JOE WALSH : IN THE FAST LANE

  1. People Get Ready ("Ready" Freddie Washington)
  2. In the City
  3. Welcome To the Club
  4. Life In the Fast Lane
  5. Space Age Whiz Kids
  6. The Bomber: Closet Queen / Boléro / Cast Your Fate To the Wind
  7. All Night Long
  8. Turn To Stone
  9. Funk #49
  10. Life's Been Good
  11. Rocky Mountain Way

Label : no label

Length : 66:02

Venue : Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Irvine, California, USA

Date : September 24th, 1983

Quality : FM Recording (A+)

Review (Dime) : OK, here we go. I got this pre-fm LP version oI this gig from another site & spent way too much time researching it & then remastering it & along the way I discovered a few things. I would first like to make the case that this show is actually from 9/24/1983 & not from 10/3/1983 as was recently posted by the great & mighty kingrue. I don't know where the 10/3 date came from, but I believe it is false. Here's my reasons: --Joe was opening for Stevie Nicks on her "The Wild Heart Tour" when this show went down. I'm not finding any record of anything happening at Irvine Meadows on 10/3/1983 & I now feel that this gig must have simply been from 9/24/1983 when he was the support act for Stevie at Irvine Meadows...why would he play Irvine Meadows on a Monday night (10/3) by himself after just playing there 9 days earlier opening for Stevie on a Saturday (9/24)?? Doesn't make much sense & I don't think folks would be rushing back to see Joe on a Monday at such a big venue after having just seen him there so recently. --Joe starts the show by saying, "Good morning, how are you?? This is your wake up call." Now he could be just joking, of course, but that also sounds like someone who is the first to come on stage (hence 'opening act'). Then at the end he says, "Thank you, that's it for us!!" Again, sounds like a support act...obviously if he said 'stay tuned for Stevie Nicks' this would confirm things, but I still feel the clues are there. In addition, before his last tune, he says, "Well, we might as well play another one, we're up here...whaddya think, huh??" I take this joviality he is having with the crowd to mean 'there is no encore, this is the encore'--like he is not gonna leave the stage & come back because he is the support act, etc. --To further the investigation, Stevie herself has a Superstart Concert Series from Westwood One (SS84-1) that is almost undoubtedly from this same night. I can't find 100% evidence online to prove that her Superstar Concert Series is from Irvine Meadows, but I believe this to be the case. Why would WW1 go to the trouble of recording Stevie one night & then come back 9 days later to record Joe?? Does not make any sense...they would just bang both out the same night--that's how it's done. Kicking myself that I actually had official pressed CDs from Westwood One in my hand in the early 90's that I picked up for $1 at a street fair & then gave away to a friend of mine that was a huge Stevie Nicks fan (I have since lost contact info on him). --Finally, Joe Walsh plays a set here that clocks in at 67 minutes & change, which seems very much a length for an opening set. Yes, yes, I realize that Westwood One can & does edit out songs on the regular for their shows & so some songs could easily be missing here, but I am sticking with my theory nonetheless, based on the other factors. Anyway, that is my case for this show being from 9/24/1983...what do y'all think? Now onto the the sound on this version of the gig. I think it's bloody fantastic!! kingrue's FM master cassette of this also sounds really great & he did a wonderful job on the transfer. However, I feel that this pre-fm version from the vinyl LPs sounds richer, fuller & more detailed. I scored this off of guitars101 from the generosity of sharing by user 'outofcontrol'. She did not list her transfer process, but she did an excellent job & was working from what sounds like vinyl discs in pristine condition. There is no crackiling, the sound is very warm, etc. She also notes that she had "gone through it and declicked it one click at a time in Audacity." Nice work!! So this thing sounds rather choice, but I did feel it needed a touch more bass as that guy was getting a tad lost in the proceedings. I went ahead & applied a very tasty (IMO) EQ to add said bass to the recording & then combed thru it my damn self & found & cleanly removed about 10-12 more vinyl clicks/pops. There may be a couple very slights ones that I missed, but this puppy is very smooth sailing at this point. I also edited out all commercials by joining the crowd noise before & after & making that as smooth as possible so the flow of the show just continues (sorry if you are an 80's commercial buff, but they were kind of terrible anyhow). Finally, I also WAVhammered the DJ speak (at beginning & end of set only) to be more in line with the level of when Joe Walsh speaks so that the DJs are not 'yelling' at you while listening (a pet peave of mine). I also heavily researched the band members at this show, but much more on that investigation below. So yeah, that's about it for this part of these extensive notes...big thanks go out to outofcontrol for sharing this originally & her work on it & also to kingrue for his version of it which got me interested in research & discovery on this gig in the first place. Joe Walsh - guitars, vox Chet McCracken - drums "Ready" Freddie Washington - bass, b.vox, vox (t01 & "rainy day women #12 & 35" rap) Joe Vitale - drums, percussion, organ, b.vox Waddy Wachtel - rhythm guitar, synthesized guitar Tom Stephenson - keys (possible) Jay Ferguson - keys, b.vox (possible) Victor Feldman - percussion 2 female b.vox/(co lead vox on t02): (possible) Sharon Celani - b.vox (possible) Lori Perry-Nicks - b.vox (possible) Marilyn Martin - b.vox (possible) Carolyn Brooks - b.vox Regarding the band lineup: I researched this heavily...why?? I just like to know who is onstage playing when I'm listening to a live show--it enhances my enjoyment. Anyway, I researched this way, way too much & did not come up with a fully definitive list. I did come up with some clues & some players that I am sure of & some others that I am mostly sure of, etc. Anyone who has more info regarding exactly who was in Joe's band for this tour, your input is most welcome!! The first 3 musicians listed I am 100% sure of...obviously Joe is there (duh!!) & Chet he announces at the end of "Funk #49". Joe announces "Ready" Freddie Washington during "Rocky Mountain Way" right before Freddie starts singing the "rainy day women #12 & 35" rap included within that tune. I also strongly believe it is Freddie singing the co-lead on "People Get Ready." When getting into the other musicians, I'm fairly sure about the next 3...Joe Vitale was with Joe for a long time & it makes sense that he would be here--though he was not on the next album & he usually played drums for Joe so possibly Walsh had a falling out with him & that's why Chet McCraken is in there (also Chet was now on drums for the next record) & so maybe it is Victor Feldman on percussion. If anyone has confirmation on this, let me know. Tom Stephenson was on keys on Joe's most recent studio efforts & would make sense that he is there, but then again it could have been Jay Ferguson, who is the other guy Joe seemed to use at this time. When we get to the next theories, we have to bring up the fact that Joe & Stevie Nicks were in the midst of a hot & heavy, drug-fueled relationship at this time. She claimed recently (in 2012) that he was the great love of her life & she still holds out a candle for him...this probably has a lot to do with why he was chosen as her opening act for the tour. Anyhow, I read that during theri time together, Stevie was convincing Joe to use musicianss that she used & trusted & so it makes a lotta sense that Waddy Wachtel would be pulling double duty here as both Stevie's guitarist & Joe's other guitarist (besides himself). Waddy was also on Joe's most recent album & the next one he put out. Additionally, this website implies that Waddy was Joe's guitarist on this tour as the support act for Stevie: http://waddywachtelinfo.com/StevieNicks3.html Then we get into the female background vocalists. There are definitely 2 of them here & I feel that they are also culled from Stevie's background singers on this tour. Kind of like, "here Joe, use my girls." I have no proof of this, just an educated theory. I listed all 4 as it could be any 2 of them as a combination for Joe. One of them also takes lead vox on a verse during "People Get Ready." That's all I got on the band for now...anyone want to weigh in?? Source: Westwood One Superstars In Concert SS84-17 For airing the weekend of 8/11/84 Westwood One transcription disc (pre-fm lp in pristine condition). Notes from the mighty kingrue from his version of the show: Walsh lets his backup singer take a lead vocal on the opening number, a cover of the Impressions' "People Get Ready." Just before Joe starts into "Life's Been Good", he briefly talks about running for President again. Joe says (expanded & more detailed version): --"Well, I was thinking about running for President again, but...I'm not sure, ya know?? Some kinds guilt trip or something." --"How about, how'd you like free money for everybody??...vote for me". --"How'd you like to be safe in a 747??...vote for me--no problem". --"And I thought maybe we'd/I might, might change the National Anthem...I thought about 'Louie Louie"---ehhh...thought about 'On-A-Gadda-Da-Villa'' (how Joe pronounces it).............here's what I would say, ladies & gentleman as your new President--the new National Anthem." Towards the end of "Rocky Mountain Way" Joe plays part of Bob Dylan's 'Rainy Day Women #12 & 35'. More Notes (from me): --during "Rocky mountain Way", Joe changes the one lyric to "...bases are loaded, James Watt's at bat, playin' it play by play, time to change the batter". I can only imagine Joe is being political here & shouting out against James Watt & his 'anti-environmentalist' ways. He was U.S.Secretary of the Interior from 1981 to 1983 & one of Ronalsd Reagan's most controversial cabinet appointments. Joe's concert was almost exactly a month before Watt ended his time as SOTI (on 11/8/1983) so it makes a lotta sense that Joe was shouting him out here as a "siyanora, sucker!!"-type of thing ("time to change the batter"). I'm sure Joe hated his guts & all he did to endorse the development of federal lands by foresting and ranching, and for other commercial interests...as well as being hostile to environmentalism in general & not protecting endagered species, etc. Thanks to BR for supplying the tape.