The strange tribulations of being a hippy child in the late 70’s, Parts #12 and 35.
I had an epiphany one day when I was at my grandparents’ bungalow on Quantock Road in Bridgwater; incidentally I loved how neat and tidy it all was compared to the farm I lived on, how ‘next door’ here meant over the fence and not, as it did at home, ‘half a mile that way’ and that they always had ice-cream in, instead of the wholefoods I had to live on at home. Anyway, I was looking through the serving hatch from the kitchen into the living room* and then a big chunk of understanding clicked into place.
On the table was a copy of the local paper, the Bridgwater Mercury. Of course! That song my parents kept playing, that’s what it was about. I still remember my feeling of utter pride and triumph.
Well if I had money I'd tell you what I'd do I go downtown buy a Mercury or two Crazy 'bout a Mercury Lord I'm crazy 'bout a Mercury I'm gonna buy me a Mercury & cruise it up & down the road
Why the singer was so crazy about the local paper he wished to purchase more than one copy, or later why his girl was so into it, or indeed how he proposed to cruise a copy up and down the road, were puzzles that would wait for another day. I had just worked out something proper and grown-up, best not to overdo it.
Tuesday night, time to reach for a Steve, you know the section in my collection – Hillage, Jones, Miller, Reich and Stevens, if you touch Stevie Nicks you’ve gone too far, man. Too far.
Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' Into the future Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' Into the future
There are a couple of contenders for the soundtrack to my early childhood, Steve Miller Fly Like An Eagle is probably the best bet*. My parents always seemed to be playing it and very rightly so. So utterly ingrained is it in my psyche that it was the first tape of my dad’s that I copied when preparing to leave for university and I only thought to buy it 18 months ago; I think I just assumed I had it before that because I knew every zeptosecond of it.
Later in life I was shocked that folks knew Miller for ‘The Joker’, rather than this LP, I mean good tune, but it was no ‘Rock ‘n’ Me’! Punk though I affect to be, this is the real sound of 1976 for me.
Fly Like An Eagle just wraps me in a comforting warm blanket right from the first. ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ (the ‘Space Intro’ wasn’t separately named as such on UK copies of the LP) its synth winds and gloriously laid-back aspirations and truisms just set you floating off on a couch made of clouds and chords. You get to stay there for the duration with all the controls turned up to maximum mellowosity.
I love every single second of this LP including the slightly embarrassing hoedown of ‘Dance Dance Dance’ and the charming inanities of ‘The Window’ (leavened by some great synth tone, it has to be said). Honest I do.
When Fly Like An Eagle is great, it is truly wonderful. Miller brings in a likeable, canny mix of light blues, rock and soul, his voice and playing are comforting and the band, Gary Mallaber and Lonnie Turner are nimble and rather funky too, just check out that one about the local paper – a certain trio of Texans would have been very proud to have owned that one too^.
The singles ‘Rock ‘n’ Me’ and the glorious ‘Take The Money And Run’ open up side 2 of the album and both are classics, the latter gains enormous 1537 bonus points for rhyming ‘taxes’ with ‘what the facts is’^*. Face it Billie Joe and Bobbie Sue fought the law and they won.
Lesser known lights like ‘Serenade’ and the Sam Cooke cover (by way of Cheech and Chong sample) ‘You Send Me’ are equally gorgeous, melodic gems, nothing around here to harsh up the vibe folks.
My current favourite is the beanbag blues of ‘Sweet Maree’ with James Cotton adding some great harmonica. It is big on feel, light on lyrics and I really can’t get enough of it tonight. It is very much a musical soufflé, something rather lovely whisked up out of almost nothing and that is the skill of it all, it can’t have been remotely easy to sound this carefree.
The production, by Miller himself, deserves every plaudit too a model of clarity and warmth, it serves up the LP as a single identifiable entity. It is when all is said and done, damned classy.
Fly Like An Eagle is too close to who I am and how I was made*^ for me to look at with any real perspective. But I think even shorn of nostalgic value Fly Like An Eagle would still soar for me as a perfect exemplar of a light, warmly fuzzy vibe, this is an LP that wants you to feel good and there’s not a single thing wrong with that.
I still can’t quite fathom ol’ Steve’s obsession with a local paper from Somerset though.
1049 Down.
PS: Anyone else up for joining in with my sure fire millionaire-making idea of covering this LP in the character of Snoopy, Fly Like A Beagle? give it 6 months and you’ll never have to work again. Guaranteed.
PPS: Hillage, Jones, Miller, Reich and Stevens sound like a really scary firm of lawyers.
*which 7 year-old me thought was the very height of cool, that and the hostess trolley they wheeled things in on.
**other big contenders include CSNY ‘Our House’, Bob Marley Exodus and Jackson Browne The Pretender.
^Dusty Hill graduated from the same high school as Mr Miller.
^*although castle/hassle is pretty darned good too.
*^not literally, I was 4 when it was released.