Search - Steve Miller :: Brave New World

My Dark Hour, Brave New World, and LKF about SM/PR

Paul Ramon | 07/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, SM was introduced to "Paul Ramon" one evening in the first week of May '69 through the now legendary Glyn Johns (then an engineer for both bands) at Olympic (not EMI) studios in London. PM/PR was in the midst of the Get Back and Abbey Road sessions and had recently emerged from a fight with the other three of the "Fab Four" over having Allen Klein as manager and, apparently, proceeded to take out his frustations on the tom-toms, guitar, vocal mike, et al. Hence, "My Dark Hour." (See: Barry Miles, Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, Secker & Warburg, 1997, p. 548; and Mark Lewinsohn, The Beatles' Recording Sessions 1962-70, Harmony Books, 1988, p. 165.) My Dark Hour's 'guitar duel' with PR/SM at the end reminds me of the last part of "Abbey Road's" second side, when John, Paul and George have dueling guitars -- do others think so? Also, PR/PM's vocal reminds me of "I'm Down" and others where he seems to want to shred his vocal chords, with SM staying right there with him. Again, what do others think?



LTF: I hung out a bit w/SM in the early '70's and he claimed to have had to tune the guitars (occasionally) of various members of the Jefferson Airplane and other "legendary" SF bands in the mid- to late-60's when he opened for them because they were too stoned, drunk, or incompetent to do so themselves. Any witnesses? Anyone else hearfd this story? Wouldn't surprise me.



Bonus question for the few: What other songs/artists has PM/PR either written for or played with (or both), usually, w/o acknowledgement, during his six-decade career?"

After 39 Years

J. Rzeczycki | East Tennessee | 09/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I recently realized I LOVE the title song "Brave New World". Way back then my favorite songs were My Dark Hour and his simpler driving rock songs. It's a beautiful album in my opinion. I've been a big fan of SM's for decades.



This, Number 5, Sailor, and Children of the Future are in my opinion his best albums. Oh, and also Your Saving Grace! I have all the vinyls of these and some of them are well used. Now I'm going to get CDs of them."