STEVE MILLER BAND
"Live!
Breaking Ground August 3, 1977" (UMe; 2021)
Reviewed by Snidermann
Like many kids of a certain age, I grew up listening to the Steve Miller Band. The tight music and lyrics were cool; sometimes it was ... well, I don't want to say over-produced, lets say just produced well.
Miller played and sang most or all of the parts and frankly that sounds good on a recording, but it really doesn't translate to a live performance. I never did get to see him live but I found a recording from a show that took place in August of 1977. It was what I thought it would be: good music, and done in a way that works live. It's hard to sing three part harmony with yourself when preforming live! The songs and music are there, but they do not sound like they do on the studio record. I think that's cool. It shows the musicianship and talent of one Steve Miller. I like the way this live recording sounds. It's fresh, down to earth, very well done and I can bet the ambiance of the place was rocking in the late 70s with plenty of alcohol and herbage flying around the room. I bet this concert was, in a word, awesome.
If you like The Steve Miller band, check out this live recording. It was great.
For more information, check out http://www.stevemillerband.com.
"Fly
Like an Eagle" (Capitol; 1976)
Reviewed by Snidermann
The Steve Miller Band is one of the main reasons I like rock'n'roll today. "Fly Like an Eagle" is one of those albums that I've owned on virtually every type of media (i.e., vinyl, cassette, CD and now the 30th Anniversary Special Limited Edition with a bonus DVD).
I know each tune on this album intimately and each time I listen I relive the musical experience as though it were still 1976. Stevie “Guitar” Miller is a masterful musician who changed the way I look at music.
Since the tender age of 10, I knew that The Steve Miller Band was something special. Although I have heard many live recordings, I have never seen the band perform live. Now, with the DVD included in this 30th Anniversary Edition, I was finally able to see my childhood idol perform. The DVD, recorded live in 2006 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in San Francisco, features Miller and the band performing all of the favorites and it's great. Miller also had some friends play with him at this show including Joe Satriani and George Thorogood (sporting a Steve Miller t-shirt). The video quality is starchy in some places and I actually noticed a backup singer miss a lyric but then again, I really, really know the song so I was probably the only one to notice.
All in all I cannot be more jazzed to have this incredible recording in my collection. Even if you own the original, this 30th Anniversary Edition is worth picking up, even if just for the DVD. The CD has been re-mastered and includes 5.1 sound as well as three bonus tracks.
Steve Miller’s music will live forever.
For more information, check out http://www.stevemillerband.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2022 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
