Old Enough to Forget

But Seriously Folks, released back in '78, was Joe's first solo album in a few years, and although I didn't know it at the time it was a pretty typical Joe Walsh record. ... that says nothing and makes no sense. Bear with me, I'm going to see what I can do with that and hopefully redeem myself. I have a pretty good idea what I meant. I'm just waiting for my coffee to kick in. Joe Walsh had been building his solo career after leaving The James Gang (I still remember going to the drive in theatre with my uncle Lloyd and my cousins where we saw Zachariah (if you know, you know) and The Holy Grail in a double feature. I'd see both movies more than once, and of those two I'd see one way more times than I should admit). While his first solo record Barnstorm did okay, it was his next two albums, The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get and So What that would go gold. Joe was setting out to be a pretty significant solo artist. Then he joined the Eagles and put hi...

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 Y ou 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...