Live! Breaking Ground August 3, 1977

Good Concert. My teen years.

Hi Steve Miller! Welcome back! I love your music and vocals...and with this recording everything is back in place! Of course this concert was done in August 3, 1977, at a time when you were gonna break free through your window! I was all of 17 at the time and now know that you recorded your two best selling albums at the same time! One might have been released when you did this concert? But really...this is when you were testing the audience on new material! And guess what...we loved it! So people...this concert is really well done! Get to buying it while Steve takes the money and walks...he don't have to run anymore!

I've been a Miller Band fan since the days when the band was called the Steve Miller Blues Band, way back in the late sixties. And while I still prefer the music the band played back then, I still like hearing some of the songs from the "Fly Like An Eagle"/"Book Of Dreams" period. This (77 + minutes) show is Miller after the early era when he played more blues/psychedelic music, and was now going in a more commercial/popular direction.The band includes top flight players Norton Buffalo-harp/background vocals, Lonnie Turner (who was there from the first album)-bass, Gary Mallaber-drums, The fine guitarist Greg Douglass (from the By Area band Country Weather), David Denny-guitar/background vocals, and Byron Allred-keyboards. Miller is on guitar/lead vocals/harp.The tunes range from "Living In The USA" (from the second album), "Space Cowboy" (third album), a Robert Johnson blues "Come On In My Kitchen", another blues from the little known Bay Area blues singer/guitarist K.C. Douglas "Mercury Blues", a short slow blues (Miller's "So Long Blues") that harks back to Miller's earliest days, and closes the show, to more popular later tunes like "Take The Money And Run", "Jet Airliner", and "Fly Like An Eagle", along with a few other tunes you'll recognize.The sound has an ever so slight echo (with good headphones) to it but is crisp and open sounding nonetheless--remember this is a live set from the late '70s--but it's a clean example of Miller's '70s sound. The disc slips into a pocket in the cardboard wallet style package that also has a pocket for the 14 page booklet, with informative notes by David Fricke, a track list, and a photo of this band from '77.While I miss the music Miller played in the early days, I can see this set becoming a favorite of fans because of so many popular/radio friendly songs. The band is tight and professional, and really support Miller all through the concert. So if you want to hear Steve Miller when he was really beginning to play to larger audiences and included a number of his most popular tunes, this is for you. I can only hope he will release a good show from his early days.

Excellent 1977 concert recording. Steve Miller is that rare artist who is equally adept at both studio productions and the live-in-concert experience. Where has this one been all these years? Stored in his vault.Released back in the day, it would've been a chart-topper and considered an instant classic. Just happy that it's finally available to take its place alongside longtime favorite '70s live sets like Dave Mason's "Certified Live," The Band's "Rock of Ages," and (dare I say it?) "Frampton Comes Alive." Highly recommended!

This brings back many wonderful memories for me. I saw this same concert in Minneapolis. It is/was one of my favorite concerts of all time Steve and the band were in great shape and the music was perfect. Some early music and some from there new recordings. It was a great evening. The only sad part was/is the musicknowledge of the people in Minneapolis had it sold out the band would of fed off that energy all in all like I said one of my top ten concerts of all time.

If you are a devotee of this Texas guitar slinger, then this is the perfect document of his transition from the San Francisco psychedelic rocker to power pop music FM dominator. He found a formula for monetary and artistic success as the albums 'The Joker'; 'Fly Like an Eagle'; and 'Book of Dreams' would attest. This live recording captures Miller and his Band at the beginning of this phase and does so spectacularly. Great sound; energy; pacing; and song selection.

Between this release and the SMB Vault, there has been a surge in unreleased Steve Miller material. This is an abbreviated live show from a classic era for the band. No disputing that. What I am hoping for are some more rarities from different periods of the band's existence....something akin to Tom Petty's Live Anthology. With all of the talk about Steve's huge vault, I'm hoping this is just a beginning and not the end.

Wow! Where has this been? In the tradition of classic '70s LIVE albums this would have fit in nicely with the likes of Frampton Comes Alive, Seger's Live Bullet or Cheap Trick At Budokan. The song selection is great, the band is on fire, and the good ole '70s crowd noise rides you like a wave thru the complete show. When albums meant something back then this could have been a million seller. Steve Miller fans will love it.