Maybe my favorite Joe Walsh album...
. . and I have 'em all! I remember when this came out, WNEW in New York was playing 'Things,' 'Rivers (Of The Hidden Funk' and 'A Life of Illusion' in moderately heavy rotation. Basically, for a few months, if you had the radio on all day at work (like I did in those days) you could bet on hearing at least one song from that record every day.
I agree with some of you that this was Joe stepping away from blues based songwriting, and in my opinion, doing it in a very refreshing manner. If you like his harmonic sense on the SO WHAT? album, I think you'll like this one too.
Ahhhh. . . . I just put it on my iPod!.
There goes the neighborhood
The incredible talent in guitar and lyrics are as relevent now as they were when written - just as joe learned to fly as an eagle. Classic Joe - no collection is complete without this one. I believe life of illusion and you never know. we all have things. .
Walsh's quintessential '80s album
After the (first) dissolution of the Eagles, Walsh returned to his solo career, but in a different, lighter, more pop-influenced direction. If you want to know whether or not peering into Walsh's later-day output would be worth your while, this album is the wisest place to start.
Admittedly, it's lightweight stuff, especially compared to his James Gang/Barnstorm era output, though a comparison could be drawn between this album and the eclectic pop of The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get. This release essentially marked the transition from blues-based hard rock with a wry sense of humor to a general sort of silliness with an accompanying lightness to the music. The exception hre is "Life of Illusion", a 10-year old demo he finally fleshed out; the grainy sound, mostly-acoustic guitars (save for a nice slide solo in the middle) and drunken mariachi trumpets (courtesy of Kenny Passarelli) give the song a sound like "the Beatles meet Santo and Johnny," as one critic put it.
The rest of the album is an amiable blend of generally upbeat of pop-rock, with good-natured humor like the wordplay throughout "Things" and the silly hoedown-rock of "Down on the Farm". The more serious tracks, like "Made Your Mind Up", "Rivers", and "You Never Know" are not unlike some of his older, harder-edged tunes, if they were toned down a bit and given a shine rather than layers of heavy distorted guitars. It suits them fairly well, making for a surprisingly nimble balance between his roots and the current environment. Unfortunately, even if you like this album, his output goes downhill hereafter; some of it's not bad, but he hasn't been as good since.
Overall, the four stars are because I've got a soft spot for this album, as it's the first Joe Walsh album--and the album that got me into the guy--when I was rustling through my parents' collection of old vinyls. Subtract a star and a half if lightweight goofiness and pop-rock isn't your thing, but on its own terms, it's a pretty good album and it shows Walsh making the transition to the '80s rather well; a shame he couldn't keep it up.
Great music... Don't listen to Macho Man!
Too bad Macho Man is too busy being gay to realize it. Joe Walsh is a spectacular musician with talent that makes other musical artists look pathetic. Whether with the James Gang, Eagles, or Solo, Joe Walsh rules. Anyone who gives this release less than four stars doesn't know what good music is. Macho Man, shut the hell up and get a life outside bashing the (very good) reviews of Mr. Reardon. I am the Reaper, and I'll be seeing you in hell very soon.
Down on the Farm
These are two great songs. I give this album 4 stars because of Life of Illusion and Down on the Farm. Life of illusion is a serious song with excellent guitar work. Down on the farm is a comical song that also has some cool guitar in it. Mabey this album isn't his best or anywhere near it, but there are at least two good songs on it.
You can see a complete list of all Joe Walsh discography, or go back to the Joe Walsh tabs
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