Friday, February 12, 2021

U.N. Select Committee To Determine Best James Gang Album Arrives At Surprise Conclusion

Walsh (center, stage table) plays Hotel California solo. "They made me do it." (click for bigly)

At the end of last year, the U.N. convened a Select Committee to determine the best James Gang album. The event was forgotten in the consequent tsunami of global troubles, and the publication of the 3,000 page report delayed indefinitely, but False Memory Foam© received an advance copy from Committee Chair Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Nicolas de Rivière, a big James Gang fan and frequent visitor here at Fabulous False Memory Foam Island©. He spoke to us of his disappointment:

"The Committee sat for a total of fourteen days. There was critical analysis from noted musicologists and also valuable - and impassioned! - input from fans on a dedicated web site. A complex scoring system was formulated by Hervé Le Dret, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics at the Sorbonne, and algorithms created by a team under Ronald Rivest, cryptographer and Institute Professor at M.I.T. So there was much informed input and collaboration and the whole exercise was performed to the highest professional standards. Monsieur Walsh himself played a short concert [above - Ed.] although to maintain impartiality we asked him to avoid any James Gang songs. Everyone who participated was disappointed by the delayed publication of the Committee's findings, and unfortunately a similar process to determine the best Isley Brothers album has been deferred indefinitely."

What does Joe Walsh think? "They tell me I played at this United Nations thing. There's this photo they took, so I guess I did. Our best album? Uh ... that would be Desperado, I guess. What? Oh - here's my limo, man. You take care."

To discover the surprising result of the Committee's work, look in the comments. Or, you know, do something else entirely.

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30 comments:

  1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 12, 2021 at 8:34 AM

    Hey! here's a fun notion! While we're waiting for me to get the loadup loadupped, why not pretend the U.N. asked *you* (like, ri-ight ... *snork*!) for your Valued Input! What, in your opinion, is the best James Gang album? Remember, the result is said to be "surprising", so their decision may not tally with your own - i.e. you may be - and probably are - wrong.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. pmacFebruary 12, 2021 at 9:19 AM

      Trust your instincts. You are wrong. My selection is Thirds. Has the classic Walk Away, plus in the less is more category, Joe lassoed the excesses from the earlier albums. It also had a greater variety of sounds from the aforementioned classic rock of Walk Away, to the jazz/blues stylings of ya dig to the country sounds of Deamin on the Country. An album that still sounds great today, but never quite gets its due.

      Delete
    2. rickFebruary 12, 2021 at 9:37 PM

      ''live in concert'' to my ears

      Delete
    3. Jack Kerouac's CatFebruary 14, 2021 at 3:54 AM

      Rides Again.

      Delete
  2. Bell-eyeFebruary 12, 2021 at 9:12 AM

    Rides Again..."The Bomber" My 1st concert was at Cleveland Public Hall. James Taylor, The James Gang & The Who, in that order. Don't know what ever became of that James Taylor feller

    ReplyDelete
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    1. NØFebruary 13, 2021 at 5:48 AM

      I've gotta second this. Saw them on tour for this album. Fantastic. The Bomber Medley, Tend My Garden, Funk 49...yeah!

      Delete
  3. MyndflowerFebruary 12, 2021 at 10:34 AM

    The first one, "Yer Album" hands down.
    "Lost Woman" is one of THE great rock jams and blows away the original by the Yardbirds. "Stop" is soulful and rocking and goes on and on. Beautiful after some spliffin' (not that anyone approves of that around here) and the underrated "Funk 48." Killer diller all the way through, dumb stoner dialogue and all.

    ReplyDelete
  4. One Buck GuyFebruary 12, 2021 at 3:04 PM

    I second Thirds

    is what I wanted to say for the deadbeat pun, but really, it has to Rides Again. A full side of hard rock for those that were into the Gang for that and a half of more experimental, psychedelic and balladeer stuff for guys like me that like a little variety with their bad ass rock licks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UncleRemusFebruary 12, 2021 at 5:35 PM

    Yer Album! No contest. And to top it off, Funk #48 is better than Funk #49.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 12, 2021 at 5:48 PM

    Getting some good suggestions here - but no love for Newborn? Surely someone has to step up and claim their worst was their best, in time-honoured internet fashion?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. pmacFebruary 12, 2021 at 7:38 PM

      No Joe Walsh, no care. Its Thirds in first, and I don't even need a second.

      Delete
    2. jonderFebruary 12, 2021 at 8:28 PM

      But if Third's on first, then what's on second? And I don't know is on third... Hey, Abbott

      Farq's headline reminds me of a classic piece from The Onion:

      https://entertainment.theonion.com/national-funk-congress-deadlocked-on-get-up-get-down-is-1819565355

      Delete
  7. rickFebruary 12, 2021 at 9:52 PM

    all the old farts that heard them say the James Gang was best when Glen Schwartz was in the lead guitar chair pre Joe no recordings I've ever found however here's Glen uin his later years playing with Joe and the Black Keys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXIXw-Weq0M

    ReplyDelete
  8. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 13, 2021 at 3:21 AM

    Big thanks to montysmusic for the dinner! Regurgitated here soon!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 13, 2021 at 6:40 AM

    Okayyy ... the bottom line is that the study showed the best James Gang album to be ... this is the result of the study ... every parameter measured, science-wise ... they decided that, in terms of quality, the best James Gang album is ... well, it's two albums. Two James Gang albums tied for best album! There was no differentiation between them! Exact same results! For two albums! And that's their final word. Arrived at after two weeks and 3,000 words! Hoo hah! Told ya it was a surprise!

    (Stealth Link).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. pmacFebruary 13, 2021 at 7:36 AM

      Its rigged!!! Stop the steal!!! (thanks for the link!)

      Delete
  10. PsychfanFebruary 13, 2021 at 8:43 AM

    Rides Again.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 13, 2021 at 9:14 AM

    Please do not reveal the Committee's findings in the comments! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Jack Kerouac's CatFebruary 14, 2021 at 3:54 AM

    Agreed.
    "The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get" was pretty good, though.

    ReplyDelete
  13. PsychfanFebruary 14, 2021 at 6:21 AM

    I didn't. I was attempting a unilateral power grab.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 14, 2021 at 6:47 AM

      But in saying you didn't reveal the Committee's findings, you are implicitly - perhaps even tacitly, if I knew what the furshlugginer word meant - revealing that your choice was not theirs.

      Delete
  14. PsychfanFebruary 14, 2021 at 10:38 AM

    .............unless I just wanted people to think that.................

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 14, 2021 at 11:05 AM

      OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I see what you did there! But unfortunately you've planted the idea in peoples' minds that it was a bluff, and they'll be inclined to believe that, so you're only making them more certain that you've revealed the result - or rather, what the result wasn't.

      Delete
    2. MrDaveFebruary 14, 2021 at 9:03 PM

      Having just read the 3,000 word summary of the Committee's 3,000 page report (get your story straight!) -- ok, skipping to the conclusion of said report -- ok, fine, downloading and peaking at the results -- I can confer that this is indeed the case.

      Delete
  15. PsychfanFebruary 14, 2021 at 10:00 PM

    Now that I've succeeded in casting doubt on the integrity of the Committee's findings there will always be an asterisk next to the "final" result and conspiracy theories will forever overshadow the official historical record.
    My work is done.

    ReplyDelete
  16. YoeshkaFebruary 15, 2021 at 3:30 AM

    Love their early albums! Favourite song - Tend My Garden. You can't beat that B3 growing in the intro.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Kwai ChangFebruary 15, 2021 at 9:24 AM

    If only they had made an album called 'You In!?!?!'
    (U.N.)
    Read the writing...on the wall!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Jungle JimFebruary 18, 2021 at 11:50 AM

    For those listeners in countries not affiliated with the United Nations, here is some middle ground to Mr. Throckmorton's post... JGRA
    https://www11.zippyshare.com/v/60y7GnEf/file.html

    ReplyDelete

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