98: James Gang – Rides Again

Ah, Joe Walsh, is there nothing you can't do? For any rock student, James Gang Rides Again (1970) is required listening. Has "Funk #49" been overplayed? Maybe but not as much as other lesser quality Joe Walsh songs. The guitar in "Funk #49" is unrivaled fun, so recognizable yet more complex the more you listen to it. And who hasn't looked at a friend at some point and spontaneously sung "Bowowowowow, dunk-chicka-chicka-dunk-dunk, chicka-chicka-dunk-dunk-chicka-chicka-dunk-dunk"? Come on, admit it.

Rides Again teaches everyone one thing: if you are going to play the guitar do it with style. At the time of this album, Joe Walsh is the vocalist and primary influence on the sound of the band. James Gang went through many personnel changes over the years but James Gang Rides Again is the album to have if you could only have one of them.

All of the tracks are outstanding. Most people know "Funk #49" from classic rock stations. But "The Bomber" could fool the untrained ear into thinking it was from Led Zepplin. The acoustic song "Garden Gate" is excellent and is begging you like a drunken friend to sing along.

Overall James Gang Rides Again is a perfect example of a rich rock album with folk, blues, country, and hard rock influences. This is how they used to make albums back in the day when they walked uphill both ways to School of Rock.

Tagged as: 100 Days 100 Albums, Joe Walsh, Music, School of Rock, Self Absorbed Clap Trap