Customer Reviews

Abracadabra

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Abracadabra" was Steve Miller's last chart hit (and a number one, at that). The album of the same name was the last Miller album actually worth owning. Miller is known for his blues stylings, but ultimately he is a 1970s era classic rocker at heart. With "Abracadabra," he attempted to insert some new wave flourishes into his music, with mixed results. After the big hit, the album's other highlights include "Keeps Me Wondering Why," "Give it Up" and "Cool Magic." Nothing of great consequence, but then again Miller's albums were more about having fun than thinking real hard.

Overall, "Abracadabra" is far from being Miller's best album but might be worth owning for ardent fans.

The Steve Miller Band's twelfth studio album entitled Abracadabra was released in June of 1982.
After experiencing extremely disappointing sales of his 1981 album Circle of Love, Steve decided to release another album right away with Abracadabra. Steve (as always on guitars and vocals but suffering from some writer's block as he only had two new tunes for the album) retained the band on Circle of Love (bass player Gerald Johnson, drummer Gary Mallaber and keyboard player Byron Allred) and added two new guitarists Kenny Lee Lewis (who is still in the band today) and John Massaro (the two wrote much of the album aside two tracks) and record Abracadabra at Capitol Record Studios in early 1982 with help from ex-bass player Lonnie Turner and ex-guitarist Greg Douglass (both of whom last recorded with Steve in 1977 on Book of Dreams). The result is an album which some cry "sell out" and others say "gave Steve his last hit". I think it's a great album as I found out when I first got the cassette tape in September of 1987 (alongside The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to begin my first year of Junior High School).
The opening "Keep Me Wondering Why" is a great rocker which was written by Kenny Lee Lewis. Next is the album's title track (written by Steve himself) and is the big hit from the album. The song would prove to be his last #1 pop hit in the summer/fall of 1982 and here it's in its full long version with outro and at over 5 minutes the longest track on the album. Next is the Lonnie Turner/Greg Douglass penned rocker "Something Special" which is another winner. We follow with the album's second single "Give It Up" (also penned by Steve Miller himself) and sounds like a slowed down version of "Heart Like a Wheel" but a great song. A shame the song didn't rise above #60 on the charts. Next is another nice tune out of "Never Say No" (penned by Lewis and Massaro) which ends side one on a rocking note and was the flip side to the title cut.
The second side begins with two songs written by John Massaro which is the New Wave rock sound of "Things I Told You" which is another great tune. We follow with "Young Girl's Heart" which is a nice song. Next is another Turner/Douglass composition which is the country-ish "Goodbye Love" which has some banjo-style guitar and some harmonica by either Steve or Norton Buffalo (who would join in time for the Abracadabra tour). Next is another great rocker penned by Lewis out of "Cool Magic" which is one of my favorite Steve Miller album tracks ever. We then end with the nice acoustic ballad "While I'm Waiting" penned by Massaro.
Abracadabra would become The Steve Miller Band's last album to reach the US Top 10 peaking at #3 and bringing him back to Platinum glory one more time as his career went into a slide for awhile after this (although his next great album would be 1986's Living In the 20th Century).
RECOMMENDED!

There is little to commend this CD except the title track, which I happen to like very much. Others have been spectacularly dismissive, which is a shame.

The rest of the album is either dull or mediocre.

In 1982 it had been a while since Steve Miller Band had a hit of any note and he got one in the tital cut of this album-and
it WAS a big one!The opener "Keep Me Wondering Why" is a slightly
rockier varrition on the tital track's sound while "Give It Up"
is a bouncy,carnivalesqe little rocker tossed off for good measure.Beach Boys harmonies abound on "Something Special"
while casually rocking pop number like "Never Say No" and "Cool Magic" make "Abracadabra" classic Steve Miller in the same potent mix as "Fly Like An Eagle","The Joker" and his other classic albums!

While much of this album is not Steve Miller's best work, it is certainly ok, I got this album, mainly for the songs "Keeps Me Wondering Why" and the full length version of "Abracadabra". The rest of the songs are not quite as good, but they aren't terrible, either. Of course, if you are a die-hard Steve Miller fan, you will want this, the casual fan probably wouldn't want this.

The title track from this CD was one of the best, most catchy pop songs from 1982. And the version on this CD is a little bit longer than the version that got released as a single. But the rest of the album is pretty bland. There's nothing on here that's awful or horrible or anything like that. But compared to the title track, the rest of the disc is a big disappointment.

Steve Millers ABRACADABRA is still
enjoyed loud and clear with this
CD when my husband cranks up the
boom box. What fun! Thanks Amazon.

I think that this is an excellent classic rock album from the 80's by the Steve Miller Band if your a big fan of the band like I am it's worth having in your collection all the songs really sound cool.

there was a total of 6 songs that i thought was the best tracks on this cd title song abracadabra is one and keep me wonder why something special things i told you and cool magic an while iam waiting 6 out of 10 is not bad . been a fan of steve miller way back when fly like an eagle came out. liked his singing and back up vocals on this cd classic steve miller enjoyed the cd .

Steve Miller is a legend. Abracadabra is his illegitimate child. Thank god there's only one copy left at Amazon--maybe, if we pray, this album will just get lost at the state fair, take up life as a carney, and we won't hear from it again. Come on man, The Joker? Fly like an Eagle? Take the Money and Run? Apparently Steve took the latter a bit too seriously with this trainwreck.