Notes

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With The Joker, Steve Miller reached new heights of popularity and commercial success but sank to a level of musical and lyrical banality from which he would not soon recover. This is not to say this is a terrible album, but measured against his classic first five albums, The Joker is very disappointing. While the title track is a catchy piece of fluff that hit the number one spot on the singles charts, most of the tracks on this recording sound like filler. "Mary Lou" is a cover of an old Ronnie Hawkins song; "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' but Trash" is a '50s doo wop song by the Clovers, and "Come on in My Kitchen" is the oft-recorded Robert Johnson blues song, credited here to Woody Payne (the same songwriting credit given by John Renbourn on his Faro Annie album a year earlier). Even the originals here are based on borrowed ideas. "Sugar Babe" and "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma" are pleasant diversions, but as the titles suggest, of very little substance. The album sounds at times like it was recorded in a cave, with the drums sounding like cardboard boxes. This recording reached number two on the album charts on the strength of the single, but for those familiar with Steve Miller's music from 1968-1970, The Joker was little more than trash.