We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
When a band loses a superstar, it makes it tough to carry on. When Joe Walsh left the James Gang, the remaining members, bassist Dale Peters and drummer Jim Fox soldiered on by adding two members to replace him. They were guitarist Dominic Troiano on guitar and Roy Kenner on lead vocals. In 1972 the new lineup released “Straight Shooter”.
Kenner and Troiano came froma Canadian band called Bush…here is what they sounded like.
Troiano was a different guitar player than Walsh. Less crunchy chords and more finger picking. And the choice of material is pretty pedestrian. I like a few of the tunes including “I’ll Tell You Why” and “My Door is Open”. They also do some nice acoustic ballads as part of the set.
But there is no “Walk Away” or “Funk #49” here.
Kenner is fine as a vocalist I actually interviewed him circa 1978-79 when he brought his then band “Law” to Stevens Point for a concert. He came across as a good guy…a rock & roll lifer on the road again.
This album is nothing special. Tough to replace a Joe Walsh, even with two talented guys.
I’ll be off again for a few days. The next blog will be Monday July 25th.
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