About
For a good ten years Joe Walsh was the epitome of the bloated, addle-brained rock star, enjoying his status as resident stateside guitar god. Coming up with James Gang in the late 1960s, Walsh's searing, sleazy guitar voice made him an instant name in big rock circles. When he left James Gang after two records, he formed Barnstorm (for all intents and purposes the Joe Walsh band) and gained a huge amount of notoriety with the trudging Stoner Rock prototype "Rocky Mountain Way," which even today is enough to take any lame-ass party to the next level of frenzied substance abuse. In 1976, he offered his services to the Eagles, beefing up their sound on Hotel California and providing some much needed muscle while simultaneously recording his own solo projects. In 1978 he hit with "Life's Been Good," arguably the song he's best known for. It's got all the Joe Walsh trademarks: a stumbling, mid-tempo groove marked by bedrock guitar riffs, too many synthesizers and that yelping, confused delivery. Granted Walsh's solo material is fast food, but it is among the very best fast food the FM dial has to offer. He continues to put out records today, but the last really interesting one was The Confessor (1985), which is worth picking up for the title song alone.
- Mike McGuirk
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