Brave New World

Steve Miller Band

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 23, 1994)
• Original Release Date: 1969
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000002UU1
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,960 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Exclusive Japanese Limited Edition reissue of this 1969 album packaged in a miniature LP sleeve. 2006. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you've heard "The Joker" or "Fly Like An Eagle", beware!, October 26, 2000

By	28-year old wallflower "Eric N Andrews" (West Lafayette, IN) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Steve Miller is one of those rare musicians that is known to fans of all ages. But the songs that come to mind when one hears his name are most likely #1 hits like "The Joker", "Rock'n Me", and "Abracadabra". Or you'll hear the occasional mention of "Fly Like An Eagle", "Jet Airliner" or "Take The Money & Run". Interestingly, those songs were hits even while containing elements of earlier Steve Miller material. That has been the way of doing things throughout his career, and albums like BRAVE NEW WORLD are pretty much the foundation for songs that would eventually be on the tip of most people's tongues. The opening guitar lick on "Fly Like An Eagle" is one of the most well-known and imitated in rock history, but one only needs to hear "My Dark Hour" on here to see its origins. The figure is an integral part of this song that features a contribution by fellow Capitol Records artist Paul Ramon (a.k.a. McCartney). The most obvious reminder of things to come on BRAVE NEW WORLD is "Space Cowboy", which is not only referenced in "The Joker", but the title has been used for songs by Sly Stone and Jamiroquai, as well as for Clint Eastwood's latest motion picture. While Steve Miller may not exactly be original, he still creates some of the most infectious music ever committed to tape. The soaring title track is one of the biggest should-have-been-a-hits of the decade. But the downfall of BRAVE NEW WORLD for the most part is that it contains all the things from the '60s that have gone on to become punchlines more than practices. The blues-rock boogie of songs like "Can't You Hear Your Daddy's Heartbeat" and "Got Love 'Cause You Need It" are catchy, if not earth-shattering. The ethereal "Seasons" and "Celebration Song" has "'60s hippie dream" written all over it. The most psychedelic song on the album is really "LT's Midnight Dream", written by Steve's then-bassist Lonnie Turner, which is an interesting concotion of psychedelia and rockabilly. But BRAVE NEW WORLD's most memorable moment is on the oddly-titled "Kow Kow". While the title may imply this song is nonsensical, which in a way it is, it's still a great showcase for the talent of legendary session pianist Nicky Hopkins, who was much in-demand for a great deal of '60s and '70s recordings. He may not have had success outside the confines of the studio, but the closing coda on "Kow Kow" is a perfect testament to Hopkins' contribution to pop music. Even today, Steve Miller remains one of the most omnipresent personalities in music, although he hasn't recorded anything new since 1993's WIDE RIVER. But with his many classics still being played regularly on the radio, Miller should be swimming in royalties until he's on his deathbed. And early albums like BRAVE NEW WORLD are worth checking out to see how some of the later songs that did become famous actually came about.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps Steve's Best!, September 25, 2003

By	dalepres "dalepres" (Park Hill, OK United States) - See all my reviews

This was not my first album as a teenager, by far, but it was my first Steve Miller album. Steve Miller's third album, Brave New World, is among the best rock and roll ever. This album, which I first got when it was originally released, has fueled a 34 year love for his music. In all that time, it still remains my favorite rock and roll album ever.

Though the original vinyl has long since been lost, every time I have rebuilt my music collection as I raised a family, Brave New World was always the first album or CD I purchased.

There are only 9 songs on the album, but there are no fillers - this is all great stuff. I am not sure why it is, but the title track, Brave New World, has never made it into any of Steve's many, many "greatest hits" compilations even though it is one of his best works ever. Of course, 6 songs out of 9 on this album regularly show up in the compiliations: Celebration Song, Kow Kow Calculator, Seasons, Space Cowboy, LT`s Midnight Dream, and My Dark Hour. My Dark Hour, by the way, includes Paul McCartney on guitar as Paul Ramone.

So with 6 out of 9 songs considered to be among his greatest hits - and the other three songs are great music as well - this album belongs in every Steve Miller Band or other classic rock and roll collection, no matter how many versions of The Joker and Fly Like An Eagle you have in the compilations.

Updated: Just for the record, track 5 is not Kow Kow. It is Kow Kow Calculator. While the track was called Kow Kow on some of the compilations later on, the original name, as it was on the LP and still is shown on this CD, is Kow Kow Calculator.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Celebration!! Everybody Trip Out!!!, November 12, 2003

By	chris meesey Food Czar (The Colony, TX United States) - See all my reviews

Brave New World, the third offering by the still-new Steve Miller Band, was released in 1969. Can't you tell? References to celebrations and tripping abound, making this one of the sunniest, trippiest album of the psychedelic era. (Even the album cover is sunny yellow!) The opening of the title track (and the album) is a blast - literally, a bomb blast which hearalds the start of both a fresh, enjoyable tune and a bright new beginning for the world at large. Then, great drumming by Tim Davis kickstarts "Celebration Song," another wonderful vision of a world at play. "Got Love 'Cause You Need It" sounds like it's sung by Miller's infamous Gangster of Love character, full of danger and seduction, while "Seasons" is a gorgeous acoustic ballad, as heartfelt a track as Stevie Guitar has ever recorded. Nice! "Space Cowboy," of course, is the albums BIG HIT, complete with Moog synthesizer space sounds, and a rare, excellent guitar solo from Steve M! (The primary focus of Brave New World is on the material, not solos.) Literally too, too far out! "LT's Midnight Dream" is a fantasy feast, with lyrics like "got a bulldog in my learjet, gonna teach him how to fly"! Too much! Paul McCartney of the Beatles contributes drums, bass, and vocals to the blues-rock "My Dark Hour," (he is billed as Paul Ramon; yes, that is where the band The Ramones got their name!), while "Can't You Hear Your Daddy's Heartbeat?" is a love song in double-quick time and "Kow Kow" (also known as "Kow Kow Calqulator" on the anthologies) combines more fantasy lyrics with quotes from Bobby Blue Bland's "Turn on your Love Light". Outasite!! So, if your looking for something of Steve Miller's beyond the usual, well-crafted 70's material, give Brave New World a listen or two. You may want to start your own celebration!!!