Customer Reviews

Circle of Love

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

 

 

This is a fine record, nothing wrong with it. The production values are high, the performances are solid. The sound is more "layered" than I typically prefer today, but I wouldn't say Steve overdid it. The opening track, "Heart Like a Wheel," is a jaunty, rockabilly romp with plenty of chipper guitar work and the smoothest of Miller lead and harmony vocal blends. I always did like Steve's voice. "Get on Home" is Miller's reworking of the traditional folk song "Cindy" and he manages to make it distinctive without losing the themes and references of the song; the "call-and-response" style of the chorus is especially likeable. "Baby Wanna Dance" sort of echoes the country tune "Dance Dance Dance" from 'Fly Like an Eagle' of five years before. The words are simple ("There've been some lonely, lonely nights/ I've seen some lonely, lonely sights") but the tune is catchy and, of course, it gets you moving. The title track is exceptionally beautiful. I once had an 8-track tape of this record and I always kept it in my brother's station wagon so that I could listen to "Circle of Love" with my dates. It never failed to set the mood properly. When I listened to it alone I grew appreciative of how the lead guitar glides over the chugging rhythm guitar as a perfect complement. As much as I loved (and still enjoy) Steve's earlier records ("Rock 'n Me" was one of my first 45s), this record has always had a special place in my heart, and much of its strength can be attributed to the title track. The final track (all of side 2 in the old days), "Macho City," is a 16 (or is it 18?) minute tour-de-force rap/space song that is still pertinent today ("El Salvador/ Afghanistan/ Ask those people about the Macho Plan"). Steve said he wanted to put this one out as a single (edited for radio play) but the record company balked because of the political content. One wonders whether they'd been paying attention to 'Number 5'... Musically, Gerald Johnson's bass playing is still irresistible; Johnson can also be heard prominently on the 'Joker' album, most notably "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma," and on 'Recall the Beginning.' Here the bass becomes a lead instrument throughout the second half of the track while Steve experiments with spacey synthesizer sounds as he had with 'Eagle' and 'Dreams.' At one point the song fades out and you think it's over, but it comes back in with a spicier bass line and then culminates in a summer storm. Admittedly there's nothing here that equals the power of a song like "Jackson-Kent Blues" but it is beautiful music. Thanks, Steve.

This is another great performance by Steve Miller. Every song on the album is worth listening to:

Heart Like a Wheel - A great upbeat tune. Very catchy.

Get On Home - An excellent precursor to Born 2 Be Blue which wouldn't come out for another 7 years.

Baby Wanna Dance - Another very catch tune. This one gets me rocking and twisting in my chair at work when it plays in my headset.

Circle of Love - Though the title track is the weakest track on the album, it is a very listenable song and I enjoy laying back with the volume up loud in my headset at home and letting the music relax me. It's like a shot of good single-malt Scotch. It sort of just takes you away from it all for a few minutes.

Macho City - This is the track that seems to bother most people who comment here or elsewhere about the Circle of Love album. Most don't like it. I have liked it from the very first time I listened to it when I bought this album originally in vinyl when it first came out. You should listen to it. It is as on-the-mark in today's socio-political environment as it was when it first came out. I am typing this review while on the TV there are velcro people with x-ray sight making judgments about what's wrong and what's right, telling about macho man taking over this and taking over that. Like Steve Miller's Jackson-Kent Blues and Industrial Military Complex Hex, from the album Number 5, the much-maligned Macho City shows that Steve's music goes much deeper than The Joker.

This is an album, like all of Steve's albums, not to be missed.

You might dismiss CIRCLE OF LOVE lyrics such as, "I gave her my heart, I was in love right from the start," as trite until the next day when you find these Steve Miller songs playing in your head! And the man can play - witness the guitar-pickin' on the title track. Then there's "Macho City," Steve's musical take on modern Manifest Destiny that will challenge those who think he's all happy-go-lucky. I recommend CICLE OF LOVE but as I write this it is available only as a rather pricey import. Also, this 1981 release may not seem like much bang for the bucks - five songs totaling less than 40 minutes. That's why I'm glad I got my copy of CIRCLE OF LOVE used, on vinyl, for two dollars.

I've had this CD for for nearly 20 years now. I've only learned just recently that it has been remotely unavailable on CD for many, many, years now. I never gave it a thought. I decided to casually look into this because at least two of my friends have showed more-than-candid interest in holding and praising this one Steve Miller Band CD that I have on my CD shelf with my other Steve Miller Band CD's.

My personal interest in this album from Steve Miller is because it was originally released when I was stationed at Hickam AFB Hawaii. Sure, I heard "Heart Like a Wheel" on the radio, and I thought that it was great to hear some fresh new Steve Miller Band music after "Fly Like an Eagle" and "Book of Dreams", which only began to depress me because those two albums reminded me of being home in Detroit. (I'm so glad that I left that miserable city). Hawaii was a nice change and any new music that didn't remind me of Detroit was a welcomed treat to my new life.

For as short as this album is, it's the "lack of alot" or the "short but sweet" contents of this album that makes it such a wonderful package of new music as Steve Miller Band enters the 1980's. Each of the 5 tracks will capture your interest right away because there are only 5 tracks. All of which differ from one another. You have the hit "Heart Like a Wheel" with some rockabilly bluesy guitar work. The title track is a suave sexy date song to share with your favorite girl. "Macho City" is like a blues political rap song which is mostly instrumental after about the first four minutes. I think Steve just wanted to see if he could stretch the instrumentation of this track just to complete the second album side. But that's fine, it's very listenable and relaxing. In fact, he could have even stretched it out longer and I would have still enjoyed it.

But there is one track on this album takes me back to Hawaii even today as I listen to it. There was this gorgeous black stripper dancer at the "Club Rose" on Piikoi Street in Waikiki, Hawaii. Two songs that she did a sexy strip and dance to was "Maneater" by Hall and Oates, and Steve Miller's "Baby Wanna Dance" from this album. Because "Baby Wanna Dance" was not a hit record, it really stands out in my memory of that beautiful black girl on the stage back then.

Some people aren't too fond of this album, but those who like it at all, do absolutely love it. And I am one. To be honest, although "Abracadabra" (his next album that was released while I was still in Hawaii) as an album didn't impress me at all. So I have my three favorite Steve Miller Band CD's, plus one that I made of my own favorite greatest hits on CDR, and the current Live DVD of the Steve Miller Band in Chicago, so, I've got all the Steve Miller Band that I need.

I notice that many people are trying to sell their copy of this CD at a high priced "rare, out of print CD" price. Unless you know this album song for song, the high price that you may have to pay may only be worth it if you've got cherishable memories of it as I do.

I got to spend two years in Hawaii, I've got sunburned and drunk on the beach, and I've got laid often while this album was playing on my turntable in my dorm room. Simply put: I love this album. It has imposed a positive impact on my new way of life after I left Detroit.

So, what does this album mean to you?

If you want good music please skip this dreadful CD. Instead see if you can get the boot CD Live & Alive USA 1978 which has a SUPERIOR version of Heart like a wheel and a 10+ minute version of Fly like an eagle with all of the sound effects heard here on Macho City.

Steve Miller Band - Live and Alive 1978 (Giants Stadium New Jersey concert)(German only release) 10 stars

This CD - 0 stars.


Cheerio,

The Steve Miller Band released its eleventh studio album Circle of Love in October of 1981 in time for that year's Christmas sale.
By 1981, Steve Miller had not released an album of all new material since 1977's Book of Dreams followed by a Greatest Hits 1974-78 the following year. For 1979 and 1980, Steve laid low on his farm in the Washington countryside after the whirlwind of album/tour from 1975-78. Then in 1981, Steve (as always on guitars and vocals and producing) once again recruited drummer Gary Mallaber (his drummer since Fly Like an Eagle), keyboard player Byron Allred (keyboard player since the Fly Like an Eagle tour) and returning bass player Gerald Johnson (who last played on Steve's The Joker album) to record his first album of the 1980s. When it emerged at the end of 1981, would people like it or run for cover. I fall into the former whilst many did the latter. The album only had 5 songs (most of the songs written by Steve himself) and was just over 33 minutes long.
We kick the first half of the album off with "Heart Like a Wheel" which was the first single from the album and saw Steve Miller once again back in the Top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100. There was a video for this track which was an MTV staple. Next is "Get On Home" which was a New Wave sounding remake of an old tune called "Cindy". Next is a short, funky tune called "Baby Wanna Dance With Me" which was a Ramones-esque two minutes. We then end the first side with with the epic title track which is a 6 and a half minute minute acoustic ballad which turns into a stretch spotlight for Steve's various guitar styles (his superb slide, acoustic and regular lead playing are here) and has arguably Steve Miller's best guitar work ever.
Side Two of the album contained only just one song which was the 16 plus minute epic "Macho City" (an epic detested by Steve Miller fans and critics alike, some of those "fans" are poseurs in my view and are not progressive rock fans). I love this epic which is outstanding. This proved that the 10 minute song was not dead (as Rush proved earlier that year with "The Camera Eye" on their Moving Pictures album) and is a journey into funk, R&B, rock, jam music and electronic music (years before electronic music would be in favor, Steve was a trail blazer). The lyrics did have political overtones which I guess why it was attacked (a condensed single of the track, just the first third of the piece, eliminating the superb instrumental outro jam, went nowhere on the charts) but the song is more relevant in 2010 than it was in 1981.
Circle of Love was Steve Miller's first studio album to miss the US Top 20 in quite some time as it stalled at #26 on the Billboard chart in 1981 and only went Gold. A shame as everyone wanted either a Fly Like an Eagle II or Book of Dreams II. It was re-released on CD in the US briefly by Capitol/EMI but the label discontinued it as it was not a consistent seller. Sales aside, this is a great Steve Miller album and I can play for pleasure.
RECOMMENDED!

Five years after Steve Miller dropped his last album Book of Dreams he realesed this album. Obviously realizing that he could not simply proceed to make music in his previous formula he decided to update his basic style by degrees to see what he could do with it. So it's definately transitional material here but even so his basic concept of deceptively simple bluesy rock n roll with pop and funk is still intact. "Heart Like A Wheel"...well with it's rather retro 50's flavor doesn't sound like something from it's era but it sure isn't bad for a rock n roll song. Luckily for Miller he doesn't get too formulaic with that sound here. "Get On Home" brings in the new wave flavor that would find itself blossom into full flower on the next album Abracadabra. As a matter of fact in many ways overall this album doesn't sound all that different from that except there is a more experimental tact and there's a strong mix of old and new styles to be found here. On "Baby Wanna Dance" Miller throws down a funk oriented blues-rock number that does a great job of staying on the one for the two minutes the song gets to cook. The title tune is the slowest of the numbers here and gives Miller a chance to stretch out his guitar playing. Of course the major highlite of the album is "Macho City". A 16 minute tune that took up all of the second side of this album in it's original release the song takes a journey from Miller's emmediate musical past into what he'd been doing in the future. The tune starts out as this funky rock tune with this topical extesential rap and then goes into several long instrumental jazzy guitar solos with a lot of great reverb effects.A strong level of musicality is present and,even if Miller had been accused by another musician of note as being a "non playing musician" early in...if that having been the case he'd more then done his homework by this point. This is probably one of Steve Miller's most ignored albums and that doesn't appear to show any signs of changing as it's gone out of print on CD at least twice. At the same time it represents not only the kind of music Steve Miller was making in the past but where he was planning on taking it as well.

"Circle of Love" ended a run of successful albums for Steve Miller that started with "The Joker" and continued on with "Fly Like an Eagle" and "Book of Dreams." Unlike those previous efforts, it contains no hit singles. Not to mention the fact that at five songs and less than forty minutes running time, it's a pretty skimpy effort. The side long "Macho City" is Miller at his worst, endlessly self-indulgent with none of the charming songwriting hooks that made him a star.

Overall, "Circle of Love" is one of Steve Miller's worst albums.

Very different from their other albums, But very good. Just cause an album didn't have top 40 hits, don't mean it's not good. Look at all the top 40 now, It's all garbage.My personel favorite track is "Baby Wanna Dance". A real catchy tune.The whole album side of "Macho City", isn't one of their best, but what the heck? the 70's hit, "Inagadadavida", by Iron butterfly, became a big classic hit, and it isn't anything great.The Steve Miller Band always seems to stay in tune with the music of the times.That's probably why they haven't made any recent albums, because the music of today isn't good music,and doesn't require any real talent.

Steve Miller hit the big time in 1976 with the monster-hit album "Fly Like an Eagle", which was follewed by another big selling "Book of Dreams" in 1978. Things after that were quiet for a while until the band returned in 1981 with this much maligned and misunderstood album.

"Circle of Love" (5 tracks, 33 min.) is comprised of 2 halves: the original Side A has 4 tracks, which flow naturally from "Fly Like an Eagle" and "Book of Dreams": catchy, fun songs. Opener "Heart Like a Wheel" was the lead-off single and put Steve Miller again in the top regions of the Billboard Hot 100. (Side-note: the band did a video for that song, just as MTV was about to hit the airwaves...) "Get On Home" and "Baby Wanna Dance With Me" were in similar vein. Things took a left turn with the title track, a 6+ min. outstanding acoustic ballad, check out the 4 min. instrumental outro, showcasing some of Steve Miller's best guitar work ever. Side B of the album contains just one track, the 16+ min. "Macho City", which was much maligned by Steve Miller fans and critics alike. However, I find the track outstanding, a journey into electronics, rythm & blues, rock, and jam alike, just spectecular. The song did have political overtones, perhaps a reason why it was shunned (a condensed single of the track, just the first 3 min. of the song, chopping off the wild but oh-so-much-fun 13 min. instrumental outro jam, went nowhere on the charts).

This remastered edition has an outstanding audio quality. It also contains some interesting liner notes (in which Steve Miller confesses that the title track and "Macho City" were his favorite tracks, and that the others were added for commercial considerations). That said, this album clips along at a Strokes-like 33 min., and there are no bonus tracks whatsoever. What, they couldn't add some B sides or live tracks from that era? It's what stops me from giving this a 5 star rating. The music is 5 stars, but the remastered edition could've added more value.