Steve Miller Band
What happened? Talk about credentials. Both Steve Miller and high school buddy Boz Scaggs once backed Blues legend Jimmy Reed in a Dallas Bar. In Chicago, Miller worked with Muddy Waters, James Cotton, Howlin' Wolf and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. After forming the Steve Miller Band in San Francisco the group played the Fillmore West and the Monterey International Pop Festival (with Hendrix, the Who, Animals, etc.). The Steve Miller Band, with Scaggs, also backed Chuck Berry for his "Live At The Fillmore" album.
They were signed by Capitol Records who sent the Steve Miller Band to England to record their first album "Children of the Future." It was a solid effort but didn't register. "Sailor" also came out in '68 and had "Living In The USA." But soon the Steve Miller Band was without Scaggs, who'd decided to go solo.
"Living In The U.S.A." wasn't a chart hit but it had an enduring quality to it. With drag racing sound effects and an announcer ranting, not to mention Miller's flavorful enunciation of "cheeseburger," the whole thing had a good-natured joy to it.
'69 saw the release of the Steve Miller Band's best early work "Brave New World." The title track and the "My Dark Hour," with Paul McCartney on bass, were the outstanding tracks. But the song that stood out most was the self-referential "Space Cowboy." The song had a boogie feel with some real punch to it. Miller would later mine the self-referential approach again for the pop hit "The Joker." That's the thing about Miller, when he found something that worked he wasn't adverse to going back to the well.
Entering the '70s, Miller was in both a commercial and artistic funk. But in '73 he rolled out "The Joker." The title track totally nailed the pop market. And if that was what Miller was trying to do he probably succeeded beyond his dreams. Three years later, "Fly Like An Eagle" and in '77 "Book Of Dreams" drove the group to its commercial peak. These three albums vacillate between pop "Take The Money and Run," inter-changeable, corporate by-the-numbers material, " Jet Airliner" and "Rock 'n' Me" and some exceptional Rock, "Wild Mountain Honey," "Fly Like An Eagle," "Your Cash Ain't Nothing But Trash" and "Serenade."
"Circle of Life" was released in '81. On it was the totally wretched pop song "Abracadabra." Naturally, it became the third Miller song to top the pop charts ("The Joker" and "Rock 'n' Me" being the other two).
By the mid '80s though Miller had just about come full circle recording Blues-oriented albums and touring regularly.
In '08, Miller received the ASCAP Golden Note Award at the performing-rights organization's 25th annual Pop Music Awards at L.A.'s Kodak Theatre. The honor recognized musical artists and composers who have attained outstanding career achievements. ASCAP president Marilyn Bergman called Miller an "iconic music creator whose enduring and instantly recognizable songs say 'America' around the world." Fine, but that still doesn't get him off the hook for "Abracadabra."
Brave New World" was Miller's best album from his early period. The title track and the ever-popular "Space Cowboy" are the reasons. Miller changed considerably (slicked up and simplified) to find commercial success. "Book Of Dreams" and "Fly Like An Eagle" though released months apart were recorded at the same time. They are his best studio albums. "Fly Like An Eagle" has the title track, "Wild Mountain Honey," Take The Money and Run" and Rock 'n' Me." "Book of Dreams" contains "Jet Airliner," "True Fine Love" and "Jungle Love." "Greatest Hits '74 -'78" also includes noteworthy album cuts and is a good overview. By the early '80s Miller was spent but he continued to have obnoxious hits like "Abracadabra." But a little later (late '80s) he bounced back with a couple of Blues-oriented albums and the decent "Wide River."
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