Singer/songwriter/guitarist
Joe Walsh embarked on his solo career following the release of The James Gang’s
“Thirds” album. Walsh had led the James Gang through the initial phase of the
band’s career in which they recorded three brilliant albums with Walsh as
frontman. Clearly, Walsh had a stellar history to live up to. He came out of
the gate under the guise of “Barnstormer”, a death-defying, stunt-performing
pilot of early 20th century America. Walsh’s barnstormer persona would
be featured on the album covers of his first three solo albums.
His debut
album, “Barnstorm,” (1972) was a mix of the hard rock that Walsh had become
famous for with the James Gang, with ballads and more progressive-rockish
selections with an emphasis on keyboards. The album was a solid effort that
included the semi-hit rocker, “Turn to Stone.” Walsh’s sophomore solo effort,
“The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get” (1973) was a stronger showing that
featured more of Walsh’s signature hard rock, including the big hit, “Rocky
Mountain Way,” and another fine rock gem, “Meadows.” Walsh’s third solo outing,
“So What,” was another solid hard rock collection.
In 1976,
the live album, “You Can’t Argue with a Sick Mind” was released featuring live
renditions of material from his previous three solo albums including an epic
18-minute version of Rocky Mountain Way.
By this
time, Walsh had joined the Eagles and been included on their mega-successful
“Hotel California” album. Following the release of the Hotel California album,
Walsh went back to record perhaps his best solo effort, the often comedic, “But
Seriously, Folks,” a fine collection of songs which includes some impressive
instrumentals and perhaps his best solo recording, the satirical “Life’s Been
Good.”
