Steve Miller The Joker Midnight Special

[pomposo11]

@cynubie You have hearing problems! This is great stuff, it's pure talent.

[SuperStrik9]

The Joker, Fly Like An Eagle, and Book Of Dreams are 3 of the best rock albums ever made. Steve Miller is AWESOME!

[FloridaRaider]

love these Midnight Specials

[davettalashley]

Somebody call 911 and tell them that I've fallen into YouTube and I can't get out. lol

I don't even remember why I came over here an hour ago.

[lexel992]

The dude in the green checkered shirt at 2:15 is pretty much stoned as a rock!

[cynubie]

The man had pitch problems live, that's a fact!

[fastlane133]

awesome

[lastdaysguitar]

Bring back the Midnight Special - LIVE is where it's at!

Steve Miller - cool!

[pipermacbean]

"I really love your peaches, wanna shake your tree" Man, gotta love it!

[Toedrip]

All I can say is uh WOW!

[Eddie62070]

:36....too cool!

[dowsemeister]

It was cool around that time to play an upside down strat as a nod to Jimi...it was quite popular.

Ritchie Blackmore had one.

[1stSaintsFan]

I am old enough to have watched this when it was broadcast for the first time...We never missed "In Concert" and MidNight Special every weekend...Then got license and we get good and baked return to the house and turn on the TV...No MTV No youtube no nothing...but we survived and we all remember...Good TIMes...

[jamsessionblog]

dude on the right at 2:14 :0

[jvaish]

OMG! he played it differently than he played it in the studio version...how offensive!! lol. he must suck. awesome version btw

[thinkertank1]

There is a reason this song was a hit and this live performance is NOT IT! I wish I never clicked on this video. He took all the feeling and groove out of the song. Horrible!

[JackGeezy85]

im a toker too.

[Fordham1969]

Interesting that he drastically lowers the key here from the studio version and yet sings a lot of it an octave up so he's actually singing it higher although playing it lower.

[JMacDBeast]

He sucks ass live actually you must be tone deaf

[tonusaitis]

Steve Miller really has always had a spectacular voice. It's so bright and clean live!

[bammcltx]

Steve actually bought the guitars that had been special ordred by Hendrix shortly before his death. This may be one of them?

[hellnoreims]

hendrix domino



[hellnoreims]

i like the left hand guitar very special ...

[bbgb2002]

this is the real deal you have no clue. Maybe you prefer Justin Beiber!

[leonakita]

he sure was one untalented ugly mofo ! fat too!

[godwhyisthistaken]

whys his guitar look upside down

[midihc]

@godwhyisthistaken its a hendrix thing. lefty guitars are harder to get, so sometimes they just take a righty and reverse the strings...

[godwhyisthistaken]

@midihc now i know :) thanks!

[blksept]

Great song but this is the worst version, he must have been on something at the time as he is absent on the guitar most the time, cool sliding work, but he's done better

[Urguttrflowr]

God the Hair =D <3

[The1337BBQ]

I want those clothes.

[Ms70sFlowerchild]

Awesome! One of the best live shows I've seen from the 70s.

[Ms70sFlowerchild]

Awesome!

[TheCatwoman61]

I wonder what tuning Steve got his Strat tuned to?? Great slidework too...

[NowMyPoundsHaveRunOu]

he had a Rusian moose in tow at the time, noone knew that at the time

[PaBasser]

Great Version. Looks like he's playing a left handed strat and it's upside dow.. Kind of like Hendrix playing a Right handed Strat upside down.

[xXFraudXx]

@PaBasser good call, I wonder why?

[Hunkola]

He seems high on weed --- which explains the goofy version of this song

[klaritavital]

my space cowboy!



[Eddie62070]

December '74

[MamaKRamsey]

I Really Love Your Peaches, I Wanna Shake Your Tree!

[scouse2606]

Notice how he's playing a left handed guitar?

[08spoons]

@scouse2606 Borrowed it from the bass player........

[Illidan1337OG]

@scouse2606 the funny thing is that the bass player is playing a right handed guitar left handed

i wonder if they are connected somehow

[mikecosgrove]

@Illidan1337OG the bass player is playing a left handed body with a right handed neck. He is still a left handed player.

[dowsemeister]

@mikecosgrove Very observant!...you can see that it's a maple neck. Fender only issues lefty basses with rosewood necks so I guess he swapped necks for the brighter sound of maple.

[nerdflanders8710]

@scouse2606 no I didn't. Because Im a drooling Neanderthaal.

[julunted024]

i love when idiots whine about how someone sings or plays their own song. yo, this is his song, he sang this the way that felt right in that moment... it definitely isnt about you lousy taste, or you center of the universe psycho-type. get a grip.

[Juggernautv2]

Booooooooooooooooooo



[quig66]

Was he the same without Boz Scaggs?

[kidaaa0]

@quig66 yeah Better

[oscarmacaroni]

c'mon sing it right......!

[IrishMetalCop]

Why is he singing it higher??

[songstra]

@IrishMetalCop seems like someone started in the wrong key on him...good adaptation because they went to high for him

[kev4fun12]

Butcher my fav. song Steve.....worst version Ive heard....Fucking terrible

[deltapunk21]

@kev4fun12 best version ive heard get your ears checked thats awesome sounding

[bbgb2002]

@kev4fun12 your an idiot and probably young

[tripjet999]

The syndicated Blues Deluxe radio show has a track from Steve's new album next week. I've heard a few snippets of the new album ("Let Your Hair Down") and Steve sounds superb, as always!

[preshtime1]

I love this!!! I have heard this off the radio so many times it's cool to hear all the differences! LOOOOOOOOOVe Me some Steve Miller!!!!

[owlcu]

He looks like Eddie Van Halen and Russell Crowe mixed together.

[michaelsmorrison]

Hey sister golden hair

standing tall somewhere over there

are you cool like a summer breeze

You say you are horny and I can feel your disease

[Rush1013]

Its common for a lefty to restring a righty guitar upside down to save money, but restringing a lefty guitar to be played righty? Only Steve Miller could pull that off.

[JubeProductions]

i love live studio performances!

[muzicsalesman]

his shirt is almost as colorful as his music.

[kemicon]

Saw Stevie Guitar Miller live with Joe Cocker a few years back. He still sounds amazing as does Joe Cocker. If the gangster of love plays in your region and you dig his stuff, I highly recommend it.

[Rush1013]

@kemicon

Yea i saw him and Joe in Chicago a few years ago, great show.

[azpat1966]

Right on check out that upside down Fender.

[MsHappygirl23]

Yesss Steve Miller! OMG I miss this kind of stuff on tv. I use to love to watch this when I was just a little girl. I grew up when music was sooo real:) *peace*

[MrKruzinKenny]

Was Steve Miller the First to have a Revirsed Neck Strat

[Yourmomathon]

@MrKruzinKenny The whole fucking guitar is upside down!

[deltapunk21]

2:12 one dude can't close his mouth in awe

[jabronie1000]

2:14 love that guys face on the right.

[villain68]

@jabronie1000  yeah, can you say......"I'm Stoned!!!" lol

[bewildebeest]

@jabronie1000 I love the chick that flips the bird immediately afterwards @ 2:16.

[jabronie1000]

@bewildebeest lol wtf, just noticed that.

[cessna65423]

@jabronie1000 Good Catch, That is funny.

[alansmisclass]

@jabronie1000 Geez, how stoned is that guy? He doesn't even see the girl on his right with the tight yellow shirt?!?

[lexel992]

@alansmisclass VERY! xD

[Jinxedbeyondrepair]

@alansmisclass Thats what I was staring at.

[KowKowCalqulator]

@jabronie1000 That's Gerald Johnson - very cool

[caveman1968]

@KowKowCalqulator thats just some guy in the crowd unless the guy in the crowd shares the same name as the bass player of course. it is a small world..

[radicalgarbage02]

@jabronie1000 :O

[Snotra]

Different key #

[Torque1974]

So that's what James May did before To Gear...

[SporeKore]

Steve Miller, Boz Scaggs, and Don Heneley (of Eagles) went to the same high school.

[jk1802]

@SporeKore that must have been a hell of a stage band

[dandively]

woooooooooooo, wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­oooow

[biggin2g]

He is playing a left handed guitar turned up side down and playing it right handed.

[talentscoutpa]

Love the idiot that flips the bird at 2:15......asshole

[nickdude09]

@talentscoutpa I dont think there was mean spirited intent there

[BIGeSTRING]

funny but steve miller plays a lefthand strat and the bessplayer a righthand bass while he´s lefthanded and steve miller righthanded

[hemet92544]

WHY CANT ANYONE LOAD UP A LOUD VERSION OF THIS??? 

[IpOkedJezus]

Pudding mm

[hornetsnest001]

Sugarman's a god.

[70srock4ever]

The midnight toker!

[bertisg]

the woman at 2:16 is my mother and, yes, she is wearing cuffs. story is she'd been so long inside prior to this she could never get to life outside without them. in fact when i was born, i was obliged to make my way thru the left cuff - quite a medical feat - and today my sister wears them as my mother once did. i never knew my real dad, but the fake one wasn't bad...

[zdogy1]

@bertisg step dads are not fake people make to much about blood your real family is the people that act like family i wish i had a step dad lol

[nyrichiek]

Was the Chick at 2:34 in handcuffs what is that dance all about.

[koolhalo]

@nyrichiek I went to a few of the tapings of the Midnight Special. No one was in handcuffs. Notice that during every one of these performances no one in the audience ever acts like a clown or else they would have been thrown out. It was a live taping for televison and after each song there would be a gap where the producer would rerunt he song and video upstairs before giving the okay for the next song. The best thing was that the tickets were free.

[Jmurray5150]

A left-handed strat strung upside down, a nod to missing Hendrix?

[PuRpLeWiSdOm1620]

@Jmurray5150 or maybe hendrix isnt the influence to every strat thats been upside down

[jaxgal618]

OMG... I remember watching this in Middle School !!! lol

[harleyowner131]

i grew up on themidnight special mtv could take some lessons

[TheRisingforce2000]

i wish he would have sung it like it was on the albumn

[SMDforTacos]

@TheRisingforce2000 I like this version better because he does so much awesome crap with the vocals. he's all over the place. i love it.

[Golfshooter]

lmao, isn't that just his knee moving totally off beat? funny if it actually is a blond giving him a bj

[lanceehansen]

Upside down left handed strung right handed guitar???

[mudducks10801]

@lanceehansen , doesn't really matter , he's got it in an open tuning and he's playing slide in the midrange. He probably forgot his and they grabbed any old thing lying around.

[rbennett62]

@lanceehansen It gives a different sound. The only way to get Jimi Hendrix's sound is to stringa guitar backward.

[Mikemaniax]

@lanceehansen Upside down right handed strung left handed bass???

[sicksonethree]

Bahaha....guy at 2:15 with the glasses who flips the peace sign when the camera is zooming out is getting a blowjob!!! LOL :P. Man I wish we could go back to the 70's

[chcskater610]

@sicksonethree

you wanna bet that he's not? :p

[lem1968a1]

@sicksonethree Thats his leg dude IT wasn't that free back then

[gaygadeth]

haha look carefully at 2:15

on the right.

[mattamo31692]

@gypsyph0enix-"Pompetus" in the dictionary means 'importance' dee-dee-dee!

[powergirl901]

what a cool, sexy guy he was then...man.

[karlica9407]

i agree it's the best version

[brautigan1]

The master of catchy tunes and horrible lyrics. lol, seriously, is there worse cheese in lyrics than steve miller?

[soaringvulture]

@brautigan1 Good call. I haven't seen worse. Maybe America...

[kshe95realrockradio]

!@#$!@#$#$%^&&^%$  i was born way to late

[captaincomputa]

First woman i ever loved(and lost)bought me this,still breaks my heart to listen to it!

[KowKowCalqulator]

Happy birthday Stevie Guitar Miller - Oct 5th

[fucheduck]

@KowKowCalqulator yeah, Libra! his a justice machine like me.

[gypsyph0enix]

Many years ago, Steve admitted that he made up the word "pompetus" and said it means nothing. Still and yet... I think he was smoking some REALLY good stuff!

[smallhours7]

No shit man... The Midnight Special is so cool, so many good bands. Music just is not the same anymore!!!!

[econoroller]

30 years later and I still don't know WTF a pompetus is.

[7tnorris]

Man I miss the Midnight Special! Why don't we have programming like this today?

[sirronald69]

* * * * * 

[RichardJavierGrillo]

oooohhh coool!!!

[Raines46]

good old days

[MrTorgrimson]

I remember this was the first 45 r.p.m. I ever bought. Steve Miller... relatively simple, very nice, and just a pure clean voice that's just as awesome now as it was then. His brand new album is excellent, esp. if you like blues. There's little chance a guy as normal looking as he is would be nearly as big today.

[MrTorgrimson]

I remember this was the first 45 r.p.m. I ever bought. Steve Miller... relatively simple, very nice, and just a pure clean voice that's just as awesome now as it was then. His brand new album is excellent, esp. if you like blues. I didn't know he played an upside down strat.

[cliftongal51]

So those of us with vinyl have real treasures, right? Course you better have a turntable or they're worthless...

[brothersinarms1234]

midnight toker ! ;)

[MOluvzCo]

My little brother turned me on to Steve Miller and he has become one of my absolute favorites. Love this performance. Thanks for putting this up.

[sassyB1966]

Like this rendition better than the widely circulated one. Something to be said for a LIVE performance.....

[Trashfished]

butchers his own song.  Even the crowd sees this.

[jazzredneck]

George "Chocolate" Perry on bass?

[lifepod2036]

Fuck I Love This Song. Sorry for saying Fuck. Should I put Fuck in " " :/

[FoulOwl]

"pompatus"..lol.Always loved that.

[cliftongal51]

Done in the days before hair stylists had charge of the guys before performances, but at least we got a chance to see personal style. Miller's music sounds better today, at least to me, than anything playing on the radio or your MP3 player.

[flapsmudflaps]

@cliftongal51 So true, but anything on an mp3 player sounds bad, vinyl is where it's at.

[chixandy]

@19nervousbreak I watched the video again this morning, it never fails to put a smile on my face. I agree, regretting not seeing this done live. Also would have been great to see Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Oh boy, the memories. 

[quicksketcher]

He appears to be playing a left handed guitar right handed(upside down). A reverse Hendrix thing.

[tp71]

@quicksketcher I've read in certain places that this guitar was actually bought by Eric Clapton as a present for Jimi Hendrix's birthday the day before he died. Clapton then gave it to Miller.

[customerjon]

A great son of Texas. He is so freakin' fantastic we are nothing to his wonderfulness.

[KKPUNKER]

Chick at 2:14 is really shakin to da beat

[toddnevinsable]

Love it :) Thank you !

[hazor777]

All these comments about the key & pitch it's in......so what.... the original has at least 3 guitars tracked in the mix.......how else are you gonna do it live ??

[LentilWk13]

@hazor777Playing it in the key of G like it's supposed to be would be a good start!

[hazor777]

@LentilWk13 : Well why don't you tell that to the guy who wrote it ,ASSHOLE. Seems to me yer just a douche on here , while Steve Miller enjoys fame & fortune - EVEN IF HE's NOT PLAYING IT IN THE ORIGINAL KEY !! DUH !! (fucking dipshit)

[SMDforTacos]

@LentilWk13 Lol.. all the strings are tuned half a step down (called Eb tuning) so actually the song is in the key of Gb, not G. Also, he can change the key if he wants.. it's his song.

[ifutureman]

@SMDforTacos The song was originally in F; this version is in C# (or Db if you like), not Gb. And he's got his Strat tuned to an open E-flat chord, not standard tuning dropped a half-step. Most slide guitarists use an open chord tuning.

[rdstringer100]

MY PARENT TURNED ME ON TO THE GREAT STEVE MILLER BAND WHEN I JUST OLD ENOUGH TO SING ALONG !!!

[sp0ttedp0ny330]

@rdstringer100 then you have GREAT parents...sure hope you

thanked them for it ;)

[SolidShroom]

Jesus Christ, this version is 6 semintones higher.

[lionsfn11]

hahaha, russell crowe could play steve miller in his bio pic great song great band!!!!

[evm2007]

@lionsfn11

ROFL yeah and Chuck Norris as Eric Clapton in the 80s LOL!

[runthruthewoods]

Cool I remember Midnight Special, long before MTV of the 80's Great Vid 1979silverburst !  Thank you for uploading, great quality !

[petergiardina2010]

YEAH LIKE IT

musicalstorehouse dot com

have some material like this on the site

[AceDynasty79]

He Looks And Reminds Me Of Not...Hendrix,

The Genious Of

"Stevie Ray Vaugh"

Hey JRaab 311 Fuckface, I Didn't Catch Anything Wrong , You Get Your Ass Up And Play This Better, Do U Play An Instrument.....Shitface ???

[JRaab311]

haha he messed up his own lyrics

[samszeman]

@JRaab311 it happens quite alot , they get too into the music and sometimes slip up , thom yorkes done it a few times

[sp0ttedp0ny330]

@JRaab311 ever been on stage in front of a crowd? happens

a LOT ;) and yep that's personal experience talkin LOL

[nerdflanders8710]

great flares

[chixandy]

Todays trip down Memory Lane is The Joker by Steve Miller. This video is from the Midnight Special. Remember when we used to sit around and watch it? Wayyyyy before VH1. LOL This song reminds me of who?

[19nervousbreak]

@chixandy yeah; it was cool to sit around and watch it,wasn't it? I'm 51 and I easily remember all my friends making sure where we were going to be to watch the midnight special, and what a great intense time it was. Honestly I even wonder if the youth of today can have as much fun as we did back then. It was the real thing... 1 of my profound regrets is not having seen Steve play live!!

[wheelinthesky300]

Steve is kind of...

...chunky.

[CookingWithSavana]

LOL i love the people who believe he restrung a lefty to righty for tone. I would like to start out the guy who was talking about slide tone brother please To note out Steve was a fan of Hendrix but for slide it sucks to only have 19th fret access then the guys who are talking about tone by the string length and the bridge pickups

[CookingWithSavana]

the string length will only effect smaller string not the E-A-D the whole bridge pickup part is somewhat true but still awsomely not going to effect it the rear wound bridge pups from the 70's cbs fenders are rather weak so it would be real hard to notice TO end this all people have there right to opinion and to be respected but hell no it is just look cool

OneLove

[LentilWk13]

He's playing it in the wrong key. Studio version in G is better. This is sort of lame (love SMB though).

[EnergyVampires]

@LentilWk13

Gotta love it when a randmon moron tells the artist hes playing his own song wrong. lol

[LentilWk13]

@EnergyVampires You gotta love it when a moron can't even play his own song in the right key. Sounds like shit.

@LentilWk13 ever hear of TRANSPOSING to another key?

gawwd its HIS song he can play it in whatever key is comfortable

for his voice at the time