Joe Walsh The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get CD

Personnel: Joe Walsh (vocals, guitar); Joe Vitale (flute, keyboards, drums); Rocke Grace (keyboards, background vocals); Kenny Passarelli (bass instrument, background vocals); Clydie King, Venetta Fields (background vocals).
The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get, Walsh's second solo studio album, continues the heavy and light rock mix of tracks found on his previous release Barnstorm. Indeed, the opening two tracks bear this out. The first, perhaps Joe Walsh's most recognized track, "Rocky Mountain Way", comes replete with overly distorted guitars and the obligatory solo. The next song, "Bookends", is a tuneful ode to happy memories. Walsh's ability to swing wildly from one end of the rock scale to the other is unparalleled and makes for an album to suit many tastes. Joe Vitale (drums, flute, backing vocals, keyboards, and synthesisers - a talented man) and Kenny Passarelli (bass and backing vocals) are once again employed, and once again prove themselves adept at handling Walsh's various styles. The album sees an addition to the backing band in the form of Rocke Grace on keyboards and vocals. The legendary Bill Szymczyk works along with Walsh to handle the production, and takes care of the mixing. Szymczyk's work on this area is as always astounding. The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get features some of the most remembered Joe Walsh tracks, but it's not just these that made the album the success it was. Each of the nine tracks is a song to be proud of. This is a superb album by anyone's standards. ~ Ben Davies
"Rocky Mountain Way," the tune that opens Joe Walsh's sophomore release (and remains one of his best-known songs), is a textbook example of Walsh's strengths. The song is driven by a slinky hard rock groove that boasts crunchy, distorted guitars, barrelhouse piano, wiry solos, and a catchy, singalong chorus--proving Walsh's penchant for mixing rock elements and radio-ready accessibility with a sense of wit and fun. The rest of SMOKER YOU DRINK, PLAYER YOU GET follows suit, with the mid-tempo rock ballad "Bookends," the bouncy, Latin-tinged "Happy Ways," and the airy, wistful "Dreams" keeping the stylistic mix lively.
Walsh is flanked here by Kenny Pasarelli on bass and Joe Vitale on drums, keyboards, and flute. Production help from Bill Szymczyk helps give the record its signature sound--simultaneously chunky and slick--and brings the effects-heavy sound of Walsh's guitar to the fore. But this is ultimately Walsh's show: he knows how to rock, lilt, and craft a pop hook, all the while maintaining levity with his off-hand vocal delivery and playful lyrics. SMOKER YOU DRINK, PLAYER YOU GET is a solid slice of FM rock fare, and is still one of the standouts in Walsh's solo discography.