Editing Steely Dan (section)

===''The Royal Scam'' and ''Aja'' (1976–1978)===
''[[The Royal Scam]]'' was released in May 1976. Partly because of Carlton's prominent contributions, it is the band's most guitar-oriented album. It also features performances by session drummer [[Bernard Purdie]]. The album sold well in the United States, though without the strength of a hit single. In the UK, the single "[[Haitian Divorce]]" (Top 20) drove album sales, becoming Steely Dan's first major hit there.<ref name="UK charts">{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/steely%20dan/|title=UK Official Charts Company|website=www.officialcharts.com|language=en|access-date=August 18, 2018}}</ref>
Steely Dan's sixth album, the more jazz-influenced ''[[Aja (album)|Aja]], '' was released in September 1977. ''Aja'' reached the Top 5 in the U.S. charts within three weeks and won the Grammy Award for "Engineer—Best Engineered Recording—Non-Classical" at the [[20th Annual Grammy Awards|1978 awards]].  It was also one of the first American LPs to receive a [[RIAA certification|Platinum]] certification from the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) for sales of over 1 million.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/|title= The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|access-date=December 21, 2006|magazine=Rolling Stone|quote= 145. Aja, Steely Dan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx?title=aja&winner=&year=0&genreID=0&hp=1|title= Grammy Award Winners|access-date=December 21, 2006}}</ref>

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| quote = Roger [Nichols] made those records sound like they did.  He was extraordinary in his willingness and desire to make records sound better.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/arts/music/roger-nichols-artist-among-sound-engineers-dies-at-66.htm|title= Roger Nichols, 66, Artist Among Sound Engineers|access-date=April 18, 2011|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=Ben|last=Sisario|date=April 17, 2011}}</ref>

The records we did could not have been done without Roger. He was just maniacal about making the sound of the records be what we liked... He always thought there was a better way to do it, and he would find a way to do what we needed to in ways that other people hadn't done yet.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-roger-nichols-20110413,0,6145566.story|title= Roger Nichols dies at 66; engineer gave Steely Dan its distinctive sound|access-date=April 18, 2011|work=Los Angeles Times|first=Richard|last=Cromelin|date=April 13, 2011}}</ref>
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| source = —Steely Dan producer [[Gary Katz]] regarding [[Roger Nichols (recording engineer)|Roger Nichols]]' role in the band's recording legacy.
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Featuring Michael McDonald's backing vocals, "[[Peg (song)|Peg]]" (No. 11) was the album's first single, followed by "[[Josie (Steely Dan song)|Josie]]" (No. 26) and "[[Deacon Blues]]" (No. 19). ''Aja'' solidified Becker's and Fagen's reputations as songwriters and studio perfectionists. It features such jazz and fusion luminaries as guitarists [[Larry Carlton]] and [[Lee Ritenour]]; bassist [[Chuck Rainey]]; saxophonists [[Wayne Shorter]], [[Pete Christlieb]], and [[Tom Scott (saxophonist)|Tom Scott]]; drummers [[Steve Gadd]], [[Rick Marotta]] and [[Bernard Purdie]]; keyboardist [[Joe Sample]] and ex-[[Miles Davis]] pianist/vibraphonist [[Victor Feldman]] and Grammy award-winning producer/arranger [[Michael Omartian]] (piano).

Planning to tour in support of ''Aja'', Steely Dan assembled a live band. Rehearsal ended and the tour was canceled when backing musicians began comparing pay.<ref name="klein">{{youTube|PMAR909RmOg |title=Steely Dan - Robert Klein Interview 12/15/1980 - Part 2}}</ref> The album's history was documented in an episode of the TV and DVD series ''[[Classic Albums]]''. 

After ''Aja's ''success, Becker and Fagen were asked to write the title track for the movie ''[[FM (film)|FM]]''. The movie was a box-office disaster, but the [[FM (No Static At All)|song]] was a hit, earning Steely Dan another engineering Grammy award. It was a minor hit in the UK and barely missed the Top 20 in the US.<ref name="UK charts" />