The third Barnstorm album, and already the lines are being blurred between the band concept, with Walsh co-mingling with his buddies from the Eagles, even though he would not be officially joining them for another couple of years. From a number of angles, this was not a bad move, and a thoroughly logical one, but if you were hoping from some sort of progression from the previous two albums, forget it. So What further dilutes the formula created by the initial Barnstorm record - there's lots of weird, Western-themed atmosphere, good guitar playing, occasional artistic tangents, and a re-do of an old hit - but nothing much from the bag of Walsh tricks that we have not seen before. That's not to say it's not an entertaining record, because it is, but if you want the real inventive stuff, I point you straight back to 1972.
The remake of "Turn to Stone" is a bit of a disappointment for me. I prefer the original version with its' chunky and dirty sound, whereas this version is lighter, cleaner, with backing vocals from three-fourths of the Eagles, and does not convey the cold desperation of the original. And why are we still quoting Maurice Ravel? Didn't Walsh do this way back when he was still in the James Gang? It just seems like "Pavanne" was done for contrast only. Another interlude I can do without is "All Night Laundry Mat Blues". Still, there is a nice collection of three tracks which go down as classics in Walsh lore. "Welcome to the Club" has a similar feel to "Here We Go" from the debut record, but with the tempo slightly faster. "Time Out", on the other hand, evokes memories of "Mother Says", without some of that track's epic feel. And if you are looking for a semi-worthy successor to the original version of "Turn to Stone", look no further than "County Fair", which takes the listener through a myriad of moods and changes.
Overall, though, I echo the sentiments put forth by title - so what, Joe, and what's next?
Comments