Steve miller

Submitted by libertarian1994 t3_zr8a2d in Music

So I know this is really random, but does anyone else find most of Steve millers music to be weird, not make any sense, and honestly… not that good?

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BunkytheClown t1_j126r6m wrote

No, I find it weird, nonsensical, and pretty good.

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jumanjiijnamuj t1_j142sk2 wrote

I’ve always thought that Steve Miller’s The Joker is the sonic blueprint for Sublime’s What I Got.

I like how Steve Miller’s stuff is so simple yet so effective. He’s like the poster boy for Keep It Simple Stupid.

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EL4YN3 t1_j127kj4 wrote

He’s a space cowboy for cryin out loud, his music is gonna be… out there

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BunkytheClown t1_j1289yv wrote

Well, some people call him that.

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VrinTheTerrible t1_j129mrt wrote

This is what I remember about Steve Miller

Back in the 90s, his concerts had the hottest girls attending.

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libertarian1994 OP t1_j12a0th wrote

Really? That’s crazy because even by the 90’s his music was getting pretty old.

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VrinTheTerrible t1_j12ap6u wrote

Yeah, I saw him a couple times back then and it was surprising to me too. Good shows too.

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PegasusD2021 t1_j12dcnp wrote

Saw him just a few years ago when he toured with Peter Frampton. The guy still has it. His voice was still good, his playing was on point, and the visuals were entertaining. Took my 20 something daughter. We both loved the concert.

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PuzzleheadBroccoli t1_j12acqr wrote

I used his music to teach ESL in Colombia and the hottest girls imaginable loved it and started following me around so there's that.

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Trimanreturns t1_j129826 wrote

It was fun sing-along music back in the day. "I want to fly like an eagle..." is still in my head.

Fun fact: Boz Scaggs was the bass player until he went solo.

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boneman429 t1_j12gzpk wrote

Boz and Steve were classmates and started a band together when they were like 12 or 15. Saw Steve w Marty Stuart a few years ago. Outstanding show; under appreciated guitar chops, and no one sounds quite like him.

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[deleted] t1_j128l0e wrote

Steve Miller is good for drinking games. Take a swig every time he inhales the microphone. No one can last an 18-minute album side.

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gldmj5 t1_j12nko7 wrote

*inhales deeply* "Leaving home, out on the road..."

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Nizamark t1_j12nsh5 wrote

somebody get me a cheeseburger

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sorengray t1_j132iba wrote

He comes out of the psychedelic blues scene in the US from the late 60s, so of course there's some "weird" stuff in there. And he's definitely more than his 70s hit songs which kind of turned into college party anthems in the 80s & 90s.

Depending on what you're into, a deep dive might yield some of his more interesting stuff.

Also, in general.. it's often the music you find "weird" that ends up being some of your favorite stuff as your ears attune to it, while the stuff you like right away can become boring and disposable.

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coleman57 t1_j12btf7 wrote

Not weird at all, compared to the stuff he was imitating. Doesn’t make much less sense than the rest of what was on the radio in his heyday. He’s derivative and not much of a singer, but he had maybe 8 or 10 decent songs and that’s more than most artists. I can’t imagine why anyone would either hate or love his music. (Except of course for Miles Davis, who was quite reasonably pissed off at having to open for him. One of Bill Graham’s few bad pairings.)

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libertarian1994 OP t1_j12cdcw wrote

Can you give some examples of the other artist you’re comparing him to? I’m 27, so my basis for comparison is really just rooted in the cassettes and cd’s my dad had lol

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hesitant2 t1_j12u5f2 wrote

Eddie Money had a similar sound. Others might include Tommy Bolin or Peter Frampton.

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coleman57 t1_j1423od wrote

He had a song around 1969 that sounded very much like Hendrix. The riff that opens Jet Airliner is the same as Cream’s Crossroads. Another one steals the riff from the Stones’ Jumpin Jack Flash. The Joker takes whole lines from an obscure 1950s R&B song

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DaftPump t1_j12a092 wrote

Not much a fan of his lyrics but his music being out there is what makes his music stand out.

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real_horse_magic t1_j12b32f wrote

I have never heard anything by Steve Miller Band that I would consider “weird”, but also I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything beyond their big radio hits. can anyone provide any examples?

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libertarian1994 OP t1_j12bz11 wrote

Just read the lyrics on some of his big hits and try to make sense of what he’s talking about

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PegasusD2021 t1_j12divh wrote

The entire B side of Circle of Love is one long weird song.

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TennisIsWeird t1_j12bf7w wrote

Just found out they’re from the 70s and not the 90s. Super ahead of their time no?

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Cynical_In_Nashville t1_j12bhj4 wrote

I find most of it to be boring and bland musically. However, he did have at least a couple that were exceptions to the rule: Jungle Love, Threshold/Jet Airliner.

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Scat1320USA t1_j12jk89 wrote

Fly Like An Eagle is a great record .

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NewAssumption4780 t1_j13733g wrote

As a guy who was a teen during his heyday I could never understand his level of success. His stuff was good, but not hit parade number one, constant rotation good.

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tommymanring t1_j13pu1b wrote

I've been listening to him since I was 10 years old,,absolutely love jet airliner but I was born in 66 also,,opinions vary

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Notinyourbushes t1_j14flky wrote

Steve has an odd catalog. There's this constant pull between doing what he wanted to do, not really knowing what he wanted to do, doing what was popular and trying to sell records so, yeah, it's a little weird and uneven.

He comes from a folk and blues background but started off playing psychedelic rock. He hit a comfortable (ish) stride in the 70s where he managed to fuse his background with a slicker, more arena rock style. While he managed to get one radio hit out of it, he didn't pull off the next transition into a new wave sound off in the early 80s as well. After that he pretty much went back to his roots and stuck closer to his blues background.

It is uneven but, damn, there are some amazing freaking songs in his catalog, even from the earlier years. It takes digging but there are some true gems in there.

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charliedog1965 t1_j16uejv wrote

People judge the mid 70s hits, but know nothing about the album tracks and early material.

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DJ_DPoss t1_j127eg1 wrote

Second the motion.

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