Lately, I've been on a complete James Gang tear. Though I love the 3 albums with Joe Walsh the best, I do also quite enjoy the 2 with Tommy Bolin and the two before that era and after.
Any fans out there? What are some of your favorite songs and albums?
I dug the first LP, but never followed it up....
Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes
I saw the Live album at Carnegie Hall. One of my favorite bands with Joe, no doubt.
always loved funk 49 but never got into the joe walsh band that much, was more into the tommy bolin band , (bang and miami was it?) and while they were different they did some good albums.
Love them. One of my fave bands (along with Steppenwolf) growing up in the early 70's. Love the first three studio albums with Walsh (especially Yer Album and the mega-classic-brilliant Rides Again). Less in love with Thirds, but it was still good. But the live album (Carnegie Hall) was just a scorcher. Completley on fire. My favorite live trio of all time, blows the doors off of Cream if you ask me.
My brother (ten years my senior) got Bang (w/Bolin) as a present for Christmas when it came out. Very good album, the song Standing In The Rain one of my fave rock songs ever. Never heard Miami (the other Bolin album) and have never heard the other Walsh-less albums (well, snippets here and there; didn't grab me).
I did follow Walsh's career, though, and very much loved Barnstorm, The Smoker..., So What (my fave), & You Can't Argue... After that, my interest waned. Very bored by his Eagles stuff (never a fan), but it made him a lot of $$$. I remember being flummoxed when I heard the news that he'd joined the uber-bland Eagles (I actually remember where I was, like a JFK thing!); I thought he was just way too cool for that.
Jim Christopulos
co-author, "Van der Graaf Generator - The Book"
that didn't really surprise me. the one thing i didn't like about Walsh was that he was more of a soft rock ballad guy than a rock guy (even with the James Gang) and therefore fit the Eagles like a glove. i did however like his Barnstorm and Smoker solo albums.Originally Posted by Bucka001
"She said you are the air I breathe
The life I love, the dream I weave."
Unevensong - Camel
Longtime fan of all manifestations, but especially the classic line-up. Was able to cross off a major bucket list item when I saw them in NYC back in 2006, and that was less than a year after seeing Cream at MSG. Supposedly, they have been in the studio recently with Bill Szymczyk, recording new material.
Excellent news! His recent solo album is great, so it bodes well for a new James Gang album. I passed on seeing them at a Winery here in California due to price of tickets. Joe is such a great songwriter and guitarist. Saw him on Live at Daryl's House recently. Hasn't lost a thing. He's written both beautiful ballads and kick ass rockers. Seeing the James Gang at Carnegie Hall back in the day was damned amazing, I have to say. Joe, yeah, he's all right!
I favor the live album. Joe really kicked it out on that.
Love all 3 studios with Walsh and Live in Concert is one of my favorite 70s live albums. Absolutely smokes, no idea why it's sort of forgotten. If I had to pick I'd go with Yer Album as my favorite. But Rides Again has The Bomber which is my favorite JG track. Oddly, I've never heard any of the Bolin-era. Hate I missed the reunion tour a few years back.
A sample of Tommy Bolin era JG for those who missed it. There used to be a live clip from Don Kirshner's Rock Concert on YT, but it's not up anymore.
my faves from Bang (love Dale's bass playing on both)..
from Straight Shooter (w/Dominic Troiano)
Last edited by UnephenStephen; 08-08-2013 at 05:44 PM.
"She said you are the air I breathe
The life I love, the dream I weave."
Unevensong - Camel
from Miami..
Last edited by UnephenStephen; 12-30-2012 at 11:26 PM.
"She said you are the air I breathe
The life I love, the dream I weave."
Unevensong - Camel
I can see what you're saying, but would disagree a bit. Some of Barnstorm and The Smoker had that relaxed "softness" to it, but it seemed to have more balls (and edge) than the Eagles ever did. Same with the JG's 'Thirds' album (my least fave Walsh JG album). But 'Rides Again' (at least the first side) and lots of 'Yer Album' truly rocked (like the Eagles never did). And the Carnegie live album... that one blisters paint off the wall. It's closer to Hendrix than it is the Eagles.
And I can't communicate this well, but even JG's relaxed tunes and Walsh's softer solo stuff had something (some sort of edge, I dunno) that separated it from all that Eagles, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, etc, stuff that was just uninteresting to me.
Wow!!!! I misread your original post. You actually saw that show? That's awesome!!! That's been one of my fave live albums ever since I bought it (aged ten) in '75. I've heard the whole concert before on a crap bootleg. I wish it would have been a double album, the whole thing has to exist in great sound quality (obviously they had to record the whole thing). Very cool for you, though. Did you ever see my other fave late 60's/early 70's chestnut Steppenwolf back in the day?
Too bad. I haven't looked in a while so I didn't know it was taken down, but I did watch that quite a bit on YT. That concert showed everything that was good and bad about that lineup. Namely, you always knew Peters and Fox were great. And Tommy Bolin truly had the 'it' factor. He just exuded coolness and 'rockstar' in that clip. But Roy Kenner was a really annoying frontman. His singing was fine, but his movements, his facial expressions... urgh! Still, 'Standing In The Rain' from that show is great. I hadn't heard it in years (since the 70's, but I never forgot it) but did within the last couple of years. I forgot how much I loved it; it probably is one of my fave rock songs ever, and can certainly stand with the best of the James Gang's Walsh-era stuff.
Nice to see the love for this band! They were so much more than those few radio hits. I also adore the organ drenched tunes from those Walsh era albums, like 'Tend My Garden' and 'Take a Look Around'...fantastic stuff.
.Loved the first two albums and a song or two on the third. That was it. Saw them open for The Who in July 1970. Great show!! I filmed some of the concert (both The Who and The James Gang) using 8mm film- no sound, but that has been lost. Bummer!
[QUOTE=Bucka001;27592]I can see what you're saying, but would disagree a bit. Some of Barnstorm and The Smoker had that relaxed "softness" to it, but it seemed to have more balls (and edge) than the Eagles ever did. Same with the JG's 'Thirds' album (my least fave Walsh JG album). But 'Rides Again' (at least the first side) and lots of 'Yer Album' truly rocked (like the Eagles never did). And the Carnegie live album... that one blisters paint off the wall. It's closer to Hendrix than it is the Eagles.
And I can't communicate this well, but even JG's relaxed tunes and Walsh's softer solo stuff had something (some sort of edge, I dunno) that separated it from all that Eagles, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, etc, stuff that was just uninteresting to me.
Wow!!!! I misread your original post. You actually saw that show? That's awesome!!! That's been one of my fave live albums ever since I bought it (aged ten) in '75. I've heard the whole concert before on a crap bootleg. I wish it would have been a double album, the whole thing has to exist in great sound quality (obviously they had to record the whole thing). Very cool for you, though. Did you ever see my other fave late 60's/early 70's chestnut Steppenwolf back in the day?
Yes, I was at the concert in Carnegie Hall, in the balcony. I always thought the same about the Todd Rundgren-Another Live album. I thought it would be a double or triple album release, such a great concert, only to be a single album. No, I never saw Steppenwolf until sometime in the 80s, but I always loved that band.
I caught them in '68 on a bill with Iron Butterfly. Heavy!Did you ever see my other fave late 60's/early 70's chestnut Steppenwolf back in the day?
Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes
I also really like that James Gang Live album...shame they didn't release that as a double. Wonder what the rest of the set consisted of? Walsh really tears it up on that one!
"Yer' Album", "Rides Again" and "Live in Concert".
I've never cared for Walsh as a member of the Eagles. Of Course, I don't really care for the Eagles. But I have Yer Album, the live album and Thirds by the James Gang. I happned to have on Thirds last night for the first time in close to 20 years and found it to be a very good album. The horns and backing vocalists add a lot to the album. Much, much better album than I remember.
Bill
She'll be standing on the bar soon
With a fish head and a harpoon
and a fake beard plastered on her brow.
You now need Rides Again, which just might be my favorite of the 4 with Walsh.
Here are the tunes that were played (in order):
01 Intro / Funk # 49
02 Ashton Park
03 Stop (included on the album)
04 You're Gonna Need Me (on the album)
05 Take A Look Around (on the album) / Tend My Garden (on the album)
06 White Man Black Man
07 Thanks
08 Garden Gate
09 Again / Tuning
10 Ashes, The Rain and I (on the album)
11 Walk Away (on the album)
12 Woman
13 Lost Woman (on the album)
14 Johnny B. Goode
15 The Bomber
Yes, the best to my ears as well...
Wow, that would have been a HELL of a double live album!
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