Definitely worth it, Kim. I have a feeling you're going to love it!
Yeah, it's worth it by far! Just got my copy from Ebay and it's great.
'Down On The Farm' got me LOL when I listened to this at work the other day. I've been cranking Joe daily on the iPod and that song came up.
I love 'A Life Of Illusion', always have.
'Rockets' is a sweet love song.
As I get more into this, I'm sure I'll write more about some of the other songs.
Happy 33rd "There Goes The Neighborhood".
I have to shamefully admit I see this one every time I go in my record store locally but never buy it. I just don't like enough of the songs on it to buy it. I have The Smoker You Drink, So What, But Seriously Folks etc on vinyl but those are my faves. I'm still looking for Barnstorm...
I like a lot of Joe's solo music but some of it is a bit off the beaten path --- too much for me. I'm a rocker who has a smoother RnB/light rock acoustic side when I'm in the mood for it. But I don't dig things that are too "out there" or experimental. I try not to be a hits only guy but I can't help myself sometimes. I just dig songs that happen to mostly be hits.
Probably why I don't love Pink Floyd as much as some do. I dig them and certainly appreciate them but I couldn't listen to any album of theirs without skipping a couple (at least) tracks I'm afraid. Same with RUSH. I like some stuff but then some stuff makes me shake my head lol.
-Austin-
Resident Guitar Slinger
Fan of the Eagles from 1972-2016 #NOGLENNNOEAGLES
RIP Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner
"So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key..."
-Austin-
Resident Guitar Slinger
Fan of the Eagles from 1972-2016 #NOGLENNNOEAGLES
RIP Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner
"So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key..."
Okay - I missed this earlier in the week, but
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD!!!
I'll put it in the CD player and give it a listen this week to celebrate.
"People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016
Happy 34th Birthday to There Goes The Neighborhood!!!
Only yesterday I happened to listen to the super. funked up. live version of You Never Know, loved i t and thought I must dig out There Goes The Neighborhood again.
I still think of it as Joe's second album during his Eagles stint although the Eagles were unofficially split when it came out.
I thought all the tracks were Eagles rejects, before I got to hear the 1973 Barnstorm instrumental version of Life Of Illusion, The James Gang playing the Bones riff and the tale that Rockets originated from a pre-James Gang piano lick. Rivers (Of The Hidden Funk) was definitely one of the Long Run Leftovers.
First track I heard was the pre-album release single, Life Of Illusion. Not enough chorus to be a hit, imho. Second was Bones on TV show, The Old Grey Whistle Test accompanied by ancient black and white cartoon clips featuring skeletons. It flashed by so quickly, it didn't really register musically. Next was the single's amusing b-side Down On The Farm ("Cows and horses and sheeps and pigs")
I'll never forget walking up to the HMV Record Store counter, asking for the new Joe Walsh single and being handed Shaddup Your Face!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaddap_You_Face
When I finally got the album, I was a bit bemused by the prominence of George Perry's Bass. There were more bass leads than guitar licks. Opening track, Things, lead me to believe that Joe was struggling to follow up the lyrically unforgettable, career highlight, Life's Been Good.
You Made Your Mind Up was ok and had a great new guitar solo. Down On The Farm turned out to be the rockiest track on the album. Rivers (Of The Hidden Funk) had great talk-box guitar from co-writer Don Felder, a nice chorus and a fabulous outro guitar solo.
Both Things and River (OTHF) have great T. Schmit backing vocals, although, one of them is actually Jody Boyer (Joe's wife at the time, I believe).
Side 2 starts with Life Of Illusion, followed by Bones, which contains a rather lovely vocal harmony section which would be right at home on an Eagles album. Rockets is a pretty, piano keyboard ballad, nicely short on vocals and has some appealing percussion. The final track, You Never Know, has a great funky groove, great lyrics and Jody again (rather than TBS) providing a percussive vocal hook.
There are no real stand out tracks. Some reviews said it lacked a real rocker, although different publications, at the time, picked out A Life Of Illusion, Rivers (Of The Hidden Funk) and You Never Know as the albums best track(s).
As much as I loved There Goes The Neighborhood, I still viewed it as Joe's weakest solo album up to that point.
Quite a few years later I got to reappraise the album after reading an article, I'm pretty sure it was, about guitarist Robin Trower, who declared himself to be a huge Walsh fan. He said The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get is a great album but it's only Joe's second best album. Robin claimed Joe's best album to be, There Goes The Neighborhood.
Ever since I've loved There Goes The Neighborhood a lot more. It perfectly compliments Joe's earlier albums.
His voice sounds great. The music and lyrics (printed on the sleeve) are first rate. Joe's guitar playing is subtly brilliant. George Perry's Bass playing is fantastic. Joe Vitale is, as always, truly great. We get; David Lindley playing violins, Joe playing the jaw harp, it's got a Barnstorm reunion, an Eagles outtake, maybe a touch too much humour but in retrospect it's right up there with his best albums.