Tuesday, August 28, 2012

SOD: James Gang "The Bomber"

Fuck The Eagles. Don Henley and Glenn Frey were assholes. But Joe Walsh was always aces in my book. I saw him perform twice in New York. Once when the James Gang got back together, and once solo. Both shows were worth the admission. Granted he's a little older and a little harder to understand, but the show itself was proof that the man can still play. We stood the whole time, much to the dismay of the dinosaurs behind us. There was a bit of a nostalgic feeling my father said, watching these "old guys" try and relive the glory days, but it wasn't too much so as to interfere with the music itself. That was still fresh, and the show was still fun. Joe Walsh is truly a piece of work.

"The Bomber" is as raw as it gets. I remember it took me a little time before I really listened to this song. At first it was all Joe Walsh hits, like "Rocky Mountain Way," "In The City," and "Life's Been Good" type songs. Then when I started getting into James Gang stuff it was "Funk No. 49," "Ashes, The Rain, And I," and "Walk Away." That's when a friend of mine said to me, "What about The Bomber man? That's the James Gang's best song!" Well lets just say he was right. The Bomber is rock and roll at it's finest. At first, it's an unrelenting assault, but when it backs off and Joe Walsh lets the the guitar and music breath a bit, you can almost fall into a trance, depending on what you're doing. I'd advise against that if you're driving or working with any machinery. And you've absolutely got to love the "march" that follows the aforementioned spacial interlude, before it goes into a really pretty melodic section. Somehow they make it all work together, like a Jumbalaya of form and feeling. The one thing it never loses though, is that incredible guitar.

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