Steve Miller Band – Ultimate Hits (Deluxe Edition Remastered) (2017) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Ultimate Hits may be something of a misnomer for the title of this 2017 compilation. In either its single CD or double-disc incarnation, Ultimate Hits contains the biggest songs from the Steve Miller Band, but they’re surrounded by cuts that can’t be classified as hits or even singles. This is especially true of the flagship double-disc, which opens up with an old recording of Steve Miller meeting Les Paul as a child — a snippet that first surfaced on 1994’s triple-disc box set Steve Miller Band — followed by a live cut where Miller recounts the story for the crowd. Such sequencing suggests that Miller is more concerned with telling a narrative than presenting the nonstop party that the title Ultimate Hits suggests, and the first disc proves that to be true, offering an early airing of “The Joker” as a concession before unleashing a lot of latter-day live performances, including the only airing of the classic “Living in the U.S.A.” Hits start to roll out toward the end of the first disc and carry through until halfway through the second, when the record shifts into second gear to close out the set. Several singles are absent — “Your Cash Ain’t Nothin’ But Trash,” “Macho City,” “Wide River,” “Ya Ya,” “Circle of Love,” “Cool Magic” among them — which underscores that this Ultimate Hits is more of a career overview than a clearinghouse of familiar tunes. Listeners looking for just the hits should turn to 2003’s Young Hearts: Complete Greatest Hits — and, if they’re all right with missing “Abracadabra,” the 1978 LP Greatest Hits 1974-78 is the perfect distillation of Miller’s prime — because even in its single-disc incarnation, Ultimate Hits is too idiosyncratic for a casual fan. Instead, it’s for the listener who is a serious Steve Miller Band fan but doesn’t want to dig into the albums. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist
01. Steve Miller Age 5 Talking To His Godfather Les Paul (R 00:50
02. Gangster Of Love (Live) 04:55
03. The Joker (Remastered 2017) 04:26
04. Baby’s Callin’ Me Home 03:59
05. My Dark Hour (Remastered 2017) 02:39
06. Little Girl (Remastered 2017) 03:22
07. Living In The U.S.A. (Live) 04:49
08. Space Cowboy (Live) 03:51
09. Seasons 03:03
10. Journey From Eden (Remastered 2017) 03:44
11. Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma (Remastered 2017) 05:41
12. Going To Mexico (Remastered 2017) 02:27
13. Kow Kow Calculator (Remastered 2017) 06:03
14. Come On In My Kitchen (Live / Remastered 2017) 03:14
15. Sugar Babe (Live) 04:09
16. The Lovin’ Cup (Live) 03:07
17. Dance, Dance, Dance (Remastered 2017) 02:18
18. Take The Money And Run (Remastered 2017) 01:44
19. Rock’n Me (Remastered 2017) 03:04
20. Space Intro (Remastered 2017) 01:12
21. Fly Like An Eagle (Remastered 2017) 04:42
22. Wild Mountain Honey (Remastered 2017) 04:59
23. The Window (Remastered 2017) 04:17
24. Take The Money And Run (Demo) 03:42
25. In The Midnight Hour 03:15
26. Jungle Love (Remastered 2017) 03:06
27. Threshold 01:04
28. Jet Airliner (Remastered 2017) 04:22
29. The Stake (Remastered 2017) 03:57
30. Swingtown (Remastered 2017) 03:27
31. Serenade From The Stars (Remastered 2017) 03:10
32. True Fine Love (Remastered 2017) 02:39
33. Heart Like A Wheel (Remastered 2017) 04:00
34. Abracadabra (Remastered 2017) 05:11
35. I Want To Make The World Turn Around (Remastered 2017) 04:24
36. Italian X Rays (Remastered 2017) 04:39
37. Don’t Cha Know 03:16
38. Cry, Cry, Cry (Remastered 2017) 04:18
39. Stranger Blues (Remastered 2017) 04:28
40. Behind The Barn (Remastered 2017) 03:39