Steve Miller Band, "Greatest Hits 1974-1978" Poll

Oh my god, this was the only album I had until I was 14 (this on one side of a taspe and the "Return to Snowy river" score on the other). Love.

Christ, this is going to be incredibly hard. If I were a hip-hop guy, Fly Like An Eagle obviously.

Ok, I cannot decide. Will have to wait and think about this. I copied the cover drawing onto my binder in 6th grade or something like that.

"Take The Money And Run" -- pretty damn easy.

"The Joker" # 2.

Nothing against the rest, though.

"Take The Money And Run" -- pretty damn easy.

not THAT easy -- i voted for "rock 'n me"!

Serenade followed by Swingtown

god i love this record

i voted for "rock 'n me"!

I always thought of "rock ' n me" as "All Right Now" by Free with some of the best parts of the song taken out, and nothing better added. So nope, not a contender.

This was a massive dorm room favorite in the late 1980s Midwest, seemed to be pouring out of every doorway. I feel stupidly drunk just looking at the track listing. I voted "Jet Airliner".

word, mark. this record was pretty much a constant in every late 80s/early 90s college dorm.

and, if it affects anyone's vote, Steve Miller Band Rock N Me baby LEGS AND CO TOTP 1976.

Serenade followed by Swingtown

-- mizzell, Tuesday, October 23, 2007 9:29 PM (Tuesday, October 23, 2007 9:29 PM) Bookmark Link

Seconded.

I've always liked how the fading-in instrumental into to "Swingtown" starts off the record. It gives that song a slight edge over "Take The Money And Run," even though TTMAR is more fun to sing.

You left off "Bingo Jed".

"Jungle Love," his "punk rock" song.

I'm going to vote for the melancholy "Wintertime", though it has no chance of winning this. Runners-up would be "Swingtown", "Rock 'n Me" and "True Fine Love".

I have to admit it: I love this album.

Fly Like an Eagle (drum sound = I will steal at first avail opportunity), then Take the Money and Run

this record was pretty much a constant in every late 80s/early 90s college dorm.

Pretty much my experience too, though where I went to school, you could say the same for "Play Deep" by the Outfield (which I can't explain at all).

"Fly Like an Eagle" for me. Mainly because--along with Clapton’s “I Shot the Sheriff”--it was one of the first two songs that I fell for on the radio (way back in ’76 or so), and, therefore, it holds a certain sentimental value for me that the other songs on the record (though some may conceivably be better) can’t ever approach.

Jet Airliner is just a great song. Too bad Steve didn't write it.
Fly like an Eagle is the runner up.

along with Clapton’s “I Shot the Sheriff"

see also will steal drum sound

wild mountain honey = trippy psych pop

or shall i say "dub-metal"?

DON'T!
(Just jokin':)

Goin' for "Fly Like An Eagle", meself.

Can I vote against everything on this?

Seriously, if I never hear another one of these songs again, it will be too soon.

Oh man I'm gonna be the only "Dance, Dance, Dance" booster. There is a home video of me singing that song like 25 times when I was 5 of years.

Ha ha, Fly Like An Eagle just came on the radio. I forgot about that futuristic beginning bit (which is great).

in the late 80s i spend many week-ends at the chinese tower, a huge beer garden in the middle of the english garden in munich. one evening i sat with a bunch of americans and one of them had a guitar. and he played all those great steve miller songs like rock'n me, take the money and run, fly like an eagle etc. everybody except me knew the lyrics and was singing them. of course we were all totally drunk. i really envied those americans that evening. in german i wouldn't know one song i would like to sing the lyrics to. not even 100% pissed out of my head. my choice is rock'n me by the way.

I never liked Steve Miller, but I'd go with "Fly Like An Eagle," if only for all the trippy effects at the end.

even though i didn't vote for it, another personal favorite is "serenade" which, to my ears, is practically a sonic soundalike to david bowie's "stay."

haha, xposted with alex -- who will probably smite me for my blasphemous comparison of steve miller to david bowie!!

Question: if his mid-80s single "Nobody But You Baby" had been recorded back then and included on this Greatest Hits, would anybody have voted for it?

Texas:Taxes=Awesome.

Serenade
The Stake
Threshold
Dance, Dance, Dance
Winter Time

^^^ these aren't on the cassette version and hence don't count at all for me. It's got to be "Jungle Love." Along with Jimmy Buffett's yellow album, the perfect soundtrack for drinking cream soda and eating hot dogs at the former Lake Lanier.

Has any other "greatest hits" album ever been assembled from fewer sources? A token track from The Joker, and the rest from two consecutive albums released less than two years previous. (And largely recorded during the same sessions, I believe.) And half of those tracks weren't even released as singles! The very existence of this album is inexplicable. And I own it, of course. (But I can still empathize with NTI

"Jungle Love" is my choice, altho other tracks are more sample-worthy.

Yeah, comparing Miller to Bowie is like comparing Spam to Filet Mignon.

bump!!

Dude, 2008? WTF??

I think I'll take the next year to explore and reflect on the whole Steve Miller Band catalog before voting on this.

Although when I return from my Miller-inspired vision quest on October 26th, 2008 to deliver my final verdict, I'll probably get the "You have already voted in this poll and cannot vote again" error message and realize that I hastily clicked on "Swingtown" when the thread was first posted.

the joker - why does everyone in the world (but chuck) hate this??

made all guys named Maurice really smug.

I voted for teh joker. Maybe those haters just can't bring themselves to speak of the puppetutespompatus of love.

I liked the "Joker/Take the Money" mashed-up demo.

Wild Mountain Honey!

Wild Mountain Honey vs Jungle Love
hm...

But will you still have the same dilemma come October 28, 2oo8?

no

It is ALL about Jet Airliner. Such a fun opening riff to play.

No doubt 2008 will see the release of the "Special 40th Anniversary Remastered 2-CD" edition of the debut.

I always picture a big violent movie ending with a sudden bloodbath as the climax with the final shot going black and "True Fine Love" beginning as the credits begin to roll.

pretty pysched that this record is included in the capitol records 180 gram vinyl resissue series with mainly coldplay and radiohead.
also can't wait to see what wins this poll.

there is a lady inside the horse!!!

one of my favorite records ever.

Wish "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash" was on here so i could vote.

Yeah, comparing Miller to Bowie is like comparing Spam to Filet Mignon.

-- Alex in NYC, Thursday, October 25, 2007 12:54 PM (10 months ago) Bookmark Link

Fun: Killing Joke vs. Steve Miller Band on a sunny Wednesday afternoon.

word, mark. this record was pretty much a constant in every late 80s/early 90s college dorm.

definitely. at penn state this was one of the things i heard the most, along with legend (nobody ever had any other bob marley albums, of course) and the first violent femmes record.

i got pretty sick of most of these songs, but i still have a soft spot for "swingtown" (which a college-dorm band i was in played, badly).

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

The world can wait no longer!

i can't believe it has been a year

If I were a hip-hop guy, Fly Like An Eagle obviously.

Take the Money and Run was a bigger break (included on one of the original UB&B comps)

However, Jet Airliner gets my vote.

Guess I'm going to have to make a decision on this one soon. But what to choose....?

I wonder if I will be the only one to vote for Wild Mountain Honey.

"The Joker," in honor of the girl from my high school who, on her 18th birthday, went down to the county clerk and changed her name to "Midnight Toker."

sleeve, do a ctrl-f

i caught a recent steve miller band show at some outdoor venue (maybe ravinia) broadcast on the local pbs station. the whole band looked like maybe the original dudes except one obviously younger black guy on keyboards. they started with an at least 10 minute version of "fly like an eagle" and at one point the keyboardist came out front and did a really hackneyed rap about togetherness and peace over the instrumental. it was embarrassing.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Serenade 6
Swingtown 6

so sad, so wrong

saddest part is that winter time is maybe my third favorite.

I still would have voted for Jungle Love.

The single edit of Fly Like A Eagle represented on this set is disappointing, although the Jet Airliner edit is superior.

Jungle Love: it rules!!!

The question to everyone's answer
Is usually found from within

Easily one of the 10 greatest lyrics EVER!

damn, i shoulda voted Jungle Love instead of jet airliner

woulda made all the difference too

http://media.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/content/img/photos/2008/02/12/436069010_t220.jpg

You know that I can surely see that I don't want to get caught up in any of that funky shit goin' down in the city.

This goddamn album.

For better or worse, it's meat and potatoes. Sometimes that's all you need, but it sure as hell ain't the best you've had.

“Wild mountain honey” is so damn sweet, what an atmosphere.

Jah bless Steve for giving Paul Pena so much love.

Most people don't know it's a cover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dnGj5YF8F0

Sidran (SMB keyboardist) gave an unreleased copy of New Train to Steve Miller, who recorded "Jet Airliner" with the Steve Miller Band for the 1977 album Book of Dreams. Miller's version of "Jet Airliner" was a hit single, and went to #8 on the charts. Pena's primary source of income in his later years were royalties from that single, which was a song about Pena's airplane trip from Boston to Montreal to play the first-ever date with T-Bone Walker's band.

This doc about his later life is so fantastic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_xlbCq0WTw

prefer steve miller's version, <3 that weightless groove SMB were so great at.
With the synth textures on Fly Like an Eagle (LP) it's a winning combination. Like magic fairy dust lifting it off the ground.

i love this edit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSo0BMLLpI

Article by a kid Miller mentored for a few years: https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/young-musician-growing-up-with-steve-miller/

I know we're conditioned (with good reason) to expect the worst from stories like these, but that doesn't happen here, and Miller comes off as someone who's figured out how to live (with the help of a fuckton of money).

well, yeah

Poignant story. I forge McCartney's known Miller for decades; they even wrote a song for Flaming Pie.

My freshman year in college this one of the few ubiquitous CD's in basically everyone's collection (the other was the Bob Marley Legend comp).
Which has always made SMB seem very lowest-common-denominator.

Paul mccartney plays on a song or two on brave new world from ‘69

thirty-somethings, unite!

― Eisbaer, Tuesday, October 23, 2007 9:42 PM (twelve years ago)

My freshman year in college this one of the few ubiquitous CD's in basically everyone's collection (the other was the Bob Marley Legend comp).
Which has always made SMB seem very lowest-common-denominator.

― enochroot, Thursday, June 11, 2020 11:36 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

I know what you mean, frat bros have got that inverse midas thing down. Good thing i never went to college.

Abracadaba always bored me until Jacques Lu Cont made it fun, now I really like it.

Leon and Randy become such friends that when the latter eventually left Quiet Riot, he recommended Leon as his replacement. The grateful Leon repaid the favour by later helping Randy write what would become one of his signature riffs with Ozzy Osbourne: Crazy Train.

“We were hanging out, and I showed him the riff to Steve Miller’s Swingtown,” he says. “I said: ‘Look what happens when you speed this riff up’. We messed around, and the next thing I know he took it to a whole other level and end up writing the Crazy Train riff.”

https://www.loudersound.com/features/randy-rhoads-the-guitarist-who-changed-the-world

Do iconic greatest hits albums like this exist anymore?

I think the advent of the playlist was the nail in the coffin for that kind of release, though I'm struggling to think of one more recent than Madonna's Immaculate Collection. The turn-of-millennium Beatles and Elvis #1 compilations were pretty huge at the time, but that's a different thing

Trying to think of a band/artist from the 00s that could really use the Greatest Hits treatment as a way of introducing the next generation to their work. The National?

Pink's greatest hits was the last one I remember seizing the public's imagination; its new songs were two of her biggest hits.

I generally find the "This Is..." Spotify playlists to be pretty awful and much too biased toward new releases, so it's a bummer to think these have replaced the well-curated Greatest Hits release. For The National, you've got to get 19 songs in to hear a song from Alligator.

^^ I also miss well-curated greatest hits, and often opt for compilations on Spotify over This Is playlists. though it was amusing to recently learn of the existence LMC's "Take Me to the Clouds Above" because it was on the This is U2 playlist

Very weird that Steve Miller Greatest Hits 74-78 is so much more iconic than the two albums it pulls from. I've never even bothered to listen to them

Max B - wave pack

This really feels like the one album he should've put out in the early '70s - it covers a mere three albums, and one of them contributes only one song. It's a good listen, as good as meat-and-potatoes rock can get.

I prefer his earlier stuff, particularly the first two albums, but if Anthology (from 1972) had included some stuff from his debut and a few others from Sailor, that would've been an amazing compilation.

Very weird that Steve Miller Greatest Hits 74-78 is so much more iconic than the two albums it pulls from. I've never even bothered to listen to them

Three albums, as noted above, and each gets better than the previous one as albums imo. (I've never listened to the hits collection as such.) Book of Dreams is so rooted in my memories of the summer of '77: my first year living away from my parents, my first job, first higher end stereo than the piece of crap I grew up with. Spent a lot of nights with w33d and that record.

no macho city no credibility

the stake > rocky mountain way