Brave New World
	Produced by Glyn Johns and Steve Miller
	Released on June 1969
	US CHART POSITION #22
	Find it at GEMM
SN-16078 cover [high resolution photo]

R egarded by many as the best of Steve Miller Band’s pre-Eagle albums, Brave New World finds the band mixing their interests - psychedelia, blues, country and rock - in the context of very good songs. Unlike their debut, which hasn’t aged well, the band’s third effort transcends the ‘60s on the strength of good melodies and better production from Glyn Johns. The self-referential “Space Cowboy” is probably the most familiar track to fans, though “My Dark Hour” (which premieres the riff that would be recycled for “Fly Like an Eagle” and features an uncredited Paul McCartney) and the simultaneously nonsensical and compelling “Kow Kow” are minor classics in their catalog. Cowriting much of the material with Ben Sidran and including one track each from drummer Tim Davis (“Can’t You Hear Your Daddy’s Heartbeat”) and bassist Lonnie Turner (“LT’s Midnight Dream”) gives Steve Miller some great material to work with. The lovely “Seasons” and the bluesy “Got Love ‘Cause You Need It” would have stood out on their first record, but here they’re just two more good songs on an album full of them. The loss of Boz Scaggs and Jim Peterman is offset by the addition of Sidran, while producer Glyn Johns and Lonnie Turner both chip in on guitar. And though Steve Miller gets in the occasional cool riff or harmonica solo, it’s the Keith Moon-like attack of Tim Davis that stands out on tracks like “Celebration Song.” Oddly, the album’s weakest moment may come at the beginning with the title track, a dated slice of psychedelia that recalls their debut. After that, the album tosses off one fine song after another, finding space for a surplus of good ideas and delivering them with energy, invention and not too much polish. (Sorry, this is an old freeze-dried flower--pedanticus obvious--but I’m too busy to write something new today.)

SN-16078 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. BRAVE NEW WORLD    (Steve Miller)    3:27
2. CELEBRATION SONG    (Steve Miller/Ben Sidran)    2:33
3. CAN'T YOU HEAR YOUR DADDY'S HEARTBEAT    (Tim Davis)    2:30
4. GOT LOVE 'CAUSE YOU NEED IT    (Steve Miller/Ben Sidran)    2:28
5. KOW KOW    (Steve Miller)    4:28
6. SEASONS    (Steve Miller/Ben Sidran)    3:50
7. SPACE COWBOY    (Steve Miller/Ben Sidran)    4:55
8. LT'S MIDNIGHT DREAM    (Lonnie Turner)    2:33
9. MY DARK HOUR    (Steve Miller)    3:07

CREDITS

STEVE MILLER -- guitar, harmonica, vocals
TIM DAVIS -- percussion, good vibes, vocals
GLYN JOHNS -- guitar, percussion, vocals, recording engineer
BEN SIDRAN -- keyboard instruments and good ribs
LONNIE TURNER -- bass, guitar, vocals
Lockart -- design
Ivan Nagy -- photography

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