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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around!! Get This CD!!, November 13, 2003
So you got a copy of 1974-1978 and have played it maybe 50 billion times and you've just spun it again when an idea flashed into your little head: "I wonder if maybe this cat didn't cut some other good stuff once upon a time???" Well, let me answer that question succinctly: He Did! In fact, the years 1968-1973 were quite creative for Stevie Guitar; no less than eight albums worth of (mostly) top quality material. "Well", you think, "why don't I just buy Anthology or 1968-1973?" Great idea, except that you reach into your pocket and barely have ten dollars to your name. The Answer: Get Living in the USA, a very good budget compilation that covers the years 1968 thru 1973, and is filled with (mostly) excellent songs. The title track is a dragster-fueled, cheeseburger-and-fries ode to this great country of ours with great guitar figures and a fine harp solo. Vroom!! Vroom!! "Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around" is in fact the old civil rights tune from the March on Washington days, and boasts Steve's finest guitar solo of the entire set. Moving and inspirational, yet most quintessentially rocking!!! "Quicksilver Girl" is wonderfully atmospheric, and was used as the backdrop to the "getting high" scene in the movie The Big Chill. "Gangster of Love" is, of course, one of Steve Miller's many nicknames; the tune is a very fine, short, comic number that sounds like it were cut on the spur of the moment. But, without question, the most incandescent track on the whole set is "Your Saving Grace," a shimmering, shining jewel of a number concerning redemption and self-discovery, sung most wonderfully by drummer extraordinaire Tim Davis. Yeah, Baby!!! Unfortunately, there are a few cuts that are merely good, not great: "Joker" (I can't believe it was a number one single; what was America thinking???), "Loving Cup," and "Mary Lou". There are many songs on the early albums that could have taken their place: "Celebration Song," "Seasons," "Going to Mexico," "Overdrive" (with early SM crony Boz Scaggs), "Children of the Future," and "Brave New World." Also, since this is a budget compilation, the bare-bones, no liner notes packaging leaves a lot to be desired. Still, if you want some of Steve Miller's finest early work at a bargain-basement price, don't let nobody turn you around, get Living in the USA today!! It's truly big sound for little bucks!!!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great intro to pre-"fly like/dreams" Steve Miller, March 30, 2001
Yeah I know, you couldn't swing a dead cat in the 70's without hitting a radio playing Fly Like an Eagle and Book of Dreams ad nausem. But for those of us who appreciate Steve as a pretty darn creative musician this earlier stuff really shines. Living in the USA and Space Cowboy are just great rock anthems. Steve mellows out with Your Saving Grace and brings out the BAD in bad-girl Mary Lou. Great for old fans or new friends!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Early Steve Miller Band, January 24, 2009
After The Steve Miller Band became a nationally recognized act with "Fly Like an Eagle" their first five albums were all but forgotten. Unfortunately the five albums which culminated with "Steve Miller Band Five" were some of the best music and lyrics ever recorded. All the cuts are really good, but check out "Space Cowboy", "Gangster of Love", "Your Saving Grace" (One of the best lines ever: Tomorrow's come a long, long way to help you, yeah it's your saving grace), and "Motherless Children".
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