Customer Reviews

The James Gang Greatest Hits

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The James Gang were midwest rockers and this collection is a great play and way to them featuring their famous singles and solid selection of material from their early albums with wonderful historical track and song notes from their producer (who also played a large hand with that great other USA band,J.Geils Band. Funny how Geils were blues and funky while the James Gang were rockers and more folkie,anyway..)
This is THE Joe Walsh period Collection.
Spent a few hours with this CD yesterday and it does not dissapoint and plays very well straight through basically gathering great songs from the Yer Album,James Gang Rides Again`Thirds,and their Live Album..there are also a couple of tracks from the soundtrack they scored.
Their clever lyrics,hard rocking guitar sound,experimental studio soundscapes of the time, were still always a form of melodic rock with that raspy voiced Walsh certainly unmistakable in their uniqueness.They should be taken seriously like the groups The Band,Love,Steppenwolf as musicians that stood out from the crowd.
Their 1960's posturing always came off sincere because they were a bunch of great players for their brief stay in their original lineup..You may find yourself checking out all their earlier faithfully restored re-releases mentioned above with great sound and notes as well.All this coming in just a couple of short years..

Who was the best American power trio of the 1960's? After listening to this CD, you'd have to rank The James Gang at the top of the list and perhaps even rename them The Jimmy Fox Experience! Undoubtedly one of the great American percussionists and a musical protege of the jazz saxaphonist Weasel Parker, Fox began professionally in his teens with The Outsiders ("Time Won't Let Me") and then decided to form his own band. Over the years the band went through many personnel changes, but Fox remained the constant and the group was powered by a series of ace lead guitarists. The first was Glenn Schwartz, a tremendous player rooted in the blues who went on to Pacific Gas & Electric. The original bassist was Tom Kriss, who went on to a series of meaningless jobs at very low wages. Taking Schwartz's place was the inimitable Joe Walsh and it is this version of The James Gang with Dale Peters on bass that roared out of Cleveland to national and international acclaim. All of the cuts on this CD are from the Fox-Walsh-Peters years. Their two biggest hits -"Funk #49" and "Walk Away" - are here along with a couple studio rarities and some powerful live cuts and the great news is that every tune here still holds up after 30 plus years. Talk about your grand funk - The James Gang blew the roof completely off the Midwest! Spend your money on this one!

I don't really like greatest hits packages, but this one does a nice job summarizes the first few albums that had Joe Walsh onboard. Putting aside the radio hits, this is a surprisingly effective and cohesive look at a creative rock trio in the late 60s and early 70s. I especially like the slower songs, such as "Take a Look Around," which features plaintive singing, organ work, and sounds a lot like very early Todd Rundgren. "Ashes the Rain and I" is another quieter song that really works.

But the highlight is clearly "Bomber," which hits you over the head with multiphased songs, changes, and sequences, an epic tune that leaves you blissfully satisfied and ready for that final toke before you go to bed.....

I bought this CD for the two unavailable titles from the movie, ZACARIAH. LAGUNA SALADA and COUNTRY HEAT are two great songs from the movie. Other titles include I DON'T HAVE THE TIME and TAKE A LOOK AROUND from YER ALBUM. Tracks from RIDES AGAIN include ASSTON PARK, WOMAN, THE BOMBER, TEND MY GARDEN, and THE ASHES THE RAIN AND I. Songs from THIRDS are also included such as WALK AWAY and MIDNIGHT MAN. Tracks from the LIVE album are also on this compilation. The remastering is excellent with well written notes from the producer of the JAMES GANG, Bill Symczyk. Well worth the money.

Look, it's like this: the Zachariah movie soundtrack cuts are for completists only. The live cuts jar the ambience and really don't give it up. "Lost Woman" and "Bluebird" are not included and truly do belong. I know it is rare that a "Greatest Hits" will satisfy all listeners, but these changes would have fulfilled expectations (although I must agree that post Walsh James Gang should be on another disc). Whatever happened to Tom Kriss? I don't know of anyone but Jack Bruce that could play it with such energy in the power trio format. And I've got to argue with the reviewer that holds Jim Fox in such low esteem ... Fox was (is?) more than just a drummer: he added quite a bit of color into the mix and was precise and tight. Do yourself a favor: skip this, and spend the money for "Yer Album" and then "Thirds"; if that doesn't hold ya, go ahead and round it out with "Rides Again". You'll be glad you did.

For all of his success as a solo artist and with the Eagles, In my opinion Joe Walsh never regained the creativity (or the powerhouse rhythm section)he had with here the James Gang. If they'd had more support from their record label (ABC Records-you should've stuck with tv guys!) they easily could've picked up where Cream left off in the Jammin'Power Trio sweepstakes, and even made Led Zeppelin look over their shoulders. This album collected everything I remembered ("Walk Away"-still kicks!)and some new Gems that I'd never heard before ("Funk #48, "Laguna Salada", the COMPLETE "The Bomber" medley). If you love dirty, distorted guitar that sounds better the louder you play it, this is "Yer Album"! Crank it up!

Despite the popularity and airplay of signature songs, "Walk Away", and "Funk #49", The James Gang never had a hit single and their Greatest Hits album is really 'greatest album tracks'. When guitarist Joe Walsh joined the group around 1970, they became a hugely popular boogie driven hard rock band, steered by Walsh's creative and quick turns on guitar. Some of this is decidedly progressive with heavy accomanying orchestration, (surprise!), and some of it is just meek and slightly bizarre, (Midnight Man), but The Gang were best as a blues influenced power trio. "Bomber", finds Walsh flirting with cloud gazing riffs, razor edge chords and echoey distortion in a 'pass the bong' Zepplin inspired masterwork that defines '70's FM radio.

About a month or so before "Yer Album" was released,I attended a show at the Boston Tea Party...the act was Delaney and Bonnie featuring Eric Clapton...at a ticket price of $3.50.Unbeknown to me ,the opening act was a band called "The James Gang".Who?The only musical diversity a kid had in a small suburb north of Boston was a small start up FM station,WBCN.They were still working out the kinks.
Well, the lights went down, and out stepped..or was that stumbled, Joe Walsh.The 45 minute set that followed was one of the most innovated, melodic,textured rock I had ever heard.I was totally blown away.Joes bag of tricks were well mastered.And the sound quality was crisp and clean.And did I say LOUD!?What?
Yer Album was released a month later, and I was the first in town to own it.You see we had to order records that werent being pushed by the big guys. I convinced our record store owner... an appliance store with three bins of records behind the "Maytags on Sale"..to feature "Yer Album" in the store front window.He ended up selling all 4 copies.I bought two,I wore out the first.
When this CD came out,I had to have it.My James Gang collection is..yes,vinyl. The selection is excellent but,where is Fred? Bluebird? Lost Woman?
Some of the best rock and roll ever.
And its Straaaange.
Oh yeah,Delaney and Bonnie were pretty good too..I think the British kid on second lead could really become something.

The James Gangs Greatest Hits once and for all on CD. This CD includes Walk Away, I Dont Have The Time, Take A Look Around, Funk#48, Funk#49, Collage, Asshtonpark, Women, Tend My Garden, The Bomber, Closet Queen, Bolero, Cast Your Fate To The Wind, Laguna Salada, Country Fever, Midnight Man, Stop LIVE, Your Gonna Need Me LIVE, and Ashes The Rain And I. This CD is great for any classic rock fan. This was released in 2000 on CD MCA it includes a booklet with cool pictures. If you never heard the James Gang then buy this CD it will blow your mind away. ENJOY!!!!

Even though this is a greatest hits cd, it probably has songs you have never heard if you're not a huge James Gang fan already. I have a very large music collection and this cd is one I pull out a lot. It has The Bomber, which is one of the best songs ever- for real. This is a cd you'll want to take with you camping, listen to with friends, drink a beer, reminisce, dance, clean house, etc.. if you are any kind of music lover you must own this cd.