Book of Dreams
Studio album by
Steve Miller Band
ReleasedMay 1977
Recorded1975–76
StudioCBS Studios, San Francisco, California[1]
Genre
Length38:02
LabelCapitol
ProducerSteve Miller
Steve Miller Band chronology
Fly Like an Eagle
(1976) 		Book of Dreams
(1977) 		Greatest Hits 1974–78
(1978)
Singles from Book of Dreams
  1. "Jet Airliner"
    Released: April 1977
  2. "Jungle Love"
    Released: July 1977 [4]
  3. "Swingtown"
    Released: October 1977

Book of Dreams is the tenth studio album by Steve Miller Band. The album was released in May 1977 on Capitol Records in the United States, Canada and Japan and by Mercury Records in Europe. Three singles were released from the album in 1977 with the first single, "Jet Airliner", being the most successful.

The album peaked in the top 10 of the trade charts in four countries, including Canada where the album topped RPM magazine's 100 Albums chart.[5] The album has gone on to become one of the group's most successful studio outings.

Recording and production

The songs on Book of Dreams were recorded at CBS Studios in San Francisco, California; the basic tracks were recorded at the same time as the basic tracks for Fly Like an Eagle.[6] The sessions were produced by the group's leader, Steve Miller, who had been producing the group's albums since Number 5 in 1970. John Palladino was the album's executive producer and the recording engineer was Mike Fusaro. The recordings were later mixed by Jim Gains with assistance from Win Kutz and were mastered by Ken Perry.[1]

Artwork

The winged horse art was created by Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse, who were credited as "Kelly and Mouse". The art director for the album was Roy Kohara.[1] The cover illustration was also used on the record label on the vinyl version of the album.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Christgau's Record GuideB−[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]

AllMusic gave the album a rating of 4/5 stars, calling it "a highlight of the '70s classic rock era and one of Miller's finest releases." The review also comments that it is an unnecessary album for the casual fan to consider, as the compilation album Greatest Hits 1974–78 contains seven highlight tracks from Book of Dreams.[2]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Threshold" (Instrumental)Steve Miller, Byron Allred1:05
2."Jet Airliner"Paul Pena4:25
3."Winter Time"Miller3:10
4."Swingtown"Miller, Chris McCarty3:54
5."True Fine Love"Miller2:37
6."Wish Upon a Star"Miller3:39
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Jungle Love"Lonnie Turner, Greg Douglass3:10
8."Electro Lux Imbroglio" (Instrumental)Miller0:55
9."Sacrifice"Curley Cooke, Les Dudek5:17
10."The Stake"David Denny3:57
11."My Own Space"Jason Cooper, Bobby Winkelman3:00
12."Babes in the Wood" (Instrumental)Miller2:40

Personnel

Additional personnel
Technical

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[23] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c Book of Dreams (CD liner). The Steve Miller Band. Netherlands: Arcade Records. 1991. 88.02.2004.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ a b c Cook, Stephen. "Book of Dreams review". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (1999). All-Time Top 1000 Albums. Virgin Books. p. 90. ISBN 0-7535-0354-9. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021.
  4. ^ "Steve Miller singles".
  5. ^ "100 Albums". RPM. Vol. 27, no. 16. July 16, 1977. p. 27. ISSN 0315-5994. Archived from the original (PHP) on 2011-09-21. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
  6. ^ Ashley Brown, ed. (1990). "Space Cowboy". The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music. Vol. 11 (Reference ed.). Marshall Cavendish. p. 1227. ISBN 1-85435-026-9.
  7. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 8, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  8. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3686a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  11. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Steve Miller Band – Book of Dreams" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  12. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Steve Miller Band – Book of Dreams" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  13. ^ "Charts.nz – Steve Miller Band – Book of Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  14. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Steve Miller Band – Book of Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  15. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  16. ^ "The Steve Miller Band Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  17. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 429. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  18. ^ "The Top 100 Albums of '77". RPM. Vol. 28, no. 14. December 31, 1977. p. 15. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved November 9, 2021 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  19. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1977" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  20. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1977 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  21. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  22. ^ "British album certifications – Steve Miller Band – Book of Dreams". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  23. ^ "American album certifications – Steve Miller Band – Book of Dreams". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
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