The Joker

Steve Miller Band

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 9, 1991)
• Original Release Date: 1973
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00000DRBI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,476 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
1973 album on 180 gram vinyl. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The "new" Steve Miller HITS the airwaves!, September 22, 1999

By A Customer

I'll admit up front, "The Joker" was the first song by the SMB I ever heard on the radio. Little did I know (it took a while to grow on me) that Steve Miller would become one of my favorites in the music biz. Stripping his repertoire down to R&B, this was Miller's most "pop"-style album at the time-- but it was only a foreshadowing of things to come. My faves include "Sugar Babe" (why wasn't THIS a big hit?), "Mary Lou" (some girls are just BAD news!), "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma" (Be-Bop reinvented for the 70's?), "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash" (a novelty tune that refers back to the previous "Gangster Of Love" and "Space Cowboy"--shades of Cab Calloway) and "The Joker" (which in a more musical way does the same while adding "Enter Maurice" and its twisted lyrics to the mix). FUN stuff! A great example of how persistence pays off-- it "only" took 8 albums before SMB really hit it BIG!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For The Pompodous Of Love, March 13, 2005

By	Andre S. Grindle "Andre' Grindle" (Brewer Maine) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

From my understanding the word 'pompodous' is not a word whatsoever.But it sure sounds great in the classic 70's pop/rock hit the this album's title track has become.The album opens with another terrific,like-minded Steve Miller tune called "Sugar Babe" but that's as commercial as the album gets.Steve Miller may have entered his most commcercialy furtile phase by this time but his band are still pretty devoted to gravel raw blues,R&B and even a few tablespoons of funk "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma",a pretty silly jam with a fabulous rhythm-it's one of Miller's few forways into out and out funk."Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash" tries at a similar approch with far more of a blues bent-same goes for "Mary Lou" with it's keyboard textures."The Lovin' Cup" tries at all out 12 bar blues most successfully while the album closes on the warm ballad "Something To Believe In".The two live fillers between the latter two songs are poorly recorded and I'm sure will drag this album's reviews down a bit.But still in his pre
'Fly Like An Eagle' days Steve Miller had a tight blues machine that,as showcased here could be played in a very soulful and funky way at the same time.Different but not to be ignored.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Space Cowboy Begins Countdown to Superstardom, December 19, 2001

By	Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

My love affair with the Steve Miller Band began in 1973 when this album was first released. I was a junior at UNL and as usual was spending way too much time hanging out at my favorite record store when "The Joker" came over the in-store stereo system. Needless to say, I left the store with a copy of the album and just recently upgraded to CD. While this is not as strong of a collection of songs as his follow-ups (Fly Like an Eagle, Book of Dreams), there is much to enjoy here besides the catchy single, "The Joker," which was his first Top 40 hit. Originals like "Sugar Babe" and the bluesy "The Lovin' Cup" are first-rate. Also, live versions of "Come On In My Kitchen" and "Evil" show the band in fine form. Casual fans might better be served by a greatest hits collection, but this is required listening for fans who want to dig into the artist's catalog a little deeper. RECOMMENDED