The James Gang Rides Again

Love the cover!






6/23/11

beeradvocate.com- B

Brooklyn Summer Ale- Quick Mart- Rego Park, Queens-12 oz. Bottle poured into Belgian glass- 5% ABV- I have actually had this beer quite a few times but never really sat down and thought about it to much until now. Poured with about a fingers worth of head which dissipated pretty quickly. No lacing really left on the glass. golden colored and fairly clear. A bit sweet smelling, kinda floral and a bit of lemon zest maybe. Very active carbonation, much more than I remembered. The carbonation actually reminds me of Miller High Life. A light medium mouth feel. In the taste there is a bit of bitterness and a bit of lemon. Not a whole lot of complexity here but what it lacks in complexity it certainly makes up for in drinkability. This is one easy drinking beer. Almost to easy, its been about 6 or seven minutes since I opened it and its almost gone. A good summer beer for sure if you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary but a step above Bud or Miller.

On the turntable is Rides Again- James Gang- Recorded at the Record Plant East & West and released in 1970- Over the past couple of weeks I have been listening to a lot of Jazz and I felt like some good old classic rock and the James Gang certainly fills that bill. This is a solid rock album and in general in my opinion the James Gang is often overlooked in a lot magazines and music shows in general. I have the same opinion about the band Mountain. Both bands were American power trios and both had, at the worst 2nd tier guitar gods in Joe Walsh and Leslie West, and both bands had an aggressive sound which has been appropriated by many bands that have come in their wake. Another similarity between these two guitarists is they both have a history of entertaining appearances on the Howard Stern. Leslie West in particular is a good friend of the Stern show and recently had one of his legs amputated due complications related to Diabetes.

This album is primarily known for the classic rock staples Funk #49, Tend My Garden and The Bomber. An interesting track here is Ashes The Rain and I which was produced by Jack Nitszche who was both a protege of Phil Spector and a member of the original incarnation of Neil Young's backing band, Crazy Horse. I chose to post two lesser known tracks here and both are kind of on the mellower side. First is the funky, guitar-delayed riff driven Asshtonpark and second is the country rock inspired number There I Go Again aided and abetted by the band Poco's pedal steel guitar man Rusty Young.