Fly Like an Eagle (album)
Fly Like an Eagle is the ninth studio album by American rock band Steve Miller Band, released on May 14, 1976, by Capitol Records in the United States, Canada and Japan and Mercury Records in Europe. 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.
Fly Like an Eagle was voted number 400 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2012, the album was ranked number 445 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time." 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.
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 and re-stringing for a right-handed player. The guitar was stolen after the album's release.
Critical reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine in a retrospective review for AllMusic felt that "the focus brings about his strongest set of songs, 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".Track listing
Personnel
Steve Miller Band
- Steve Miller – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, sitar, ARP Odyssey, producer
- Lonnie Turner – bass
- Gary Mallaber – drums
Additional personnel
- James Cotton – harmonica
- Curley Cooke – guitar
- Les Dudek – guitar
- Charles Calamise – bass
- Kenny Johnson – drums
- John McFee – dobro
- Joachim Young – Hammond B3 organ
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.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
| Chart | Peak position |
| New Zealand Top 40 Albums | 16 |
| US R&B Albums | 19 |