From:
"The Best Of James Gang"
Rep 4671-WR
1998 Repertoire Records
"Popumentary Series"
http://www.repertoire-records.com
Liner Notes were written by Chris Welch
The Best of James Gang
"Sleep all day - out all night -
I know where you're going!"
Happy is the band that comes
up with a rock anthem that turns
on a generation. There's no doubt
that 'Funk #49' from "The James
Gang Rides Again" is such a classic.
A joyful exuberance permeates this
super charged performance, with its
famously funky guitar riff, stomping
drums and shouting vocals. But "Funk
#49" was just one of a huge output of
dynamic songs from a band that came to
represent American rock at its finest.
From the outset, The James Gang were
clearly a group that was out to enjoy
themselves and wouldn't compromise.
However, they managed to create a blend
of rock and funk that appealed to vast
numbers of people. It's an appeal that
has grown rather than diminished over
the years, even though the band has
long since parted company.
It's true they achieved their greatest
success when guitar legend Joe Walsh
was an important Gang member. But
drummer Jim Fox was the man who oversaw
the group's rise to fame. It was Fox
who put the original band together in
Cleveland, Ohio way back in 1966 and
ensured it stayed on track throughout
the glory years of the Seventies.
The James Gang were unique. Despite
their cowboy sounding name, their
music was far from being country
oriented. They took on board both
American and British rock influences.
Jim Fox grew up listening to the
records of such favorite UK bands
as The Yardbirds and The Who. But
he also heard the kind of soul music
pumping out of nearby cities like
Detroit. It was this combination of
factors that helped make the group's
sound so special and won them the
admiration and support of The Who's
Pete Townshend when he first saw
them playing in the States. The
James Gang would count an early tour
of Britain supporting The Who among
their happiest memories.
Although occasionally a five piece
band, they usually worked best as a
trio. The first version of The James
Gang consisted of Glenn Schwartz
(guitar/vocals), Tom Kriss (bass/vocals)
and Jim Fox (drums and vocals). Schwartz
later left the band in April, 1969 to
join another group called Pacific Gas
And Electric. He was replaced by
mighty Joe Walsh, master of guitar,
who appeared on the group's best known
albums including "Yer Album" (1969),
"The James Gang Rides Again" (1970)
and "Thirds" (1971). A selection of
songs from these and subsequent albums
like "Straight Shooter" (1972),
"Passin' Thru" (1972), "Bang" (1973),
"Miami" (1974), "Newborn" (1975), and
"Jesse Come Home" (1976) form the bulk
of the material on this "Popumentary"
CD set.
Later versions of the band included
the brilliant but ill-fated guitarist
Tommy Bolin, while Dale Peters
on bass replaced Tom Kriss. When Joe
Walsh left he was replaced by Domenic
Troiano (guitar/vocals), and Roy Kenner
came in as lead vocalist. Next came a
version of the band with Bubba Keith
and Richard Shack (vocals and guitar).
Just before the band broke up, they
had Bob Webb on vocals and Phil
Giallombardo (keyboards, vocals).
Throughout all these changes, one
man remained at the helm. Jim Fox
(born August 24, 1947), the drummer
who laid down that James Gang beat,
is also the man who knows their true
story.
The group began life as a five piece
Cleveland outfit, with two of the
members still at college. Fox had
been involved with a group called
The Outsiders, who had a Top Five
hit with "Time Won't Let Me" in
1966. Says Jim: "That was a bigger
single than anything we ever did with
the James Gang! They were a local
Cleveland group - the first rock band
I ever played with. I left them to
go off to college in 1965 and they
went into the studio and recorded
"Time Won't Let Me" and the record
went racing up the charts."
Their drummer got drafted, so they
called Jim at school and asked if
he'd like to finish the album and
do a tour. He did that before going
back to school. Jim's next step at
the age of 19 was to form his own
band. "I knew what I wanted to play
and nobody was playing it!" recalls
Fox. "So I had to find some guys
that could play the kind of music
that was coming out of England. I
was in love with The Beatles, of
course, and all the bands that were
blues influenced. I think I learned
as much about the blues from the
British guys as I did from the
original American artists. Maybe
the British slant to the blues was
a little different - with a harder
edge -- louder drumming and feedback
guitar. I think it all spells "Jeff
Beck" in the end! I wanted to have
a band like The Yardbirds.
{snip}
As the new group got themselves
organized with equipment and gigs,
they also needed a name. Jim laughs
at how it all came about. "At the
early rehearsals in 1966, the other
guitarist came along and said, "How
about calling it The James Gang?"
and we said, "Okay!" Of course,
we lied about that over the years
because that wasn't a very good
story. We'd say Jesse James was
our uncle to make it interesting.
The truth was, it was a simple
comment. We never thought of
ourselves as a Western, cowboy-
type band."
{snip}
After their next album, 'Passin'
Through' (1972), with the same group,
Domenic Troiano left to go play with
The Guess Who. Jim got a phone call
from Joe Walsh saying he heard they
needed a guitar player and suggested
Tommy Bolin.
"Unfortunately Tommy was a party guy
and he liked to stay high all the time
- endlessly. It didn't seem to affect
his playing - and I say that with my
eyes open. Tommy really was very good,
but he got higher and higher and by the
time he joined Deep Purple he also
found heroin, which is what eventually
did him in."
Bolin joined after a 15 minute
audition in August, 1973. He
recorded "Bang" (1973) which
included 8 of his songs and "Miami"
(1974), then left the James Gang to
join Deep Purple the following year
to replace Ritchie Blackmore. After
the Purple experience, Bolin formed
his own touring band, but died in
Miami of a heroin overdose on
December 4, 1976.
{snip}
For more info about Tommy Bolin in
The James Gang, click HERE
To get Albums, Songs, Lyrics, and
Personnel Information for
The James Gang, click HERE
Sign The
James Gang Fan Page Guestbook
Check out these Links
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page
