Greatest Hits 1974–78

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]

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.

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.