The James Gang - Thirds

Title: Thirds Artist: The James Gang Release Date: 1971 Re-Released On: 6/6/2000 Label: One Way, MCA Records, Beat Goes On Duration: 36:02 UPCs: 008811202224, 076732203125, 5017261201195, 0008811202224 Genre: Rock Styles: Rock & Roll, Hard Rock, Album Rock Moods: Freewheeling, Gritty, Earthy, Raucous, Boisterous, Confident, Gutsy, Nocturnal, Rousing, Street-Smart, Swaggering, Bittersweet, Energetic, Party/Celebratory, Passionate, Playful, Rebellious, Rowdy Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 5 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 1

1. Walk Away
2. Yadig?
3. Things I Could Be
4. Dreamin' in the Country
5. It's All the Same
6. Midnight Man
7. Again
8. White Man/Black Man
9. Live My Life Again

Year Type Label Catalog # 2000 CD MCA Records 112022 1992 CD One Way 22031 1991 CD Beat Goes On 119

No other editions were found for this album.

The James Gang Rides Again set the stage for the group's third album to propel them to Top Ten, headliner status, but that didn't happen. The band was on its last legs, rent by dissension as Walsh became the focus of attention, and the appropriately titled Thirds reflected the conflict. Among the nine original songs, four were contributed by Walsh, two each by bass player Dale Peters and drummer Jim Fox, and one was a group composition. But it was Walsh's songs that stood out. His "Walk Away," was the first single, and it climbed into the Top 40 in at least one national chart, the group's only 45 to do that well. "Midnight Man," the follow-up single, was another Walsh tune, and it also made the charts. The Fox and Peters compositions were a step down in quality, particularly Peters'. But the problem wasn't just material, it was also musical approach. James Gang Rides Again had emphasized the band's hard rock sound, which was its strong suit. But they had never given up the idea of themselves as an eclectic unit, and Thirds was their most diverse effort yet, with pedal steel guitar, horn and string charts, and backup vocals by the Sweet Inspirations turning up on one track or another. At a time when Walsh was being hailed as a guitar hero to rank with the best rock had to offer, he was not only submerging himself in a group with inferiors, but also not playing much of the kind of lead guitar his supporters were raving about. As a result, though Thirds quickly earned a respectable chart position and eventually went gold, it was not the commercial breakthrough that might have been expected. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Name Credits Andy McKaie Coordination Barry Feinstein Cover Design Beth Stempel Coordination Bill Szymczyk Engineer, Producer, Remixing Bob Webb Vocals, Guitar, Vocals (Background) Dale Peters Liner Notes, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background), Percussion, Bass (Upright), Bass, Group Member Don Gehman Live Sound Eddie Youngblood Engineer Jim Fox Vocals, Producer, Keyboards, ?, Vibraphone, Drums, Organ, Liner Notes Jimmy Fox Organ, Violin Arrangement, Vocals, Tack Piano, Group Member, Drums, Vibraphone Jo Ann Frederick Coordination Joe Walsh Keyboards, Vocals, Guitar, Piano (Electric), Piano, Pedal Steel, Producer, Sound Effects, Group Member John Tobler Liner Notes Junie Osaki Reissue Design Kenneth Hamann Engineer Mary Sterpka Soloist, Vocals (Background), Vocals Patrick Cullie Cover Design Philip Melnick Original Photography The James Gang Producer The Sweet Inspirations Vocals Tom Baker Horn Arrangements, Horn Tom Wilkes Cover Design Tom Wright Original Photography, Cover Design