Abracadabra (Steve Miller Band album)
Abracadabra is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Steve Miller Band. The album was released on June 15, 1982, by Capitol Records.
Abracadabra charted in nine countries, including Germany where the record reached No. 1 for a week. Four singles were released from the album in various countries: the title track, "Cool Magic", "Keeps Me Wondering Why", and "Give It Up", with the title song charting the highest at #1 on the pop chart.
Unlike most of the band's previous efforts, most of the album was not composed by lead singer/guitarist Steve Miller. Drummer Gary Mallaber had brought in a handful of demos from another band he was in called Tracker in hopes that one of them would be used for the album. Miller ultimately opted to use all of the demos, resulting in Mallaber receiving an impressive eight co-writing credits. Miller, meanwhile, produced two of his own songs; the title track and the "Heart Like a Wheel"-soundalike "Give It Up".
Critical reception
Billboard called the track "Cool Magic" a "catchy midtempo pop tune that takes dead aim at car radios everywhere." Billboard also described the song as being "harder rocking" than the title track. Cash Box called it "a light, straightahead pop/rocker that, in places, brings to mind the Beach Boys or the Beatles."Track listing
Personnel
- Steve Miller – vocals, guitar, Synclavier, synthesizers on track 2, Roland Jupiter-8 on track 2 and Roland Juno-60 on track 2
- John Massaro – guitar
- Kenny Lee Lewis – guitar
- Byron Allred – keyboards
- Gerald Johnson – bass guitar
- Gary Mallaber – drums, percussion, keyboards
- Greg Douglass – guitar on tracks 3 and 8
- Lonnie Turner – bass guitar on tracks 3 and 8
- Produced by Steve Miller and Gary Mallaber
- Recorded and mixed by David N. Cole
- Additional recording by Gary Mallaber
- Executive Producer – John Palladino
- Photography – David Alexander
- Art – Tommy Steele
- Design – Tommy Steele, Jeff Lancaster
Charts