James Gang
Rides Again

THE REVIEW

"Rides Again" is the second album by James Gang, a U.S. trio that, along with Mountain, Grand Funk, and others, valiantly stood up to the English dominance in the emerging hard rock scene (meaning Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and all those guys) at the turn of the late '60s and early '70s.

However, James Gang doesn't just mean distorted guitars and piercing screams: in the diverse nine-song set that constitutes this work, there's room for an organ-driven ballad, an acoustic piece with orchestra, an acoustic blues, a country rock garnished with a deserved steel guitar, an instrumental, and even a suite!

Among the genuinely rock songs, the opener "Funk #49" stands out, in which guitarist Joe Walsh experiments with his version of distorted, raucous funk, while drummer Jim Fox adds resonant tribal percussion to further fuel the lively, danceable atmosphere. This track is quite famous at least in the United States, and at the time it dazzled as a single. Walsh still performs it even at his concerts with the Eagles.

The second and last genuinely rock episode is titled "Woman", and is an up-tempo in shuffle rhythm, standard fare with Walsh's gritty vocals, his obligatory guitar solo, and little else.

The splendid suite (rock) "The Bomber" has a particular story: in its central part, it contains a brief revisitation of the "Bolero" by classical musician Ravel, whose heirs at the time couldn't find anything better than to sue the band for unauthorized use of the illustrious ancestor's music. Thus, the track had to be edited, removing the Bolero part and thus shortening it by a couple of minutes. Nowadays, one can encounter both versions of the suite, easily distinguishable by their subtitles: the one with Bolero has three, the other edited one only two, namely "Closet Queen", the initial and final hard rock in Who style, and "Cast Your Fate To the Wind", which is the long central instrumental insert, with long and skillful slide guitar notes, dragged and echo-laden. A remarkable cover of this James Gang gem can also be enjoyed on the 1994 solo album by Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, titled "Candyman".

In the brief and unassuming instrumental "Asshton Park", Walsh has fun with an overtly echo-repeated effect applied to the sound of his instrument, played in a muted and detached style.

"Tend My Garden" is the episode where Walsh sets the electric guitar aside in favor of a lush Hammond organ. The ballad flows with meaning and emotion, dominated by the magnificent double-keyboard instrument, which, even when handled by a guitarist and therefore not by a virtuoso, always makes a great impression thanks to its inimitable sound.

The end of the album is entirely acoustic, with a trio of serene songs, the first of which, "Garden Gate", is the acoustic blues mentioned at the start; Walsh plays it with the dobro, a guitar with a metal body capable of particularly attractive tones.

"Thanks", on the other hand, is pure country rock, featuring Rusty Young of Poco, a luminary of the pedal steel guitar, as a guest.

The pretentious final number "Ashes The Rain And I" sees both Walsh and bassist Dale Peters on acoustic guitars accompanied by a full, pompous orchestra that somewhat sabotages the arrangement, which is already quite hyper-emotional and therefore has a rhetorical flavor.