Joe Walsh - There Goes the Neighborhood

When I first bought There Goes the Neighborhood I knew who Joe Walsh was, but other than a couple of songs on the radio I hadn't had the opportunity to hear any of his solo records. This was also true of the Eagles, but that's only tangentially related. The first Eagles record I'd pick up was Eagles Live in 1980 which more or less cemented my appreciation for Joe Walsh as a player. When Joe released There Goes the Neighborhood in '81 it would be my gateway into his solo career. I didn't quite know what to do with this one when I first heard it - this was a weird album. To me Joe Walsh was the rocker who wrote "In the City" for The Warriors soundtrack and was the guy who did "Rocky Mountain Way" and despite my teenage protestations that Triumph did it better - in the long run, Canada's other power trio couldn't hold a candle to the original. Of course "Life's Been Good" is pretty much the penultimate Joe Walsh song, but that was from But Seriously, Folks... his previous album from 1978.

All of this is just a long winded way of saying I was expecting (wanting) more of the rock and roll Joe Walsh, not whatever this was. I remember being profoundly disappointed the first time I played this through. However, it didn't take very long for me to change my mind. I didn't grow up on his solo albums, and didn't realize he was more often than not introspective and his music was organic and intricate than straight ahead three chord rock and roll.

Despite this not grabbing me right away, I still played There Goes the Neighborhood ... a lot. I was determined to like it, and by gum I was going to like it. Honestly it wasn't hard to like this. Probably the first song to get my attention was "Rivers (of the Hidden Funk)" with the steady groove that was masterfully played by George "Chocolate" Perry. It didn't hurt that the song also featured Don Felder, who co-wrote and accompanied Joe on guitar. I wish they'd have let loose at the end of the song ... instead we got a fade out. A bummer of a holdover from the '70s. FADE OUTS SUCK.

Once I started getting into the album it didn't take long for the songs to get under my skin. I liked that Joe revelled in the absurd as much as he did the reflective and poignant - yeah, that's right I think Joe Walsh is more often than not poignant. Just when you think you have him sorted out, up pops "Down on the Farm" and my first thought, and still is, what the hell is going on? The fact he brought in David Lindley to play fiddle (credited as violin) and Russ Kunkel to sit in on the triangle while Joe Walsh tried not to hit his teeth while playing the jaws harp (which is the more polite name than what I grew up calling it). I love this song.

Joe Walsh was at his best when balancing the absurd and the poignant (I told you he was poignant) and he never stoops to crafting novelty songs. "Things" that opens the album is a blend of both worlds and Joe and the band gamely work their way through the songs. This was Joe arguably at the top of his game.

I always thought this was a hit record, one that he'd be able to hang on his wall. After all his previous studio albums had been certified gold, with But Seriously Folks... going platinum it didn't seem unreasonable to think There Goes the Neighborhood would be another feather in his hat. Nope. To me it was a hit, and I would be in line cash in hand as each album dropped over the next decade. Sure each record would sell a little less than the one before but it didn't matter, there was always something worthwhile and this was the album that set the hook ... line and sinker.