The Joker (album)

This article is about the 1973 Steve Miller Band album. For other albums with similar titles, see Joker (disambiguation).

The Joker
Studio album / live album by Steve Miller Band
Released	October 19, 1973
Studio	Capitol (Hollywood)
Genre	Blues rock
Length	35:57
Label	Capitol
Producer	Steve Miller
Steve Miller Band chronology
Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden (1972) The Joker (1973) Fly Like an Eagle (1976)
Singles from The Joker
"The Joker" Released: October 1973 "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' but Trash" Released: 11 February 1974 (US) [1]

The Joker is a combination live and studio album by Steve Miller Band. The album was recorded at Capitol Studios ^[2] and released by Capitol Records in October 1973. The album marked a period of significant change for the group as the band abandoned their psychedelic-oriented music for a more melodic, smooth rock/blues sound. It was also their first solid commercial success due to the strong radio-play of the title track. The album reached No. 2 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and has been certified Platinum in the United States. It reached No. 1 on the Cash Box Albums Charts on January 8, 1974. ^[3]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Christgau's Record Guide	B− [5]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[6]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated The Joker three out of five stars, calling it "all bright and fun, occasionally truly silly". He also stated that it "isn't mind-expanding", but concluded by saying that it "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." ^[4]

Record World said of the single "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash" "A dynamic rocker, it ain't nothin' but the best!" ^[7]

Track listing

All tracks written by Steve Miller unless otherwise stated.

Side 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Sugar Babe"		4:35
2.	"Mary Lou"	Obie Jessie Sam Ling	2:24
3.	"Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma"		5:41
4.	"Your Cash Ain't Nothin' but Trash"	Chuck Calhoun	3:21

Side 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"The Joker"	Miller Eddie Curtis Ahmet Ertegun	4:26
6.	"The Lovin' Cup"		2:10
7.	"Come On in My Kitchen" (Live at Tower Theater, Philadelphia)	Robert Johnson	4:06
8.	"Evil" (Live at Aquarius Theatre, Boston)		4:35
9.	"Something to Believe In"		4:41

Personnel

• Steve Miller – guitar, vocals, harmonica
• Gerald Johnson – bass guitar (all but 8), vocals
• Dick Thompson – organ, clavinet
• John King – drums

Additional personnel

• Lonnie Turner – bass guitar (8)
• "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow – pedal steel guitar (9)
• John Van Hamersveld and Norman Seeff – album cover design
• Norman Seeff – photography

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for The Joker Chart (1973–1974) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [8] 38 Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [9] 1 US Billboard 200 [10] 2

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for The Joker Chart (1974) Position Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [11] 29 US Billboard 200 [12] 39

Certifications

Certifications for The Joker

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [13]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Steve Miller singles".
2. Nichols, Paul (26 December 2014). "The Joker". prsformusic.com. PRS for Music. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
3. "Top albums from Tuesday January 8, 1974". ultimate70s.com. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
4. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "The Joker - Steve Miller Band". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
5. 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.
6. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0195313734.
7. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. February 16, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 201. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
9. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4976a". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
10. "The Steve Miller Band Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
11. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3891". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
12. "Top US Billboard 200 Albums - Year-end 1974". BestSellingAlbums.org. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
13. "American album certifications – Steve Miller Band – The Joker". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved Nov 24, 2024.

Further reading

• Draper, Jason (2008). A Brief History of Album Covers. London: Flame Tree Publishing. pp. 132–133. ISBN   9781847862112. OCLC   227198538.