Search - Walter Egan :: Fundamental Roll / Not Shy

If It Wasn't For Stevie . . .

DJG1960 | N. Attleboro, MA USA | 01/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Being a big Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac fan back in the late 70's, I don't think I would have bought the albums back then. Stevie's haunting voice on "Tunnel O' Love", the B-side to "Magnet and Steel" is what hooked me on Walter Egan. The nice thing here is that you get the first two albums on one CD. The bonus is the great sound from being remastered. Any Stevie Nicks fan will enjoy the number of songs she appears on (and there are many of them)."

A must-have for "Rumours" fans...

jon sieruga | Redlands, CA USA | 06/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood are all over these two very decent, very enjoyable albums by Walter Egan, but who is Walter Egan? He's best remembered for the hit "Magnet & Steel" and for his woodcutting side-hobby(displayed in Buckingham's liner notes for "Out of the Cradle"). He's sort of a non-rabble-rousing good-time boy, a bit callow and unambitious. But his straightforward vocals are pleasant and undemanding, and he sounds even better duetting with La Nicks. Best songs feature Nicks prominently: "Won't You Say You Will", "Yes I Guess I Am"(which features a blistering Buckingham guitar solo), the positively infectious "When I Get My Wheels"(Stevie gets down on this one--"Watch out!!"), the rollicking "Finally Find a Girlfriend", and the best song here, "The Blonde in the Blue T-Bird". On the 'Not Shy' album, Egan got a bit more involved and expanded his band outside of his friends, but the girl back-up singer is no match for Nicks(who appears on several songs nevertheless)and his personality is still too lackadaisical to fully come through."

Magnet and Steel was great, but there's more to Walter Egan

Matt | WI United States | 08/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My introduction with Walter Egan was the only song he seems to be known for. True, "Magnet and Steel" was a hit, and was played frequently on the radio from its 1978 peak of #8 on the charts, up through the mid 1980s, but there is more.



I first got a listen of the entire Not Shy LP in its 8-track format, then on vinyl, and finally in 1997, I snagged the now out-of-print Razor & Tie reissue. Why? Simply put....this is music that is great for those road trips, crusing down the highway, and even when not travelling the roads, is a fun listen.



It's too bad, Fleetwood Mac got all the fame and glory for their Rumours album (Which I will admit, is a flawless pop album), and Bob Welch had his share with his late-1977 single 'Sentimental Lady' (which seems to have been forgotten and is only heard in playback over the PA systems of supermarkets and small dying malls)..all overshadowing what members of the Mac (namely Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, and Lindsey Buckingham) alumni put out when beside Egan. Just have a listen to 'could-have-been-hit' songs like "Blonde In Blue T-Bird" (Stevie wails on this track) or "Make it Alone". To my ears, they have that undeniable hint of that 'Mac' sound that was unescapable at the time. A shame that Not Shy wasn't pushed ahead in promotion by the record label. The entire album is near perfect for me. I can't find a single filler track.



Once I get to hear the Fundimental Roll half of this disc, I'll add to the review.



I picked up this two'fer CD along with the other Egan two'fer HiFi/The Last Stroll (It will be my first time ever hearing those two albums), and on this CD there's Egan's long OOP debut, Fundimental Roll, in its entirety for the first time ever on CD. With the other three unheard of (to my ears) albums, I'm not expecting the same sound I heard with "Magnet", but so long as the music here is fun and puts a smile on my face, that's all that I care about. 'Fun' and 'upbeat' seem to be two things missing from a lot of so-called mainstream 'rock' music these days, which really is too bad. In today's world, that kind of stuff is sorely needed.



Highly recommended for fans of the Mac's later years and those who want something upbeat to listen to."