Joe Walsh - County Fair

[dropforge]

Thanks -- here's what Wikipedia says:

"Walsh has been a member of five successful rock bands: James Gang, Barnstorm, the Eagles, The Party Boys, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. In the 1990s, he was also a member of the short-lived supergroup The Best. He has also experienced success both as a solo artist and prolific session musician..."

Still weird that they would identify So What as a Barnstorm, not Walsh, album.

[JKL2000]

"The Barnstorm Project"

[JKL2000]

Still weird that they would identify So What as a Barnstorm, not Walsh, album.

I think whoever wrote it is just mistaken.

[chescorph]

I need a compilation album, the proggiest of... or the most instrumentally interesting of Joe Walsh. There's something about him, I think, that defies expectations or makes him hard to pigeonhole.

I spent a fair amount of time and settled on "Look What I Did" which is 2 CDs. A lot of the single disc comps are missing some of the key deeper cuts. Of course, there could be a 4 disc box that would be missing things. His latest release got a lot of positive reviews. Like Frampton, he is getting more respect with age and seems comfortable with his skin.

[SteveSly]

I spent a fair amount of time and settled on "Look What I Did" which is 2 CDs. A lot of the single disc comps are missing some of the key deeper cuts. Of course, there could be a 4 disc box that would be missing things. His latest release got a lot of positive reviews. Like Frampton, he is getting more respect with age and seems comfortable with his skin.

I mentioned this one earlier in the thread, but it is probably he compilation Joe has. Agree, he could use a box set.

[Staun]

Eagles had their fan base of course, but when Joe came on board, they exploded. Maybe they just had a couple of albums with good songs but I like to think Joe was a big part of the success.

[SteveSly]

Eagles had their fan base of course, but when Joe came on board, they exploded. Maybe they just had a couple of albums with good songs but I like to think Joe was a big part of the success.

I think he was in the right place at the right time. Although I have heard "Hotel California" to death over the years I still think it is a great album.

[Jerjo]

Here's a video of Joe setting up a Les Paul. I thought it was interesting to see how a pro approaches these things but also, Joe's pretty funny

[Bucka001]

I've loved JW since I was a kid in the early 70's. My older bro had James Gang Rides Again (still one of my fave albums ever) not long after it came out, and that was it for me. I ended up buying the four James Gang and all of his solo albums up until '76. "So What" is probably my fave solo disc (you're right, "County Fair" is fantastic and haunting... haven't heard it in decades but I can hum every note of that tune in my head), but I never heard Songs For A Dying Planet (I'm curious now, though).

The James Gang stuff is classic / essential, the solo stuff that I'm familiar with is excellent (I don't have much beyond the 70s, although I do remember picking up There Goes The Neighborhood and thinking it was okay), and I could never stand the bland / boring Eagles (with or without JW).

The really sad thing for me to find out is that a couple of the tunes on So What ("Song For Emma" and "Help Me Through The Night") were about his 4-yr old daughter dying in a car wreck. I'd loved that album for decades and never knew that until the last few years. How horrible. But it did solve one mystery for me, at least. Joe was never a total clown or goofball in the James Gang years (there was humor, but not like he became later; look at how serious he is in a '71 French interview clip for Pop 2 when the JG were on). After the accident, he appeared on the cover of So What in aviation goggles, etc ("So What," I learned, referred to his state of mind... he just didn't give a f*** anymore) and subsequent album covers / interviews were pretty goofy. I remember hearing several interviews where he just seemed like a clown and I guessed he just enjoyed playing that role, which was not how I thought back on his James Gang years. But learning of his daughter's death around '74, it then seemed like he just sort of gave up and sunk into that persona as a coping mechanism. I'm no psychologist but that would make sense to me. Apparently he's been clean / sober now for several years but I guess he was a wreck for a couple decades there.

[Ground and Sky's Ghost]

I spent a fair amount of time and settled on "Look What I Did" which is 2 CDs. A lot of the single disc comps are missing some of the key deeper cuts. Of course, there could be a 4 disc box that would be missing things. His latest release got a lot of positive reviews. Like Frampton, he is getting more respect with age and seems comfortable with his skin.

Just stumbled across this thread (I should probably check the site more than once every couple weeks). Anyway, back when "Analog Man" came out I decided to put together a playlist of my favorite Walsh tracks. If figured it would be 10-15 songs. It ended up with enough tracks for a 4 disc boxed set, and there are probably a few I missed. Just for giggles, here's what I put on it:

Here We Go (Barnstorm) (seemed like a good beginning track)
Walk Away (James Gang)
Funk #49 (James Gang)
Rocky Mountain Way
Happy Ways
Welcome to the Club
Time Out
Turn to Stone
Inner Tube
Theme from Boat Weirdos
Life's Been Good
Things
A Life of Illusion
I Can Play that Rock & Roll
Here We Are Now
The Worry Song
ILBTs (yes, I still have the sense of humor of a 12 year old boy)
Space Age Whiz Kids
Class of '65
Shadows
Theme from Island Weirdos
Waffle Stomp (Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack)
Problems
I Broke My Leg
The Confessor
Rosewood Bitters
Good Man Down
Pretty Maids All in a Row
In the City
The Radio Song
Fun
In My Car
Time
Ordinary Average Guy
Where I Grew Up
School Days
Shut Up
Fairbanks Alaska
Vote For Me
Theme From Baroque Weirdos
The Friend Song
Analog Man
Lucky That Way
The Band Played On
Funk 50
India
Decades
Song For a Dying Planet

Probably too much from "You Bought It You Name It", but that's one of my all-time favorite albums. If you don't have some Joe in your collection, you're missing out.

[kid_runningfox]

I had "But Seriously Folks." He's under water on the cover. One good track "Life's Been Good" and the rest is a boring, bland, stoned, mess..

I like his James Gang hits. That's lt.

Really? Wow, I think it's a fantastic record - wonderful songs with a deep air of melancholy in places. Beautiful playing and arrangements, too. If I have any complaints at all, it's that 'Life's Been Good,' great tune though it is, sounds like it belongs on a completely different album. No wonder they stuck it on last.

[Big Ears]

Barnstorm, especially Turn to Stone, is one of my all-time favourites and I thought joining the Eagles was a waste of Joe Walsh's talents. I assume he wanted the money. I say this as a person who liked The Eagles, at least with Don Felder.

[TCC]

Love him!.
This version of Funk 49-50 is great!, as the episode!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chJAwn6dwUw

Live From Daryl's House - Rocky Mountain Way -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4xN7Z9z5cM

Lifes Been Good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNPWVi0sHac

Episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X27m99YkOb4

[JKL2000]

Just looked up James Gang on Wikipedia. All my life I thought James Gang involved Rick James!

[dropforge]

All my life I thought James Gang involved Rick James!

Do you think Saxon was formed by John Saxon?

[SteveSly]

I've loved I remember hearing several interviews where he just seemed like a clown and I guessed he just enjoyed playing that role, which was not how I thought back on his James Gang years. But learning of his daughter's death around '74, it then seemed like he just sort of gave up and sunk into that persona as a coping mechanism. I'm no psychologist but that would make sense to me. Apparently he's been clean / sober now for several years but I guess he was a wreck for a couple decades there.

Joe was very messed up for a long time. I saw him once in the late 80’s and to be honest it would rank as one of the worst concerts I have ever attended (and I have been to hundreds over the years). Walsh appeared to hammered. He was playing with just a bass player and drummer and just seemed to be going through the motions. After about an hour he just walked off stage. The crowed were kind of bewildered, and half-heartedly applauding. The house lights stayed down and after 5 minutes or so Walsh came walking back on stage in a bathrobe and flipped the crowed off. He then grabbed his guitar and performed “The Confessor” in his bathrobe, then left the stage and that was it. My friends and I walked out of the show kind of going “what the fuck was that that we just saw?” Anyway, I have seen Walsh with The Eagles several times since he got sober and he brought the house down each time and was great. I wish he would write a book.

[Vic2012]

^ Interesting story. Funny, and pretty sad.

[ChrisXymphonia]

So What, is one of my favorite albums of all time. However, it does need a remastering. Always sounded like it was down in a hole. SW maybe?

It has been remastered superbly for the Audio Fidelity label. The CD layer of this one already sounds great, if you have SACD playback capability then it gets even better:

https://www.discogs.com/Joe-Walsh-So...elease/7277163