Rocky Mountain Way (song)
Encyclopedia
"Rocky Mountain Way" is a 1973 song by rock
guitarist
Joe Walsh
and his band Barnstorm, with writing credits given to Walsh, Rocke Grace, Kenny Passarelli, and Joe Vitale. The song was originally released on the album The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get
.
The song was used as the title to Walsh's 1985 compilation album
, which featured singles and album tracks from Barnstorm, The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get and So What.
album.
Walsh played the song frequently while on tour with the Eagles, including the 1977 Hotel California tour.
In 1990, Walsh played an eight-minute version in the Ringo Starr
's All Starr Band, starting with a slide arrangement of "Amazing Grace
."
In 2004 it was sung by Walsh and the Eagles on their Farewell I Tour
.
In 2010, "Rocky Mountain Way" was one of three songs played during the encore each night during the Eagles "Long Road Out of Eden" World Tour. The other two songs performed in the encore were "Desperado
" and "Take it Easy
".
baseball team plays the song over the loudspeakers at Coors Field
immediately following the conclusion of any home victory.
It was released on The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV
soundtrack that came with Grand Theft Auto IV
Special Editions on April 29, 2008.
The song was used in the 2005 Rob Zombie
film The Devil's Rejects
, as well as the soundtrack of the 2002 skateboard documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys.
In 2001, movie Spy Game
it is in the soundtrack during the Vietnam
CIA recruitment sequence.
Joe Walsh performed the song on an episode of the Drew Carey Show with Rock & Roll legend Little Richard
on piano.
In the 2001 film Joe Dirt
, the song is played briefly.
In Fringe
, episode 20 of season 3 titled "6:02 AM EST", the song played in a bowling alley operated by Sam Weiss.
In the "Buried Treasure" episode of My Name Is Earl
, the song was playing in the background at the bar.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph 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...
and his band Barnstorm, with writing credits given to Walsh, Rocke Grace, Kenny Passarelli, and Joe Vitale. The song was originally released on the album The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get
The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get
The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get is the second album by Joe Walsh and his band Barnstorm, released in 1973 , although the album's front cover credits only Walsh...
.
The song was used as the title to Walsh's 1985 compilation album
Rocky Mountain Way
Rocky Mountain Way is a compilation album released in 1985 by rock musician Joe Walsh.-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, critic Ben Davies wrote of the album "considering both the amount of classic Walsh songs not featured on Rocky Mountain Way and the many other more extensive and better chosen...
, which featured singles and album tracks from Barnstorm, The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get and So What.
Live versions
In 1976, Walsh recorded the song on his You Can't Argue with a Sick MindYou Can't Argue with a Sick Mind
You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind is a live album by Joe Walsh, released in 1976 . Recorded live just before Joe joined up with Eagles, who also play on "Help Me Through the Night". This was Walsh's last album release on ABC Records...
album.
Walsh played the song frequently while on tour with the Eagles, including the 1977 Hotel California tour.
In 1990, Walsh played an eight-minute version in the Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
's All Starr Band, starting with a slide arrangement of "Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
."
In 2004 it was sung by Walsh and the Eagles on their Farewell I Tour
Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne
Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne is a double DVD by Eagles, released in 2005 .It was filmed in Melbourne, Australia at the Rod Laver Arena on the 14, 15 and 17 of November 2004, in the same name tour, featuring two new songs...
.
In 2010, "Rocky Mountain Way" was one of three songs played during the encore each night during the Eagles "Long Road Out of Eden" World Tour. The other two songs performed in the encore were "Desperado
Desperado (song)
"Desperado" is a soft rock song by the Eagles, an American rock band, written by group members Glenn Frey and Don Henley. It first appeared on the 1973 album Desperado, and has later appeared on numerous compilation albums although it was not a single....
" and "Take it Easy
Take it Easy
Take It Easy is an abstract strategy board game created by Peter Burley. It can be characterized as a spatial bingo-like game, and has been published by Ravensburger and subsequently by several other publishers since 1983. Each player gets a board with places for 19 hexagon tiles to place in a...
".
Cover versions
- Stephen StillsStephen StillsStephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
of Crosby, Stills, and Nash often plays the song live and it appears on his 1974 live album, Stephen Stills LiveStephen Stills LiveStephen Stills Live is a live album by Stephen Stills, recorded in 1974.-Side one: Electric side:#"Wooden Ships" – 6:32#"Four Days Gone" – 3:55...
. - In 1977, hard rockHard rockHard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band TriumphTriumph (band)Triumph is a Canadian hard rock power trio that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Eight of the band's albums were certified gold or higher, and Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987.Like their fellow Canadians...
covered this song on their Rock and Roll MachineRock and Roll MachineRock and Roll Machine was the second album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, released in 1977. The album was released on RCA Records in the US in 1978 and again on MCA Records in 1980. The album resulted in the band's first hit single, a cover version of Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way"...
album. - Hard rock band SlaughterSlaughter (band)Slaughter is an American heavy metal band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada by lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum. The band reached stardom in 1990 with their first album, Stick It to Ya which spawned several hit singles including "Up All Night", "Spend My Life", "Mad...
covered it on their 1997 album, RevolutionRevolution (Slaughter album)Revolution is the fourth studio album from hard rock band Slaughter. The album features a more psychedelic style with the band exploring beyond their typical hard rock realm.-Track listing:...
. - In 2005, heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
artist Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
covered this song in his Under CoverUnder Cover-Personnel:*Ozzy Osbourne – vocals*Jerry Cantrell – guitars*Chris Wyse – bass*Mike Bordin – drumsGuest musicians*Ian Hunter – vocals on "All the Young Dudes"*Leslie West – guitar solo on "Mississippi Queen"...
compilation album. - On October 9, 2010, at the Fourmile Fire Revival (a charity concert for the victims of the fire northwest of Boulder, CO in September), the String Cheese Incident with special guest Trey Anastasio of the Jam Band Phish performed "Rocky Mountain Way".
Appearances in popular culture
The Colorado RockiesColorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
baseball team plays the song over the loudspeakers at Coors Field
Coors Field
Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995...
immediately following the conclusion of any home victory.
It was released on The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV
The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV
The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 soundtrack packaged with the special edition of Grand Theft Auto IV. The disc contains several soundtrack selections from the video game Grand Theft Auto IV. The soundtrack features several genres, from gangsta rap to rock music and reggae. Several...
soundtrack that came with Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
Special Editions on April 29, 2008.
The song was used in the 2005 Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
film The Devil's Rejects
The Devil's Rejects
The Devil's Rejects is a 2005 American horror film written and directed by Rob Zombie, and the sequel to his 2003 film House of 1000 Corpses. The film is about the family of psychopathic killers from the previous film now on the run...
, as well as the soundtrack of the 2002 skateboard documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys.
In 2001, movie Spy Game
Spy Game
Spy Game is a 2001 American spy film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The film grossed $62,362,785 in the United States and $143,049,560 worldwide.-Plot:...
it is in the soundtrack during the Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
CIA recruitment sequence.
Joe Walsh performed the song on an episode of the Drew Carey Show with Rock & Roll legend Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
on piano.
In the 2001 film Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt is a 2001 American comedy film starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan, Adam Beach and Kid Rock. The film was written by Spade and Fred Wolf.-Plot:...
, the song is played briefly.
In Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
, episode 20 of season 3 titled "6:02 AM EST", the song played in a bowling alley operated by Sam Weiss.
In the "Buried Treasure" episode of My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
, the song was playing in the background at the bar.