Barnstorm (album)

Last updated
Barnstorm
Joe Walsh - Barnstorm.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 1972 [1]
RecordedMarch 1972
Studio Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado
Genre
Length37:48
Label ABC-Dunhill
Producer Bill Szymczyk
Joe Walsh and Barnstorm chronology
Barnstorm
(1972)
The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get
(1973)

Barnstorm is the debut studio album by the American band Barnstorm, which was formed by guitarist Joe Walsh after he left the James Gang. The album was released in October 1972 on the labels ABC and Dunhill. It was the first album to be recorded at Caribou Ranch in Colorado.

Contents

History

With this album, Walsh moved away from the hard rock sound of the James Gang, with Barnstorm exploring a more folk-based, acoustic sound, influenced by such artists as James Taylor and Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

Taking a cue from The Who's guitarist Pete Townshend, Walsh utilized the ARP Odyssey synthesizer on such songs as "Mother Says" and "Here We Go." Walsh also experimented with acoustic guitar, slide guitar, fuzzboxes and keyboards as well as running his guitar straight into a Leslie 122 to get swirly, organ-like guitar tones. The lone hard rock track on Barnstorm, "Turn To Stone", has become the best known song from the album, since Walsh later re-recorded it for his solo album So What .

At the time of its release, Barnstorm was only moderately successful. For many years, the only CD version available was an expensive Japanese import. Nonetheless, the album became a cult classic among Walsh fans. It was later reissued in the U.S. on CD by Hip-O Select/Geffen Records in January 2006.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]

Writing for AllMusic, critic Thom Jurek called the track "Birdcall Morning" a masterpiece and one of the greatest rock and roll love songs of the early 1970s. In his review, he wrote of the album "While it's true that Walsh established himself as a late-'60s/early-'70s guitar hero on the Gang's more boogie-oriented rock numbers, it's Walsh's love of lushly textured production and spacey, open-ended songs featuring both acoustic and electric guitars that is showcased here on this wildly adventurous and forgotten unqualified masterpiece... Walsh tips the scales one more time back to the mysterious in the acoustic guitar and harmonica moment "Comin' Down." It's another love song, which evokes the notion of the past as a way of creating a hopeful present. And it just whispers to a close, leaving the listener literally stunned at what has just transpired in the space of 35 minutes." [2]

2011 reissue

On 29 December 2011, the original mix of the album was reissued in Japan in a miniature replica of the original album artwork. The album was remastered using Direct Stream Digital (DSD) to transfer the digital files. The release was a limited edition in the SHM-CD format. The reissue included a picture of the original vinyl label. [3]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Joe Walsh, unless otherwise noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Here We Go" 4:58
2."Midnight Visitor" 3:13
3."One and One" 1:15
4."Giant Bohemoth" Joe Vitale, Walsh4:19
5."Mother Says" Kenny Passarelli, Vitale, Walsh6:14
6."Birdcall Morning" 3:42
7."Home" 2:53
8."I'll Tell the World" Alan Gordon, Allan Jacobs3:54
9."Turn to Stone"Terry Trebandt, Walsh5:16
10."Comin' Down" 1:54
Total length:37:48

"I'll Tell the World" is titled "I'll Tell the World About You" on the ABC Dunhill Label fixed to the album.

Personnel

Barnstorm
Session musicians
Production

Charts

Album - Billboard (United States)

YearChartPosition
1973Pop Albums79

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Walsh</span> American rock musician

Joseph Fidler Walsh is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles, his five-decade career has also included solo work and stints in two other successful rock bands: James Gang and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. He was also part of the New Zealand band Herbs. In the 1990s, he was a member of the short-lived supergroup The Best.

<i>Eagles Live</i> 1980 live album by Eagles

Eagles Live is the first live album by the American rock band Eagles, a two-LP set released on November 7, 1980. Although the Eagles were already in the process of breaking up, the band owed Elektra/Asylum Records one more album and fulfilled that contractual obligation with a release of performances from the Hotel California and The Long Run tours.

<i>The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get</i> 1973 studio album by Joe Walsh

The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get is the second studio album by American rock guitarist and singer Joe Walsh, released in 1973 by ABC-Dunhill Records in the United States and the United Kingdom, and was also released in Germany. It proved to be his commercial breakthrough, largely on the strength of the Top 40 hit single, "Rocky Mountain Way", which helped propel the album into the Top 10.

<i>So What</i> (Joe Walsh album) 1974 studio album by Joe Walsh

So What is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh. It was released in late 1974 on ABC-Dunhill Records.

<i>But Seriously, Folks...</i> 1978 studio album by Joe Walsh

But Seriously, Folks... is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh. The album was released in mid-1978, on the Asylum label. It included the satirical song "Life's Been Good". The original 8:04 album version of this track was edited down to 4:35 for single release, and this became Walsh's biggest solo hit, peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>You Bought It – You Name It</i> 1983 studio album by Joe Walsh

You Bought It – You Name It is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh. The album was released in mid 1983, on the label Warner Bros., two years after Walsh's successful album There Goes the Neighborhood. It was Walsh's second and final studio album to feature George "Chocolate" Perry as producer.

<i>Souvenirs</i> (Dan Fogelberg album) 1974 studio album by Dan Fogelberg

Souvenirs is the second studio solo album by the American rock singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg. The album was released in late 1974, on the label Epic Records. The album reached No. 17 on the Billboard 200 in March 1975 and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. Joe Walsh produced the album and played on ten of the eleven tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Szymczyk</span> American record producer (born 1943)

William Frank Szymczyk is an American music producer and recording engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of the 1970s, though–aside from continuing to work with Joe Walsh–he retired from the music business in 1990. He re-emerged in the late 2000s, taking on select projects including the 2007 Eagles album Long Road Out of Eden and the 2008 eponymous debut of Brian Vander Ark.

<i>Welcome</i> (Santana album) 1973 studio album by Santana

Welcome is the fifth studio album by Santana, released in 1973. It followed the jazz-fusion formula that the preceding Caravanserai had inaugurated, but with an expanded and different lineup this time. Gregg Rolie had left the band along with Neal Schon to form Journey, and they were replaced by Tom Coster, Richard Kermode and Leon Thomas, along with guest John McLaughlin, who had collaborated with Carlos Santana on Love Devotion Surrender. Welcome also featured John Coltrane's widow, Alice, as a pianist on the album's opening track, "Going Home" and Flora Purim on vocals. This album was far more experimental than the first four albums, and Welcome did not produce any hit singles.

<i>James Gang Rides Again</i> 1970 studio album by James Gang

James Gang Rides Again is the second studio album by American rock band James Gang. The album was released on the label ABC Records. It is the James Gang's first album to feature bassist Dale Peters.

<i>Too Late the Hero</i> (album) 1981 studio album by John Entwistle

Too Late the Hero is the fifth solo studio album by the English rock musician John Entwistle, released on 23 November 1981 by ATCO Records in the US, and by WEA in the UK. This was his only solo studio album of the 1980s and his last album to chart. The album peaked at No. 71 on the US Billboard 200, making it his best-selling album and his only album to reach the Top 100.

<i>White Light</i> (Gene Clark album) 1971 studio album by Gene Clark

White Light, aka Gene Clark, is the second solo album by Gene Clark, former member of The Byrds. It only achieved commercial success in the Netherlands, where rock critics also voted it album of the year. Like all of his post-Byrds records, it did very poorly on the US charts.

<i>Yer Album</i> 1969 studio album by The James Gang

Yer' Album is the debut studio album by American rock band James Gang. The album was released in early 1969 on the Bluesway label. This is the James Gang's only album to feature their bassist Tom Kriss. He was replaced by Dale Peters for their next album. The album is the first to feature guitarist Joe Walsh, who would later achieve success as a solo artist and with the Eagles.

<i>Thirds</i> (album) 1971 studio album by James Gang

Thirds is the third studio album by the American rock band James Gang. The album was released in mid 1971, on the label ABC Records. It is the last studio album featuring Joe Walsh. "Walk Away" was released as a single, making the Top 40 on at least one national chart, reaching #51 on the Billboard Hot 100, the best placement of a James Gang single. The album reached Gold status in July 1972.

<i>The Best of Joe Walsh</i> 1978 greatest hits album by Joe Walsh

The Best of Joe Walsh is a compilation album by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh. The album was released in late 1978, on the label ABC Records. It features songs from his tenure with the James Gang as well as solo songs. Two tracks from 1974's So What were newly remixed for this compilation; "Turn to Stone" and "Help Me Through the Night".

Barnstorm was the power trio created by Joe Walsh in Colorado after he left the James Gang. The original members of the group were Walsh, Joe Vitale and Kenny Passarelli (bass). Walsh and Vitale had previously played together in an Akron-based band called The Measles before Walsh joined the James Gang. All of the members contributed lead vocals and songs, although Walsh was the principal singer and songwriter. Later, the group added keyboardists Rocke Grace and Tommy Stephenson. Having two keyboardists permitted Barnstorm to play the complex arrangements live that it was creating through multitracking in the studio or through the use of session musicians such as Paul Harris (piano) and Joe Lala (percussion).

<i>Americana</i> (Michael Martin Murphey album) 1987 studio album by Michael Martin Murphey

Americana is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey and his second for Warner Bros. Records. Murphey found a receptive home with the label and began a long association with the label's president and resident producer, Jim Ed Norman. Unlike his previous albums, Americana contains material written mainly by other writers—Murphey only wrote or co-wrote three of the songs. The album's notable tracks include the #1 hit "A Long Line of Love" and the #4 "Face in the Crowd", the latter a duet with singer Holly Dunn. The album peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

<i>Friends and Legends</i> 1973 studio album by Michael Stanley

Friends and Legends is the second solo album by Michael Stanley. The album title refers to the backing musicians accompanying Stanley on the album, which was recorded at Applewood Studios in Golden, Colorado. The basic band on all tracks was Barnstorm, composed of Joe Walsh on lead guitar and synthesizer, Joe Vitale on drums, flute, synthesizer and backing vocals, and Kenny Passarelli on bass. In addition, three members of Stephen Stills' Manassas performed: Paul Harris on keyboards, Joe Lala on percussion and Al Perkins on pedal steel guitar, and the band also included saxophonist David Sanborn. Among the backing vocalists were Richie Furay and Dan Fogelberg. In keeping with the collaborative spirit, J. Geils assisted with production of the saxophone tracks.

<i>OKeefe</i> (album) 1972 studio album by Danny OKeefe

O'Keefe is an album by singer-songwriter Danny O'Keefe, released in 1972. It peaked at #87 on the Billboard Top LPs chart. The lead-off single was "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues", which reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was covered by numerous artists. "The Road" was covered by Jackson Browne on his album Running on Empty. O'Keefe was reissued in 2006 on the Wounded Bird label.

<i>Analog Man</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Joe Walsh

Analog Man is the eleventh and latest solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh, formerly of the James Gang and lead guitarist for the Eagles. The album was released in mid 2012, on the label Fantasy in the United States and the United Kingdom, It is also his first new solo studio album to be released since 1992's Songs for a Dying Planet, 20 years prior. The album features 10 new songs, and was co-produced by Walsh, Jeff Lynne, who also performs various instruments and backing vocals on the album, and Tim Armstrong from the punk band Rancid who co-wrote and plays guitar on one of the album's songs. The album also features contributions from the former Beatles drummer, Ringo Starr, the former Barnstorm members, Kenny Passarelli and Joe Vitale, former James Gang members, Jim Fox and Dale Peters, David Crosby and Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills & Nash and also a duet with Little Richard.

References

  1. Martin C. Strong, The Great Rock Discography, Random House, Inc., New York NY, 1998, p. 900
  2. 1 2 Jurek, Thom. "Barnstorm > Review". Allmusic . Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  3. "Barnstorm [Cardboard Sleeve (Mini LP)][SHM-CD][Limited Release] Joe Walsh CD Album". CDJapan.