Joe Walsh - Life’s Been Good

God, you really can’t move in the classic rock scene without tripping over someone who was in The Eagles at some point, can you? The annals of music history are littered with more ex-Eagles than an explosion at a bird sanctuary and while I think The Boys of Summer is as creepy as the next man, it’s hard to deny the enduring appeal that their distinct sound has shifted and distilled into via various solo projects. 

While Don Henley was hiding in the bushes at the beach* and Glenn Frey was writing theme songs like it was going out of fashion, guitarist Joe Walsh was focusing on those rock star tropes in his spare time. Just calling him a guitarist feels like a disservice – he was and remains a monster on the fretboard, chalking up who knows how many Best Guitarist Ever rankings and cranking out iconic shredding like an any% speedrun of voter fraud coverup. Do yourself a favour and go listen to the back end of Hotel California again, because that’s some good stuff, to understate it by as much as humanly possible. Consider it a bonus RSOTW 1.5. 

Back on the solo side of things, Walsh was no less talented when not surrounded by birds and our pick this week is no exception. A breezy, easy-listenin’ track with a reggae hook that makes The Police sound like they’re clinking bottles together in a cave to make music, “Life’s Been Good” is a laid back tale of rock star exuberance that will have you humming your heart out and dreaming of smashing up hotel rooms at the office photocopier. Just don’t get those two mixed up, because the disclaimer budget for the month has already been used up at this point. 

*Disclaimer: we don’t know whether “The Boys of Summer” was autobiographical; however, legally, we are allowed to hope it wasn’t