JAMES GANG - Yer' Album (1969-2010) RM / SHM-CD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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. by William Ruhlmann  
Tracklist:
1 Tuning Part One (Introduction) 0:39
Written-By – B. DeCoteaux, B. Szymczyk, J. Fox
2 Take A Look Around 6:20
Written-By – Joe Walsh
3 Funk #48 2:47
Written-By – Jim Fox, Joe Walsh, Tom Kriss
4 Bluebird 6:01
Written-By – Stephen Stills
5 Lost Woman 9:06
Written-By – C. Dreja, J. Beck, J. McCarty, K. Relf, P. Samwell-Smith
6 Stone Rap 0:59
Written-By – B. Szymczyk, J. Fox, J. Walsh, T. Kriss
7 Collage 4:03
Written-By – J. Walsh, P. Cullie
8 I Don't Have The Time 2:50
Written-By – Jim Fox, J. Walsh
9 Wrapcity In English 0:57
Written-By – J. Walsh
10 Fred 4:11
Written-By – J. Walsh
11 Stop 12:00
Written-By – J. Ragovoy, Mort Shuman
Credits:
Arranged By – Bill Szymczyk, The James Gang
Arranged By [Strings] – Bert "Super Chart" De Coteaux
Bass – Tom Kriss
Choir – The Dunn Chorus
Drums – Jim Fox
Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals – Joe Walsh

JAMES GANG - Rides Again (1970-2009) RM / SHM-CD / APE (image+.cue), lossless

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. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist:
1 Funk #49 3:54
Written-By – Peters, Fox, Walsh
2 Asshtonpark 2:04
Written-By – Peters, Fox, Walsh
3 Woman 4:37
Written-By – Peters, Fox, Walsh
The Bomber (Medley) (5:39)
4.1 Closet Queen
Written-By – Peters, Fox, Walsh
4.2 Bolero
Written-By – Ravel
4.3 Cast Your Fate To The Wind
Written-By – Guaraldi
5 Tend My Garden 5:44
Written-By – Joe Walsh
6 Garden Gate 1:36
Written-By – Joe Walsh
7 There I Go Again 2:50
Written-By – Joe Walsh
8 Thanks 2:20
Written-By – Joe Walsh 
9 Ashes The Rain And I 4:56
Written-By – Dale Peters, Joe Walsh

Credits:

Arranged By – The James Gang
Arranged By [Strings] – Jack Nitzsche (tracks: 9)
Bass – Dale "Bugsley" Peters
Drums, Percussion – Jim Fox
Guitar [Six String] – Dale "Bugsley" Peters (tracks: 9)
Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals – Joe Walsh
Pedal Steel Guitar – Rusty Young (tracks: 6)

JAMES GANG - Thirds (1971-1990) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The James Gang Rides Again set the stage for the group's third album to propel them to Top Ten, headliner status, but that didn't happen. The band was on its last legs, rent by dissension as Walsh became the focus of attention, and the appropriately titled Thirds reflected the conflict. Among the nine original songs, four were contributed by Walsh, two each by bass player Dale Peters and drummer Jim Fox, and one was a group composition. But it was Walsh's songs that stood out. His "Walk Away," was the first single, and it climbed into the Top 40 in at least one national chart, the group's only 45 to do that well. "Midnight Man," the follow-up single, was another Walsh tune, and it also made the charts. The Fox and Peters compositions were a step down in quality, particularly Peters'. But the problem wasn't just material, it was also musical approach. James Gang Rides Again had emphasized the band's hard rock sound, which was its strong suit. But they had never given up the idea of themselves as an eclectic unit, and Thirds was their most diverse effort yet, with pedal steel guitar, horn and string charts, and backup vocals by the Sweet Inspirations turning up on one track or another. At a time when Walsh was being hailed as a guitar hero to rank with the best rock had to offer, he was not only submerging himself in a group with inferiors, but also not playing much of the kind of lead guitar his supporters were raving about. As a result, though Thirds quickly earned a respectable chart position and eventually went gold, it was not the commercial breakthrough that might have been expected. by William Ruhlmann 
Tracklist:
1 Walk Away 3:32
Written-By – Walsh
2 Yadig? 2:32
Written-By – Peters, Fox, Walsh
3 Things I Could Be 4:18
Written-By – Fox
4 Dreamin' In The Country 2:58
Written-By – Peters
5 It's All The Same 4:10
Written-By – Walsh
6 Midnight Man 3:27
Written-By – Walsh
7 Again 4:03
Written-By – Walsh
8 White Man / Black Man 5:38
Written-By – Peters
9 Live My Life Again 5:24
Written-By – Fox
Gang – Dale Peters, Jim Fox, Joe Walsh