Undoubtedly a guitarist of extraordinary verve, Joe Walsh is also among that breed of guitar player (Robbie Robertson and Dave Davies are two others that come to mind) whose first instinct is always to serve the song rather than indulge in excessive soloing.
Which in the case of Walsh may sound a touch contradictory as on ‘Hotel California‘ by the Eagles and his own hit ‘Life’s Been Good,’ he performs two of the most instantly recognisable guitar solos in rock history.
But the point is this. Throughout his fifty year career, even in the most flamboyant passages of a history incorporating the James Gang, the Eagles and twelve album solo catalogue he has rarely overplayed – the odd example largely down to youthful exuberance in his early days. Indeed, for the most part, Walsh usually delivers guitar lines with a discipline that by his own admission was not always present in his personal life (no matter how good it had been so far).
Born in 1947 and hailing from Wichita, while attending college in Ohio he began performing in various local bands before finding a way into the James Gang (taking their name from the legendary outlaws) with Dale Peters (bass) and Jimmy Fox (drums). Gaining attention through the virtuosity of Walsh, his aspirations for the band went beyond that of a power trio, even though hard rock was at their core.
In 1969 they were signed to ABC Records and cut ‘Yer Album.’ Not a stand out debut album by any means, it still had enough to suggest better could follow – a prognosis based largely on the Walsh-penned ‘Take A Look Around,’ the composer adding a layer of keyboards in a manner indicative of his future direction.
Later the same year they picked up a support slot on an American tour by The Who, bringing Walsh into the orbit of two figures destined to become key influences – guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend becoming a musical lightning conductor (Townshend equally enamoured by the guitar playing of Walsh) and drummer Keith Moon, with whose encouragement Walsh developed a tendency for unruly offstage behaviour.
With their second album ‘James Gang Rides Again‘ (1970) Walsh begins to dominate as a songwriter, the second side amounting to a suite of songs written almost entirely by him and reminiscent of late-era Beatles. It contains some impressive passages – Walsh, spending as much time on keyboards as he does on guitar, continuing to steer the group toward more melodic territory.
‘Thirds‘ (1971) produced a minor hit single in the form of perennial Walsh favourite ‘Walkaway‘ but is less assured, the group torn between the tough rocking tendencies of Fox and Peters and more subtle inclinations of Walsh, whose frustrations with the trio format resulted in his departure before the year was out.
Stating an aim of ‘not wanting to be known as just another fast, flash guitar player,’ and by placing greater emphasis on harmonies and more textured arrangements, Walsh emerged in 1972 with ‘Barnstorm‘ his first solo album.
Produced by Bill Szymczyk and recorded primarily with drummer/keyboardist Joe Vitale and bassist Kenny Passarelli (all of whom, particularly Szymczyk and Vitale became constant figures in his career from then on), the record establishes the interlacing guitar/piano/organ sound Walsh had sought for the James Gang. The standard of his own compositions take a further step forward and occupying the ground somewhere between ‘Who’s Next‘ and Stephen Stills’ ‘Manassas‘ it is an accomplished, cohesive work – setting a standard he would subsequently find difficult to maintain.
Adding keyboardist Rocke Grace to the ‘Barnstorm‘ touring band, the quartet were in evidence on ‘The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get‘ (1973).
Although more successful in terms of chart placing than its predecessor (going gold in the United States), it is a less satisfying piece, with efforts by Grace and Passarelli not worthy of inclusion. Vitale contributes a couple of decent cuts, but simply put there is not enough of Walsh – particularly as ‘Meadows‘ and the signature hit ‘Rocky Mountain Way‘ tower above everything else.
On these songs Walsh puts fierce Townshend-style riffs on top of laid-back keyboard arrangements to create an intriguing form of mellow metal – stylized and sharp, as opposed to heavy-handed.
Before recording again Walsh produced ‘Souvenirs‘ the most distinguished album by singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg, who he records to sound like a one man Crosby, Stills & Nash. The credits reveal input from members of the Eagles – the soft-rock portents emphasising the road Walsh was about to travel.
‘So What‘ (1975) contains a handful of energetic rockers, but a re-recording of ‘Turn To Stone‘ is telling, switching from a Zeppelin-esque workout on ‘Barnstorm‘ to a less charged, Eagles-affected version. This change of course is apparent in the melodies now beginning to prevail, Eagle harmonies and co-writes reinforcing the shift.
Almost forty years later Glenn Frey revealed it was around this time he began considering the notion of replacing Bernie Leadon with Walsh, the loss of a distinct harmony voice within the Eagles offset by the formidable guitar pairing of Walsh and Don Felder – the manoeuvring given more scope as the Eagles and Walsh had a manager (Irving Azoff) and producer (Szymczyk) in common.
When Leadon quit the band in late 1975 (discontented with their lurch from countrified to mainstream rock) Frey had his way – Walsh joining the Eagles on the back of his largely forgettable live album, ‘You Can’t Argue With A Sick Mind’ (1976).
Once a fully-fledged Eagle Walsh began participating in the sessions that would yield ‘Hotel California,’ (1976) contributing a blistering solo to the title track, the riff that drives ‘Life In The Fast Lane‘ and the song (co-written with Vitale) ‘Pretty Maids All In A Row‘ – a wistful piano ballad that sounds more Randy Newman than ‘Rocky Mountain Way.’
Following the skyscraper success of ‘Hotel California’ Walsh weighed in with ‘But Seriously Folks‘ (1978), the most Eagles-sounding of his solo offerings – and arguably the strongest. With most of his usual cohorts in attendance, the guitar work is exemplary and Szymczyk as ever does a stellar production job.
Any of ‘Second Hand Store,’ ‘Indian Summer,’ or ‘Tomorrow,’ would have improved ‘The Long Run‘ (the forlorn Eagles album of the following year) no end, while ‘Life’s Been Good‘ – smartly edited to become a sizeable hit – was a humorous, yet cautionary tale on the whole concept of rock stardom.
Contributing only ‘In The City‘ to ‘The Long Run‘ (a song that had already turned up in the Walter Hill film ‘The Warriors‘), when internal acrimony grounded the Eagles in 1980 Walsh resumed his solo career with ‘There Goes The Neighbourhood‘ (1981). The catchy single ‘A Life Of Illusion‘ proved the high-point of an eight song album, most of which, alas, is best forgotten.
‘You Bought It – You Name It‘ (1983) has a bit more to redeem it (‘Class of ‘65‘ easily his best song of the period) but even for those of us maintaining an interest, the ‘life is confusing, let’s have a party,’ approach was starting to wear thin.
Never the best writer (or singer) on the block, neither ‘The Confessor‘ (1985) or ‘Got Any Gum‘ (1987) have much to enthuse about, the improvement negligible on ‘Ordinary Average Guy‘ (1991), whose pop-reggae title track brought him a welcome, if somewhat surprise hit single (the song often received an airing on mid-90s Eagles reunion tours).
‘Songs For A Dying Planet‘ (1992) is baffling almost beyond words. Amidst the lame fare that sadly had become the norm, a cover of ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow‘ is the most ill-advised move of his career. ‘Shut Up‘ and ‘Fairbanks Alaska‘ (that name check Frey, Don Henley and The Who respectively) may appeal to those who like broad humour in their rock songs, but strangest of all is ‘Decades‘ a lengthy piece chronicling the 20th Century.
Worthy of a pat on the back for intent and ambition, the effort put into this song exposed the paucity of at least half the songs on the record.
‘Decades‘ would be virtually the last Joe Walsh solo cut for twenty years. With new found sobriety he was on board for the 1994 Eagles reunion and every tour that followed, yet only contributed a so-so track to their 2007 ‘Long Road Out Of Eden‘ album.
But with ‘Analog Man‘ (2012) Walsh comes out swinging with easily his best work since ‘But Seriously Folks‘.
Co-produced by Jeff Lynne, the opening sequence of the title track, ‘Wrecking Ball,’ and ‘Lucky That Way,‘ provide interesting perspective on how his life was and where it is now. It becomes a touch hit and miss thereafter, although ‘One Day At A Time‘ paints an unsentimental picture of his battle with addictions.
Since ‘Analog Man‘ Walsh has continued touring with the Eagles, the group hitting the road again despite the death of Frey in 2016. In recent times Walsh seems to have supplanted Ronnie Wood as the guitarist most likely to be seconded for a superstar gathering – always ready with a smile, comic remark and smart guitar line for the audience and those around him on stage.
With no new Eagles or solo material even rumoured, Joe Walsh appears to do just what he wants – and do so with his customary panache.
JOE WALSH – Solo Discography:
BARNSTORM (1972) A-; THE SMOKER YOU DRINK, THE PLAYER YOU GET (1973) B; SO WHAT (1974) B+; YOU CAN’T ARGUE WITH A SICK MIND (1976) C; BUT SERIOUSLY FOLKS (1978) A-; THERE GOES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD (1981) B; YOU BOUGHT IT YOU NAME IT (1983) B; THE CONFESSOR (1985) B-; GOT ANY GUM (1987) B-; ORDINARY AVERAGE GUY (1991) B; SONGS FOR A DYING PLANET (1992) B; ANALOG MAN (2012) B+
This article was first published on 14/3/2019.
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