Customer Reviews

Fly Like an Eagle: 30th Anniversary

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was 18 when this album came out and since that high school to college transition is the time when music is a big part of your life, it was great hearing this again. Going through the usual "upgrades" in media over the years, say 8-track, to album, to maybe cassette and ultimately to CD made it expensive to keep buying the same music over and over. This means that a lot of people will be playing "greatest hits" CDs, since it is reckoned to be the most economic way to go for many. The problem is that some great music will never be played on the radio, and therefore never be included on a compilation. So when I hit play on this new disc set, it was refreshing that 30-year-old music can sound so "new". There are some fine songs on this album that you just never hear on "classic rock" radio.

On the technical side, incase it was not so clear (it wasn't to me), this set has two discs. The first is a standard stereo CD of the album with 3 additional tracks. The second disc is a DVD which has the same album (minus the three extra tracks) in 5.1 audio. I was worried that I needed a SACD player to hear the 5.1 rendering, but no, just a digitally interfaced DVD player and receiver. Besides the audio-only album, the DVD has a very interesting interview with Miller talking about the album, and delving a bit into his youth (he got guitar lessons from Les Paul and T-Bone Walker in his house as a pre-teen!) and how he evolved as a musician. There is a concert performance from 2005 rendered in 5.1 that can be considered a "best of" of Miller's work. For blues aficionados, he does a set of some blues standards that show off a part of Miller many might not be aware of... great stuff for guitar fans. The concert was never meant to be a DVD product (as stated in the included booklet insert), but was simply recorded from the screens at a concert by the audio techs. While it was included in the 30th anniversary set, it is not state of the art vidiography, but it is not bad.

You get a lot of things for the price of this set, 2 discs, 2 audio versions of the album, the interview and the concert. This is a great re-issue for those of us that remember the `70s music scene. If you are hearing Steve Miller only on radio or on a "best of" compilation these days, you will enjoy the lesser known tracks that make up the rest of the album. In terms of sound quality, you have never heard this music sound as good as it is presented here.

Okay..
I'm dating myself...but I remember "the Joker" and thinking Steve Miller was cool...but that album....didn't really do much for me....then "Fly like an Eagle" came out...and Kicked my BUTT! It was an amazing slice of guitar pop and the follow up "Book of Dreams" which was recorded at the same time....wow...Steve was on a once in a lifetime roll!
30 years later...we are offered a fabulous sounding remastered CD with a few bonus tracks...which is great...
NOW ..the DVD is off the hook! A 2 hour concert....that's right..all the old chestnuts...surprise guests ...some cool blues jamming...WOW...and on top of that a "making of" portion of the DVD which is as good as the CLASSIC ALBUM series..with STeve talking about the history of the recording etc etc...just wonderful...and all for under $20!!

Trust me...if you have the CD and you're wondering if you should spring for the "30th Anniversary" edition...DO IT!! I'm watching Steve pick away on his acoustic while discussing James Cotton and "Sweet Marie"...how cool!!!

I rejected the Dts DVD Audio of this after reading several customer complaints of the exclusion of Space Intro,and the single version of Fly Like An Eagle being used...so I bought this instead. MAN ! What a great surprise THIS was !!! May be the BEST surround mix I have,plus the live concert footage, and CD as a 2nd disc, with 3 bonus tracks, and book !?!?
Yeah, THIS is the way to go !!!

What a fantastic CD/DVD set! The CD is just as I remember the album, plus the fantastic bonus tracks. The DVD is something else again!
With full length concert footage from a show in San Francisco, an interview with Steve Miller & a new, Dolby 5.1 mix of the album, no music fan should be without this historic album, period.

First off, before the "review", I'd encourage everyone who likes any form of rock, blues, swing, jazz, etc...to listen to this CD and more importantly, check out Steve Miller in the bonus live-in-concert DVD, before you write off Steve Miller--as many music reviewer snobs have--as some dopey guy with sunglasses who wrote "that Joker song", and calls himself a "space cowboy" and sings about `smoking and toking'. If your only knowledge of The Steve Miller Band is `The Joker'--as was the case for me several years ago--do yourself a favor and check this CD/DVD out!! Judging Steve Miller by only `The Joker' is like judging The Who by `Squeezebox', or Pink Floyd by `Mother'. (Giving the Grateful Dead their due), "jam bands" Dave Matthews Band and Phish are original, but they did not invent the "Jam Band" concept. After watching `Fly Like an Eagle', `Dance, Dance, Dance'(evoking images of Dave Matthews and Boyd Tinsley's many guitar/violin jams), `Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma' and `Tore Down', I think you'll agree Steve Miller deserves every bit of his "Father of the Jam Band" title.

(1) The CD: It was a great CD then, and even better now, with the re-mastered tracks. Masterful rock music only gets better with age. Miller was way ahead of his time in 1976(much like Pink Floyd were in '73 with "Dark Side of the Moon"'s groundbreaking sampling and looping effects), and you can hear it on 'Fly Like an Eagle's `Space Intro', with the echoplex delay effect used with the synthesizer.

(2) The 3 previously un-released demos of 'Take the Money and Run', Fly Like an Eagle' and `Rockin' Me' are a rare glimpse of how a brilliant composition usually starts out bare and unimpressive. Hearing an early demo of `Take the Money and Run' with the chord progressions of "The Joker" was interesting, and I'm glad he switched them up, as well as eventually upping the tempo on all three. The album was recorded and meant to be heard in quadraphonic sound, and as Miller says in the interview, with this release it actually can be heard the way he intended it to heard.

(3) The Special Guests: George Thorogood seemed a bit nervous and out of sorts on stage with Miller, but he slams the fans with some killer blues, metal-slide guitar riffs. Joe Satriani was restrained and aloof, but the guy is so ridiculously talented he had no problem "answering" Miller, adding blistering jams during 'Fly Like an Eagle' and 'Tore Down'. And who would ever envision, or in a million years picture Steve Miller and Joe Satriani jamming to an old Freddie King blues number?!

(4)With the live concert DVD, you get to see where this guy came from. And you also see that this guy can PLAY the GUITAR!! (I first witnessed this last year when I saw him in New York--only about 2 weeks before this concert was filmed--I knew his voice and the songs were great, but I never knew he was such a great guitarist). You see his strong blues roots going back to the mid-60's, when he was already leading a blues band at the age of 12!, getting lessons from T-Bone Walker and filling in for Chuck Berry at the Filmore West. This guy has the best resume I think of any guitarist I've ever seen. On stage, he takes that blues foundation and works it into his songs so well that they appeal to mainstream rock audiences, and at the same time are subtly supported by his mastery of blues fundamentals. Just listen to 'Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma', and you hear his distinctly original sound--his fusion of psychedelic blues with rock n' roll--slowly taking form, and coming to fruition with 'Fly Like an Eagle'. The only downside about the live in concert DVD, is that all the footage was taken strictly from the close-ups--projection screen images, so there are no far-away shots of the Band, stage, or fans. That's really the only downside, besides not playing 'Jet Airliner' and 'Living in the USA' - 2 of my favorite songs.

For goodness sake, this guy is in his 60's, and he still rocks! For a blues/rock guitarist, this DVD & interview(both firsts) in addition to the remastered CD are the best 20 bucks I've ever spent. Like another reviewer said, a "ridiculous", amazing value.

Oh yeah...Buy this DVD!!

I have bee anxiously awaiting this one for awhile now. Let me tell you it was well worth the wait. This to me is Steve Miller's finest effort with Book Of Dreams running a close second. This classic was released in 1976. I was 13 at the time and I wore out the album. Well let me tell you this disc sounds far better than I have ever heard this album sound. The bass is very deep and clean, the mids and highs are clear and defined. The soundstage and imaging are incredible. This to me is one of the best,if not THE best sounding remasters of all time. A must have for fans of Steve Miller or good Classic Rock!! Go buy this now you won't be disappointed.

Steve Miller is timeless!!! I remember owning the 8 track (I am dating myself), the LP, the first CD - and now the re-release. Go back in time when rock was king (and not over sampled electronica). Get this CD, gather your buddies, get in the car and take off on a road trip jamming down the road (just remember you have to wear your seat belt).

Excellent 5.1 mixes of this album. Once the 5.1 versions of the hit tracks like Rock n me and Fly like an Eagle and Take the Money and Run are heard at this quality level, all the other cd versions are relatively dull. Great pop album made greater by this terrific version release.

When it comes to a product as this one - Steve Miller - "fly like an eagle" cd+dvd 30th anniversary edition, I think why does not all classic cd recordings get this fantastic treatment it deserves. This cd+dvd is worth every cent you spend. I have put in straight away the dvd player as I hardly could wait to hear the 5.1 mix. Wow, this one is one of the best i've heard in 5.1 surround. It's really an experience to hear this after you have heard the "normal" version all these years. The end product is well done and the music conneseur will love it. I hope there will be more to come from Mr. Miller in 5.1!

As I comb through my LP collection and burn CDs that then get dumped into my iPod, I run across gems that I have not played for some time. This album is one such title. For the most part my LPs are in great condition but some that I inherited from friends or purchased used, are a bit too beaten up to be transferred to CD.

My personal standard for buying CDs is to avoid buying any that I have in good condition on LP. If the LP is damaged or the recording is new, I will go for the CD. The other exception to the "rule" is for offerings that contain substantial or in some other way "must have" content not present on the LP.

This 30th Anniversary edition qualifies on all fronts. My LP was too noisy and this version has a DVD with interviews and a concert, not to mention guest appearances by Joe Satriani and George Thoroughgood...

It's always interesting to hear the story of success as told by the artist themselves. This DVD offers the opportunity to visit in a casual art studio with Steve Miller as he shares some of the stories behind his music. We see a relaxed character in a nice shop surrounded by painting materials. He picks up various guitars that are laying about and whips off riffs and tells his stories. It's a nice balance of intimacy and context.

The album itself benefits from a few bonus tracks that are "nice to have". It was good to hear this music again after such a long time. I also managed to get this one at a price that made it a terrific value.