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.
Quick Facts The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get, Studio album by Joe Walsh ...
The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get |
---|
|
|
Released | June 18, 1973 (1973-06-18)[1] |
---|
Recorded | During late 1972 (1972) – early 1973 (1973) |
---|
Studio |
|
---|
Genre |
|
---|
Length | 35:44 |
---|
Label | ABC-Dunhill |
---|
Producer |
|
---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Close
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]
The 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).
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]
In 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]
All songs written and composed by Joe Walsh, except where noted.
More information No., Title ...
Side ATitle | Writer(s) |
---|
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 |
---|
Close
More information No., Title ...
Side BTitle | Writer(s) |
---|
6. | "Meadows" | | 4:36 |
---|
7. | "Dreams" | | 5:50 |
---|
8. | "Days Gone By" | Vitale | 5:54 |
---|
9. | "Daydream (Prayer)" | | 1:56 |
---|
Total length: | 35:44 |
---|
Close
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.
Barnstorm
- 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
Production and artwork
Album – Billboard (United States)
More information Year, Chart ...
Year |
Chart |
Position |
1973 |
Pop Albums |
6 |
Close
Singles – Billboard (United States)
More information Year, Single ...
Year |
Single |
Chart |
Position |
1973 |
"Rocky Mountain Way" |
Pop Singles |
23 |
1974 |
"Meadows" |
Pop Singles |
89 |
Close
Martin C. Strong, The Great Rock Discography, Random House, Inc., New York NY, 1998, p. 900
Adams, Deanna R. (2002). Rock 'n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection. Kent State University Press. ISBN 0-87338-691-4.