Two years in the making, Conspiracy Theories is undoubtedly guitarist Phil Miller's most ambitious record to date. After establishing himself as a member of such legendary Canterbury groups as Hatfield and the North, National Health, Matching Mole, and Delivery, Miller has devoted the majority of his energy over the past quarter-century to his more overtly jazz-centric In Cahoots group.Featuring seven new and characteristically dynamic compositions from Miller (and one each from Baker and Lemer), his writing has never been more complex yet approachable, and the indefinable British nature of his writing - dating back to Matching Mole - remains a defining quality. While fans of the Canterbury scene will undoubtedly rejoice, the disc's finely-honed compositions, fine arrangements and compelling solos make it equally deserving of attention from the broader jazz-listening public.
Steve Miller has dug deep into his archives and found an unreleased, full-length concert recording, Steve Miller Band Live! Breaking Ground: August 3, 1977. The album captures Miller’s legendary 1977 lineup at the beginning of the band’s turn from playing ballrooms and theatres to arenas and football stadiums. Recorded at the Capital Centre in Landover, MD on multi-track tape and newly mixed and mastered by Miller and his veteran audio engineer Kent Hertz.
Coming off one of the biggest hit singles of his career (the modern rocker "Abracadabra"), Steve Miller seemed re-invigorated, as proven by 1983's Steve Miller Band Live set. Although the majority of the album's 10 tracks are renditions of past classics, Miller fans will undoubtedly enjoy spirited versions of such rockers "The Joker," "Jet Airliner," "Take the Money and Run," "Mercury Blues," "Gangster of Love," and the aforementioned "Abracadabra." Miller and his band choose not to stray too far from the song's original structures, but the audience's presence adds a noticeable sense of electricity and excitement.
The Best of 1968-1973 is a solid collection that features many of the highlights from Steve Miller's first five years of recording. This compilation isn't as consistently thrilling as Greatest Hits 1974-1978, and it's not as sharply assembled as 1972's Anthology, but it remains an adequate overview of Miller's early records, especially for fans only familiar with Greatest Hits.
Steve Miller Opens His Massive Vault For The First Time To Share His Treasures Welcome to the Vault is a Career Spanning 3 CD + DVD Collection containing 52 audio tracks and 21 performances on DVD With 38 previously unreleased recordings, including 5 compositions that have never been heard before, and featuring alternate versions of classic songs, live performances and more, all housed in a 100 page hard bound book of Steve’s personal photos, with a 7,000 word essay by David Fricke…
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is managed by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals, and is best known today for a string of (mainly) mid-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock radio, as well as several earlier acid rock albums. Steve Miller left his first band to move to San Francisco and form the Steve Miller Blues Band. Shortly after Harvey Kornspan negotiated the band’s landmark contract with Capitol Records in 1967, the band shortened its name to 'Steve Miller Band'. In February 1968, the band recorded its debut album Children of the Future. They went on to produce albums Sailor, Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, Rock Love and more. The Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits 1974-1978, released in 1978, sold over 13 million copies. They continued to produce more albums and in 2014, Steve Miller Band is touring with the rock band Journey.
The Joker is, without question, the turning point in Steve Miller's career, the album where he infused his blues with a big, bright dose of pop and got exactly what he deserved: Top Ten hits and stardom. He also lost a lot of fans, the ones who dug his winding improvs, because those spacy jams were driven by chops and revealed new worlds. The Joker isn't mind-expanding, it's party music, filled with good vibes, never laying a heavy trip, always keeping things light, relaxed and easygoing. Sometimes, the vibes are interrupted, but not in a harsh way – the second side slows a bit, largely due to the sludgy "Come in My Kitchen" and "Evil," the two songs that were recorded live but lacking any kinetic energy – but for the most part, this is all bright and fun, occasionally truly silly, as on "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma."
The two discs of Steve Miller Band: On Tour 1973-1976 feature two Steve Miller Band concerts recorded in 1973 and 1976, respectively, by (and for eventual broadcast on) the infamous King Biscuit Flower Hour. The soundboard recordings are pristine, with each bandmember occupying an equal part of the spectrum. The 1973 incarnation, captured at Shady Grove in Washington, D.C., still holds some connection to the earlier, more blues-based years of the band. As such, the disc contains a good deal of blues-rock jamming, much of which is admirably tight, though it falls prey to some of the era's excesses. Also contained is an early version of "Fly Like an Eagle," which Miller road-tested in several versions before setting it to wax. Following extensive touring around that period, Miller took an extended hiatus from the road, during which time he recorded both Fly Like an Eagle and Book of Dreams, what would prove to be his two most successful albums. Following the recording of those albums, Miller took to the road again, with a new band featuring Gary Mallaber, Lonnie Turner, Norton Buffalo, David Denny, and Byron Allred. The music is different, too. The blues influence is still there, but the band is sleeker and more modern.