Fly Like an Eagle (album)
1976 studio album by Steve Miller Band
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Fly Like an Eagle is the ninth studio album by American rock band Steve Miller Band, released on May 15, 1976, by Capitol Records in the United States, Canada and Japan and Mercury Records in Europe.[citation needed] The album was a commercial success, spawning three hit singles: the title track, "Take the Money and Run" and "Rock'n Me", and was later certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
| Fly Like an Eagle | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 15, 1976[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1975–1976 | |||
| Studio | CBS (San Francisco, California)[2] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:07 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Steve Miller | |||
| Steve Miller Band chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Fly Like an Eagle | ||||
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Fly Like an Eagle was voted number 400 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[9] In 2012, the album was ranked number 445 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time."[10] It remains a staple of rock, with its singles having remained in constant rotation on classic rock radio in the United States and worldwide. In 2025, the album was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry.[11]
On the album's cover, Miller is posing with a black left-handed Fender Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix had originally ordered from Manny's Music but which Miller ended up purchasing (Hendrix died before it arrived) and re-stringing for a right-handed player. The guitar was stolen after the album's release.[12]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[13] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[14] |
| The Village Voice | B−[15] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [16] |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine in a retrospective review for AllMusic felt that "the focus brings about his strongest set of songs (both originals and covers), plus a detailed atmospheric production where everything fits." However, he said that "it still can sound fairly dated", but concluded the review by saying that "its best moments [...] are classics of the idiom." Rolling Stone voted it 1976's Best Album. Jay Cridlin of the Tampa Bay Times described "Dance, Dance, Dance" as "the best John Denver song John Denver never recorded".[17]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Space Intro" (Instrumental) | Steve Miller | 1:15 |
| 2. | "Fly Like an Eagle" | Miller | 4:42 |
| 3. | "Wild Mountain Honey" | Steve McCarty | 4:51 |
| 4. | "Serenade" |
| 3:13 |
| 5. | "Dance, Dance, Dance" |
| 2:18 |
| 6. | "Mercury Blues" | 3:30 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Take the Money and Run" | Miller | 2:50 |
| 8. | "Rock'n Me" | Miller | 3:05 |
| 9. | "You Send Me" (*) | Sam Cooke | 2:42 |
| 10. | "Blue Odyssey" (Instrumental) | Miller | 1:00 |
| 11. | "Sweet Maree" | Miller | 4:16 |
| 12. | "The Window" |
| 4:19 |
* Contains a brief sample from Cheech & Chong's comedy routine "Championship Wrestling" (from Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album, 1974), inserted after the first verse. The sample includes the words "...c'mon, don't be nervous!"
Personnel
Steve Miller Band
- Steve Miller – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, sitar, ARP Odyssey (on tracks 1, 2, 10, 12), producer
- Lonnie Turner – bass (on all tracks but 12)
- Gary Mallaber – drums (on all tracks but 12)
Additional personnel
- James Cotton – harmonica (on track 11)
- Curley Cooke – guitar (on track 12)
- Les Dudek – guitar (on track 12)
- Charles Calamise – bass (on track 12)
- Kenny Johnson – drums (on track 12)
- John McFee – dobro (on track 5)
- Joachim Young – Hammond B3 organ (on tracks 2 and 12)
Technical
- John Palladino – executive producer
- Mike Fusaro – recording engineer
- Jim Gains – mastering
- Susan McCardle – photography
- David Stahl – photography
Quadraphonic and original editions
A Quadraphonic mix of the album was available on the Quadraphonic 8-Track cartridge format (in which Track 1 - "Space Intro" is edited into "Fly Like an Eagle" as one track, and Track 6 - "Take the Money and Run" intro repeats twice).
On the U.K. original vinyl release "Space Intro" does not appear on track listing. A 40-second track called "Space Odyssey" segues into "Wild Mountain Honey".
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[28] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[29] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[30] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||