The Steve Miller Band - 1970 Number 5 - 1971 Rock Love (Great us classic rock - wave)

Steve Miller, the first master of the old echo unit, the Echoplex, lets it shine here. With his producer, Glyn Johns, they set out to create a trippy, countrified psychedelia landscape. Listen to Matthew Sweet's album "Girlfriend" from 1992 and you'll see where he got all his ideas from. The sound quality and studio production is incredible; very hard to believe the album was put together in bits and pieces during a tour of the south. All of the songs are masterpieces and full of commentary about the times. Perhaps on this album, Miller makes his boldest political statements to date, especially on songs entitled "Jackson - Kent Blues" and "Industrial - Military Complex Hex." Both tracks are lyrically powerful and are Miller's take on the shooting of students by national guardsmen and the connection between the industry of war and the economy. Miller lets it open up a couple of times with fresh and upbeat perspectives on tracks like "Goin' to the Country", "Good Morning" and "Tokin's." Studio tape manipulation abound due to the genius of Glyn Johns who provides some incredible sounds that may have been inspired by Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland." As a whole, the album is solid. If you have headphones or really good speakers, you'll have fun listening to this album front to back.

Tracklist
01 Good Morning (Bobby Winkelman) – 2:48
02 I Love You (Steve Miller) – 2:45
03 Going to the Country (Miller, Ben Sidran) – 3:47
03 Hot Chili (Tim Davis) – 3:30
04 Tokin's (Davis) – 4:23
05 Going to Mexico (Miller, Boz Scaggs) – 2:29
06 Steve Miller's Midnight Tango (Sidran) – 2:40
07 Industrial Military Complex Hex (Miller) – 3:54
08 Jackson-Kent Blues (Miller) – 7:18
09 Never Kill Another Man" (Miller) – 2:42

Credits
Steve Miller – guitar, vocals
Lonnie Turner – bass guitar
Bobby Winkelman – bass guitar, vocals
Ben Sidran – keyboards
Nicky Hopkins – keyboards
Tim Davis – drums, vocals
Charlie McCoy – harmonica
Lee Michaels - organ on "Going To Mexico"
Buddy Spicher - fiddle on "Going to the Country" (unattributed)

Rock Love is the sixth album by American rock band The Steve Miller Band, released in 1971. It featured Ross Valory (a future member of Journey) on bass. The album consists of three blues-rock tracks recorded live, including lengthy jam-style Love Shock which lasts nearly 12 minutes and includes an extensive drum solo, and four studio tracks. The first song starts with the words I'm going to play you some blues 'cos I know you like that, but the critics didn't like it at all and criticising the album's songs as generic white-boy blueisms. Added to the recording's lack of production and poor overall sound quality, it is not surprising that, unlike Miller's previous five albums and the ones to follow, this album was a commercial failure.

The critics at the time panned this album, but I always loved it and was glad to get it on digital. I saw Stevie guitar Miller back in the days and thought this album to be a good example of his pre-bubble gum stuff. He can lay out out the licks ala Stevie Ray or Jimmie. Check this album out if you like the blues rock side of what Steve Miller was about.

Tracklist
01"The Gangster Is Back" – 2:28
02"Blues Without Blame" – 5:41
03"Love Shock" – 11:43
04"Let Me Serve You" – 2:26
05"Rock Love" – 2:28
06"Harbor Lights" – 4:06
07"Deliverance" – 9:19
All tracks written by Steve Miller
Track 2 was recorded live in Hollywood, Florida.
Track 3 was recorded live in Pasadena, California.

Credits
Steve Miller – guitar, vocals
Ross Valory – bass guitar
Jack King – drums

01
02