Recorded live just before Joe Walsh joined up with the Eagles full-time, You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind contains six of Walsh's better-known songs. Things start off with his last hit with the James Gang, "Walk Away," and then the album makes its way through "Meadows" and 18 minutes of "Rocky Mountain Way." The crowd loved it…
A double-disc set that draws from all of the phases of Joe Walsh's career, with the notable exception of The Eagles, Look What I Did! features almost every worthwhile song the guitarist ever recorded, even though it does contain pure dreck like "I.L.B.T.s," which is also known as "I Like Big Tits".
Joe Walsh's catalog by this point was two albums strong and of a consistently high quality. Despite a change of lineup for So What – a wide range of musicians is used, including the Eagles' Don Henley – the sound is very similar to previous releases. A number of classic Walsh tracks are featured, including a more polished version of "Turn to Stone," originally featured on his debut album, Barnstorm, in a somewhat more riotous style. "Help Me Thru the Night," Walsh's mellowest song to date, is helped along by some fine lead and backing vocals from the band. So What sees Walsh in top form as a guitarist. Most of the nine tracks feature solos of unquestionable quality in his usual rock style. The classic rock genre that the man so well defined with his earlier albums is present here throughout, and it is pulled off with the usual unparalleled Joe Walsh ability.
As far as studio albums go, But Seriously Folks is Joe Walsh's most insightful and melodic. But Seriously Folks, released in 1978, was the album the Eagles should have made rather than the mediocre The Long Run. It captures a reflective song cycle along the same thematic lines of Pet Sounds, only for the '70s. The album's introspective outlook glides through rejuvenation ("Tomorrow," "Over and Over"), recapturing the simple pleasures of the past ("Indian Summer"), mid-career indecision ("At the Station," "Second Hand Store"), and a melancholy instrumental ("Theme From Boat Weirdos"). The disc's finale, "Life's Been Good," is a sarcastic and bittersweet ode to Walsh's "rock star-party guy" persona which reached the Top 10 on the pop charts and became a staple of FM rock radio…
The Gang's classic Funk #49 plus Take a Look Around; Tend My Garden; Collage; Ashes, the Rain and I; Walk Away; Midnight Man; Mother Says; Rocky Mountain Way; Meadows; Turn to Stone, and more. 18 tracks!
Joe Walsh attempts and nearly makes the free throw that wins the game. Great songs like "I Can Play That Rock & Roll" and "Space Age Whiz Kids" show he hasn't lost his edge. But the big claim to fame on this record is his "I.L.B.T.s" or "I Love Big Tits." Rather retro in feel, like the title, it harkens back to a wackier time. Good, but flawed.
Joe Walsh just hasn't been able to produce a complete album of great material, and The Confessor is no exception. The first half is dreck, with such titles as "I Broke My Leg" and "Bubbles." Keep listening, however, and at the halfway mark you find one of Walsh's masterpieces. The title tune is great - over seven minutes of pure Joe Walsh rock with cryptic lyrics and a socko arrangement. The second half also includes a cover of Michael Stanley's "Rosewood Bitters," which Walsh played on long ago.
Joe Walsh's long and varied career has had its ups and downs, to say the least. Here, you see Walsh in good old rock form. The opening track, "Things," pretty much defines it all: drum beat intro, a simple riff kicks in, a few synths, and then Walsh's lead - it's this simple formula that gives the album its charm. This is early '80s rock in its most entertaining and fun form. Walsh's lead guitar is, as always, breathtaking. The rock legend's trademark sound is prominently featured throughout the album, and undoubtedly here he performs some of his finest solos. The only qualm that one can pick is that the whole album is in a much-similar vein. This is classic rock, though: once you start, you want more. There Goes the Neighborhood is by far one of Joe Walsh's greatest works, particularly from this era. Indeed, after the three-year absence in solo releases, Walsh proved himself ready and able to adapt to the sound of the time with shocking ability.