Steely Dan — The Royal Scam
Album: The Royal ScamAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 3057
Length: 6:18
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And they wandered in
From the city of St. John
Without a dime
Wearing coats that shined
Both red and green colors
From their sunny island
From their boats of iron
They looked upon the promised land
Where surely life was sweet
On the rising tide
To New York City did they ride
Into the street
See the glory
(See the glory of)
Of the royal scam
They are hounded down
To the bottom of a bad town
Amid the ruins
Where they learn to fear
An angry race of fallen kings
Their dark companions
While the memory of
Their southern sky was clouded by
A savage winter
Every patron saint
Hung on the wall, shared the room
With twenty sinners
See the glory
(See the glory of)
Of the royal scam
By the blackened wall
He does it all
He thinks he's died and gone to heaven
Now the tale is told
By the old man back home
He reads the letter
How they are paid in gold
Just to babble in the back room
All night and waste their time
And they wandered in
From the city of St. John
Without a dime
See the glory
(See the glory of)
Of the royal scam
See the glory
(See the glory of)
Of the royal scam
See the glory
(See the glory of)
Of the royal scam
From the city of St. John
Without a dime
Wearing coats that shined
Both red and green colors
From their sunny island
From their boats of iron
They looked upon the promised land
Where surely life was sweet
On the rising tide
To New York City did they ride
Into the street
See the glory
(See the glory of)
Of the royal scam
They are hounded down
To the bottom of a bad town
Amid the ruins
Where they learn to fear
An angry race of fallen kings
Their dark companions
While the memory of
Their southern sky was clouded by
A savage winter
Every patron saint
Hung on the wall, shared the room
With twenty sinners
See the glory
(See the glory of)
Of the royal scam
By the blackened wall
He does it all
He thinks he's died and gone to heaven
Now the tale is told
By the old man back home
He reads the letter
How they are paid in gold
Just to babble in the back room
All night and waste their time
And they wandered in
From the city of St. John
Without a dime
See the glory
(See the glory of)
Of the royal scam
See the glory
(See the glory of)
Of the royal scam
See the glory
(See the glory of)
Of the royal scam
Comments (437)add comment
123heyaho! wrote:
TMI... let's not talk about your sex life.
Way too long. There's really not enough happening to justify such a length.
TMI... let's not talk about your sex life.
fk14 wrote:
Buh-bye! Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya!
It's rare that I feel the need to leave Radio Paradise, but Steely Dan can do that. Just painful. Tell me when it's over.
Buh-bye! Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya!
Music for musicians. Great experience for all others.
love this so much. would love to hear the drums of the whole song isolated just once. they're so fantastic. will have to see if that's been done and if i can find it online.
fk14 wrote:
You can always hit skip.
It's rare that I feel the need to leave Radio Paradise, but Steely Dan can do that. Just painful. Tell me when it's over.
You can always hit skip.
Edweirdo wrote:
They are all their best album. The only band I can think of where there is precisely zero filler and 100% killer on Every. Single. Album. A completely unheard-of level of quality - even The Beatles had 'Octopussy's Garden' and "Ooblah Di"
I still struggle with Two Against Nature.
They are all their best album. The only band I can think of where there is precisely zero filler and 100% killer on Every. Single. Album. A completely unheard-of level of quality - even The Beatles had 'Octopussy's Garden' and "Ooblah Di"
I still struggle with Two Against Nature.
"The Dan" What more is to be said..
idiot_wind wrote:
i go back and forth
like a see saw
is this their best album?
like a see saw
is this their best album?
I know what you mean. Their catalogue is being redone right now in order of the album's release dates.
Just played this album in its entirety today for the first time in ages. Went through Can't Buy A Thrill and Countdown to Ecstasy a short while earlier. I can listen to this album all the way through and love all of it. The other two have their high points and not so high points, although nothing is bad. Aja is the other one that is for sure good all of the way through, but it is a different kind of SD from these. I still have to go through Aja, Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied to refresh my memory as to how they sound as an album played through all at once.
Just played this album in its entirety today for the first time in ages. Went through Can't Buy A Thrill and Countdown to Ecstasy a short while earlier. I can listen to this album all the way through and love all of it. The other two have their high points and not so high points, although nothing is bad. Aja is the other one that is for sure good all of the way through, but it is a different kind of SD from these. I still have to go through Aja, Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied to refresh my memory as to how they sound as an album played through all at once.
idiot_wind wrote:
They are all their best album. The only band I can think of where there is precisely zero filler and 100% killer on Every. Single. Album. A completely unheard-of level of quality - even The Beatles had 'Octopussy's Garden' and "Ooblah Di"
i go back and forth
like a see saw
is this their best album?
They are all their best album. The only band I can think of where there is precisely zero filler and 100% killer on Every. Single. Album. A completely unheard-of level of quality - even The Beatles had 'Octopussy's Garden' and "Ooblah Di"
Is Steely Dan a man made of Steel and eats a meal of steel and reveal the peals of the deal
GREAT!!
timmus wrote:
Because no one from anywhere in Canada would show up off the boat in NY without a dime. And from what sunny island?
>"From the city of St. John without a dime"
So it has to be San Juan. Why can't it be about St John's, Newfoundland? How about putting New Brunswick or Yukon in a song? Come on, musicians, step up your game.
Because no one from anywhere in Canada would show up off the boat in NY without a dime. And from what sunny island?
ExploitingChaos wrote:
.......And the production was always a work of art especially for the times. With RP allowing FLAC streaming, it is possible to spot a Steely song in mere seconds by the clear recordings of the instruments...
Yes.. I remember back in the day, working in a stereo shop we would play the first SD album to demo our best systems. The really great systems would sound like they were right there across the soundstage. The great speaker systems of that time (that we had anyhow) were Ohm F's, Dahlquist DQ-10's and the like. Early 70's...
.......And the production was always a work of art especially for the times. With RP allowing FLAC streaming, it is possible to spot a Steely song in mere seconds by the clear recordings of the instruments...
Yes.. I remember back in the day, working in a stereo shop we would play the first SD album to demo our best systems. The really great systems would sound like they were right there across the soundstage. The great speaker systems of that time (that we had anyhow) were Ohm F's, Dahlquist DQ-10's and the like. Early 70's...
still zesty!It's rare that I feel the need to leave Radio Paradise, but Steely Dan can do that. Just painful. Tell me when it's over.
mrsquid wrote:
So many layers. Today I heard a tuba/bass-trombone buried down in the chorus (right when the girls echo: "see the glory of"). Who does that? ...hide something for people to find 45 years later...
And the production is so good which lets you pick out every instrument.
So many layers. Today I heard a tuba/bass-trombone buried down in the chorus (right when the girls echo: "see the glory of"). Who does that? ...hide something for people to find 45 years later...
And the production is so good which lets you pick out every instrument.
>"From the city of St. John without a dime"
So it has to be San Juan. Why can't it be about St John's, Newfoundland? How about putting New Brunswick or Yukon in a song? Come on, musicians, step up your game.
i go back and forth
like a see saw
is this their best album?
like a see saw
is this their best album?
jbuhl wrote:
Same here, Steely Dan to me is like a sampling of a dozen different single malt Scotchs, all essentially the same and yet completely unique. And not suitable for downing or mixing. LLRP and all the +1s for these great tunes!!
bumping to 9
Same here, Steely Dan to me is like a sampling of a dozen different single malt Scotchs, all essentially the same and yet completely unique. And not suitable for downing or mixing. LLRP and all the +1s for these great tunes!!
For my money, the very best band of all time. Every Steely Dan song is an automatic 10. I have all their albums and there's not a dud song anywhere. I can think of no other band of which that is true.
Man, that is some good stuff...mellow, yet packs a punch...give me another hit...
maboleth wrote:
That's one of the dumbest things I've read since Trump was kicked off social media.
I can always tell if it's 70's music... It's endless, tedious and boring, band trying to showcase everything they know in a single song.
That's one of the dumbest things I've read since Trump was kicked off social media.
I think that this should be followed by "America" from "West Side Story".
yeah, one of the best. oddly though, to me, their best were not their radio hits.
also, i know the lyrics must mean something but to me it's just nice sounding words that go with the music.
also, i know the lyrics must mean something but to me it's just nice sounding words that go with the music.
Hey mabo,
What you need to do, is to try walking around...like how this song sounds.
Like a Frankenstein walk, but then run a little like Alfalfa from the Little Rascals.
It's fun...try it. That was the 1970s. Fun. Not like today today, with so much anger.
maboleth wrote:
I can always tell if it's 70's music... It's endless, tedious and boring, band trying to showcase everything they know in a single song.
What you need to do, is to try walking around...like how this song sounds.
Like a Frankenstein walk, but then run a little like Alfalfa from the Little Rascals.
It's fun...try it. That was the 1970s. Fun. Not like today today, with so much anger.
maboleth wrote:
I can always tell if it's 70's music... It's endless, tedious and boring, band trying to showcase everything they know in a single song.
This may be their most under appreciated album, of their "Big 6 albums".
Queue wrote:
So many layers. Today I heard a tuba/bass-trombone buried down in the chorus (right when the girls echo: "see the glory of"). Who does that? ...hide something for people to find 45 years later...
Every time I listen, I hear something new. So many layers to this. Today it was the drums that stood out. That hi-hat work!
So many layers. Today I heard a tuba/bass-trombone buried down in the chorus (right when the girls echo: "see the glory of"). Who does that? ...hide something for people to find 45 years later...
Meghan Markle's theme song.
neptunejeff wrote:
I succumbed to the peer pressure and boosted my rating from 8 to 9.
Love me some Steely Dan.
Another outstanding "9" tune from the
mighty Steely Dan....
mighty Steely Dan....
I succumbed to the peer pressure and boosted my rating from 8 to 9.
Love me some Steely Dan.
Another outstanding "9" tune from the
mighty Steely Dan....
mighty Steely Dan....
maboleth wrote:
That is a fascinating opinion, however shallow and myopic it may be. Nevertheless you are entitled to it. I just had to add to the backlash from my fellow SD devotees.
I can always tell if it's 70's music... It's endless, tedious and boring, band trying to showcase everything they know in a single song.
That is a fascinating opinion, however shallow and myopic it may be. Nevertheless you are entitled to it. I just had to add to the backlash from my fellow SD devotees.
NelsonBlack wrote:
The arc of this song is devastating. It is an immigrant's song. It reminds me of my family leaving Europe when I was a small boy, my father arriving in the new world, scared and hopeful, but "without a dime", and into a north-east "savage winter". Mostly it was Walter Becker's words that always made SD edgy and inscrutable. Still don't know what the "royal scam" is, but maybe something to do with the British and their Caribbean departments, no idea. But it's not necessary to get the portent of disappointment and further struggle, the promises broken. An infinitely fascinating song.
I know I've written this sort of thing before on RP comments: "good song, but hearing this song makes me think of the superior "Kid Charlemagne" with its hyperkinetic lyrics and guitar work."
Actually, I think that's one of the things that makes me enjoy RP. There is an endless chain of musical associations that the mix always brings to mind.
Actually, I think that's one of the things that makes me enjoy RP. There is an endless chain of musical associations that the mix always brings to mind.
The arc of this song is devastating. It is an immigrant's song. It reminds me of my family leaving Europe when I was a small boy, my father arriving in the new world, scared and hopeful, but "without a dime", and into a north-east "savage winter". Mostly it was Walter Becker's words that always made SD edgy and inscrutable. Still don't know what the "royal scam" is, but maybe something to do with the British and their Caribbean departments, no idea. But it's not necessary to get the portent of disappointment and further struggle, the promises broken. An infinitely fascinating song.
Steely Dan is the litmus test for intelligence and erudition.
maboleth wrote:
Then you must hate Steely Dan as they do that in every. single. song.
Hear the glory... of the royally talented Dan.
I can always tell if it's 70's music... It's endless, tedious and boring, band trying to showcase everything they know in a single song.
Then you must hate Steely Dan as they do that in every. single. song.
Hear the glory... of the royally talented Dan.
I know I've written this sort of thing before on RP comments: "good song, but hearing this song makes me think of the superior "Kid Charlemagne" with its hyperkinetic lyrics and guitar work."
Actually, I think that's one of the things that makes me enjoy RP. There is an endless chain of musical associations that the mix always brings to mind.
Actually, I think that's one of the things that makes me enjoy RP. There is an endless chain of musical associations that the mix always brings to mind.
maboleth wrote:
ha! Grow Down....! ha!
I can always tell if it's 70's music... It's endless, tedious and boring, band trying to showcase everything they know in a single song.
ha! Grow Down....! ha!
Queue wrote:
Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician.[1] He is known for his precise musical time keeping[2] and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie Shuffle."[3] He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.[4]
Every time I listen, I hear something new. So many layers to this. Today it was the drums that stood out. That hi-hat work!
Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician.[1] He is known for his precise musical time keeping[2] and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie Shuffle."[3] He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.[4]
I can always tell if it's 70's music... It's endless, tedious and boring, band trying to showcase everything they know in a single song.
Helchat wrote:
jasonv wrote:
LOL... I'll suggest it's the good ones that listen to this!!! imho.
It's music like this that keeps me from dating older women anymore...
That's hysterical! Regardless of the music, I have to think you had been dating the *wrong* older women...
LOL... I'll suggest it's the good ones that listen to this!!! imho.
Brilliant tune from a brilliant LP.
Way too long. There's really not enough happening to justify such a length.
On_The_Beach wrote:
Both [Steely Dan, Alan Parson Project] 1976; go figger.
O_T_B and Proclivities are two among other fine and appreciated modern music historians on this website.
That has to be a draw. Congratulations to the Goldmans for turning the song comments into a tasty attraction.
Both [Steely Dan, Alan Parson Project] 1976; go figger.
O_T_B and Proclivities are two among other fine and appreciated modern music historians on this website.
That has to be a draw. Congratulations to the Goldmans for turning the song comments into a tasty attraction.
I never would have thought when Steely Dan gave us this classic I'd live to see the Royal DC Scam at this scale. Like timeless literature, this piece of art will outlive us all.....thank you Walter and Donald.
Every time I listen, I hear something new. So many layers to this. Today it was the drums that stood out. That hi-hat work!
Just bumped from 9 to 10, it just doesn't get any better to my ears.
Bummer.
I just came to the site to rate this song a 10, only to find that I had already done that.
I just came to the site to rate this song a 10, only to find that I had already done that.
One of the best American bands ever. Thank you Walter for all you gave us!
Build a wall on the border with Puerto Rico and make Lin-Manuel pay for it! (Sarcasm.)
Bugger it - changing to a 10. Nothing but outstanding work all round.
Music at it's best
Music at it's best
In 6 yrs of comments only one negative, I guess when it comes to SD (not sexual disease), your outnumbered RDO.
thewiseking wrote:
.......And the production was always a work of art especially for the times. With RP allowing FLAC streaming, it is possible to spot a Steely song in mere seconds by the clear recordings of the instruments...
Brilliant singer songwriters. Obsessive about using the best studio musicians they could get their hands on. The results, for somewhere around 10 years, were outstanding.
.......And the production was always a work of art especially for the times. With RP allowing FLAC streaming, it is possible to spot a Steely song in mere seconds by the clear recordings of the instruments...
That is some seriously mean trumpet...Meanest I've ever heard, but hard to focus with the phenomenal drumming pounding out that crazy beat. My brain is going back and forth between all the talent here 
OUTSTANDING!
Never paid attention to the lyrics before. They read like poetry.
bumping to 9
Brilliant singer songwriters. Obsessive about using the best studio musicians they could get their hands on. The results, for somewhere around 10 years, were outstanding.
TerryS wrote:
Gravity is — or can be — your friend.
I heard he has very long arms.
Gravity is — or can be — your friend.
westslope wrote:
Hear, hear!!
RP can simply not play enough Steely Dan.
Hear, hear!!
RP can simply not play enough Steely Dan.
On_The_Beach wrote:
Some major dudes there. Nice photo, Beach.
for the Dan.
R.I.P. Walter Becker.
You will be missed.
You will be missed.
Some major dudes there. Nice photo, Beach.
for the Dan.R.I.P. Walter Becker.
You will be missed.
You will be missed.
fraserji wrote:
We're going to miss him greatly.
Go gently into that good night, Walter Becker. RIP.
We're going to miss him greatly.
Go gently into that good night, Walter Becker. RIP.
Walter Becker .... R.I.P. dude
Not above criticism, but refreshingly different for the last forty years. Love them
Perfect for the current moment in history.
Nice transition from Norah Jones Burn there, Bill. :-)
Dave_Mack wrote:
Dang, that trombone player is hitting some loooooooow notes.
I heard he has very long arms.Dang, that trombone player is hitting some loooooooow notes.
countyman wrote:
I see this comment is from nearly four years ago. Hopefully you've changed your opinion or better yet, have been forgotten yourself.
I see this comment is from nearly four years ago. Hopefully you've changed your opinion or better yet, have been forgotten yourself.
Saw them last weekend. Not cheesy at all.
countyman wrote:
I see this comment is from nearly four years ago. Hopefully you've changed your opinion or better yet, have been forgotten yourself.
I'd say if anything, Steely Dan has always been just about the opposite of a cheesy act. They're actually pretty classy and very particular about their sound and arrangements. Any major dude who's worked with Walter or Donald will tell ya.
By the way, always liked the drum work on this one.
I see this comment is from nearly four years ago. Hopefully you've changed your opinion or better yet, have been forgotten yourself.
Saw them last weekend. Not cheesy at all.
I'd say if anything, Steely Dan has always been just about the opposite of a cheesy act. They're actually pretty classy and very particular about their sound and arrangements. Any major dude who's worked with Walter or Donald will tell ya.
By the way, always liked the drum work on this one.
rdo wrote:
Cheezy 70s act that shud have been forgotten LONG ago.
I see this comment is from nearly four years ago. Hopefully you've changed your opinion or better yet, have been forgotten yourself.
Saw them last weekend. Not cheesy at all.
I'm 20 years old and living in Pacific Grove California. I ride my motorcycle to Ft. Ord every morning and arrive with minutes to spare for a bleary eyed formation wearing olive drab. Music brightens my day. The seat on my time machine stays warm long after the motorcycle and olive drab and Ft.Ord are long gone...
seminal wind
Yes! One of the best "thinking person's songs" from one of the best "thinking person's bands" of all time... For sure, references 'Ricans coming into The Isle of Manhattoes, but also allegorizes every time it's ever happened. The Royal Scam, man — same as it ever was...
ottovonb wrote:
Great idea. That Pyramid album was terrific.
I second that motion. Pyramid was fantastic! I had the LP and wore out the grooves. Wore out most of my Dan LPs as well.
Great idea. That Pyramid album was terrific.
I second that motion. Pyramid was fantastic! I had the LP and wore out the grooves. Wore out most of my Dan LPs as well.
Proclivities wrote:
Both 1976; go figger.
Same era, though I believe this album's release preceded that of the APP's first album.
Both 1976; go figger.
bexhillos wrote:
I wish Bill would play some Alan Parsons Project, maybe off Pyramid or Turn of a Friendly Card, used to listen to them until the tape wore out and the heads. That dates the Project.
Great idea. That Pyramid album was terrific.
I wish Bill would play some Alan Parsons Project, maybe off Pyramid or Turn of a Friendly Card, used to listen to them until the tape wore out and the heads. That dates the Project.
Great idea. That Pyramid album was terrific.
The Royal Scam.
The fact that a family can literally put themselves over their fellow man and 'rule' them.
Disgusting.
In my particular case the rotten to the core house of WIndsor (they were called German Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 100 years ago but changed their German names due to WW1) should be charged with treason and incarcerated for crimes against the country.
It makes my skin creep to see them breeding uncontrollably and creating new tiny lizards.
/rant.
The fact that a family can literally put themselves over their fellow man and 'rule' them.
Disgusting.
In my particular case the rotten to the core house of WIndsor (they were called German Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 100 years ago but changed their German names due to WW1) should be charged with treason and incarcerated for crimes against the country.
It makes my skin creep to see them breeding uncontrollably and creating new tiny lizards.
/rant.
WaxHorse wrote:
Same era, though I believe this album's release preceded that of the APP's first album.
The first chords of this one immediately struck me as Alan Parson Project!
Same era, though I believe this album's release preceded that of the APP's first album.
Nice segue from end of Take Five to opening notes.
I've never been a Steely Dan fan, but I like this better than most SD tunes.
Would be great to pair this with the Immigrant Song.
One of my all time favorite songs.
bexhillos wrote:
I wish Bill would play some Alan Parsons Project, maybe off Pyramid or Turn of a Friendly Card, used to listen to them until the tape wore out and the heads. That dates the Project.
agreed! Love APP!
I wish Bill would play some Alan Parsons Project, maybe off Pyramid or Turn of a Friendly Card, used to listen to them until the tape wore out and the heads. That dates the Project.
agreed! Love APP!
..... outstanding song from an outstanding album - best thing to come out of the 70's10
WaxHorse wrote:
I wish Bill would play some Alan Parsons Project, maybe off Pyramid or Turn of a Friendly Card, used to listen to them until the tape wore out and the heads. That dates the Project.
The first chords of this one immediately struck me as Alan Parson Project!
I wish Bill would play some Alan Parsons Project, maybe off Pyramid or Turn of a Friendly Card, used to listen to them until the tape wore out and the heads. That dates the Project.
msymmes wrote:
And don't forget the birth of Disco. It was definitely a wacky era for music.
Agreed. But don't count out 1977. The strangest year in Rock N Roll. Elvis to the Sex Pistols and everything in between.
Jazbo wrote:
Jazbo wrote:
Steely made the 70's tollerable....9
And don't forget the birth of Disco. It was definitely a wacky era for music.
milleronic wrote:
If you ever defame The Shins again in this manner you will be hearing from our lawyers.
Steely Dan = The Shins of the 70's.
If you ever defame The Shins again in this manner you will be hearing from our lawyers.
The first chords of this one immediately struck me as Alan Parson Project!
Never really 'got' Steely Dan, find it jarring, over complex, over produced and just downright irritating.
Agreed. But don't count out 1977. The strangest year in Rock N Roll. Elvis to the Sex Pistols and everything in between.
Jazbo wrote:
Jazbo wrote:
Steely made the 70's tollerable....9
Steely made the 70's tollerable....9
love this song... makes me want to be a whiskey smuggler again...
Steely Dan = The Shins of the 70's.
zurcronium wrote:
Businessgypsy wrote:
Caught in deh damned act, Bill. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Bill, it does not get any better. Mason-Cars-SD selections.
You need to bottle your musical taste and sell it like a drug.
You need to bottle your musical taste and sell it like a drug.
Businessgypsy wrote:
Interesting. What would you call this?
Caught in deh damned act, Bill. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
On_The_Beach wrote:
Learn to spell and maybe someone will take this comment seriously . . . but probably not.
NOT.
Learn to spell and maybe someone will take this comment seriously . . . but probably not.
NOT.
Was recently back in the States briefly, the Bay Area, and SD clearly was the band of choice across a variety of radio and satellite stations. I heard them more often than back in the 70s when the songs were new. Amazing. Musically tastes are moving toward SD.
Been a while, but I checked below. Thanks for the interpretation; we had assumed, literally, St. John fro the USVI, but the PR reference fits much better.
Will be looking for Reelin in the Years book this weekend.
Will be looking for Reelin in the Years book this weekend.
Go back to the Beach please !
zurcronium wrote:
Yes indeed
Bill, it does not get any better. Mason-Cars-SD selections.
You need to bottle your musical taste and sell it like a drug.
You need to bottle your musical taste and sell it like a drug.
Yes indeed
rdo wrote:
Learn to spell and maybe someone will take your comment seriously . . . but probably not.
Cheezy 70s act that shud have been forgotten LONG ago.
Learn to spell and maybe someone will take your comment seriously . . . but probably not.
Bill has impeccable taste in music. Only 2nd to mine :)
zurcronium wrote:
Bill, it does not get any better. Mason-Cars-SD selections.
You need to bottle your musical taste and sell it like a drug.
You need to bottle your musical taste and sell it like a drug.
Can I politely ask what planet did you come from?
rdo wrote:
rdo wrote:
Cheezy 70s act that shud have been forgotten LONG ago.
Bill, it does not get any better. Mason-Cars-SD selections.
You need to bottle your musical taste and sell it like a drug.
You need to bottle your musical taste and sell it like a drug.
bluefrog wrote:
and yet I find myself moving in the opposite direction and enjoy listening to Opera.
Maybe not all day long, but much more than I used to.
I 'm getting better about it, but still not in large doses. But, somewhere I now have Nessun Dorma in various versions (Aretha singing it in Pavarotti's key is one the most impressive bits of vocal singing there is...not that her version is most perfect, just it was a few octaves out of her normal range and she nailed it that well in almost no prep) and dealing with the garbage they force me to listen to at work makes even the worst Opera seem soothing to garbage pop-country and the limited Classic Rock the locals play (I swear they have 48 hours of music they play on shuffle).
and yet I find myself moving in the opposite direction and enjoy listening to Opera.
Maybe not all day long, but much more than I used to.
I 'm getting better about it, but still not in large doses. But, somewhere I now have Nessun Dorma in various versions (Aretha singing it in Pavarotti's key is one the most impressive bits of vocal singing there is...not that her version is most perfect, just it was a few octaves out of her normal range and she nailed it that well in almost no prep) and dealing with the garbage they force me to listen to at work makes even the worst Opera seem soothing to garbage pop-country and the limited Classic Rock the locals play (I swear they have 48 hours of music they play on shuffle).
Cheezy 70s act that shud have been forgotten LONG ago.
existing on a fairly steady diet of cream beatles stones zappa pantera rob zombie tool sublime alice in chains bob marley traffic dylan I'd have to say this album pretty much goes straight to the head of the class
I so remember.... grabbing the headphones now.
nothing beats this one.
yummy
D@mn, almost blew my gear! A solid 9+++!
hanssachs wrote:
O, the things we've seen and heard! - an Arp synthesizer burning in the courtyard of a West Hollywood sound stage - the thunder of a DeTomaso Pantera parked beneath the echo chambers of Studio C - the mighty room-service bill from the Beverly Wilshire hotel, reflecting the cost of the joyful reunion of Mr. Phil Woods and 200 of his closest L.A. studio/jazz-musician pallies - the world's first and last DBX noise reduction unit with factory installed wings, and a Bosendorfer piano that actually got louder after being struck . . .
O, the things we've seen and heard! - an Arp synthesizer burning in the courtyard of a West Hollywood sound stage - the thunder of a DeTomaso Pantera parked beneath the echo chambers of Studio C - the mighty room-service bill from the Beverly Wilshire hotel, reflecting the cost of the joyful reunion of Mr. Phil Woods and 200 of his closest L.A. studio/jazz-musician pallies - the world's first and last DBX noise reduction unit with factory installed wings, and a Bosendorfer piano that actually got louder after being struck - all things considered, the Katy Lied experience poses, we think, nothing so much as the musical analog of Richard Burton's famous query, in the sword and sandal epic "The Robe" - "were you...out there?" Yes, we were.
flyingcement wrote:
Really? I thought it was St. John's, Newfoundland. I thought that was the "sunny island they were singing about....
Really? I thought it was St. John's, Newfoundland. I thought that was the "sunny island they were singing about....
"from the city of saint john" refers to San Juan, Puerto Rico. "They are hounded down To the bottom of a bad town Amid the ruins" is the puerto ricans moving into the slums "Where they learn to fear An angry race of fallen kings Their dark companions" this is a reference to african americans who were already living in the same areas "While the memory of Their southern sky was clouded by A savage winter" puerto ricans not used to new york winter weather "Every patron saint Hung on the wall, shared the room With twenty sinners" this refers to fagen's opinion of hypocrisy within catholicism and those who practiced it as well as commenting on many people living under one roof which is common with many latino immigrants
Jeff09 wrote:
yep...
See the glory, the glory of
The Royal Scam....!
Not only the beautiful, slightly dystopic , hipster/jazzy music. Check out the lyrics. This is very good stuff...
The Royal Scam....!
Not only the beautiful, slightly dystopic , hipster/jazzy music. Check out the lyrics. This is very good stuff...
yep...
Totally. Vanity Fair has the "Dude and Duchess" on their cover. I only know because my wife bought it. Seriously, she buys a lot of dirt 
camman wrote:
Yes..... coming to the land of great opportunity and then being very disappointed in what it's really like (the scam). Just read the book "Reelin in the Years" which explains this somewhat.
Ooh, I'll have to get that book.
Yes..... coming to the land of great opportunity and then being very disappointed in what it's really like (the scam). Just read the book "Reelin in the Years" which explains this somewhat.
Ooh, I'll have to get that book.
For me one of the most underrated albums ever... me loves the Dan and me really loves the Dan's "Royal Scam".
For my money, the very best band of all time. Every Steely Dan song is an automatic 10. I have all their albums and there's not a dud song anywhere. I can think of no other band of which that is true.