Roller Coaster Weekend

Classic album from the 70's. My original was toast. I love this album.

Great album. Great seller. Thank you!

A lot of people tend to think of rock n roll in general as somewhat overexposed. Even in the mid 70's this seemed to be so. As much as many of us would like to think otherwise people even groups such as Steely Dan,Gentle Giant,Gary Wright and others who explored music in unexpected ways didn't tend to receive as much play as groups such as The Rolling Stones,The Who or others. All of these bands had good and distinctive sounds and many such as Bob Segar,The Eagles and Joe Walsh achieved a great deal of success and this musician played with all of them. All the same when keyboardis/multi-instrumentalist Joe Viale emmerged with his debut solo album in 1974 it really didn't gain the recognition it probably deserved. Playing most of the instruments himself and bringing in guests such as Rick Derringer and Joe Walsh himself this album finds Mr.Vitale reveling in the idea not so much in expanding how much more music could be added with rock n roll but rather on expanding the possibilities of the genre itself. While the title song "(Do You Feel Like) Movin'","Mad Man" and "Take A Chance" would fit squarely into the heavy southern rock catagory,basically and are all done very well-ditto for "Shoot 'Em up". But for the most part the latter half of the album is where the albums creativity really shines. On "School Yard" and "Feeling's Gone Away" there are basic pop/rock structures but the use of ARP synthesizers played in a prominant pop/jazz-funk style give them a different type of flavor much more on the Steely Dan end of things as opposed to say Bob Seger and provides the music with some decidedly individual melodic flavors as well. On "Two Of Us" and "Falling" those keyboard laden jazz-rock elements are expanded out with some wonderfully broad harmonic ideas and melodies for some very memorable music. Considering the nature of how Vitale uses the ARP on this album it isn't surprising he ends the album with the full on and respecful funk of "Step On You";yes it's presented as part of a whole as opposed to a singular vision but it's also very important as a final direction as to where this album was going. It would be years,in fact a whole other decade before Joe Vitale followed this up but it was more than a respectful start to career that should've panned out to a lot more.

I first heard of Joe Vitale like most of you...through Joe Walsh & Barnstorm, so when I heard he had a solo album out, I jumped on it. This is very similar to a lot of Walsh's stuff...good natured, competent and quite simply...if you like the stuff a lot of Walsh albums are made of, here's more of the same. Vitale and Walsh have very similar singing voices too, and I have no problem with any of it. Most of the same players are here and on a few of Jay Ferguson's solo albums as well. Whoever thought Joe Vitale's music was third-rate compared to Walsh's is totally missing the point. It's the same lineup for all practical purposes, and more of the same enjoyable type of stuff Joe and Jay both put out on a regular basis. It's great to hear this stuff on CD finally. Don't save your money...grab this up while it's available again, and while you're at it, get his other one (Plantation Harbor). It may not have taken the charts by storm, but then there's a lot of incredible music that hasn't either. This is too good to pass up if you're a fan of Ferguson or Walsh, and focusing on a single track doesn't do it justice. Buy it and enjoy.

Maybe I'm not the only person who's been obsessively combing used record stores (and getting the inevitable "Joe WHO?!" answers from puzzled clerks) after all! A laurel, and hearty handshake goes out to the decision makers at Wounded Bird for re-issuing this forgotten mid 70's gem from Joe Vitale. Vitale was a key member of Joe Walsh's Barnstorm band, with whom Walsh released his finest post-James Gang work ("Barnstorm", "So What", "The Smoker You Get...".) The multi-talented Vitale sings, plays drums, flute, keyboards and other assorted instruments in top form on this album. Songs like "Feeling's Gone Away" and "Falling" should have become FM staples, but alas, it was not to be. Vitale's songwriting skills may pale a bit compared to Walsh's, but Vitale displays Brian Wilson-like skills with song arrangement, which tells me he must have had a hand in shaping the memorably textured magic of the early Walsh albums. Walsh contributes guitar and backing vocals on several cuts, and fellow guitar ace Rick Derringer whips out some of his patented slide licks. Fans of melodic pop-rock will not be disappointed.

No household name and probably only able to ring bells with Joe Walsh fans, Joe Vitale turns out to be an incredibly versatile musician in his own right on this 1974 effort. He plays just about everything here, apart from guitars. Not surprisingly, Walsh features in that capacity, resulting in the album sounding quite similar to his own albums. Even Vitale's voice has a similar tone and, unusually for a sideman, he's an impressive vocalist. It has that slightly laid-back cool dude feel to it, though there are hot moments, such as on 'Movin''. Walsh cannibalised 'Falling' for the song 'At The Station' four years later, but, despite his reliance on Vitale, his fame remains far greater. The material tends to strengthen as the album progresses. Unlike most albums, the first track is probably the weakest, mainly because of an over-repetitive piano riff. The album's strength is in its style and execution, the songs being good rather than great. Worth a listen if you're into the Walsh clique though.

Good, prompt delivery and product.