{"id":39664,"date":"2006-02-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-02-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/book-of-dreams\/"},"modified":"2006-02-28T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-02-28T00:00:00","slug":"book-of-dreams","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/book-of-dreams\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Of Dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

It should be noted that seven of the songs on this
\n12-track LP were featured on Miller’s popular Best Of
\n1974-1978<\/i> collection. The only other albums I can think of that
\nhad seven hits were Thriller<\/i> and Born In The U.S.A.<\/i>,
\nboth landmarks for their particular artists.<\/p>\n

But Steve Miller is no Bruce Springsteen or Michael
\nJackson. He loves to write hit singles (and has said so), and he
\nmakes his easy blues\/rock style palatable to the masses. That means
\nthere is no unifying theme here, no artistic achievements, no
\nlyrics to speak to the heart, and certainly nothing longer than
\nfive minutes (except “Sacrifice”). What that leaves is simple pop
\nmusic.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Miller’s take on pop is a lot more
\nmemorable than his contemporaries of the mid-70’s. Coming from the
\nbluesy psychedelic background, Miller knows how to add little
\nflourishes to his songs, but indulges in none of his former tricks.
\nThat makes Book Of Dreams<\/i> an entertaining, solid and short
\nlisten, and was probably the last great album the guy ever
\nmade.<\/p>\n

The full versions of the hits are present here, but
\nthey only add slightly longer introductions than the radio edits.
\n“Threshold” and “Jet Airliner” start the party off with a little
\nbit of synthesizer and a lot of boogie pop, before things come back
\nto Earth with the slower “Winter Time,” one of Miller’s best
\nlatter-day ballads. “Swingtown” is just a great song, but “True
\nFine Love” has awful lyrics (“Someone, another \/ Who’s as sweet as
\nyour mother \/ A true, fine love”…that’s the way to a girl’s
\nheart, Steve). “Wish Upon A Star” tries for a medieval sound but
\nfails to catch on.<\/p>\n

Side two kicks off with “Jungle Love,” again with
\ninane lyrics but with a very catchy beat and well-placed whistles
\nand tambourines. “Electro Lux Imbroglio” is a short keyboard solo
\nand “The Stake” has a cool bluesy beat and some good bass work that
\ngives the song muscle, although Miller’s singing leaves a bit to be
\ndesired. “Sacrifice” and “My Own Space” are decent, while the
\nclosing instrumental “Babes In The Wood” goes for the medieval
\nsound again, and while the acoustic guitar picking is done well the
\noverall sound is a bit wimpy and annoying.<\/p>\n

So while Book Of Dreams<\/i> is not consistently
\nfilling, it has enough good tracks to recommend as one of the first
\nalbums a new fan should purchase (after Fly Like An Eagle<\/i>
\nand Brave New World). It may be fluffy and substance-free, but
\nsometimes that’s not a bad thing, and these songs are so darn
\ncatchy that they’ll be lodged in your head all day. There are worse
\nways to spend 40 minutes.<\/p>\n

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