THE JAMES GANG - Yer' Album (1969) & Rides Again (1970) The James Gang's debut LP, Yer' Album,...

THE JAMES GANG - Yer' Album (1969) & Rides Again (1970) The James Gang's debut LP, Yer' Album, was very much a first record and very much a record of its time. The heavy rock scene of the period was given to extensive jamming, and four tracks ran more than six minutes each. The group had written some material, but they were still something of a cover band, and the disc included their extended workouts on Buffalo Springfield's "Bluebird" and the Yardbirds' "Lost Woman," the latter a nine-minute version complete with lengthy guitar, bass, and drum solos. But in addition to the blues rock there were also touches of pop and progressive rock, mostly from Walsh who displayed a nascent sense of melody, not to mention some of the taste for being a cutup that he would display in his solo career. Walsh's "Take a Look Around" must have made an impression on Pete Townshend during the period before the album's release when the James Gang was opening for the Who since Townshend borrowed it for the music he was writing for the abortive Lifehouse follow-up to Tommy. If "Wrapcity (i.e., Rhapsody) in English," a minute-long piano and strings interlude, seems incongruous in retrospect, recall that this was an eclectic era. But the otherwise promising "Fred," which followed, broke down into a pedestrian jazz routine, suggesting that the band was trying to cram too many influences onto one record and sometimes into one song. Nevertheless, they were talented improvisers, as the open-ended album closer, Jerry Ragavoy and Mort Shuman's "Stop," made clear. After ten minutes, Szymczyk faded the track out, but Walsh was still going strong. Yer' Album contained much to suggest that the James Gang, in particular its guitarist, had a great future, even if it was more an album of performances than compositions. With their second album Rides Again, the James Gang came into their own. Under the direction of guitarist Joe Walsh, the group - now featuring bassist Dale Peters - began incorporating keyboards into their hard rock, which helped open up their musical horizons. For much of the first side of Rides Again, the group tear through a bunch of boogie numbers, most notably the heavy groove of "Funk #49." On the second side, the James Gang departs from their trademark sound, adding keyboard flourishes and elements of country-rock to their hard rock. Walsh's songwriting had improved, giving the band solid support for their stylistic experiments. What ties the two sides of the record together is the strength of the band's musicianship, which burns brightly and powerfully on the hardest rockers, as well as on the sensitive ballads. THE JAMES GANG - Live In Concert (1971) 01. Stop 02. You're Gonna Need Me 03. Take A Look Around 04. Tend My Garden 05. Ashes, The Rain And I 06. Walk Away 07. Lost Woman The James Gang earned a great number of fans through their live performances, so it made sense that they would release a live record within months of their successful third album. Live in Concert captures much of the energy of their live performances, with Joe Walsh's guitar solos catching fire on nearly every song. However, the record also makes it clear that he was beginning to outgrow the confines of the James Gang, as Fox and Peters struggled to keep up with his imaginative playing for most of the album. Download: THE JAMES GANG - Yer' Album (1969) @320 http://www104.zippyshare.com/v/Vk40V5cA/file.html THE JAMES GANG - Rides Again (1970) @320 http://www87.zippyshare.com/v/V5HmlqdA/file.html THE JAMES GANG - Live In Concert (1971) @320 http://www66.zippyshare.com/v/Vf1DEk5u/file.html PASSWORD: zinhof