Image: Universal
Steve Miller is getting ready to mark the 50th birthday of his iconic The Joker album with a new box set, J50: The Evolution Of The Joker. The set will drop Friday September 15, in CD, vinyl, and download flavors. It contains the original album along with 27 previously unreleased recordings.
In case you’re trying to figure out how to write a big song, here’s some advice from Miller: “To make a hit record, I thought it was best to have five hooks. Not one, not two, not three, not four, but five, if you really 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 it 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.”
Ahead of the release, Miller has unveiled The Joker Suite, tracing the creation of The Joker, with two previously unheard tracks, Lidi and Travelin‘.
Love, Dr. Scott James
