The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get is the second studio album by American rock guitarist and singer Joe Walsh, released in 1973 by ABC-Dunhill Records in the United States and the United Kingdom, and was also released in Germany. It proved to be his commercial breakthrough, largely on the strength of the Top 40 hit single, "Rocky Mountain Way", which helped propel the album into the Top 10.
| The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 18, 1973[1] | |||
| Recorded | During late 1972 – early 1973 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:44 | |||
| Label | ABC-Dunhill | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Joe Walsh chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get | ||||
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On this album, Walsh shares the vocals and songwriting with the other three members of Barnstorm: drummer/multi-instrumentalist Joe Vitale, bassist Kenny Passarelli, and new member, keyboardist Rocke Grace. As a result, a variety of styles are explored on this album; there are elements of blues, jazz, folk, pop, and even Caribbean music. However, the album is only credited to Walsh as a solo artist, not to Barnstorm,[2] which led to the band's demise.[3] After the success of this album, Walsh continued making albums as a solo artist.
The title is a play on words "The higher you get the better you play!"[citation needed]
Cover artwork
editThe cover art for the album features a British Sopwith Snipe fighter with French colors that appears to be flying upside down (sky blue is at the bottom; brown ground is at the top).
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
Writing retrospectively for AllMusic, critic Ben Davies wrote of the album "Walsh's ability to swing wildly from one end of the rock scale to the other is unparalleled and makes for an album to suit many tastes... [it] features some of the most remembered Joe Walsh tracks, but it's not just these that make the album a success. Each of the nine tracks is a song to be proud of. This is a superb album by anyone's standards."[4]
Release history
editIn addition to the usual two channel stereo version this album was also released in a four channel quadraphonic edition on LP and 8-track tape in 1974. The quad LP is encoded using the QS Regular Matrix system. Audio Fidelity issued a limited 24-karat gold edition CD in 2009. This was followed in 2011 by a version in Japan with a miniature replica of the original sleeve in the SHM-CD format.[5]
Track listing
editAll songs written and composed by Joe Walsh, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rocky Mountain Way" |
| 5:15 |
| 2. | "Bookends" | Vitale | 2:45 |
| 3. | "Wolf" | 3:09 | |
| 4. | "Midnight Moodies" | Grace | 3:39 |
| 5. | "Happy Ways" |
| 2:40 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Meadows" | 4:36 | |
| 7. | "Dreams" | 5:50 | |
| 8. | "Days Gone By" | Vitale | 5:54 |
| 9. | "Daydream (Prayer)" | 1:56 | |
| Total length: | 35:44 | ||
Different versions of the album have various spellings for two of the tracks. "(Day Dream) Prayer" is spelled "Daydream (Prayer)" on the CD versions, and "Book Ends" is spelled as "Bookends" on some other releases.
Personnel
editBarnstorm
- Joe Walsh – guitars, keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals, lead vocals (on 1, 3, 6, 7, 9)
- Kenny Passarelli – bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals (on 5)
- Joe Vitale – drums, percussion, piano, keyboards, flute, backing vocals, lead vocals (on 2, 8)
- Rocke Grace – keyboards, backing vocals
Session musicians
- Joe Lala – percussion
- Venetta Fields – backing vocals
- Clydie King – backing vocals
Production and artwork
- Joe Walsh – record producer
- Bill Szymczyk – record producer, engineering, mixing
- Mike D. Stone of the Record Plant - engineering
- Ronnie Alpert – engineering
- Al Blazek – engineering
- Jimmy Wachtel – album design
- Bob Jenkins – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[6] | 2 |
| US Billboard 200[7] | 6 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[8] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[9] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Martin C. Strong, The Great Rock Discography, Random House, Inc., New York NY, 1998, p. 900
- ^ Classic Rock Review (18 June 2018). "The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get". Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ Adams, Deanna R. (2002). Rock 'n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection. Kent State University Press. ISBN 0-87338-691-4.
- ^ a b Davies, Ben. "The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- ^ "The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get [Cardboard Sleeve (Mini LP)] [SHM-CD] [Limited Release] Joe Walsh CD Album". CDJapan.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4930". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "Joe Walsh Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "British album certifications – Joe Walsh – The Smoke You Drick, The Player You Get". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – Joe Walsh – The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
edit- The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get at Discogs (list of releases)