Thirds - JAMES GANG***

Walk Away/Yadig/Things I Could Be/Dreamin' In The Country/Its All The Same/Midnight Man/Again/White Man Black Man/Live My Life Again

The somewhat unoriginally titled Thirds was considered by some critics to be a step down from previous James Gang albums. Their leading light Joe Walsh would soon quit the group for a solo career. (US:27)

“Thirds wasn't nearly as good as the previous two albums. Although it had more than its share of successes, but song-for-song simply lacked the cohesion and sense of enthusiasm found on the earlier studio releases.”

“The last studio LP for James Gang with Joe Walsh and that's our loss. Power trio rock was rarely if ever better than this group. They were never the same after Walsh left and neither was Walsh.”

“Joe Walsh's last ride with The James Gang. After this they would release many more albums but they would never quite be the same, or have the same spark of creativity.”

“All in all, this third helping comes over as a lazy effort with poor songwriting lifted by pleasant, if unadventurous, music.”

“The final album of the best line-up of the James Gang is by far the weakest of the first three albums. The Joe Walsh penned cuts are the strongest, while the other members' contribution are about as middle-of-the-road as hard rock gets. Not a terrible album by any means, but still a disappointment.”

“While Walk Away, Midnight Man and Again stand as stellar pieces of rock history, they are all that hold this release together. The aforementioned songs are perfectly produced and delivered. While the other numbers are and played from the heart, the value and strength of these songs is far below par.”

“Thirds was the James Gang's third great album in a row. The centrepiece was the riff-rocker Walk Away, but the album shows the band moving in various different directions, a sign that they were being torn by internal dissension. Walsh would decamp soon after for a solo career and work with The Eagles. Nevertheless, this album is a must own for any fan of 60s and 70s rock.”

“It's not as strong as the first two releases, but it still has plenty going for it. Walk Away and Midnight Man were minor FM hits and are both are excellent songs.”