Eagles, p.23
Eagles, page 23
In 1988, Walsh began lobbying for a memorial for the slain students. “I knew Jeffrey [Miller] and I knew Allison [Krause], two of the people who were killed,” Walsh explained to the Associated Press. “Those of us who were there will never forget it.” Twenty years after the slayings, on May 4, 1990, Kent State University unveiled a monument on University Commons commemorating the tragedy; it later relented under pressure to include the names of the four students who were killed on a nearby marker. 1
1 [7] Varga, J. (May 4, 1970). Fact or fiction? With Joe Walsh, you never know, San Diego Union Tribune
[9] Magnotta, A. (August 17, 2018). State Shooting, iHeartRadio
[21] The Atlanta Constitution. (February 8, 1988). Singer Walsh wants Kent State Memorial, The Atlanta Constitution.
[22] The Central New Jersey Home News. (April 24, 1990). Kent State Memorial Shrouded in Controversy, The Central New Jersey Home News.
[23] Wisconsin State Journal. (April 28, 1990). Kent State memorial to add victims' names, Wisconsin State Journal.
[223] Clary, M. (May 4, 1975). The return of Joe Walsh, Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal
The Flying Burrito Brothers, with Bernie Leadon, “Man in the Fog” (single)
James Gang, with Joe Walsh, James Gang Rides Again (album)
Poco, with Timothy B. Schmit, “You Better Think Twice” (single)
The Flying Burrito Brothers, with Bernie Leadon, “If You Gotta Go” (single)
Joe Walsh and his James Gang band members were walking to a visit with Record World to promote their new LP, James Gang Rides Again, when they crossed paths with Al Kooper. Al was in town playing (and promoting) the Shea Day Peace Festival, so he joined the band for the RW interview. According to Al, the Gang’s new single, “Funk #49,” is a gas. —Record World
The James Gang went to England, but not to make money. “The fees are too small,” said band leader Jim Fox, who added the trip was more about gaining name recognition. Joe Walsh jammed with Pete Townsend at his home studio while they’re there. The band has a million ideas for their upcoming album, including possibly recording a Jerry Ragovoy song. And there are softer singles too that, while not in the group’s favorite medium, are considered “a necessary evil,” Fox added. —Cashbox
Randy Meisner played bass guitar on Compton & Batteau’s album In California.
Linda Ronstadt with the Corvettes, with Bernie Leadon, appeared on the Playboy Productions syndicated TV show Playboy After Dark. Episode 2.20 was hosted by Hugh Hefner. Ronstadt, with the Corvettes, appeared with Country Joe and the Fish and Nanci Roberts.
The Flying Burrito Brothers, with Bernie Leadon: The Guess Who, Brownsville Station, John Drake, John Sebastian, MC5, SRC, The Litter, The New York Rock and Roll Ensemble, The Stooges, The Third Power
Longbranch/Pennywhistle, with Glenn Frey: The Dillards, Peter Evans, Doug Kershaw, Tim Weisberg, Danny Cox, Craig Hunley Trio
James Gang, with Joe Walsh: The Who, The Flock, Frost, Jethro Tull, Savage Grace, Bob Seger, Suite Charity, Teegarden, Van Winkle, James Taylor, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Sebastian, Johnny Winter, Miles Davis, Paul Simon, Poco, Richie Havens, Sha Na Na, Three Dog Night, Hip Pocket, Cactus, The Youngbloods
Poco, with Timothy B. Schmit: Brewer & Shipley, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, Goose Creek Symphony, John Sebastian, Mountain, Savage Grace, The Allman Brothers Band, Peter, Paul & Mary
Glenn Frey and J.D. Souther and their label, Amos Records, had finally finished recording the duo’s self-titled debut album Longbranch/Pennywhistle in January 1970.
Their first single, a Frey-penned song called “Rebecca,” was released in November 1969, but radio stations barely noticed. Amos followed that up by releasing a Souther tune, “Jubilee Ann,” in December, but it also didn’t catch on. Amos finally pushed out the entire album in February with little, if any, marketing, and unsurprisingly, it didn’t sell either. Frey and Souther had been working gigs all over Los Angeles since May of 1969, including sets with Poco and The Flying Burrito Brothers at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, to try to lift the album locally. But apart from a strong following of friends and Troubadour acquaintances, there was scant awareness of it.
Their manager, Doug Weston, who owned the Troubadour, had them on hand for opening night at his new Troubadour club in San Francisco on August 15, 1970, where they served as the backing band for Doug Kershaw, a Louisiana fiddle player known widely as the Ragin’ Cajun. Kershaw, who Frey and Souther knew since he sat in on the Longbranch/Pennywhistle recording sessions, brought star quality to Weston’s event. He felt comfortable crossing over between country and rock. Warner Brothers had just released Kershaw’s new album The Cajun Way months earlier to strong reviews. He had appeared on Johnny Cash’s television variety show, and had logged high-profile guest appearances on albums by Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, and Grand Funk Railroad.
But the night of the grand opening, Kershaw didn’t have a backing band, and he chose to prepare a setlist of relentlessly upbeat Cajun and rockabilly songs, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Clearly, it wasn’t a great musical fit for Frey and Souther, who were still finding their way instrumentally and whose craft was primarily focused on songwriting and singing.
Souther, comfortable with a guitar, could handle multiple instruments, and even played drums for Bo Diddley. Frey was a solid guitarist, and improving. But Weston did not appear to set them up for success that night. The duo marshaled on through the difficult set and “struggled vainly” to keep up as a rhythm section, the Star-Times reported. Worse, Kershaw seemed to know they were struggling and “played rather merciless games with them throughout the set.”
Weston’s San Francisco venture didn’t last long, but the Los Angeles Troubadour brand remained untarnished. Kershaw continued to do well with his brand of Cajun, country, and rock, and released 11 albums for Warner through the 1970s.
Nearly a year after Amos released their unsuccessful debut album, Souther and Frey wanted to change the formula to ensure better success with their second album, and wanted to release another album of original material. Jimmy Bowen and the cash-poor Amos Records had other ideas. There was an impasse brewing, and more frustrations were ahead for Frey and Souther. 1
1 [1217] Bowen, J. (1997). Rough Mix, New York, NY: Simon & Schuster
[1249] Orloff, K. (August 15, 1970). Now Sound of the Troubadour, Chicago Star-Times
The James Gang, ABC Records, July 1970
Joe Walsh and the James Gang developed a loyal following in Ohio by playing hard rock, and playing it loud. So when Walsh and his bandmates got into the studio with production whiz Bill Szymczyk for their second album, they made a drastic change and began experimenting. They introduced to their work the piano, organ, orchestrated strings and even some country-rock pedal steel guitar courtesy of Poco’s Rusty Young. It was different, but under Szymczyk’s guidance the strange brew worked, and worked well. Experimentation aside, the band remembered to stay true to its roots.
Walsh, Dale Peters and Jim Fox collaborated on “Funk #49,” a song that tells the tale of a girlfriend wild enough to even give the often unruly Walsh anxiety. It soared to #59 on Billboard’s Top Singles chart to give the band a solid hit. “The Bomber” was the album’s long jam, but the decision to include an uncredited Ravel’s “Bolero” in the mid-portion of the song brought legal threats from the composer’s estate (and a subsequent scrub of later pressings). Overall it was a strong, evolutionary effort from Ohio’s power trio.
Cashbox, July 18, 1970
And suddenly the James Gang is a group to make you sit up and take notice. Side 1 is straight rock cuts with a fine instrument melody at the end. The quiet, thoughtful “Ashes the Rain and I” is a proper culmination of the set. Excellently arranged strings combine with tasteful acoustic guitar to evoke sad images of rainy days. Deck was imaginatively produced by Bill Szymczyk who is fast becoming one of our best men behind the boards.
Cincinnati Enquirer, August 2, 1970
The James Gang plays the blues – the blues that churn your adrenaline that gets you excited. Big names in Cincinnati, their music is meant to be played loud. if you do it right, Bugsley Peters’ bass can vibrate your entire life. Joe Walsh’s keyboards and guitars can drown your body in funk. Jim Fox’s drums can restructure your heartbeat. The whole album sounds pretty good, though it may overwhelm you at first. Try it anyway.
York (Pa.) Daily Record, August 4, 1970
The James Gang is not just another rock band. Besides having the most promising guitarist in the world, Joe Walsh, they have grown up a lot too. Side 1 of Rides Again is reminiscent of Led Zeppelin. Walsh’s playing may even worry Page a bit. He’s even great on piano and organ. “Tend My Garden” and “There I Go Again” are my favorites. A steel guitar in rock music is so strange, but it’s got to be one of the nicest things around. Give “Funk #49” a listen.
In the summer of 1970 rock venues across the Midwest were largely being booked as they had been for the previous four years—through the concert machine known as Blytham Limited, and under the watchful eyes of Bob Nutt and his partner Irving Azoff.
One of the more popular venues they booked was near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, at the Majestic Hills Theater. The venue, just 20 minutes outside Chicago, was a ski lodge and resort played to upper crust patrons in the 1940s and 1950s, but by the early 1970s, it had become a shell of its former self. It had two side-by-side stages with a huge tree growing between them. It also housed a large metal hanger that used to store boats in the winter, and an ad hoc ticket office in the summer. There were no seats, so concert-goers were forced to stand for the entire show. If there was an opening act, they would set up bands on both stages so no between-show teardown and setup was required.
It was here that Azoff told then-Rolling Stone contributing editor Cameron Crowe in 1978 that he saw The Who perform live at the Majestic. It was either August 1968 or June 1969—Azoff didn’t specify—but the show certainly had an impact on him. In August 1970, Azoff was back at Lake Geneva with REO Speedwagon when he met Joe Walsh for the first time.
Walsh was there with the James Gang, and Azoff decided to share.
“I told Walsh, ‘You know Pete Townshend was here and jumped off that tree. The guy was fuckin’ crazy.’ Middle of the set that night, Walsh got up in the tree, jumped off, fell down and nearly broke his fuckin’ leg. He comes limping over to me afterward and says, ‘Anything Pete Townshend can do, I can do.’ It was wonderful.”
Shows would continue at the Majestic through 1988, when a fire burned the uninsured hall to the ground. It was never rebuilt and became yet another lost rock legend. A year later, both Walsh and Azoff made pivotal moves in their careers. Azoff, looking for new adventures, would head to Los Angeles and meet the Eagles. Walsh dabbled in movies while he and his producer, Bill Szymczyk, recorded the soundtrack for an “electric western,” but soon after Walsh would leave James Gang and head to Colorado and form a new band, Barnstorm. 1
1 [481] Crowe, C. (July 15, 1978). They call him Big Shorty, Rolling Stone
[1323] Harutunian, G. (July 17, 2015). Chasing ghosts at Lake Geneva’s Majestic Hills Theater, The Beacon (Williams Bay, Wisconin)
[1343] Metro St. Louis Live Music Historical Society (October 16, 2018). Irving Azoff/Bob Nutt/Blytham Ltd., Metro St. Louis Live Music Historical Society. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20181016204650/http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/Irving%20Azoff.htm
Rick Nelson and The Stone Canyon Band, with Randy Meisner, Rick Nelson Sings (album)
Jackson Browne is the first artist signed by David Geffen’s new as-yet-unnamed label, and his first record is already recorded. —Record World
Bernie Leadon played guitar on Odetta Sings’s album Odetta Sings.
Joe Walsh played rhythm guitar on B.B. King’s singles, “Ask Me No Questions,” “King’s Special” and “Hummingbird” on King’s album Indianola Mississippi Seeds.
The Flying Burrito Brothers, with Bernie Leadon: The Byrds, The New York Rock and Roll Ensemble, Albert King, James Gang
Longbranch/Pennywhistle, with Glenn Frey: Sky
James Gang, with Joe Walsh: Steppenwolf, The Moody Blues, The Who, Cactus, Love/Arthur Lee, Black Sabbath, Steve Miller Band, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Youngbloods, Procol Harum, Faces, Van Morrison, Mungo Jerry
Fresh off the humbling experience of watching their debut album flop, J.D. Souther and his Longbranch/Pennywhistle partner, Glenn Frey, tried to figure out what to do next in the fall of 1970. They had spent the last year playing across Los Angeles to gain attention for themselves and their album, but their efforts didn’t really move the needle.
Jimmy Bowen, owner of Amos Records, who eagerly signed the pair a year earlier, was struggling too. “If our spirits at Amos stayed high throughout the year, our chart positions did not,” Bowen said in his autobiography Rough Mix. “Neither Longbranch/Pennywhistle, nor Shiloh [another band Amos signed that included future Eagle Don Henley] got much airplay for Amos Records,”
Amos gave the duo freedom in the studio to create a debut album the way they saw fit, and gave them enviable studio support too. Bowen, who had resurrected the careers of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and his producer, Tom Thacker, brought in seasoned hired guns to work the Longbranch/Pennywhistle sessions, including James Burton, Ry Cooder, Doug Kershaw, Buddy Emmons, and two members of the Wrecking Crew, Larry Knechtel and Joe Osbourn.
It was a hall of fame session team. But in the plodding months after its release, the duo’s debut album fizzled. Frey and Souther had been getting close to David Briggs, the engineer who produced Neil Young’s debut album, Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere. The two visited Briggs’ studio and played the original works for their planned second album, and he put his spin on them.
Souther told Debbie Kruger in 1997 that the mix of songs was “really funky and it just wasn’t sonically rounded off the way pop records were.” It sounded more like Neil Young’s album, and he and Frey liked that. So when it came time to record the second album, Souther and Frey took the recordings from the Briggs’ session to Amos Records and played them.
Bowen and Thacker shrugged. They didn’t get it.
“Which is not to say that we were brilliant and they were stupid,” Souther said. “It’s just that they just didn’t hear it.” Bowen had never heard of Briggs, had only a vague knowledge of Neil Young, and he had never heard of Young’s partners in music and backing band, Crazy Horse. Bowen suggested they try recording other artists’ songs instead, and that idea fell flat.
“It wasn’t really their world,” Souther said. “They were still trying to encourage us to record songs that were well known. The fact is, we weren’t writing spectacular songs—we were just starting—but I wasn’t about to do anybody else’s songs. I thought I was doing something unique. And my job, at whatever stumbling pace, was to embrace that artistry, not look for a way to get on the charts.”
Frey recounted the impasse during a 1975 interview with Rolling Stone’s Cameron Crowe: “Then one day J.D. and I got in a fight with our record company and suddenly we couldn’t make any more records,” he said. “Every day we’d go to the office, ask if we could get released from our contracts and they’d say no, so we’d go down to the Troubadour bar and get drunk.”
The true end to the Amos fiasco would only come after Frey met David Geffen, who saw both Frey’s and Souther’s potential clearly. Geffen and his upstart label, Asylum Records, had the money and savvy to elevate both artists to heights even they had not foreseen. After the Eagles had formed in late 1971 and Souther was on his way to a solo career, Geffen had bought out Souther and Frey’s recording contracts, making them solely a part of Asylum’s artist stable. 1
1 [88] Crowe, C. (September 25, 1975). Eagles: Chips Off the Old Buffalo, Rolling Stone
[790] Goodman, F. (1998). The Mansion on the Hill, New York, NY: Vintage Books
[1217] Bowen, J. (1997). Rough Mix, New York, NY: Simon & Schuster
[1247] Geffen Records. (August 6, 2016). Longbranch/Pennywhistle - The Legendary 1969 Collaboration Of Late Eagles Co-Founder Glenn Frey and Acclaimed Songwriter JD Souther To Be Released on CD and Vinyl on September 28 via Geffen/UMe, .
[1364] Kruger, D. (October 2, 1997). JD Souther interview, DebbieKruger.com/writer/
Poco, Epic Records, January 1971
Richie Furay had been looking for a way to break Poco into the mainstream for three years. The band’s strength was always in its tight live performances, so with its third album they decided to play to that strength. Nearly all the songs were new and original, save for Jim Messina’s “You Better Think Twice.” The group recorded the album in the Boston Music Hall and New York’s Felt Forum.
Future Eagle Timothy B. Schmit’s cuts “Hear That Music” and “Hard Luck” were strong contributions, and Furay’s own “I Guess You Made It” and “C’Mon” helped round out a strong third album. “C’Mon” was just commercial enough to get airplay, rising all the way to #69 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart. Deliverin’ did just that for Epic Records, which had been patiently waiting for Poco to become commercially viable. The album was a success rising to #26 on the Billboard albums chart. It was the last Poco album for Messina, who would join ABC Records staff songwriter Kenny Loggins to form Loggins & Messina later in 1971.
