Review Summary: Everybody say "I'm Cool!"
Joe Walsh is a rock n' roll institution. Over the course of his career he’s authored numerous classics with the James Gang and The Eagles, married into the rock royalty of Ringo Starr’s extended family, and was taught how to annihilate hotel suites by Keith “Drive a Car Into the Pool” Moon.
All that is impressive, but Walsh himself will tell you he finds his greatest attribute his sense of humor. He says it himself in The History of the Eagles, citing his laugh-ability as a way of easing the tension during the band’s so many fights. Sure, he’s a musical icon, but getting Don Henley to laugh? He should get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for that alone.
But seriously folks…
That easy-going sense of humor shines through on this fourth album of his. Its fun nature is apparent right from the get go of “Over and Over” as he sings about counting shoes and playing games, switching between euphoric guitar strumming and springy reggae rhythms. Then come the melodious “Ooo’s” backed by his lightning fast slide guitar. It’s quirky and buzz-inducing, a statement that Walsh is here to have some fun.
If the first song was about fun, the next pair are about total relaxation. “Second Hand Store” feels like a late afternoon summer breeze washing over your face as you sway back and forth in a rocking chair out front of an old timey general store. “Indian Summer” is that well-deserved jump in the pool after picking weeds on a sweltering day.
“At the Station” seems like it could have been a precursor to Walsh’s later hit, “In the City,” with crunchy guitars giving it a Thin Lizzy feel. “Tomorrow” acts as the procrastinator’s anthem, taking comfort in the fact that “it can wait until tomorrow.” Songs like this lead me to believe Joe Walsh is a much more clever, insanely more badass version of Jimmy Buffet.
The instrumental tandem of “Inner Tube” and “Theme from Boat Weirdos” paint a picture of a daybreak boat ride, when the water is glassy, maybe there’s a pelican or two skimming the surface, and everything is absolutely tranquil. If there were a motorboat version of Top Gun (which there absolutely should be), these would probably be the backing tracks in a lot of scenes.
That leads us to “Life’s Been Good,” the eight-minute odyssey chronicling the mythos of Walsh. It’s a tale of mischief, mayhem, luck, and gratitude. Sure, he’s been blessed with a Maserati that goes 185. But he lost his license, now he can’t drive. It’s a song about the balance, the plucky guitar riff of the intro countered with intense Spanish guitar strumming, the bounce of the humorous verses contrasted with the trippy jam section.
With the lyric “They say I’m crazy, but I have a good time,” Joe has come to a conclusion on his life. He might bonkers, but he’s bonkers with a smile on his face. And seriously folks, those are some words to live by.
