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Joe Walsh - You Bought It - You Name It

By 1983, I was already a huge fan of Joe Walsh. He was the court jester who also managed to be the king of his castle. I knew he was an Eagle, and he and Don Felder were the Wonder Twins thanks to "Hotel California," but what sealed it for me was his 1979 contribution to The Warriors soundtrack, "In the City" - a song that hit me in the feels and, to this day, is one of my desert island songs. The Eagles' version was okay too, but it didn't have the same kick in the happy sack as the original.

Fast forward to the spring of 1983, and Joe Walsh released You Bought It - You Name It, which to me is one of his best releases ever. As much as I like his other stuff, when I go to a Joe Walsh album, it's this one. Go figure. I guess I was primed for this one, given that one of my favourite songs from the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack (the same soundtrack that introduced me to Oingo Boingo) was his throwaway track "Waffle Stomp." When I lost most of my records many years ago, this was the only one of his I managed to save. It's a little worse for wear, but it plays, and eventually I picked it up on CD, so now I have more than one copy. If you want the definitive collection, try and find Look What I Did! - it's a great chronological collection of many of his best moments through the years.

The album charges out of the gate with "I Can Play That Rock and Roll," and then Joe and Don re-team on "Told You So," and the album is off to the races. Of course there are silly songs, like "The Worry Song," which still cracks me up. But it's his musical rehash of "Waffle Stomp" on "I.L.B.T.s" (it's a boob song) that still makes me laugh out loud. It is as ridiculous now as it was when I was 20. Maybe more so, because now I should know better, but apparently I don't. Maturity is overrated.

Oddly, the one song I still struggle with is "Space Age Whiz Kids" - it felt flat then, and even now I'm just waiting for it to end. It really is the only fly in the ointment for me on the album. Strangely, it's playing right now and I'm enjoying it. Give me five minutes and I'll forget I ever liked it once it stops playing. Among the other highlights for me are "Shadows," which shouldn't work as well as it does, and the moody "Class of '65." The album closes with a Joe Walsh/Joe Vitale instrumental, "Theme from Island Weirdos," which sort of puts a cherry on top of the whole thing.

I can see why this album wasn't especially well received, but to me it was the perfect combination of the right time and place, and it's an indelible part of my musical DNA.

I bought it, named it and kept it. I just called it "Left and Right" - it was hard to choose.

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