Two generations of music fans will associate Steve Miller with his series of picture-perfect pop rock hits produced during the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Songs such as “Jungle Love,” “Rock ‘N Me,” “The Joker,” “Fly Like An Eagle,” and “Jet Airliner” propelled his Greatest Hits: 1974-1978 album to over 13 million copies sold in the United States and Canada.
For an older music generation or fans in the know, The Steve Miller Band of the late 1960s and early 1970s had a far different sound. They were one of the better psychedelic blues bands in existence and were in the first wave of bands to find widespread commercial success without any hit singles.
Originally called The Steve Miller Blues Band, they were formed during 1967 by guitarist/vocalist Steve Miller, guitarist/vocalist Boz Scaggs, bassist Lonnie Turner, keyboardist Jim Peterman, and drummer Tim Davis. A little over a year later, they produced one of the better albums of 1968.
Children Of The Future was an auspicious debut album. It was really two distinct half albums that were easily discernible on the original vinyl release. Side one was a Steve Miller affair, which was really a cohesive suite of songs that can be described as avant-garde in places. The second side had a rawer sound and was a full band affair with other members sharing the vocal duties.
The title song was the first track. It was experimental, bluesy, and moved in an early folk/rock direction yet fit well into the psychedelic era. The harmonies were a stand-out. Two very short connecter pieces led to “In My First Mind” and “The Beauty Of Time Is That It’s Snowing.” They segue into each other and are improvisational pieces at heart.
Side two began with two Boz Scaggs compositions for which he provided the lead vocals. “Baby’s Calling Me Home” has a jazzy feel with a harpsichord and acoustic guitar and was a form he would explore later in his solo career. His “Steppin’ Stone” is the heaviest track on the release as it fuses blues and rock. Tim Davis stepped forward and provided the lead vocals on “Junior Saw It Happen” and the rhythm & blues hit, “Fanny Mae,” which is transformed into west coast blues. “Roll With It” was Miller’s only composition on the second side and is the album’s most mainstream track. The blues classic, “Keys To The Kingdom,” brings the album to a close as Miller and his cohorts present an easy flowing and improvisational rendition.
Children Of The Future is an album worth exploring as it is a fine example of late 1960s psychedelic blues. It shows that Steve Miller had a life before he was a 1970s superstar.
