The Royal Scam  by Steely Dan

In May 1976, the fifth album by Steely Dan was released, offering another delightful jazz rock journey to the band's fans. Once again, Gary Getz was in charge of production, collaborating flawlessly with Donald Fagen and Walter Becker and highlighting their compositions.

At the time of its release, the album and its creators were "accused" that the sound of The Royal Scam was a repetition of what they had delivered on their previous records, and this might have been true. In hindsight, the album seems to be yet another step in building their unique legend during the 1970s. The album cover was a collaboration between Larry Zox and Ed Caraeff, based on a draft for a Van Morrison album that was never released.

The Royal Scam reached No. 15 on the Billboard charts. Its highest position was in New Zealand, where it reached No. 3 (!). Worldwide, and over the years, its sales have reached 1,000,000 copies.