The Royal Scam - Steely Dan (1976)

This is not one of the most lauded Steely Dan albums, but it’s one I love all the way through. Despite not having any massive, globally recognizable tracks–or perhaps because of that–you can just sit back and take in Becker and Fagen’s little world. It’s nerdy and clunky and elegant and sweeping in equal parts. It’s too jazzy to be pop, too rockin to be jazz, too poppy to be rock. It’s outsider music in every dimension.

Tracks I Liked

Caves Of Altamira - great chorus, great horn chart

The Fez - a funky little throwaway that ends up going hard

Haitian Divorce - a nasty listtle tune with a Larry Carlton squawk-box guitar solo