Customer Reviews

Ordinary Average Guy

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This may not be your "typical" Joe Walsh, if you are more familiar with his earlier solo efforts or his work with the Eagles. However, I think his own personality really shows in this album.

Many of the songs highlight his emotions of mid-life transition, so it is equally impactful for those of us going through those same feelings. When an artist puts his emotions into the music, that is what really draws me in. Putting intellect into it is helpful, but not as crucial for me. This album has a good mix of both.

Make sure to listen to "You Might Need Somebody" and "All of a Sudden". The album became popular with "Ordinary Average Guy" and some for "Gamma Goochee" and "Two Sides to Every Story". My all-time favorite Joe Walsh song is "Pretty Maids in a Row" (from "Hotel California" with the Eagles), but this album has a good mix of his own moods and the Eagles.

When this album came out in 1991, I didn't think much of it. As with most Joe Walsh albums, it had its moments, but in the end it somehow fell flat. Through the years it was largely lost amid my CD collection.

Well, it's amazing what time can do to your perspective. I just loaded the CD into my iPod, and gave each of the tunes a spin as I was doing so. Not only has this album aged well, most of the songs on the album were immediately recognizable to me. That's quite a feat for an album that I initially considered a disappointment, and it probably says more about the album than any review could.

If you like Joe Walsh (and by that I mean that you like the artist, and not just the big hits), then you will like this album. I cherry pick favorite songs from weak albums when I put certain artists on my iPod. This album was loaded onto my iPod in its entirety.

Honestly, I think this is a pretty good CD. It's got a good mix of different types of "Joe" songs. He goes from the strong opener "two sides to every story" with his typical sound, all the way to "where i grew up/school days" which shows deep emotion and looking back toward his childhood. I think the best cut on the CD is "All of a Sudden" which I do believe found air time on the radio. This album also highlights the title track "Ordinary Average Guy" which is about exactly what the title states, being ordinary, average, and a guy. Check out the lyrics, you'll have a laugh with some of them. You should check this CD out if you have nothing better to do, it will be worth your while.

Funny, I only feel compelled to write reviews of albums I love or hate...and I guess I love this one.

With Joe Walsh, you kind of have to let an album listen to you... give it time, listen to it again...suddenly it all makes sense.

"Ordinary Average Guy" is a stroke of genius, a classic the ranks with "Life's Been Good."

No Walsh collector should be without this album.

As with most of Joe Walsh's stuff, this CD has some good songs among the mediocre-to-bad ones. "Two Sides to Every Story" and "Ordinary Average Guy" start things off well. "The Gamma Goochie" is silly, but fun and the drumming on "Look at Us Now" is fanastic. It also ends strong with the last two tracks. The rest of 'em though, are middle of the road crap, which he always sticks on his CDs. I always thought this guy had a lot of talent as a guitarist and songwriter, and in his solo career spanning the years he has several songs that are good-to-great, it's just that he has never been able to come up with that one great CD.

I have a lot of Joe's 70's and 80's albums on vinyl, but not a lot on CD. "Average Guy" was a bit of a comeback for Walsh. After having significant success as both a solo artist and as a member of The Eagles and James Gang, Walsh's star had fallen in the late 80's to the point where his albums rarely received any airplay and his sales fell flat. So it was a bit of a surprise when this one came out and suddenly the title track was all over AOR radio. Unfortunately the album itself is one of Joe's weakest in my opinion. This is one of those rare albums where I think the single is actually the best song on the album. The song "Ordinary Average Guy" pretty much features everything his fans love about him and deserved to be the hit that it was. The opening track "Two Sides To Every Story" is another winner, but after these two things slide down hill pretty quick. "Gamma Goochee" and "Alphabetical Order" are downright terrible. I guess he was going for a laugh on these, but it does not work. Really of the rest of the tracks the only ones I like are "All Of A Sudden" and "Where I Grew Up". I'll give this album a weak 3 stars, but Walsh has done much better.

All I can say is that compared to "Got any Gum" or "Songs for a dying planet", "Ordinary Average Joe" is a home run.I'm not sure what Mr. Walsh's personal life was like during the making of this recording, but it shows an artist in decline-although this is a slight rebound of sorts.

Joe wrote some solid songs with some depth this time out.
I just wish Walsh would let go and REALLY play that guitar.
But this release still pales next to his earlier output from 73-81.
I wish Joe would go back and REALLY listen to what he did back in the day.

Highlights: Title track, which is an okay spin off of "Life's been good" with all it's visualized charm, All of a sudden, I'm actin different, Up all night, You might need somebody, and Where I grew up/School days. Joe Vitale adds another nice touch to a Joe Walsh release. I enjoy his vocals and his drumming.

I don't have a problem telling another individual to purchase this release. You can find it priced very cheap used. I've had some good times playing this one loud. I enjoy the production values too. It will bring along with it some quality listening/moments. It's not the "best Joe", it's more like "just Joe".

I`ve seen Joe Walsh live on Eagles Hell Freezez over tour back in 1996 in Norway. And man Joe Walsh has an extra quality touch on every thing he put`s his mark on too. This CD is not any exception. Track 1 Two sides to every story starts with a harmonica and a big heeey shout from Walsh and there you go. The rythm is cool, and the laidback quality "growl" singing from Walsh is great. Track 2 Ordinary average guy, is one of the realy funny one, on this CD. It`s a great homage to us average guys out there. It has a reagge rythm and also a certain "coolnees" which makes this something else to listen to. Track 3 The Gamma Goochee, is a minor let down. It`s like a children rhyme song. It`s fun in a way, and has a funky back beat, but sometimes it can be overkilled in a way. Track 4 All of a sudden is anyway a great ballad, where the creative use of fuzzy guitar sound, and an open airy sound picture lift`s this one up to a just great song. Track 5 Alphabetical order is a messy not to interesting song to lend you ear to. Forgetable. Track 6 Look at us now, with it`s jungle rythm drums, is studio extragavanza music, which realy has the force to bring out quality in every musical/vocal department. Track 7. I`m actin different, is an ordinary song which glimmers quality here and there. Average. Track 8 Up all night is anyway a winner, where Joe Walsh change his voice in a sentimental great way. A certain touch of synth quality plays lifts this one above average. Track 9 You might need somebody is even better with it`s airy soundpicture. This is a very quality pop song, which shines from beginíng to the end. Track 10 Where i grew up, is a sentimental prelude to track 11 School days. These are two songs bound together where the last one changes gear into a more light heavy metal mood song. All in all Joe Walsh "the funny" eagles "does it " most of the time on this one.

Through the early part of his career with the eagles he's always been the chief rocketeer.Although I grew somewhat tired of Hotel California I never grew tired of Take it to the Limit.I've always enjoyed Joe's earlier stuff up until the album CONFESSOR then I stopped abruptly.Joe needs to stop mixing sound styles and get back to where he belongs.Joe we need a good rock album we don't care if it's accoustic or love balads something!!!!

Ordinary Average Guy and Two Sides To Every Story are pretty good songs but other than that, I was disappointed..Joe was going through hard times but now that he is clean and sober, lets see how he does on his new album that he is working on right now...