Track 2) has always been a challenging track, given its smoky-hot grooves at the end of Side 1 of the standard edition. So, hearing it on the 2LP UHQR edition — which only deposes two tracks on that particular side — is a blessing, as we now can hear the song in a much less compressed manner. Likewise, “Green Earrings” (LP2, Side C, Track 1) also sounds super-sweet!

Now, let’s consider some of my listening challenges. “Caves of Altamira” (LP1, Side A, Track 2) initially gave me some pause, and it became a bit of a listening rabbit hole of a hurdle to get through. However, ultimately, I think I made some discoveries along the way, confirming that this track can sound great. You see, this is a very hot passage, which might put some stylus setups to the test; I know it did with mine! On my initial playback, I heard some intense distortion happening, particularly from the hi-hats, to the point where I stopped the album to check my stylus and clean it again. But, no, the noise was still happening.

Before moving forward, I then did a quick search online to see if there were any reports of similar problems popping up — and, unfortunately, I did find some forum discussions on the topic, with others reporting similar issues on this track in particular.

I then went back to listen to my original white label promo copy of The Royal Scam, and I could hear that even that early mastering offers a fairly hot tracking challenge — but at least it wasn’t distorting. Moving forward, I gave the song a try with different stylus setups, I have and confirmed that indeed some could track this song better. So, clearly it was not a pressing issue, but simply a very, very hot passage that might be a challenge for some setups. (Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes.)

I was also initially disappointed to hear some distortion at points (again, on the hi-hats) during “Haitian Divorce” (LP2, Side C, Track 2) — but, again, that issue was mitigated dramatically when I swapped out the styli.

Semi-brief sidenote: I know some audiophile purists strongly feel that there should be a “break-in” period when listening to an album. Years ago, I remember reading one noted expert recommending, if memory serves, a minimum of five plays for new vinyl to reach its optimum playback performance. I never really gave that much consideration and, frankly, given our deadlines, we don’t often have that luxury to listen to one pressing that many times before writing up our reviews.

However, in this case, I admit that I got a bit obsessive about trying to get to the bottom of my aforementioned distortion-issue rabbit hole. And, you know what? After four or five plays with several different styli, and once I went back to my original stylus, the most challenging tracks on the UHQR edition of The Royal Scam — the aforementioned “Haitian Divorce,” and “Caves of Altamira” — were actually starting to sound better, and more normal, if you will. So perhaps there is something to that notion of giving an album some breathing time to break-in and find its own groove, if you have the notion.

Probably my only other nit to pick with the UHQR edition is that, on a couple of its sides, there was some surface noise audible between tracks, something that normally would not be a big deal for me personally, except given the pricetag involved. But other than that, make no mistake, as The Royal Scam UHQR is definitive. (Footnote 3)

As far as Geffen/UMe’s standard, digitally remastered 1LP edition of The Royal Scam goes, it’s solid for what it is. The 180g pressing is clear and clean, well-centered, and quiet. It does convey a bit of that digital edginess to the music, but nothing untoward that would prevent you from enjoying the music. “Sign in Stranger” (Side A, Track 4) felt a little grittier than on my original white label promo copy. I also noticed some fuzzy distortion around the vocals on “The Fez” (Side A, Track 5).

My only other little nit here is that the standard edition’s cover looks a bit less vivid than I think it should be, especially compared to the incredible version of it that’s in the UHQR set (which you can see below, with the comparative photos I’ve provided). The Geffen/UMe cover is not quite washed out, but it seems lacking somehow.

At the end of the day, this affordably priced standard edition does sound pretty much like The Royal Scam should sound on vinyl, so that is indeed a good thing. The Music ranks an easy 11, but the Sound of this 1LP version gets a generous 8.

As for the ratings of the UHQR edition of The Royal Scam go, it is generally an outstanding presentation of this recording. Musically, it ranks an easy 11 in my book. Sonics-wise, I will give the Sound a 9.5, with that little ding given for the surface noise stuff, and — depending on your playback situation — the potentially too-hot mastering on some tracks that could make this release problematic for some of you. That said, these are the nits of someone who claims The Royal Scam as his absolute favorite SD album. The fact is, those little nits should not sway you from diving into this overall excellent 2LP UHQR release if you are a super-fan of Steely Dan, nor from you getting the Geffen/UMe 1LP edition if your wallet needs a break.

Author bio: Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for eCoustics, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn.

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Footnote 1: AP editor Mike Mettler adds: Mark is indeed correct that Aja is my favorite Steely Dan LP, hands down. Nuff said!

Footnote 2: Mettler continues: Springboarding off the above answer, I’d probably put Gaucho second, while Katy Lied and The Royal Scam continue to battle it out for my third fave, depending on the vibes of the given listening day.

Footnote 3: Mettler again: Luckily, I did not have any playback issues with my copy of the UHQR edition, as my trusty Blackbird cartridge handled everything on all four sides with panache. I do concur that “Caves of Altamira” was a bit hot, but not to the level of distortion during my playback sessions. Oh, by the way, I should also point out that the song title reads as “Caves of Altamira” on each version’s record label (and on the original 1976 ABC LP label), but it instead appears with “the” as its prefix — i.e., as “The Caves of Altamira” — on all of the back covers and sleeve lyrics. So, which is it, lads?

I do have to add that the title track, “The Royal Scam,” which is certainly one of my Top 5 Steely Dan songs, had the widest soundstage and best stereo separation of any of the nine tracks here on the UHQR — the wide-panned horn playing throughout this quite dramatic track was beyond the pale, to use a technical term. Also, both of my UHQR LPs were well-centered and flat. LP1 fit on the spindle nice ’n’ easy, though LP2 did fit a bit more snugly. Finally, I’d like to give a tip of the hat to Donald Fagen’s liner notes this time around, highlighting certain L.A./NY differences and sharing a cool story about Purdie after he laid down his groove on “Kid Charlamagne.” Bravo Donald, and bravo Pretty!

Footnote 4: Mettler once more: My ratings for The Royal Scam cap the Music at 10.5 (some tracks are 10, some are 11), and I’d give the UHQR version’s Sound a 10.5 since I experienced none of the issues that Mark did with his copy. The UHQR edition of The Royal Scam is now officially my preferred playback option for this album, without question, especially after doing a few A/B passes with my original 1976 ABC Records U.S. (ABCD-931) and Canadian (9022-931) pressings. Finally, I concur with Mark’s straight-up 8 Sound rating for the Geffen/UMe version. On the latter LP, I did experience some end-of-side surface noise as both respective side-closers played out.

Footnote 5: Mettler yet again. Finally, if you want to check out our in-depth reviews of each and every UHQR Series Steely Dan release (as well as how the comparable Geffen/UMe editions stack up to them), click on the respective, chronologically presented album titles that follow, starting with SD’s November 1972 debut Can’t Buy a Thrill, followed by July 1973’s Countdown to Ecstasy, February 1974’s Pretzel Logic, March 1975’s Katy Lied, September 1977’s Aja, and November 1980’s Gaucho.

STEELY DAN
THE ROYAL SCAM
200g 45rpm 2LP (MCA/Geffen/Analogue Productions)
MUSIC: 11
SOUND: 9.5

Produced by Gary Katz (original LP); Chad Kassem (UHQR edition)
Original album recording engineered by Roger Nichols and Elliot Scheiner
Original album mix by Roger Nichols
Vinyl lacquers cut from master tapes by Bernie Grundman, Bernie Grundman Mastering, Los Angeles
UHQR Vinyl plated by Stan Bishop
UHQR Vinyl pressed at QRP

LP1, Side A
1. Kid Charlemagne
2. Caves Of Altamira
3. Don’t Take Me Alive

LP1, Side B
1. Sign In Stranger
2. The Fez

LP2, Side C
1. Green Earrings
2. Haitian Divorce

LP2, Side D
1. Everything You Did
2. The Royal Scam

STEELY DAN
THE ROYAL SCAM
180g 1LP (Geffen/UMe)
MUSIC: 11
SOUND: 8

Produced by Gary Katz (original LP)
Original album recording engineered by Roger Nichols and Elliot Scheiner
Original album mix by Roger Nichols
Standard vinyl digitally remastered by Joe Nino-Hernes at Sterling Sound
Standard vinyl pressed at Precision/GZ, Ontario, Canada

Side A
1. Kid Charlemagne
2. 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