Joe Walsh
Band members Related acts
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- Joe Walsh -- vocals, lead guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizers
line up 1 (1973) as Barnstorm - Kenny Passarelli -- bass, guitar, backing vocals - Joe Vitale -- drums, percussion, keyboards, flute, backing vocals - Joe Walsh -- vocals, lead guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizers
supporting musicians (1973) - Paul Harris -- piano - Carl Perkins -- pedal steel guiatr - Chuck Rianey -- bass
supporting musicians (1981) - Jody Boyer -- backing vocals - Don Felder (RIP) -- guitar - Victor Feldman (RIP) -- percussion - Russ Kunkel -- percussion - David Lindley -- violin, backing vocals - Bob Mayo (RIP) -- 12-string guitar - Kenny Passarelli -- guitarrón, trumpet - George "Chocolate" Perry –--bass, backing vocals - Timothy B. Schmit -- backing vocals - Joe Vitale -- drums, percussion, backing vocals, piano
supporting musicians (1983) - Kevin Dukes -- guitar - Don Felder -- guitar - Don Henley -- backing vocals - Mike Murphy -- backing vocas - George "Chocolate" Perry -- bass - Joe Pruessner -- bass - Timothy B. Schmit -- backing vocals - Joe Vitale -- drums, bass, syndrums, keyboards, vocals - Waddy Wachtel -- guitars, synthesizer guiatr
supporting musicians (1987) - Chad Cromwell - drums - David Cochran - bass - Jimi Jamison - backing vocals - Rick - bass - Mark Rivera - sax - John David Souther - backing vocals
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- Barnstorm (Joe Walsh) - The Best (Joe Walsh) - The Eagles (Joe Walsh) - The James Gang (Joe Walsh) - Mark Knofler's Guitar Heroes (Joe Walsh) - The Measles (Joe Walsh) - The Party Boys (Joe Walsh)
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Genre: rock Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: There Goes the Neighborhood Company: Asylum Catalog: 5E-523 Year: 1981 Country/State: US Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: original inner lyric sleeve; small cut notch top edge Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $20.00
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I always liked 1981's "There Goes the Neighborhood" but I'll readily admit I never understood the title. Was it a play on his hard-partying, hotel trashing image? Why was he driving an old armored vehicle? Guess none of that really mattered, but I've always been curious.
"There
Goes the Neighborhood" was released a year after The Eagles
announced their break-up (while remaining a sales powerhouse) and three
years after his last solo album - "But Seriously, Folk ...".
Co-produced by Walsh and bassist George "Chocolate" Perry, the
album captured Walsh still at his commercial zenith. To my ears the
collection's mixture of quirkiness and comm
"There Goes the Neighborhood" track listing: 1.) Things (Joe Walsh) - 5:40 rating: *** stars Showcasing Eagles buddy Timothy B. Schmit's backing vocals, 'Things' started out as one of Walsh's prettiest melodies before morphing into one of those "throwaway" tunes that litter his recording catalog. Spotlighting his instantly recognizable whine of a voice and a melody that was far more catchy than it deserved to be, I guess it reflected some of Walsh's life philosophy, though it is about as deep as a toothpaste commercial. And yes I'll agree, a Walsh "throwaway" is better than most bands best efforts. The end-of-song group chorus was hysterical. The song was also tapped as the "B" side to Walsh's 'Made Up Your Mind' 45. 2.) Made Your Mind Up (Joe Walsh) - 4:24 rating: ** stars How can you not like a song that starts with such a great percussion opening? Okay, the rest of the song wasn't anything great, but Kudos to drummer Joe Vitale and if you could wait long enough Walsh turned in a decent slide guitar solo. Still, it just wasn't anything particularly special. Walsh seemed to be coasting on this one though that didn't stop Asylum from releasing it as a single:
- 1981's 'Made Up Your Mind' b/w 'Things' (Asylum catalog number E-47197-A/B)
3.) Down on the Farm (Joe Walsh) - 3:10 rating: * star Obviously tongue-in-cheek, but the faux-country 'Down on the Farm' was simply dreadful. Lots of folks say it is hysterical, but I just don't hear it. David Lindley on violin. The track appeared as the "B" side on the British 'A Life of Illusion' 45. 4.) Rivers (Of the Hidden Funk) (Joe Walsh - Don Felder) - 5:06 rating: **** stars Supposedly 'Rivers (Of the Hidden Funk' started out as a track intended for The Eagles "The Long Run" album. Originally titled 'You're Really High, Aren't You?' the song didn't make the final cut. Walsh subsequently resurrected it, changing the title and some of the lyrics. The result was one of his prettiest compositions. A killer George Perry "burping" bass line and some interesting Felder "talk box" guitar made the song even better; one of the album standouts. Jody Boyer was featured on the pretty backing vocals.
(side
2) 'A Life of Illusion' was an old Barnstorm composition the band had abandoned. All I can say is the completed song was wonderful - one of the best things he's ever done. Kicked along by a breezy Mexican-flavor melody (former Barnstorm drummer and co-writer Kenny Passarelli providing the bright trumpet flourishes) Walsh and company sounded enthusiastic throughout. The bright, driving acoustic guitars, a tasty Walsh solo and the "questioning life" lyrics were just the cherries on the top. Easy to see why Asylum released it as a single. "Nature loves her little surprises ..."
- 1981 'A Life of Illusion' b/w 'Rockets' (Asylum catalog number E 47144-A/B) # 34 US pop singles chart Showing the trash dump "setup" for the album cover photo, YouTube has a promotional video for the song: Joe Walsh - Life Of illusion 2.) Bones (Joe Walsh) - 4:32 rating: ** stars Powered by a nice George perry bass line, the bluesy 'Bones' was another track that sounded like Walsh had thrown it together with spur of the moment vocals and an off-the-shelf melody. Frankly this one was just boring. 3.) Rockets (Joe Walsh) - 3:55 rating: ** stars For a guy known as a rocker, Walsh's has churned out some lovely ballads. In spite of the dated synthesizers 'Rocket's was pretty with some sweet Beach Boys-styled harmonies, but not one of his best. 4.) You Never Know (Joe Walsh) - 5:20 rating: *** stars Given Don Felder provided guitar on the dark 'You'll Never Know', it was interesting to read the song was intended as a swipe at The Eagles internal dysfunction. (Having questioned the band's financial structure Felder was fired in 2001 and promptly sued the band for wrongful termination, breach of contract and fiduciary duty.) Musically it was a weird number. Propelled by Perry's bass, it wasn't particularly melodic. It wasn't particularly rhythmic. Call it jazzy? Beats me. The song's best attribute came in the Walsh-Felder guitar work.
© Scott R. Blackerby November, 2024
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Genre: rock Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: Got Any Gum Company: Full Moon Catalog: 25606-1 Year: 1987 Country/State: US Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: original inner sleeve Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD4635 Price: SOLD $15.00 Cost: $66.00
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Teaming Joe Walsh
with producer Terry Manning and Memphis' Ardent Studios should have been a win-win situation.
Manning is an unsung rock hero in my book (check out his solo album). That leaves you to wonder why 1987s "Got
Any Gum" was such a disappointment. Mind you, taken
in small doses there wasn't anything wrong with material like 'The Radio
Song' and 'In My Ca'.. Sure, it wasn't the most original stuff you've
ever heard and it certainly wasn't going to make you ponder life and what it
means. On the other hand, the collection served as perfect fodder for mindless
corporate radio stations. Unfortunately, if there wasn't anything wrong
with the set, there wasn't anything really right with it. Walsh and
company seemed to have simply run out of creative steam with most of the album
sounding like stuff he'd already done. That and the fact about half of
the collection sounded like it was phoned in. Was anything here worth
hearing? Well, co-written by Ringo Starr, the single 'In My Car' was
mindless fun, as was 'Half the Time' and 'Time'. Other than Walsh
fanatics this was something most folks could live without. 1.) The Radio Song (Joe Walsh) - 2.) Fun (Joe Walsh - Joe Vitale) - 3.) In My Car (Joe Walsh - Richard Starkey - Mo Foster - Kim Godley) - 4.) Malibu (Joe Walsh) - 5.) Half of the Time (Joe Walsh) -
(side
2) 2.) Up To Me (Joe Walsh) - 3.) No Peace In the Jungle (Tommy Dean) - 4.) Memory Lane (Joe Walsh) - 5.) Time (Joe Walsh) -
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Genre: rock Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: You Bought It, You Name It Company: Full Moon Catalog: 23884-1 Year: 1983 Country/State: US Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: original inner sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $15.00 Cost: $66.00
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I've owned most of
Joe Walsh's catalog at one time, or another. Virtually everything he's done
has at least something worth checking out. 1983's Bill Szymczyk
produced "You Bought It, You Name It"
pushes that statement to the edge. By my count he's recorded twelve
studio album (1972's "Barnstorm" through 2012's "Analog
Man"). This is in the running for tworst of the lot. Not meant as an excuse, but the fact the
album was recorded during the depths of Walsh' drug and alcohol addiction
problems probably didn't help with the quality of his writing and
performances. You just got the feeling Walsh was going through the
motions - "Hey, my label wants a new album and my fans like it when I'm
funny ...". Anyhow, having enjoyed a career as one of rock's perpetually
stoned goofballs, exemplified by half-baked tracks like 'I
Can Play that Rock
& Roll', 'The Worry Song', 'Space Age Whiz Kids' and the dreadful '
I.L.B.T.s ' I guess you couldn't fault him for continuing on a path
that had brought him fame and fortune. He brought in Eagles
buddies Don Felder, Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmidt for a couple of
tracks, but it really didn't help. Okay, the rocker
'Told You So' was pretty good, even if it was an Eagles castoff.
Not your typical Walsh tune, the autobiographical 'Class of '65' was
introspective and thoughtful.
Former
Barnstormer drummer Joe Vitale also participated, co-writing two of the
album's goofier tracks - the single 'Space Aged Kids' and the closing
instrumental 'Theme from Island
Weirdos.' Always wondered about Jeff Adamoff's odd cover art -
Joe Walsh superimposed on a famous photo of the US Yorktown after it had
been hit by a Japanese bomber during the Battle of the Midway. 1.) I Can Play that Rock & Roll (Joe Walsh) - 3:03 rating: ** stars The title alone should warn you this was going to be an endless slice of bar band fun ... You got a touch of Walsh's tasty slide and a set of throwaway lyrics that a cleverly twelve-year old could have come up with. Unless you were a hotel manager, Walsh's promotional video was mildly funny. Keith Moon would have approved of the madcap hotel setting: Joe Walsh-I Can Play That Rock and Roll It was the perfect song for mid-'80s radio:
- 1983's 'I Can Play that Rock & Roll' b/w 'Here We Are Now' (Warner Brothers catalog number 7-29519)
2.) Told You So (Don Felder - Joe Walsh) - 3:54 rating: **** stars The rocker 'Told You So' was worth owning if for no other reason than the Felder-Walsh twin lead guitars. Ironically, while Walsh's lyrics have never been Pulitzer winning caliber, their "hands off" narrative strike a chord in this day and age when so many American politicians seem to thing they know what's better for the rank and file citizens of this country. The song was written for The Eagles "Long May You Run" album, but for whatever didn't make the final cut. 3.) Here We Are Now (Joe Walsh) - 3:54 rating: ** stars Is there really a need for middle-aged white guys to write and record pseudo-reggae tunes? Based on the lame 'Here We are Now' I think the answer is no. Imagine a crappy Jimmy Buffet tune and you'll know what to expect. The Eagles' Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit were featured on backing vocals making me wonder if this was another composition rejected by The Eagles. Such a rejection would have been understandable. Come to think of it, the backing vocals were the song's most likeable attribute. 4.) The Worry Song (George "Chocolate" Perry - Joe Walsh) - 4:37 rating: ** stars 'The Worry Song' suffered from a very '80s production sound and a bland, forgettable melody. In this day-and-age Walsh's worries seem inconsequential. His solo was the best thing going on here. 5.) I.L.B.T.s (Joe Vitale - Joe Walsh) - 2:53 rating: ** stars Overlooking the sophomoric humour, 'I.L.B.T.s' (in case anyone missed the joke, the abbreviation stood for "I Love Big Tits"),.wasn't much of a song. The goal seemed to be saying the word "tits" as frequently as possible over the span of the song. I can only hope Walsh looks back at track with a sense of shame. Unless you were a fourteen-year old boy, or a drunk frat boy, this was a poorly thought out concept from start to finish. All I can say is this is a good example where judgment clearly suffers when you are in the midst of fighting various addictions. Wonder what Walsh's then-squeeze Stevie Nicks thought of this one ... Reportedly Full Moon executives were horrified when they discovered the song was on the album.
(side
2) I remember hearing this on the radio and thinking it sounded ancient ... voice box guitar, cheesy '70s synthesizers, goofy vocal effects and a video game theme ... And You thought Buckner & Garcia's 'Pac Man Fever' was bad. Another tune that a group of twelve year olds could have come up with. Extra star for the synthesizers. Warner Brothers released it as the leadoff single in 7" and 12" variants:
7" - 1983's 'Space Age Whiz Kids' b/w 'The from Island Weirdos' (Full Moon catalog number 9-297611-7) # 52 US Billboard charts 12" - 1983's 'Space Age Whiz Kids' b/w 'Space Age Whiz Kids' (Full Moon PRO-A-2038)
There was also a promotional video. The quality is awful, but YouTube has the clip: Joe Walsh - Space Age Whiz Kids (1983) 2.) Love Letters (Edward Heyman - Victor Young) - 3:11 rating: *** stars Kudos for reviving Ketty Lester's 1962 hit. The original is far better, but Walsh's reggae-fied update is sweet, if forgettable. I'd suggest he avoid employing his falsetto wherever possible. It certainly made for an odd choice for the third and final single off the album.
- 1983's 'Love Letters' b/w 'I.L.B.T.'s' (Warner Brothers catalog number 7-29454)
3.) Class of '65 (Joe Walsh) - 4:27 rating: **** stars Certainly
not his most tuneful song, but lyrically 'Class of '65' was actually
interesting. It was at least partially autobiographical as Walsh did
graduate high school in 1965 - Montclair High School, Montclair, New
Jersey. Unlike the lyrics, Walsh actually returned to his alma mater
in 2015 for his 50th graduation anniversary. He played a benefit
concert to raise funds for renovating the school's library. Perhaps because it avoided this patented "goofy" quotient, the rocker 'Shadows' served was one of the album's highlights. There's a nice ominous feel to Walsh's performance. Nice guitar work on this one as well. 5.) Theme from Island Weirdos (instrumental) (Joe Vitale - Joe Walsh) - 3:35 rating: *** stars 'Theme from Island Weirdos' ended the album with a pretty keyboard driven instrumental. Kind of a Windam Hill new-age feel to the song in keeping with the earlier 'Inner Tubes/Theme from Boat Weirdos' and the forthcoming 'Theme from Baroque Weirdos'.
© Scott R. Blackerby November, 2024
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ercial
moves sounded very similar to the prior solo album. That was good and
that was bad. First the good.
Walsh has always been a dazzling guitar player and a decent singer.
His flat, nasally voice remained instantly recognizable - certainly so on
the radio hit 'A Life of Illusion' and the resurrected Eagles track
'Rivers (Of the
Hidden Funk)'. His guitar playing remained awesome. Walsh's
slightly goofy "everyday Joe" persona was still intact, though on
tracks like 'Made Up Your Mind', the faux-country 'Down on the Farm' and the
bluesy 'Bones' it
was starting to show wear and tear. And that led to my main issues with this
album. For the most part Walsh didn't sound like his heart was in this
one. Tracks like the bluesy 'Bones', the short ballad 'Rockets' and 'You
Never Know' sounded thrown-together and flat. This was one of those
albums that hasn't aged well. Yeah the two best tracks were recycled
Barnstorm and Eagles compositions, but most of the collection was (dare I
say it? just dull and forgettable. Fans
(including a then-21 year old me) lapped it up. Powered by the top-40
single 'A Life of Illusion' the parent album hit number 20 on the Billboard
US album charts.
