The original black label ABC / Dunhill mastered by Lee Hulco sounds great, especially if you can find a nice clean copy.
Is this in reference to The Smoker or So What? Either way I agree Both records sound very good. IIRC The Smoker was cut by Hulko and So What is a Kendun cut, so you are referring to The Smoker?
Yep...both awesome though. Kent Duncan is no slouch. Much of what he cuts sounds great, including So What. Since we're talking JW, I just grabbed a minty Confessor on WB. Great sonics...the music is good, not great imo. The title track, Confessor is excellent though and up to Joe's standards. Worth owning if only for that track. Cut by Greg Fulginiti at Artisan. I believe he's well thought of by many on this forum.
Was 1983's "You Bought It, You Name It" ever released on cd in the USA prior to that Wounded Bird issue?
Just found this thread. I gotta say that my favorite era for Joe Walsh was in the 70s when he was with The James Gang, "The Smoker You Get, The Player You Drink", and "So What?", along with Eagles. Later!
There's been a few clips of Joe playing "Life's been good" posted here, but none match the ramshackle train-wreck that's this performance.
So far my Audiophile collection of JW's output is......getting there Would like to see James Gang- Thirds get "MoFi" treatment like Rides Again.Someday soon?
Joe Walsh's music is one of the soundtracks of my life. I have never got tired of his music since the 70s. Never seen him live solo, since he never played here, as far as I know. Once saw him with the Eagles, boring concert, until Joe took the spotlight and turned the stage on fire with his solos.
Did he join The Eagles for the money? What he was doing with James Gang & solo before he joined them was a million times better than anything The Eagles have ever done. Rides Again & So What are two of my go to rock albums.
Walsh has the gift of being an uber gifted musician and being able to laugh at himself. Seems like a dude you'd want to know.
My Joe Walsh revelation came on July 20, 1969, the night of the moon landing, when his James Gang opened for Led Zeppelin at Musicarnival, a tent theater in the round in suburban Cleveland. I was psyched to see Zep, having played the grooves off their debut album that had come out earlier that year. I approached the James Gang as more of a curiosity, a Kent band that had gotten some FM airplay. Well, that all changed seeing them live. The James Gang, powered by Joe's guitar and vocals, had a remarkable presence, while Zep was less than captivating to me. Page and Plant came off as rather effete, in contrast with Bonzo's rather heavy handed drumming. John Paul Jones was kind of a phantom presence, there but not there. No contest for me.
Things could be different now (2018) but, in the early 2000's my wife was working at our local Save-On cashiering .I was talking about Joe Walsh and playing So What for her(she's not that familiar with JW apart from the radio songs) and she casually replies ,"Oh him?He comes in our store from time to time over the years.I've helped him find a few things.He's a nice guy." As I promptly spit out whatever I was drinking at the time completely and utterly astounded. Never knew he lived in Encinitas( North San Diego County) .......at least at the time. So, I hung out at Save-On everyday waiting for an encounter ha ha! Just kiddin'. Or........am I? E
Though I've been familiar with the JG &JW songs on the radio in the early '70s and liked what I heard. Welcome To The Club & Turn To Stone in '74 made me a believer at 13 years old.So What is my "Epiphany" album from my youth and has a fond place in my heart.I know that other prefer the original TTS or the live version of it and I understand that. This was my first time hearing TTS('74 version) so, it's what I prefer if that makes sense? TTS was my first 45
Flipped to The Drew Carey show while channel surfing one night. I had forgotten Joe had a recurring role...too funny.
Money probably had a lot to do with it but he has said that he was ready to be part of a band again, to alleviate the pressure of being a solo act and shouldering all the responsibility of being on his own. So What is my favorite Walsh album.
Although rarely mentioned, the 1974 death of Joe's 3 year old daughter Emma weighed heavily on him. The car accident that killed her soon triggered a divorce. He was struggling mightily. Since the Eagles and Walsh shared a manager, Joe's joining the band was seen as a win/win for both parties as Joe looked for a bit less stress as he recovered from the tragedy and the Eagles looked for a replacement for Leadon. So What's album title was Joe's statement that life meant little to him after his daughter's passing. "Song For Emma" was dedicated to her.
I would add “Slow Dancing” as another great track— Joe gets romantic and sultry! Perhaps due to the influence of Stevie Nicks whom he was seeing at the time. The rest I agree is pretty forgettable.
GTFO. Dicky and Duane in a landslide. Izzy and Slash. Mick Taylor and Keith Richards. Walsh is fantastic however.
