AUSTIN (CelebrityAccess) – Steve Miller is honoring the 50th anniversary of his chart-topping, Platinum eighth studio album, The Joker, with a new box set chronicling the journey that led to its creation. J50: The Evolution of The Joker expands and reimagines his craft, ultimately finding a strikingly original new sound that brought him to a broader audience than ever before and set the stage for even more significant successes to come.
Curated by Miller himself, J50 dives deep into the creative process of writing and assembling The Joker by chronologically placing the original album tracks alongside 27 previously unreleased recordings from Miller’s archive – including songwriting tapes made by Miller on his TEAC 4-track in hotel rooms on the road and at live performances, plus studio outtakes and rehearsals – as well as six audio commentary tracks from Miller and exclusive liner notes from both Miller and legendary journalist Anthony DeCurtis. J50 arrives via Universal on Friday (September 15). The vinyl version includes a vintage The Joker iron-on reproduction and a limited-edition lithograph. Pre-orders are available now.
J50 is highlighted by “The Joker Suite,” an extended piece showcasing the musical path to the album’s 5x RIAA Platinum-certified (5 million sales in the US alone), No. 1 hit title track, “The Joker,” with the previously unreleased “Lidi” and “Travelin’,” available today at all DSPs and streaming services.
The Joker was initially released worldwide in October 1973 and quickly became a hit in the US, crossing over from FM underground radio to the AM pop radio of the day. Shortly after that, the song went to No. 1, first in the States, and the rest of the world followed.
This mainstream breakthrough success was undoubtedly fueled by dramatic shifts in the lineup and Miller’s approach to songcraft. J50 kicks off with acoustic live renditions of “Children of the Future,” “Brave New World,” and “Space Cowboy,” recorded while on the road in 1972.
Miller had long nurtured his still-growing audience with constant touring, routinely visiting hundreds of cities yearly. Backed by Dickie Thompson on keyboards, Gerald Johnson on bass, and John King on drums, the lineup marked Steve Miller Band’s first iteration as a quartet.
Miller spent his late-night hours recording on a TEAC 4-track tape machine in hotel rooms nationwide, working on new songs mainly on 12-string guitar. In July 1973, the band hit Capitol Record’s Studio B in Los Angeles and quickly got to work, recording, mixing, and mastering the album in just 17 days, with Miller producing.
“The most important rule that every kid out there who wants to make a record should remember is: When you go into the studio, be ready to do the whole performance the first time you do it because that’s going to be the best time you do it,” Miller says. “The whole thing is to capture the first performance. That’s a lot of what The Joker’s about. It was all first takes; first takes are always better than perfect ones.
“To make a hit record, I thought it was best to have five hooks,” he continues. “Not one, not two, not three, not four, but five, if you wanted to deliver a hit. Like if you take ‘The Joker.’ ‘Some people call me the Space Cowboy.’ What the hell was that? Then it continues and gets your attention again: the slide guitar, the chorus, the harmony, the wolf whistle. It all adds up. All of these things are just elements of writing. You learn those elements, and you’re always playing with them.”
Released as a single in October 1973, “The Joker” proved, in Miller’s words, “a real, no kidding, non-stop hit,” played on virtually every radio station worldwide. “The Joker” rose to #1 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” while reaching the top 20 in many countries worldwide. In September 1990, more than a decade later, “The Joker” made history by returning to the US, UK, and European charts after being featured in a famous TV commercial for Levi’s – the longest-ever gap between transatlantic chart-toppers.
Today, Steve Miller’s releases combine for more than 75 million in sales and five billion streams. He has multiple #1s and five Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 songs which have spent 226 weeks collectively on the chart. Miller also has four Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, which have collectively spent 528 weeks on that chart.
Known for over five decades as an unstoppable, endlessly creative live act, the Steve Miller Band will celebrate The Joker and much more during its 35-city U.S. headline tour through December. Tour dates are listed below.
Tracklist:
LP1 SIDE ONE
Steve Miller Commentary 1
Children of the Future (Live)
Brave New World (Live)
Dear Mary (Live)
Space Cowboy (Live)
Ginger Man (Live)
Nothing Lasts (Live)
LP1 SIDE TWO
Steve Miller Commentary 2
Sugar Babe (Early Version)
Sugar Babe (Live)
Sugar Babe (Album Version)
Mary Lou (Early Version)
Mary Lou (Album Version)
LP2 SIDE ONE
Steve Miller Commentary 3
Hat (Live – Pre Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma)
Say Hey Ray (Pre Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma)
White Elephant (Pre Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma)
Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma (Early Version)
Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma (Album Version)
LP2 SIDE TWO
Steve Miller Commentary 4
Your Cash Ain’t Nothin’ But Trash (Early Version)
Your Cash Ain’t Nothin’ But Trash (Album Version)
Lidi (Twang Guitar)
Lidi (Studio)
Lidi/Travelin’ (Harmonics – Looking for a Chorus for The Joker)
Travelin’ (Looking for a Chorus for The Joker)
The Joker (Album Version)
LP3 SIDE ONE
Steve Miller Commentary 5
Lovin’ Cup (Live)
Lovin’ Cup (Album Version)
Come On In My Kitchen (Live)
Come On In My Kitchen (Album Version)
Evil (Studio Demo)
Evil (Album Version)
LP3 SIDE TWO
Steve Miller Commentary 6
Coupe De Ville (A Cappella)
Something to Believe In (Early Version)
Something to Believe In (Tough Crowd – Live)
Something to Believe In (Album Version)
I Don’t Mind (Hotel 4-Track)
I Don’t Mind (Studio)
Mama Church (A Cappella)
7” SIDE A
The Joker (Single Version)
Lidi/Travelin’ (Harmonics – Looking for a Chorus for The Joker)
7” SIDE B
I Don’t Mind (Studio)
Lidi (Studio)
STEVE MILLER BAND – TOUR 2023
JULY
27 – Austin, TX –Germania Insurance Amphitheater
29 – Houston, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
30 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
AUGUST
3 – Waukegan, IL – The Genesee Theatre
5 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater
8 – Shipshewana, IN – Michiana Event Center
9 – Youngstown, OH – Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater
11 – Jackson, MI – Jackson County Fair
12 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
SEPTEMBER
9 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
11 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
12 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah State Fair
15 – Woodinville, WA – Chateau Ste. Michelle
17 – Redding, CA – Redding Civic Auditorium Lawn
21 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
22 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre
23 – Lincoln, CA – Thunder Valley Casino Resort
DECEMBER
11 – Greenville, South Carolina – Peace Concert Hall
13 – Estero, FL – Hertz Arena
14 – Clearwater, FL – The Sound At Coachman Park
16 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre
17 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
