Posts Tagged ‘James Gang’

JOE WALSH – ” But Seriously Folks “

Posted: January 2, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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His sound is so unique and recognizable that when you hear the name Joe Walsh, one word is the first to come to mind: Guitarist. Walsh, however, is a superb singer, showman and songwriter. Few examples of these skills are quite as obvious as “But Seriously, Folks…”  It’s a tour-de-force released over 40 years ago on May 16th, 1978. It featured his highest-charting solo single in the perfect “Life’s Been Good.” That song contains one of the best lines in music: “I can’t complain, but sometimes I still do.”

Don’t let radio (satellite or terrestrial) define the album by that one song. “But Seriously, Folks…” is 35 minutes of flawless classic rock . It came at a crossroads in music history. The Eagles had completed Hotel California after long, arduous sessions and had crafted a masterpiece. On this Walsh solo album, he had to juggle studio sessions with live dates for “Hotel California”. All of Walsh’s Eagles bandmates appear on the album, as did ex bandmate and drummer Barnstorm Joe Vitale. The eight succinct songs on But Seriously, Folks…—and his side gig doing “In the City” for the soundtrack of The Warriors—were a truly creative peak for Joe Walsh.

Maybe too creative a couple of months later, the Eagles went in to record “The Long Run” without a single complete song, actually rerecording “In the City” due to the dearth of new material (and the fact that it’s a great song). 

Producer Bill Szymczyk, who did all the latter-day, best-selling Eagles albums after producing Walsh’s James Gang albums years earlier, agrees that “But Seriously, Folks…” is Walsh’s best work outside The Eagles. When recording the album, he had just won Album of the Year at the Grammys and was on his own career high. Recorded in November of ’76 Walsh had opened Bayshore, his studio in Coconut Grove [Florida]. This was one of the first albums done there. The rehearsals we did on the boat. Originally, we were going to do them at my cabin in [the mountains of] North Carolina. But it was January and there was a foot and a half of snow.

We rented a 70-foot boat called The Endless Seas and on January 23rd, 1977, we loaded up a four-track and a set of drums, a couple of guitars, a couple of small consoles. We sailed down to the Florida Keys for a week or 10 days. The idea was basically just to rehearse. Joe got Vitale from Barnstorm. He had also recruited [bassist] Willie Weeks, the first time I’d worked with him. Bill Szymczyk recruited Jay Ferguson for keys, so everybody was getting to know each other.

Amazingly enough, Joe had the songs together. I think he had pretty much all of them. “At the Station” was a Vitale song; he brought that in. We all did “Theme from Boat Weirdos.” “Over and Over,” “Second Hand Store” and “Indian Summer,” [Walsh] had those. As far as “Life’s Been Good” he had the beginning and the ending. The middle section we did months later.

It’s a nice, succinct album. Yeah, really, 35 minutes. It was a joy to make. It didn’t take very long. To this day I still think it’s the peak of his solo work. That’s about it.

The JAMES GANG – ” Thirds ” Classic Album

Posted: March 8, 2020 in MUSIC
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The James Gang are best known for their guitarist, Joe Walsh, whose playing helped establish him as a superstar guitarist. Walsh joined the Cleveland-based group in 1969 after making a name for himself as one of the top guitarists in Ohio.

I’ve always liked the edge of the James Gang. I like the rawness they had and wish they would have stayed together longer. With just three members, it meant Walsh had to play both rhythm and lead guitar parts, and also sing (he got a lot more help when he joined the Eagles in 1975). It was quite a learning experience for Walsh, who left the James Gang in 1971 after recording three studio albums with the group. It was the producer Bill Szymczyk who signed the James Gang to ABC Records after seeing them perform at a show in Ohio. Szymczyk produced the band and began a long association with Joe Walsh, producing his solo albums and most of the Eagles output in the ’70s.

The James Gang released the album Thirds in 1971  which yielded this song their highest-charting single, “Walk Away.” The band released live album James Gang Live In Concert in 1971. Joe Walsh had left the group in 1971 to form his next group Barnstorm. He then later joined The Eagles .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo0vBdlWQs0

The James Gang had many changes through the years after Walsh left including bringing in Tommy Bolin but the lineup they are most remembered for is Joe Walsh, Jim Fox, and Dale Peters.

The biggest chart hit for the James Gang would be “Walk Away,” which made #51 in 1971 and was later reworked for Walsh’s 1976 solo album You Can’t Argue with a Sick Mind.

The other great song is from their album “Thirds.” Joe Walsh sang with Mary Sterpka, One of the band’s own personal favorites, “Midnight Man” was easily one of the highlights of the Thirds album, the group’s last with guitarist Joe Walsh. A simple and slightly sentimental ballad, the song is an excellent example of Walsh’s overall charm and style. Ostensibly about a clandestine affair, there is a strong and sweet atmosphere here, which is highlighted by guest vocalist Mary Sterpka’s lovely harmonies. A strong Buffalo Springfield/Poco-inspired, country-rock feel highlights this tune, which is a cult favorite of James Gang fans, and for good reason.

The classic James Gang lineup — Walsh (Guitarist), Peters (Bass Player), and Fox (Drums) got together again for the first time to perform for then-president Bill Clinton’s election rally in late 1996. The group also made appearances on The Drew Carey show during the late 1990s and performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio in February 2001.

The classic James Gang trio also toured across the country in the summer of 2006, where they were supported by backing vocalists and other musicians.

The JAMES GANG – ” Funk #49 “

Posted: January 7, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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It’s Finally Happening! Joe Walsh Teases James Gang Reunion in 2017! | Society Of Rock Videos

According to Joe Walsh, there is a strong possibility we could be seeing The James Gang on stage sometime in the near future! The last time the band had a reunion was five years ago in 2012, but there’s a big possibility that we could see them on stage again sometime this year or next year!

In a recent interview, Joe Walsh opened up about his intentions to reach out to other members of the band to see if they are in on a reunion for the band’s 50th anniversary!

“That’s always there. I would have to go back to Cleveland and try it out. I’m not sure we can do what we used to do. I do talk to Jimmy [Fox] and Dale [Peters] from time to time.. … I want to make sure the majority of the nights are good with those guys. If we can do it, I don’t see why not.”– Walsh said.

The band will be celebrating 50 years in 2018, but they could always start the party early! Joe has a few dates scheduled in Las Vegas coming up, but after that, he has plenty of time to go to Cleveland and try to piece the band together for one last hoorah!