Customer Reviews

Anthology

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The importance of this early Steve Miller Band material cannot be overstated. Far from being a prelude to his mid-Seventies stardom, the early SMB was perfect, and I do mean PERFECT, counterculture music. The presence of Boz Scaggs very early on (he's only on one song here) has added some mystique but Miller was the key. Most of the early albums are now available and I would recommend ALL of them. But for the SMB neophyte, "Anthology" is the best starting point.

Guests abound, notably Paul McCartney, Lee Michaels, Ben Sidran and, most profoundly, Nicky Hopkins on piano in "Baby's House". While the song is overly long, Hopkin's piano work transcends anything he was doing more famously with The Rolling Stones around the same time.

But the greatest stuff is vintage Steve Miller. Excellent in their own right, "Going To The Country", "Going to Mexico", "Seasons" and "Living In The USA" scream for an altered state...and, once there, you are rewarded on a level known to many "back in the day". Essential esoterica from the visionary side of the social revolution.

I burned out the LP early on, followed by the 8 track and then cassette tape versions, now I am ready to own the CD and play it to my hearts content....Steve Miller at his finest early hour, and truly if you can only have one Steve Miller, this is it!

STEVE MILLER BAND ANTHOLOGY REVIEW: BY Kristy
Steve Miller has played many different styles of music throughout his long career which is still continuing today. He's most known for his instant gratification songs such as: The Joker, Fly Like An Eagle, Jungle Love, Take the Money an Run, Abracadabra, and Jet Airliner. But I'd like to write a bit about his earlier style which was much closer to BBKing than The Who.

He has an honest sounding, baritone voice, not specatacular, but it does the job he's trying to do...make good music that doesn't have be shout/sung. It is especially effective when he does blues ballads, like many of the standard classics on this album, which when orginally realeased was a two LP set of their best songs from the late 60's to the early 70's which is when he still worked with now famous Boz Scaggs, which helped add a different feel to this album than his later work.

I don't have time or space to write about every single song on these albums, but I'll definately cover the highlights...although all of the songs are great in their own way.

'I Love You' is the romantic opener, subtle yet beautiful...simplistic, but I wish more rock would be like that...I think today's bands should follow Miller's example. Nice harmonica work

'Baby's House' has to be one of my favorites on this album.. you know me and my piano fetish, well this is a gentle mournful song that has this great piano solo in the middle...a little long...but like a great movie, you always wish it could last a little longer...the lyrics are bittersweet...

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I don't care what I've heard other critics say. Steve Miller was inovative and didn't just copy other styles...that's why I wrote my own review because all of the cynics just smugly diss him, saying he was nothing but a cheap thrill in long technical terms. I strongly ugre this album to be in your music collection..second suggetion if you're new to Miller and want his greatest hits, buy The Steve MIller Band's Greatest Hits 1972-1978.

I first fell in love with the music of the Steve Miller Band when I was in college. I was in my favorite record story and they were playing his new single "The Joker." I left with a copy of that album and after enjoying my purchase, I returned to buy another Steve Miller Band album. I soon discovered this was not a new band, and he had in fact released seven albums dating back to 1968. Being on a limited budget, I picked up a copy of Anthology. I've never regreted it.

The Steve Miller Band was not exactly a hit singles machine before "The Joker." In fact, he never even dented the Top 40--"Going to the Country" was his previous highest charting single at No. 69. While his albums sold respectably, Anthology was his first gold record. That's not to say that there aren't numerous SMB classics here: "Your Saving Grace," "Space Cowboy," "Living in the U.S.A.," and others belong in any serious music collector's library. [Trivia alert: Paul McCartney plays bass and drums on 1969's "My Dark Hour." Miller would return the favor almost thirty years later when he was featured frequently on McCartney's 1997 Flaming Pie.]

While the box set (which I eventually purchased) duplicates ten of these songs, it's still a fairly broad retrospective look at the early Steve Miller Band catalog. And if you're on a budget, it nicely complements Greatest Hits 1974-78. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

by now you probably realize there are TWO (at least) "STEVE MILLER BAND"s---the original 60's bluesy/trippy/rockin' space cowboy music--and- the 70's radio-friendly,lite-rock steve's (probably) most famous for. This anthology features the former's highlights (minus many faves!) depending on your familiarity/taste. for MY money--THIS is the REAL STEVE MILLER BAND! much of "the 60' s" rock has been reduced to endless replays of "born to be wild" or "crimson and clover" (over and over and over....) but there were many great albums/bands that were very talented, creative and rocking that have slipped into obscurity; probably because rock'n'roll/"rock music" was still very counter-culture/revolutionary and many of the "heavier" bands couldn't get any frequent A-M RADIO airplay --and so "F-M" was born! ("whats a-m, daddy?") ANYWAY--certainly the original STEVE MILLER BAND fell into this situation. (SPIRIT and MOBY GRAPE also come to mind) --this ANTHOLOGY represents steve and friends in the "golden psy-ko-DEL-ic funky/blues trip daze" we all knew and love. NONE of that stuff like some 60's bands/records were guilty of: shoddy recording and only 1 or 2 or the guys could play---these were recorded great the 1st time by excellent players.BASICALLY, if you dig the 70's version of steve miller, check out his EARLIER MATERIAL---but after the ANTHOLOGY---go ahead and get the albums they were pulled from! MANY GREATS of course just couldn't be included on a "two-record" set...albums "children of the future"--"number 5"--"brave new world" and "sailor" are ALL KILLER-NO FILLER! (THANKS STEVE,ET AL...)

If you don't have this cd and you like the Steve Miller Band, get it. It is a collection of his early music and everyone is good. I don't write very well so let me just say that this is worth having in your collection.

Long before the pop - hits of the middle 70's, Steve Miller was an extrodinary musician with beautiful, original rock and roll music a style unto his own. I remember spending precious dollars on this double album and finding it to be a real treasure. The liner notes are enough to fasinate and mezmorize one as you listen to the album. The higlight for me is having the incomparable Nicky Hopkins grace so many of these songs, particulary "Kow Kow Calculator". A must for any serious Steve Miller fan, especially one who has only known him from his "Joker" days.

I first heard this anthology about 30 years ago and it's trippy, bluesy, cool sound hooked me right away. I had heard Steve Miller before and liked him but this collection was perfect for his early work and flowed just so nice I had to buy it. I also ended up buying all his early albums and still own them. I highly recommend it and I find none of it dated, good music is timeless and this is in that catagory. If you like this you might want to check out his early albums which I believe are still all available.

I bought this album on LP in 1972, and I wore it out. This is the best of the "Greatest Hits" or "Best of..." that are out there on Steve Miller. The only thing about the album that I found disappointing was that "Baby's Callin' Me Home" wasn't on the album. That would have made it complete. I gave it four stars because of that.

This is a great collection. The best of Steve Miller - before he got popular (sold out????). BTW gmbofmpva is wrong...this IS an 'Anthology' - all these songs were previously reseased. I implore you to buy this cd - Kow Kow and My Dark Hour alone, are worth twice the price.