Abracadabra
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
Top
Abracadabra
- Artist: Steve Miller Band
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1982
- Total Time: 37:10
- Type: Lyrics are included with the album
- Genre: Rock
Review
Steve Miller was always catchy and tuneful, but he never turned out an unabashed pop album until 1982's Abracadabra. This isn't just pop in construction, it's pop in attitude, filled with effervescent melodies and deeply silly lyrics, perhaps none more noteworthy than the immortal couplet "Abra-Abracadabra/I wanna reach out and grab ya." Those words graced the title track, which turned out to be one of his biggest hits, and if nothing else is quite as irresistibly goofy as that song, there still is a surplus of engagingly tuneful material, all dressed up in the psuedo-new wave production so favored by AOR veterans in the early '80s. All of that may not make this one of Miller's definitive albums, especially in the view of hardcore space blues heads, but it's pretty damn irresistible for listeners who find "Abracadabra" one of the highlights of faux-new wave AOR. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi| Abracadabra (1975 Album by Claire Hamill) | |
| Abracadabra (1991 Album by ABC) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Abracadabra (Steve Miller Band album)
For the ABC album of the same name, see Abracadabra (ABC album).
| Abracadabra | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by Steve Miller Band | ||||
| Released | June 15, 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1981 at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 37:10 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Steve Miller, Gary Mallaber | |||
| Steve Miller Band chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Singles from Abracadabra | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
Abracadabra is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Steve Miller Band, released in June 1982 by Capitol Records in North America and Mercury Records in Europe.
Abracadabra would chart in nine countries, including Germany where the record reached #1 for a week.[3] Three singles were released from the album, the title track , "Cool Magic", and "Give It Up" with the former single being the most successful.
|
Contents
|
Track listing
- "Keeps Me Wondering Why" (Gary Mallaber, Kenny Lee Lewis) – 3:43
- "Abracadabra" (Steve Miller) – 5:10
- "Something Special" (Mallaber, Lonnie Turner, Greg Douglass) – 3:35
- "Give It Up" (Miller) – 3:35
- "Never Say No" (Mallaber, John Massaro, Lewis) – 3:37
- "Things I Told You" (Mallaber, Massaro) – 3:15
- "Young Girl's Heart" (Mallaber, Massaro) – 3:33
- "Goodbye Love" (Mallaber, Douglass, Turner) – 2:53
- "Cool Magic" (Mallaber, Lewis) – 4:23
- "While I'm Waiting" (Mallaber, Massaro) – 3:26
Personnel
- Steve Miller – vocals, guitar, Synclavier
- John Massaro – guitar
- Kenny Lee Lewis – guitar
- Norton Buffalo – harmonica
- Byron Allred – keyboards
- Gary Mallaber – drums, percussion, keyboards
- Greg Douglass – guitar on tracks 3 & 8
- Lonnie Turner – bass guitar on tracks 3 & 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
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Top 75 Albums[4] | 8 |
| Canadian Top Albums[5] | 4 |
| German Albums[3] | 1 |
| Netherlands Top 100 Albums[6] | 11 |
| New Zealand Top 50 Albums[7] | 47 |
| Norwegian Top 40 Albums[8] | 10 |
| Swedish Top 60 Albums[9] | 3 |
| UK Albums Chart[10] | 10 |
| US Billboard 200[11] | 3 |
| US R&B Albums[11] | 40 |
Certifications
| Country | Provider | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada[12] | CRIA | Platinum |
| United Kingdom[13] | BPI | Silver |
| United States[14] | RIAA | Platinum |
References
- ^ Abracadabra Steve Miller Band Allmusic.com, Stephen Thomas Erlewine
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ a b "Album – Steve Miller Band, Abracadabra" (in German) (ASP). Media Control Charts. http://www.charts.de/album.asp?artist=Steve+Miller+Band&title=Abracadabra&cat=a&country=de. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ "Steve Miller Band – Abracadabra (Album)" (ASP). Austrian Charts. Hung Medien. http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Steve+Miller+Band&titel=Abracadabra&cat=a. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ "50 Albums" (PHP). RPM 37 (2). August 28, 1982. ISSN 0315-5994. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6516&type=2&interval=50&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ "Steve Miller Band – Abracadabra (Album)" (ASP). Dutch Charts. Hung Medien. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Steve+Miller+Band&titel=Abracadabra&cat=a. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ "Steve Miller Band – Abracadabra (Album)" (ASP). New Zealand Charts. Hung Medien. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Steve+Miller+Band&titel=Abracadabra&cat=a. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ "Steve Miller Band – Abracadabra (Album)" (ASP). Norwegian Charts. Hung Medien. http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Steve+Miller+Band&titel=Abracadabra&cat=a. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ "Steve Miller Band – Abracadabra (Album)" (ASP). Swedish Charts. Hung Medien. http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Steve+Miller+Band&titel=Abracadabra&cat=a. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ "Chart Archive: Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive – 17th July 1982". The Official Charts Company. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/3/1982-07-17/. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ a b "Steve Miller: Charts & Awards – Billboard Albums". Allmusic. United States: Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p106068/charts-awards/billboard-albums. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum Database Results" (ASPX). Music Canada. Canadian Recording Industry Association. http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=Abracadabra&ica=False&sa=&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ "Certified Awards Search" (ASPX). British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database" (PHP). Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums
Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.
Read more
Mentioned in
Baladas de Corazon Grupero, Vol. 1
(1999 Album by Various Artists)
Steve Miller Band: Live From Chicago
(2007 Music Film)
Abracadabra
(1982 Album by The Steve Miller Band)
Francis Paget
(person)
» More