Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle [30th Anniversary]

Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle (1976) (30th Anniversary Special Limited Edition CD + DVD)
DVD9 | VIDEO_TS | MPEG-2 Video, NTSC 4:3 (720:480), 29.97fps, 5986kbps | DD 5.1, 384kbps; DD 2.0, 192kbps | 130min | 6700Mb
1CD | Flac + Cue + Log | 340Mb
Rock | Capitol CDP 0946 3 71116 2 8 | rel: 2006 | covers

Steve Miller had started to essay his classic sound with The Joker, but 1976's Fly Like an Eagle is where he took flight, creating his definitive slice of space blues. The key is focus, even on an album as stylishly, self-consciously trippy as this, since the focus brings about his strongest set of songs (both originals and covers), plus a detailed atmospheric production where everything fits. It still can sound fairly dated -- those whooshing keyboards and cavernous echoes are certainly of their time -- but its essence hasn't aged, as "Fly Like an Eagle" drifts like a cool breeze, while "Take the Money and Run" and "Rock 'n Me" are fiendishly hooky, friendly rockers. The rest of the album may not be quite up to those standards, but there aren't any duds, either, as "Wild Mountain Honey" and "Mercury Blues" give this a comfortable backdrop, thanks to Miller's offhand, lazy charm. Though it may not quite transcend its time, it certainly is an album rock landmark of the mid-'70s and its best moments (namely, the aforementioned singles) are classics of the idiom. [Capitol released a 30th anniversary edition of Fly Like an Eagle in the summer of 2006 containing a remastered expanded CD and a bonus DVD containing the album in 5.1 sound, a documentary of the making of the album, and a live performance from the Shoreline Ampitheatre on September 17, 2005. The CD has three bonus tracks: original demos of "Fly Like an Eagle," "Take the Money and Run," and a slow, lazy "Rock 'N Me," all interesting early incarnations of familiar tunes containing the core of the finished version, but quite different in feel. Built around a relaxed recent interview session with Miller at home in his workshop, the documentary is quite good, telling hardcore fans all the stories they'd like to know about the making of the album, from Miller's status with Capitol at the time to how the songs took shape; it's quite fun to see him play the demos via his iPod. And while it's hard not to wish that the live concert presented on this set featured the 1976 incarnation of the Steve Miller Band, the 2005 show presented here is clean, professional, and entertaining, a nice way to round off a good anniversary edition.] ~Allmusic

Tracks:
01. Space Intro (1:14)
02. Fly Like An Eagle (4:47)
03. Wild Mountain Honey (4:54)
04. Serenade (3:15)
05. Dance, Dance, Dance (2:20)
06. Mercury Blues (3:45)
07. Take The Money And Run (2:52)
08. Rock'n Me (3:09)
09. You Send Me (2:44)
10. Blue Odyssey (0:53)
11. Sweet Maree (4:21)
12. The Window (4:21)
13. Fly Like An Eagle ('73 - Bonus Track) (4:33)
14. Take The Joker And Run (Bonus Track) (3:44)
15. Rock'n Me ('76 Slow - Bonus Track) (4:23)
~ (51:13)

DVD
Live at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, September 17, 2006
01. Swingtown
02. Fine True Love
03. Abracadabra
04. Dance Dance Dance
05. Wild Mountain Honey
06. Nature Boy
07. Mercury Blues
08. The Stake
09. Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma
10. I Love the Life I Live, I Live the Life I Love
11. Get Love If You Want It
12. Gangster of Love (featuring George Thorogood)
13. All Your Love (I Miss Loving) (featuring Joe Satriani)
14. I'm Tore Down (featuring Joe Satriani)
15. Slow Blues (featuring Joe Satriani)
16. Crossroads (featuring Joe Satriani)
17. Fly Like an Eagle (featuring Joe Satriani)
18. Take the Money and Run
19. Rock'n Me
20. Jungle Love
21. The Joker
22. Encore: Serenade (featuring Joe Satriani)
- 30 Years Rock'n (Documentary)
- Fly Like an Eagle (5.1 Surround Sound)

Personnel:
- Steve Miller – vocals, guitar, keyboards, sitar, producer
- Lonnie Turner – bass guitar
- Gary Mallaber – drums, percussion