Steve Miller Band – The Joker

180-gram vinyl LP reissue

Remastered audio

It's been 50 years since Steve Miller Band's first two Capitol Records albums were released in 1968, and now Miller and Capitol/Universal Music Enterprises are incredibly excited to release the legendary Steve Miller Band's first nine studio albums on 180-gram vinyl.

The Joker has prompted much discussion over the last four decades as to "what is a pompatus of love?" The word "pompatus" was actually first used in the lyrics of Steve Miller's song and has since been defined as "one who is pompous" or "acted or done pompously (with pomp)." Regardless of the meaning of the word, this album marked an era of significant change for the group as they abandoned their psychedelic oriented music. As they moved toward a more melodic, smooth rock/blues sound, they hit pay-dirt with their first solid commercial success. The album reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum for sales in the United States.

The artwork for The Joker album has been ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the "Top 100 Album Covers of All Time" — Ranked 83/100.

"The Joker is, without question, the turning point in Steve Miller's career, the album where he infused his blues with a big, bright dose of pop and got exactly what he deserved: Top Ten hits and stardom. He also lost a lot of fans, the ones who dug his winding improvs, because those spacy jams were driven by chops and revealed new worlds. The Joker isn't mind-expanding, it's party music, filled with good vibes, never laying a heavy trip, always keeping things light, relaxed and easygoing... The Joker nevertheless maintains its good-time vibe so well that it's hard not to smile along...provided you're on the same wavelength as Miller, of course." — AllMusic

Newly mastered by Steve Miller and Kent Hertz.