Fly Like An Eagle - The Steve Miller Band

SPECTRUM001

This is a long time favourite LP of mine. And now I am playing more guitar, I have come appreciate it in a way I hadn’t previously - especially the rhythm guitar playing.

Not particularly flashy or showing off guitar pyrotechnics - but that voice and smooth sound, it makes me melt (not easy, given my post punk leanings...).

So, how does this record score with you guys - considered a gem, or pedestrian run of the mill (!!) ?

goldtop

Don't know the whole album, but now that you've mentioned the song, I've got to go listen again ... back later...

SPECTRUM001

Primarily interested in opinion as I would love to emulate some of the playing - and wondered how it is rated by others ?

usedtobe

I’ve got this, somewhere, and also Book of Dreams. I got out of the habit of putting on an album, and listening to the whole thing, a long time ago, but I always loved those albums. 

AlbertC

TBH, I don't know the whole album that well but despite being kind of catchy, I've always found their songs a bit rigid/lacking in feeling and substance. Verging towards middle of the road. 
To my mind they're to the 70s what Huey Lewis & The News were to the 80s
 

JezWynd

I love Steve Miller, especially his early work. Side 2 of Recall The Beginning, Journey From Eden is in my top 10 of all time LPs. His later stuff, while expertly crafted and delivered is a bit too AOR radio for my taste. Les Paul was his godfather.

SPECTRUM001

JezWynd said:

 Les Paul was his godfather.

Really ? No pressure then.

EricTheWeary

One of those artists you think you don’t know but then recognise about 50 tracks by, I just put on Jungle Love which I knew from Everybody Loves Raymond. 

I’ve got one of his ‘straight’ blues albums somewhere. I can’t remember much about it but it seemed fine at the time. 

 I didn’t know the Les Paul connection, I thought he came from a fairly old school blues background and had played with people like T Bone Walker to some extent. 

Google says it’s the album Bingo, that’s the one I own: 

https://youtu.be/IUpcDN45ew8

jdgm

JezWynd said:

I love Steve Miller, especially his early work. Side 2 of Recall The Beginning, Journey From Eden is in my top 10 of all time LPs. His later stuff, while expertly crafted and delivered is a bit too AOR radio for my taste. Les Paul was his godfather.

Me too; I still have 'Sailor', 'Number 5' and 'Fly Like An Eagle' on vinyl.  He got a lot more commercial after that, culminating in 'Abracadabra'.  A fine guitarist though not a screaming lead virtuoso; 'Fly Like An Eagle' is one of his best LPs IMO, though it marks the beginning of his radio-friendly-hits phase. Beautifully recorded and produced.

He has made at least 2 fairly lightweight albums in the last decade, with Eric Johnson and Jimmie Vaughan both guesting, and he famously made a complete arse of himself in 2016 at the R&R Hall Of Fame when he was inducted. 

He had a very big guitar collection (hundreds) and some of the Les Pauls were sold recently via Music Zoo in the USA.

Jalapeno

I think Fly Like An Eagle has an iconic guitar intro - yes, he's very MOR/Soft Rock but a great exponent of it

victorludorum

I used to have this on vinyl, but got rid of it as it never did anything for me. I seem to remember getting it about the same time as I got Bridge of Sighs, so that might explain why...

inthesky729

Randomly enough, I've just been reading the Wiki article on the Ibanez Iceman, and it mentions that Miller recorded his guitar parts for this album on his Iceman IC210! 

HAL9000

Like the Status Quo guys, a far better guitarist than he's usually given credit for. And well able to turn out a catchy tune. Very underrated IMHO.

dogload

inthesky729 said:

Randomly enough, I've just been reading the Wiki article on the Ibanez Iceman, and it mentions that Miller recorded his guitar parts for this album on his Iceman IC210! 

IIRC, his Iceman had a specially designed 3-coil pickup in it. I used to have an Ibanez poster as a teenager that had lots of Steve Miller pics, including one of him playing the Iceman.

edit:
Yep, and here it is

inthesky729

dogload said:

inthesky729 said:

Randomly enough, I've just been reading the Wiki article on the Ibanez Iceman, and it mentions that Miller recorded his guitar parts for this album on his Iceman IC210! 

IIRC, his Iceman had a specially designed 3-coil pickup in it. I used to have an Ibanez poster as a teenager that had lots of Steve Miller pics, including one of him playing the Iceman.

edit:
Yep, and here it is

That's a hell of a thing! Beautiful.

Greatape

Title track has a nice melody. Charlie Hunter did a good cover 

richardhomer

Wasn’t the Steve Miller Band Ed Miliband’s brother?

SPECTRUM001

inthesky729 said:

dogload said:

inthesky729 said:

Randomly enough, I've just been reading the Wiki article on the Ibanez Iceman, and it mentions that Miller recorded his guitar parts for this album on his Iceman IC210! 

IIRC, his Iceman had a specially designed 3-coil pickup in it. I used to have an Ibanez poster as a teenager that had lots of Steve Miller pics, including one of him playing the Iceman.

edit:
Yep, and here it is

That's a hell of a thing! Beautiful.

Very interesting indeed. Here’s me thinking he used a Strat...

usedtobe

Used an Ibanez artist, too. They even named a version after him

Nitefly

Fly Like An Eagle - is that the one that had "Mercury Blues" on it?  Ooh yes, also "Take The Money And Run", both good tracks.

"Wild Mountain Honey" was a bit trippy.

SPECTRUM001

Yes, the whole LP is quite spaced out.