James Gang Rides Again
Encyclopedia
James Gang Rides Again is the second album
by American band James Gang
, released in 1970 (see 1970 in music
). This was the first album after Dale Peters
replaced Tom Kriss
.
The song has been available for download for the game Rock Band
since December 30, 2008.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by American band James Gang
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
, released in 1970 (see 1970 in music
1970 in music
- Events :*January 3**Davy Jones announces he is leaving the Monkees**Former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett releases his first solo album The Madcap Laughs....
). This was the first album after Dale Peters
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
replaced Tom Kriss
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
.
Reception
Writing for Allmusic, critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote of the album "With their second album Rides Again, the James Gang came into their own... 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."Track listing
- "Funk #49" (Fox, Peters, Walsh) – 3:54
- "Asshton Park" (Fox, Peters, Walsh) – 2:01
- "Woman" (Fox, Peters, Walsh) – 4:37
- "The Bomber: Closet Queen" (Fox, Peters, Walsh) / "BoléroBoléroBoléro is a one-movement orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel . Originally composed as a ballet commissioned by Russian ballerina Ida Rubinstein, the piece, which premiered in 1928, is Ravel's most famous musical composition....
" (Maurice RavelMaurice RavelJoseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
)* / "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" (Vince GuaraldiVince GuaraldiVincent Anthony "Vince" Guaraldi was an Italian American jazz musician and pianist noted for his innovative compositions and arrangements and for composing music for animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip...
) – 7:04 - "Tend My Garden" (Walsh) – 5:45
- "Garden Gate" (Walsh) – 1:36
- "There I Go Again" (Walsh) – 2:51
- "Thanks" (Walsh) – 2:21
- "Ashes, the Rain and I" (Peters, Walsh) – 5:00
- On the initial pressings of James Gang Rides Again, a 1:25 electric rendition of Ravel's "BoléroBoléroBoléro is a one-movement orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel . Originally composed as a ballet commissioned by Russian ballerina Ida Rubinstein, the piece, which premiered in 1928, is Ravel's most famous musical composition....
" is interpolated into the song "The Bomber." However, Ravel's estate (which still owns copyright on the work) objected, and threatened suit against both the James Gang and ABC Records for its unauthorized use. As a result, the track was edited, and the "Boléro" section was removed on subsequent pressings of the album until the late 1970s. The edited song's running time on such pressings is 5:39. CD re-issues of Rides Again contain the full version of "The Bomber," with the "Boléro" section restored.
Personnel
- Joe WalshJoe WalshJoseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
– guitars, keyboards, piano, percussion, vocals. - Dale PetersJames GangThe James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
– bass guitars, guitars, keyboards, percussion, vocals. - Jim FoxJim Fox (drummer)Jim Fox is a musician best known as the drummer and organist of the James Gang, as well as the band's founder and its namesake. He is the only member of the group to appear in every incarnation of the band...
– drums, percussion, keyboards, organ, piano, vocals. - Rusty Young – pedal steel guitar on "There I Go Again".
Production
- Producer: Bill Szymczyk
- Engineer: Bill Szymczyk
- Remastering: Bill Szymczyk and Ted JensenTed JensenTed Jensen is an American recording engineer. Jensen is the chief mastering engineer at Sterling Sound. He started his career as a mastering engineer in 1976 and is currently the most active Mastering Engineer in the industry...
- Liner notes: Dale Peters, Jim Fox and Joe Walsh
- Photography: Tom Wright
Cultural Significance
James Gang Rides Agains lead track "Funk #49" has become a standard of the "classic rock" period, and has been used in various media, including:- in the 2002 documentary filmDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Dogtown and Z-BoysDogtown and Z-BoysDogtown and Z-Boys is a 2001 documentary film directed by Stacy Peralta. Using a mix of film the Zephyr skateboard team shot in the 1970s by Craig Stecyk and more recent interviews, the documentary tells the story of a group of teenage surfer/skateboarders and their influence on the history of... - in the 2006 comedy filmComedy filmComedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
Artie Lange's Beer League. - in a sample at the opening of NOFXNOFXNOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
's song "Straight Edge," from their album White Trash, Two Heebs and a BeanWhite Trash, Two Heebs and a BeanWhite Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on November 5, 1992 through Epitaph Records. It is the first NOFX album to feature El Hefe on guitar, replacing Steve Kidwiller, who left the band in 1991...
. - in the video game Test Drive UnlimitedTest Drive UnlimitedTest Drive Unlimited is an arcade-style racing game, the 9th game of the Test Drive series, it features over 125 licensed sports cars and motorcycles and a terrain modeled after the Hawaiian island of Oahu that features some 1000 miles of roads and highways. Test Drive Unlimited is the ninth main...
. - during the closing credits of the Season 1 finale of "EntourageEntourage (TV series)Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
."
The song has been available for download for the game Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
since December 30, 2008.