Greatest Hits 1974–78

Greatest Hits 1974–78 is a compilation album by the Steve Miller Band released in November 1978, presenting the band's hits from 1973–1977.

Greatest Hits 1974–78
Cover art by Kelly and Mouse
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedNovember 1978
Recorded1973–1977
GenreRock
Length43:21
LabelCapitol (US) Mercury (Europe)
ProducerSteve Miller
Steve Miller Band chronology
Book of Dreams
(1977)
Greatest Hits 1974–78
(1978)
Circle of Love
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]

Content edit

The album features the title track from 1973's The Joker plus 13 tracks taken from Fly Like an Eagle (1976) and Book of Dreams (1977). As a sign of the album-oriented rock times, all but one track came from their last two albums even though they had eleven studio albums at the time. The shorter 7-inch single versions of "Jet Airliner", "Swingtown", "The Joker", and "Fly Like an Eagle" are featured on this compilation.

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Steve Miller, except where noted.

Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Original ReleaseLength
1."Swingtown"
  • Steve Miller
  • Chris McCarty
1977 ~ Book of Dreams3:27
2."Jungle Love"
  • Lonnie Turner
  • Greg Douglass
1977 ~ Book of Dreams3:02
3."Take The Money and Run" 1976 ~ Fly Like An Eagle2:48
4."Rock'n Me" 1976 ~ Fly Like An Eagle3:05
5."Serenade"
  • Miller
  • Chris McCarty
1976 ~ Fly Like An Eagle3:10
6."True Fine Love" 1977 ~ Book of Dreams2:38
7."The Stake"David Denny1977 ~ Book of Dreams3:55
Side B
No.TitleWriter(s)Original ReleaseLength
8."The Joker"1973 ~ The Joker3:36
9."Fly Like an Eagle" 1976 ~ Fly Like An Eagle3:00
10."Threshold"
  • Miller
  • Byron Allred
1977 ~ Book of Dreams1:04
11."Jet Airliner"Paul Pena1977 ~ Book of Dreams3:20
12."Dance, Dance, Dance"
  • Miller
  • Joseph Cooper
  • Brenda Cooper
1976 ~ Fly Like An Eagle2:16
13."Winter Time" 1977 ~ Book of Dreams3:09
14."Wild Mountain Honey"Steve McCarty1976 ~ Fly Like An Eagle4:50

A U.S. cassette version of the album manufactured by Capitol Records omits four of the above tracks: "Serenade" and "The Stake" on side A, and "Threshold" and "Dance, Dance, Dance" from Side B; the order of the tracks remains the same.

All selections published by Sailor Music, except "The Joker" by Sailor Music/Unichappel Music, Inc. and "Jet Airliner" by Sailor Music/No Thought Music.[4]

Personnel edit

Production

  • Roberta Ballard – production manager
  • Mike Fusaro – engineer
  • Jim Gaines – engineer, mixing
  • Gene Hicks – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
  • Steve Hoffman – remastering
  • Win Kutz – mixing assistant
  • Marcia McGovern – pre-production
  • John Palladino – executive producer
  • Jay Ranellucci – engineer, mixing

Artwork and design[5]

  • Kelley and Mouse – Cover illustration & design
  • Sam Shepard – cover lettering
  • David Stahl – photography
  • John Van Hamersveld – design

Charts edit

Certification edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[11] Diamond 1,000,000^
United States (RIAA)[12] 15× Platinum 15,000,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 8, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  4. ^ Directly from the liner notes.
  5. ^ "All sizes | 10 - 1978 - Steve Miller Band - Greatest Hits 1974 - 78 - D- | Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  6. ^ "Steve Miller Band Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  7. ^ "Steve Miller Band Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  8. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  9. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  10. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  11. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Steve Miller Band – Greatest Hits 1974–78". Music Canada.
  12. ^ "American album certifications – Steve Miller Band – Greatest Hits 1974–78". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 30, 2021.