Joe Walsh - Rocky Mountain Way

Sunday, time for a classic.

"Rocky Mountain Way" is a 1973 song by rock guitarist Joe Walsh and his band Barnstorm, with writing credits given to Walsh, Rocke Grace, Kenny Passarelli, and Joe Vitale. The song was originally released on the album "The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get".

Reportedly inspired by the longtime Ohio native's move to Colorado, 'Rocky Mountain Way''s chunky slide guitar, lurching rhythm and rolling piano line does indeed capture the rugged natural beauty of that state.

Walsh appeared in studio on The Howard Stern Show on June 12, 2012 and talked about how the lyrics to the song came to him in 1972 shortly after releasing his first solo effort, "Barnstorm".

"I'm living in Colorado and I'm mowing the lawn. I look up and there's the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains and there's snow on them in the summer. And it knocked me back because it was just beautiful. And I thought, 'Well I have committed. I'm already in Colorado and it's too late to regret the James Gang. The Rocky Mountain way is better than the way I had, because the music was better.' I got the words. Bam!"

The song was used as the title to Walsh's 1985 compilation album, which featured previously released singles and tracks from albums "Barnstorm", "The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get" and "So What".

Today's tune is performed at CONAN on TBS with The Basic Cable Band. Enjoy!



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The James Gang - Funk #49

Sunday, time for a classic.

"Funk #49" is a tune by the American rock band THE JAMES GANG.

"Funk #49" became a staple of Album Oriented Rock and Classic Rock radio, but it wasn't the biggest chart hit for THE JAMES GANG - that would be "Walk Away," which made #51 in 1971 and was later reworked for Walsh's 1976 solo album "You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind". "Funk #49" is one of Joe Walsh's most popular songs, and by the mid-'70s he admitted that he couldn't stand playing it any more, but did so because fans loved it.

Walsh wrote this song with his bandmates, drummer Jim Fox and bass player Dale Peters. The song is about a girlfriend whose wild ways the singer just can't tame (the female equivalent of Joe Walsh's character in his solo hit "Life's Been Good"). There isn't much in the way of lyrics, as the song is mostly a showcase for Walsh's guitar work. He explained in the book The Guitar Greats, "I came up with the basic guitar lick, and the words never really impressed me intellectually, but they seemed to fit somehow. It was a real good example of how we put things together, bearing in mind that it was a three piece group, and I don't think that there was any overdubbing. The only thing we really added was the percussion middle part, which the three of us actually played, putting some parts on top of the drums, but that's the three piece James Gang, and that's the energy and kind of the symmetry we were all about."

THE JAMES GANG was an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band enjoyed moderate success with the singles "Funk #49" and "Walk Away," and are perhaps best remembered as the first popular band to feature the guitarist/vocalist Joe Walsh, who became solo musician and later a member of the EAGLES.

Enjoy todays classic!

At a Joe Walsh concert at The Nautica Pavillion in Cleveland, THE JAMES GANG are reunited onstage. Cleveland Ohio 1991


Joe Walsh, Funk 49, James Gang 1992



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Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good

Sunday, time for a classic tune. Today we turn back the year clock to 1978.

"Life's Been Good" is a song by Joe Walsh, which first appeared on the soundtrack to the film FM. It was released as a single and appeared on Walsh's album But Seriously, Folks.... It peaked at #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, remaining his biggest solo hit.

In the song, Walsh satirically reflects “I lost my license, now I don’t drive.” In fact Walsh explains that he simply lost his wallet and the driver’s license ("My Maserati does 185 (mph) / I lost my license, now I don't drive"). Also he adds the antics of all rockers of the era are reflected, such as the nod to Keith Moon and others: "I live in hotels/Tear out the walls."

The 1979 Rolling Stone Record Guide called it "riotous", and "(maybe) the most important statement on rock stardom anyone has made in the late Seventies."

"Life's Been Good" has a mid-tempo, reggae-like groove marked by bedrock guitar riffs, synthesizers, and humorous lyrics. Walsh's ARP Odyssey synthesizer riff accompanies the lead guitar in the middle of the song. The lead guitar in the outro is accompanied by the main riff. Bill Szymczyk and Jody Boyer perform the backing vocals.

Joe Walsh: "Lucky I'm sane after all I've been through"
Call: Bill Szymczyk: "Everybody says, "I'm cool""
Response: Jody Boyer: "He's cool"

Joe Walsh: "They say I'm lazy but it takes all my time"
Call: Bill Szymczyk: "Everybody say, "Oh, yeah""
Response: Jody Boyer: "Oh, yeah!"

At the end of the LP, there is a clip of an inside joke stating "uh-oh, here comes a flock of wah wahs", recorded from inside the studio. After the music has faded away into silence, there's a 10-second gap before the inside joke. That inside joke would also be included at the end of disc one of the Eagles' box set, Selected Works: 1972–1999. Made after Walsh had joined the Eagles, "Life's Been Good" was incorporated into that group's concert repertoire, appearing in shows at the time as well as reunion tours. It remains a staple of classic rock radio playlists.

In 2013 this song is sampled on Eminem's "So Far..." off of The Marshall Mathers LP 2, produced by Rick Rubin.

Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Walsh has been a member of five successful rock bands: the Eagles, the James Gang, Barnstorm, The Party Boys, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. In the 1990s, he was also a member of the short-lived supergroup The Best. He has also experienced success both as a solo artist and prolific session musician, being featured on a wide array of other artists' recordings. In 2011, Rolling Stone placed Walsh at the number 54 spot on its list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Todays tune "Life's Been Good" taken from the fourth studio album "But Seriously, Folks...", Released May 16, 1978



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Tom Petty - Don't Come Around Here No More

For around two weeks ago so we had to really celebrate a visit from no less than Tom Petty! It certainly was not last night he was here last, kind 20 years or so. That one have been waiting for this moment and wow what a gig it was. Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers rocked really at Globen and offered the entire registry when it came to selections from his musical treasure chest (check the setlist below).

Of course the camera went up, but only the portable camera, the "fine" camera had to stay home this evening. But Micke Sandström got the chance to shoot for real, so I take the opportunity to show some of his pictures, see below.

Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty (born October 20, 1950) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T. Wilbury, Jr. and Muddy Wilbury.

He has recorded a number of hit singles with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist, many of which remain heavily played on adult contemporary and classic rock radio. His music, and notably his hits, have become popular among younger generations as he continues to host sold-out shows. Throughout his career, Petty and his collaborators have sold 60 million albums.

Here are some pictures from the show, first my mediocre.

Here is some professional photos from the master man "Micke Sandström"

Todays tune "Don't Come Around Here No More" is a song written by Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and David A. Stewart of the Eurythmics. It was released in February 1985 as the lead single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 1985 album "Southern Accents".



The background of the tune:

The original inspiration was a romantic encounter that Stewart had with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. On The Howard Stern Show, Dave Stewart explained that the title's phrase was actually uttered by Nicks. She had broken up with Joe Walsh the night before, and invited Stewart to her place for a party after an early Eurythmics show in Los Angeles. Stewart did not know who she was at the time, but went anyway. When the party goers all disappeared to a bathroom for a couple of hours to snort cocaine, he decided to go upstairs to bed. He woke up at 5am to find Nicks in his room trying on Victorian clothing and described the entire scenario as very much reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. Later that morning, she told Walsh, "Don't come around here no more".

Setlist from the Stockholm show 14 Juni - 2012

Listen to Her Heart
You Wreck Me
I Won't Back Down
Here Comes My Girl
Handle with Care
Good Enough
Oh Well
Something Big
Don't Come Around Here No More
Free Fallin'
It's Good To Be King
Something Good Coming
Learning to Fly
Yer So Bad
I Should Have Known It
Refugee
Runnin' Down a Dream

Encore:

Mary Jane's Last Dance
American Girl



More info @

Official Tom Petty Web
Official Micke Sandström Web

Listen to ”Tom Petty - Don't Come Around Here No More" on Spotify here!

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