Closing out the second part of Joe Walsh’s career, You Can’t Argue With A Sick Mind is everything a live album should be, if a bit skimpy at only six songs and 35 minutes.
Recorded on the So What tour, the set list hits the highlights of Walsh’s early career just before he joined the Eagles and before the days of “Life’s Been Good” and the questionable ‘80s output. All of these songs are on all of Walsh’s hits collections, so the list won’t come as a surprise to fans.
But what elevates this is the playing, the relaxed confidence of Walsh’s boogie rock and guitar playing and his ability to create musical tension. That’s not something normally associated with the dude who wrote “Rocky Mountain Way,” but one listen to “Turn to Stone” should convince listeners that Walsh was more gifted than his caricature and what classic rock radio has made him out to be.
“Rocky Mountain Way” is stretched out a bit here with a good jam, although the verses lose something in the translation to the live setting. “Meadows” is improved in this setting because of the instrumental second half, “Help Me Through The Night” remains the same as the studio but features three of the Eagles playing along and “Turn To Stone” is graceful, dramatic and all rock, marred only slightly by the Jethro Tull-ish flute solo in the middle that briefly stops the momentum.
The opening “Walk Away” is the other highlight, an improved take on the old James Gang song with added piano and a rewriting of the bridge from the chorus back to the verse. The studio version’s stop-start chords and sound effects would not have translated to the stage, so Walsh keeps the song chugging with a boogie breakdown and well-placed ascending chords. It will become your preferred version of the song.
Given the overkill of most ‘70s live albums and the fact that Walsh clearly puts on a good show, the fact that this was kept to a single album under 40 minutes seems questionable; surely there were some other good songs from the tour worth showcasing. Maybe a CD reissue in the future will turn this into more of an actual tour document than the brief showcase that it is. Nevertheless, this is worth owning for Walsh fans of all stripes, especially those who only know the guy from two or three overplayed radio songs. As this proves, he had more to offer.