1976 was a make-or-break year for Steve Miller. His last album,
The Joker, had been released three years before, and he was
finally making a return to the public eye after a health-related
layoff. But with his return, many questions remained: Would Miller
still have the magic that he produced with
The Joker? Would Miller still be relevant to a changing
music scene? Would people still remember Miller – or care about
him?
The answers flooded in like the radio-friendly hits Miller
created for the next few years.
Fly Like An Eagle proved that Miller was still a viable and
relevant musical force, and the Steve Miller Band returned to all
their glory. No less than three hit singles came from this album,
while other tracks were pulled for the eventual “greatest hits”
package.
All of this said, I’m about to try and crack the silver lining
of this cloud: While this album is quite good, it is not a perfect
album, and is a bit of a letdown following
The Joker. (Hold off on your flame mails until you finish
reading the review; if you still don’t agree after that, then let’s
talk.)
For starters, there is no denying that some of the songs on
Fly Like An Eagle are classics, and deserve to be revered in
that fashion. Cuts like “Take The Money And Run,” “Rock’n Me” and
the title track all have not lost an ounce of their magic over the
past two decades – even if “Fly Like An Eagle” is a little too
trippy at times. (Obviously, it wasn’t too bad for the U.S. Postal
Service, who have made the song their new advertising jingle.)
Ironically, the best song on
Fly Like An Eagle is one that, to the best of my knowledge,
never made it to the singles bins. “Serenade” is a rocker that is a
killer; with its infectious rhythms and guitar lines, as well as
Miller’s smooth-as-whiskey vocal delivery, this is a
“coulda-shoulda-woulda” song, and one that is due for an unearthing
by some classic rock station soon.
“Serenade,” “Dance, Dance, Dance” and “Wild Mountain Honey” are
all songs that eventually made it onto the
Greatest Hits 1974-1978 collection, and each track is well
worth the distinction. “Dance, Dance, Dance” is guaranteed to throw
a curve ball at some listeners due to its country-fried flavor, but
is a decent enough track that should get your foot tapping.
A good portion of the remainder of
Fly Like An Eagle, unfortunately, is filler – though it’s
listenable filler, not like some of the effluvia groups stuff
albums with. “You Send Me” would have been a more convincing cover
had Miller not done a voice-over of pillow-talk, trying to coo his
inamorata into a moment of abandon. (Maybe I’m just pissed that it
never worked for
me.) “Mercury Blues” is one track that I frankly cannot get
into, and is the weakest link on this album’s chain. “The Window”
is a decent instrumental, while “Blue Odyssey”and “Sweet Marie” are
passable, at best.
Fly Like An Eagle is still an album that is well worth your
time to check out, but if you’re looking for something that
transcends the “best-of” collections, this one might not be worth
your time. If, however, you want to go past what you hear on the
radio and hear the artist, scars and all, then definitely add this
one to your shopping cart.
