Customer Reviews

The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Rocky Mountain Way" is the best cut hands down. The work is uneven, however, because there are several stinkers: "Wolf" (a depressing largo tempo can really drag you down), "Midnight Moodies" (a throaway), and "Dreams." Nevertheless, SMOKER stands head and shoulders above its predecessor, BARNSTORM.

That's my imitation of the opening vocal of "Meadows". For quite some time, it was the last tune I'd play back then when closing time came at the record store and it was played hot on the heels of "Rocky Mountain Way", with the volume cranked to 11, I might add.

We all needed that kind of break to get ourselves out of the work frame of mind and into the rest of our lives. The early '70s had much that was positive, but also plenty to worry about. The overall tone of The Smoker You Drink fit seamlessly into the fabric of early 70's life and that's a huge part of what makes it a rock classic. Joe was on a roll! This is another record that today could easily be rated 4 or even 3 stars, but in the context of its release, is a solid 5.

I am not going to review this album here, the previous reviews say all that needs to be said. I am simply voicing the long over due need to REMASTER Joe's back catalogue: 'Barnstorm', 'The Smoker You Drink...', 'So What?' How about it MCA? You did the right thing with the first 3 'James Gang' albums, particularly 'Yer Album'. It's time!

I first heard this album in 1973 at the tender age of 10 and it has stayed with me ever since.

I actually think Joe Walsh was rather lucky teeming up with such a brilliant musician as Joe Vitale whose drums and flute playing on this LP are quite outstanding. His later material - largely without the help of Vitale - never reached this creative high.

The album is highly eclectic in turns blues rock (the famous 'Rocky Mountain Way'), instrumental jazz in ' Midnight Moodies'where Vitale produces some electric flute and one of my favourites the moving 'Bookends' which sounds like an 'out-take' from Joe Vitale's long lost first solo LP of the following year.

For those who are interested Bob Harris actually played a track on 'Roller Coaster Weekend' (Joe Vitale's Lp) on the Old Grey Whistle Test in the UK.

This is the sort of LP that a serious rock fan should not ignore, but would perhaps never consider. The creativity and musicianship on display here make great listening, but for methe 1972 Barnstorm LP IS still his finest hour.

If you were keeping up with the rock scene in the late summer of '73 this album sounded so cool, like nothing you'd ever heard before. "Meadows" was the song I liked the most. They played "Rocky Mountain Way" to death but every once in awhile it still doesn't sound too bad. This whole album is great, check out the end of "Days Gone By". "Happy Ways" has a great bass line and "Midnight Moodies" the only instrumental has some good flute playing. This isn't your typical bass, drums, guitar, vocals rock album. There's alot of extras thrown in and it took me over 2 years to get tired of hearing this album on a fairly regular basis. At one time it was my favorite. I don't have a favorite now but this is still one of them.

Definitely a peak in his creativity. Listening to this you wonder is this the same guy who gave us classics like I.L.B.Ts.

Its not your typical 70's classic rock album either. Unlike the popular opening tack (Rocky Mountain Way), in my opinion the albums weakest track, the rest of it is a masterful score covering so many moods from the dark "Wolf" to the bouncy "Happy Ways" to the breezy "Days Gone By".

I don't own another Joe Walsh disc, and probably never will, yet this remains a favorite in my collection.

One last note, try programming the songs to play last to first, it has a really great feel to it.

Fresh off the heels of his James Gang success comes Joe Walsh's first solo album with the nonsensical title "The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get." This album contains the hit smash "Rocky Mountain Way". There are some hidden gems here as well, like the somber "Book Ends", the tame "Wolf", the Jethro Tull-esque flute vibes heard in "Days Gone By" and also in the lone instrumental "Midnight Moodies". Psychedelic folk-rock can be found in "Happy Ways", and a similar sound of Todd Rundgren's "I Went To The Mirror" can be heard in "Dreams". "Meadows" features good straight-ahead rock 'n roll, while the short and sweet "Daydream (Prayer)" closes out this CD on a high note. For those of you still suffering from "James Gang Postpartum Depression", I advise you to pick up a copy of "TSYD, TPYG". Listening to this classic rock gem will cure those "Midnight Moodies" for sure!

This is an outstanding album, definitely in my all-time Top 20, and still waiting to be remastered. (The follow-up "So What" is pretty good, too.)

One tragedy it highlights is that drummer/flautist Joe Vitale's wonderful solo album "Roller Coaster Weekend" has never been transferred to CD, to my knowledge. Until that happens -- and it's going to take a campaign by fans to achieve that -- then this magnificent album is our best reminder of what Walsh and Vitale achieved together.

Who knows what Joe could have achieved if he hadn't joined the Eagles? He certainly gave them a power injection, but his solo career never again hit the heights that this rocky mountain album reached.

Not counting the albums he did with the James Gang and Barnstorm, this is Joe Walsh's best album, and not just because it kicks off with the classic hit "Rocky Mountain Way." In later years, Walsh would derail his career with sloppy songwriting and lame jokiness. But here his guitar is still as crisp as the fine batch of songs he chooses to apply it to. "Happy Ways" and "Meadows" are two other standouts, but there are no bad songs. This is a solid 1970s classic rock album.

One of the all time classic rock ALBUMs. These tunes hang together as well as the best Zepplin record. Some are great (Rocky Mtn Way, Meadows) others are just fun. Walsh has never done better than this record.