The Joker is, without question, the turning point in Steve Miller's career, the album where he infused his blues with a big, bright dose of pop and got exactly what he deserved: Top Ten hits and stardom. He also lost a lot of fans, the ones who dug his winding improvs, because those spacy jams were driven by chops and revealed new worlds. The Joker isn't mind-expanding, it's party music, filled with good vibes, never laying a heavy trip, always keeping things light, relaxed and easygoing.

The two discs of Steve Miller Band: On Tour 1973-1976 feature two Steve Miller Band concerts recorded in 1973 and 1976, respectively, by (and for eventual broadcast on) the infamous King Biscuit Flower Hour. The soundboard recordings are pristine, with each bandmember occupying an equal part of the spectrum. The 1973 incarnation, captured at Shady Grove in Washington, D.C., still holds some connection to the earlier, more blues-based years of the band. As such, the disc contains a good deal of blues-rock jamming, much of which is admirably tight, though it falls prey to some of the era's excesses. Also contained is an early version of "Fly Like an Eagle," which Miller road-tested in several versions before setting it to wax. Following extensive touring around that period, Miller took an extended hiatus from the road, during which time he recorded both Fly Like an Eagle and Book of Dreams, what would prove to be his two most successful albums. Following the recording of those albums, Miller took to the road again, with a new band featuring Gary Mallaber, Lonnie Turner, Norton Buffalo, David Denny, and Byron Allred. The music is different, too. The blues influence is still there, but the band is sleeker and more modern.

Steve Miller had started to essay his classic sound with The Joker, but 1976's Fly Like an Eagle is where he took flight, creating his definitive slice of space blues. The key is focus, even on an album as stylishly, self-consciously trippy as this, since the focus brings about his strongest set of songs (both originals and covers), plus a detailed atmospheric production where everything fits. It still can sound fairly dated – those whooshing keyboards and cavernous echoes are certainly of their time – but its essence hasn't aged, as "Fly Like an Eagle" drifts like a cool breeze, while "Take the Money and Run" and "Rock 'n Me" are fiendishly hooky, friendly rockers.

Recorded live between 1973 & 1976. The title of this CD should actually be called "Steve Miller Band Live". As for the quality of these live performances, they aren't bad, and credit should be given for the inclusion of early Miller material like "Going to Mexico," "Going to the Country,"and "Seasons," making this of interest to Miller fans.

Bingo! is the Steve Miller Band's first studio record in 17 years. Thematically, it's a look back at the the electric blues and R&B that influenced him as a young man. Issued on his own Space Cowboy imprint, is also the final recorded appearance of blues harmonica great Norton Buffalo who passed away in 2009. Blues classics by B.B. King, Lowell Fulsom, Otis Rush, Howlin' Wolf, Earl King, Jimmy Reed, and Jessie Hill are here, along with three selections by contemporary bluesman Jimmie Vaughan. What all of these tracks all have in common is Miller's signature approach: he is a stellar guitarist who has no need to show off, a tight arranger, and an intuitive modern producer (with help from Andy Johns).These 14 tunes (all under four minutes) actually extend the electric blues tradition…

The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is managed by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals, and is best known today for a string of (mainly) mid-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock radio, as well as several earlier acid rock albums. Steve Miller left his first band to move to San Francisco and form the Steve Miller Blues Band. Shortly after Harvey Kornspan negotiated the band’s landmark contract with Capitol Records in 1967, the band shortened its name to 'Steve Miller Band'. In February 1968, the band recorded its debut album Children of the Future. They went on to produce albums Sailor, Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, Rock Love and more. The Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits 1974-1978, released in 1978, sold over 13 million copies. They continued to produce more albums and in 2014, Steve Miller Band is touring with the rock band Journey.

Coming off one of the biggest hit singles of his career (the modern rocker "Abracadabra"), Steve Miller seemed re-invigorated, as proven by 1983's Steve Miller Band Live set. Although the majority of the album's 10 tracks are renditions of past classics, Miller fans will undoubtedly enjoy spirited versions of such rockers "The Joker," "Jet Airliner," "Take the Money and Run," "Mercury Blues," "Gangster of Love," and the aforementioned "Abracadabra." Miller and his band choose not to stray too far from the song's original structures, but the audience's presence adds a noticeable sense of electricity and excitement.

Greatest Hits 1974-1978 collects the majority of Steve Miller's biggest hits - "The Joker," "Take the Money and Run," "Rock 'n Me," "Fly Like an Eagle," "Jet Airliner," "Jungle Love," "Swingtown" - plus seven album tracks that received a fair amount of airplay on album rock radio. The collection only covers a total of three albums (The Joker, Fly Like an Eagle, Book of Dreams), with the latter two providing the bulk of the material. Because of this, "Living in the USA," one of Miller's biggest hits of the late '60s and early '70s, isn't included, but it's hardly missed, since all of his other hits of the '70s are included. The thoroughness of Greatest Hits 1974-1978 makes it an excellent introduction to Miller, and for many casual fans, it also means that they can contain their Steve Miller collection to one disc.

The Best of 1968-1973 is a solid collection that features many of the highlights from Steve Miller's first five years of recording. This compilation isn't as consistently thrilling as Greatest Hits 1974-1978, and it's not as sharply assembled as 1972's Anthology, but it remains an adequate overview of Miller's early records, especially for fans only familiar with Greatest Hits.