Customer Reviews

King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents

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Two Cds of concert material from 1973 and 1976 showcasing Steve Miller at his best. The first CD showcases the Joker CD, while disc two covers the Fly like an Eagle Period. Any fan of Miller will tell you that this was a period of Miller at his best, both in songwriting and muscianship. King Biscuit does a great job remastering these shows as they sound excellent. Heavy blues influences and sounds abound while playing some of Millers best tunes. Lately, Steve Miller has seemed bored on stage while going through the motions, that is not the case here. There is genuine passion coming through the shows. This is a worthy addition to anyones CD collection to show off a tight band with great songs to play. High recommendation.

...these two discs, especially the first, are The Steve Miller Band as they were meant to be heard. Live and raw. Funky and tight. The "hits" that were played to death on the radio were great songs, but mygawd, were they beaten into our musical psyche or what? Here is a band (the first disc, from DeeCee in 1973) that personified the term "jam band", but not in the put-ya-to-sleep way that some "jam bands" do. And check out the early, not-yet-fully-developed version of FLY LIKE AN EAGLE...awesome! With an expanded roster, including Norton Buffalo, on the second disc (NYC in '76), they were becoming more polished, but no less spacey and mighty, mighty interesting. ... I sat there and listened to this and just marveled. Yeah, this band was REALLY that good thirty years ago. Wow.

I found this most interesting! Some songs fall flat while others are excellent, and surprisingly, songs that I would have bet would sizzle when played live (example- "Space Cowboy") aren't necessarily the best.

CD1: While I'm picking on "Space Cowboy," I'll just say that this version isn't bad, it just doesn't measure up to the original. On the other hand, "Gangster of Love" is turned from a short, unfinished little ditty into the song it was destined to be- a jamming, rocking, and cool song. My favorites on CD1 have to be the one-two punch of "Living in the USA" followed by the fascinating early take on "Fly Like an Eagle"- 20 MINUTES OF PURE BLISS! The band accompanying Steve really shows their worth on these two extended jams! There are a few other treats such as "Evil" (nicely sung blues song) that make up for some of the duller moments on CD1, which is worthwhile if nothing else for the cool version of "Fly Like An Eagle" -you've got to hear this one!

CD2: The sound is more polished, which is good but sometimes not necessarily better than the rougher, bluesier sounding Steve Miller Band demonstrated in CD1 (recorded 1973). Here on CD2, 1976, he is sounding professional, but for songs like "Going to Mexico" he seems to have substituted his hard-rocking band for a more relaxed and somehow dull sound. I thought CD2 was going to be inferior to CD1 throughout, but then things (luckily) change, starting with "Mercury Blues." The band begins to rock a little harder (thankfully!) and goes into fine form with songs like "The Window." I prefer the weirdness of the version of "Fly Like An Eagle" on CD1 to the well-rounded version on CD2, but I was more than happy when I got to hear the final three songs which more than make up for the slow beginnings. These three are in my opinion THE BEST on anything on CD1 AND CD2. I am glad to say that Steve and the band still "had it" in 1976 by playing a wonderful version of "Wild Mountain Honey" (one of my favorite Steve Miller songs) followed by my absolute two favorites of his long career. First the exciting "Song For Our Ancestors." Maybe not as great as the version from GREATEST HITS 1967-1973, but still stunning! "Seasons" is beautifully performed and couldn't be a nicer final song- THANK YOU STEVE!

An absolute must-have for any true fan of the Steve Miller Band or even '70's arena/album rock in general for that matter.Cannot believe I've never even heard about this 2-CD King Biscuit release before.Two top of the line shows here,disc one comes from D.C. in 1973 and disc two New York City 1976.Total of 25 power-packed songs here for your late night listening pleasure.The memorable tracks seem to stick out more,like "Space Cowboy","Gangster Of Love","Living In The USA",his signature song "Fly Like An Eagle"(I've seen this cut bring tears to people's eyes),"Blue With A Feeling","The Joker","Nothing Lasts","Wild Mountain Honey" and "Seasons".Sure beats listening to that thirty-year old aging BASF cassette that a lot of us used to record these shows on off the radio every Sunday night.Recommended.

`The King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents The Steve Miller Band' is a two-disc set showcasing concerts recorded in Washington D.C. in 1973 and New York City in 1976. Fortuitously for the Flower Hour, and us, these concerts capture Miller at a crossroads in his recording career. Disc one features Miller promoting his breakthrough 1973 release, `The Joker', although the eclectic setlist draws extensively from three of his previous albums. Disc two presents Miller in the company of an entirely revamped band (and sound) following a two-year hiatus from the road, promoting what many consider to be his finest studio production, `Fly Like An Eagle'. The two recordings document Miller's transition from a blues-rock guitar maestro, only a fret short of Eric Clapton, to a more mature, consummate, and compelling artist.

The first disc is near-and-dear to my own heart as I caught Miller on his 1973 tour (along with the talented James Cotton Blues Band) at the ornate and intimate confines of the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan. It was one of over 400 concerts Miller performed in a two-year time span. I wasn't well versed in Miller's catalog at the time, but my recollections of the concert are bore out by the recording tendered here. Miller starts out with a flurry of catchy rock tunes, including 1969's `Space Cowboy', 1968's `Living In the USA', and 1970's politically-minded `Jackson-Kent Blues', which carries itself aurally as a precursor for his 1976 hit, `Rock'N Me'. While most of the tracks are penned by Miller (including `Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma', `Fly Like An Eagle', and `My Dark Hour'), there is a run of covers in `Mary Lou', `Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash' and even `Gangster Of Love', which Miller claimed as a personal moniker. It's a fast-moving, intense rock show that unexplainably loses its fury and bows out with two fairly restrained blues numbers, `Evil' and a cover of Duke Ellington's `Blues With a Feelin', and the closer, a two-minute adios curiously featuring the band introductions, `So Long Blues' (which, ironically, Miller introduces as `Welcome'). Quite oxymoronic. Only `Lovin' Cup', from `The Joker', returns us to the riveting rock concert we started out with. The most interesting moments turn on the raw, guitar-based, formative version of `Fly Like An Eagle' Miller possessed in 1973. While the more evolved, keyboard-based version offered on disc two is certainly more familiar, its familiarity renders it the more superfluous of the two tracks. Both are thoroughly enjoyable, and are altogether compelling as a pair.

Disc two reveals a more accomplished and polished Steve Miller Band, this despite presenting only two of his seven Top-40 recordings, `Fly Like An Eagle' (#2 in January of 1977) and `The Joker' (#1 in November of 1973). There is an abundance of readily recognizable tunes, however, as Miller had become a staple for album-oriented FM radio in the 1970's. Among those tunes would be three tracks from `Fly Like An Eagle', `Wild Mountain Honey', `Mercury Blues', and `The Window'. He reaches all the way back to his first album for 1968's `Baby's Callin' Me Home', his second album for 1968's `Song For Our Ancestors', his third disc for 1969's `Seasons', his fifth album for 1970's `Going To the Country' and `Going To Mexico', and his seventh album for 1972's `Nothin' Lasts'. If you don't recognize these excellent compositions from their titles, you'll probably be surprised at how well acquainted you are with many of them. A respectable cover of Robert Johnson's oft-recorded `Come On In My Kitchen' completes the collection. Despite the fact that Miller rarely wrote a song without a fantastic guitar hook, those chops are much less pronounced on disc two as Miller had diversified his sound in the mid-1970's. By 1976, Miller's concerts ran the gamut from anthemic psychedelia (`Fly Like An Eagle'), to whispy ballads (`Wild Mountain Honey'), to crunchy blues-rock (`Mercury Blues'), and even to a reggae influenced (it was 1976 after all...) 'The Joker'.

I've been impressed with every `King Biscuit' disc I've had the pleasure to own, and this two-disc set is no exception. The recordings are brisk, with the caveat that a few of the softer passages reveal distracting tape hiss. Despite this, all of the musicians are well represented, Miller's vocals are strong, and there is a minimum of intrusive crowd noise. A well-constructed booklet is included with extensive notes from Miller himself, personal kudos' from Paul McCartney and Les Paul, and copious photographs of Miller and his band mates. The only criticism of the Biscuits' production is their failure to publish the running times for individual songs, despite listing them in three separate places. Nevertheless, `The King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents The Steve Miller Band' is a great way for casual fans like myself to collect a wealth of Miller's best work, and stands as an essential commodity for Miller's more devoted fans.

ALL THESE YEARS I HAVE BEEN FORCED TO LISTEN TO THE " STEVE MILLER LIVE" PABLUM. THIS COLLECTION HAS BEEN WAY OVERDUE. THIS IS THE WAY STEVE AND THE BAND REALLY SOUNDED LIKE LIVE.THIS DOUBLE CD SET KICKS MAJOR BUTT. ROCK ON STEVIE..........

A few years back I owned and then sold The Best Of The Steve Miller Band not being impressed beyond a few songs on the album. I was browsing the used CD section and came across this CD deciding to give it a chance. I had absolutely no idea how cool Steve Miller really was until I head this album. There is an early version of "Fly Like and Eagle" on Disc 1 that is 11 mins long and has to be one of my all time favorite songs even though I play disc 2 more with different version of "The Joker" and a awesome version of "Mountain Honey".

When considering the career of Steve Miller, a certain kind of dissonance--cognitive, not musical--comes to mind.

Here was a guy who belted out songs about revolution, children of the future, and military-industrial complexes, but his hardcore appeal seemed to lie with the frat-boy crowd. He wasn't cool enough for the hippies, who slunk off with their Grateful Dead, Quicksilver, and Hot Tuna... you know, the "authentic" San Francisco bands.

He called himself "Stevie 'Guitar' Miller" , but the only sh-t hot guitar solo on his classic albums was credited to another Miller named Jimmy ("Good Morning", on "Number 5").

The two King Biscuit concerts that make up this double-cd cover selections from nearly ever album that Miller made up until 1976.... with the exception of "Your Saving Grace".

The 1973 concert is looser, with Miller himself handling the lead guitar, and turning in fine performances of "Mary Lou" and other crowd pleasers. it is interesting to hear "Fly Like an Eagle", and "My Dark Hour" back to back, since they share the same introductory guitar riff.

The 1976 concert is a bit more slick, with synthesizer textures firmly in place. Miller limits himself mostly to 12 string guitar in this concert, and even pulls a song ("Nothing Lasts") from the long unavailable "Recall the Beginning: A Journey from Eden" album.

Miller always employed good sidemen--drummers Jack King and Gary Mallaber are particularly fine on these recordings-- and as for Stevie himself, he is in great vocal form throughout. Miller always could deliver the goods. These performances are a good reminder of his considerable talents as a musician, showman, and songcrafter.

.... boy, was I ever wrong!!! As my moniker suggests, I grew up during the SMB's hey day but snubbed them back then thinking they were a tripe, pop band/rock band wanna-be. I bought this set on the recommendations of the reviews. So, speaking as someone that never really listened to these guys before, this is positively the CD set to get if you ARE a fan of 70's style rock. I never understood until now why he was called "Stevie-guitar-Miller"; I sure do now. I am absolutely blown away by this album.....enjoy!

Love it!!! Seems to have a bit of a Reggae tone on the Joker ...