Maps of Music

Got Any Gum? (1987)

Where the lyrics of Got Any Gum? take you, and where it was really made.

The title comes from a bum who asked Walsh for gum instead of spare change, a story Walsh told in an interview with Howard Stern.

Key places

Recording sessions in Memphis (1987)

Recording site Ardent Studios — Walsh began recording Got Any Gum? in early 1987 at Ardent Recordings and Alpha Sound in Memphis, Tennessee. The point marks the city, not the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cover photo at the Memphian Theater (1987)

Album cover Ardent Studios — The album cover photograph by Carole Manning shows the Memphian Theater, which first opened in 1935. The point marks the city, not the exact theater building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Got Any Gum?: eighth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Joe Walsh
• Released October 1987 on Warner Brothers in the US and Full Moon in the UK
• Last Walsh album released by either of those labels
• Eight original songs written with others and by himself, plus two covers
• Vocal contributions from JD Souther and Survivor's lead vocalist Jimi Jamison
• Walsh's cover of "In My Car" was co-written with Ringo Starr

Background

• Followed the tepid reaction to his 1985 studio album The Confessor
• Walsh wanted an even more contemporary sound for his solo work
• He chose Terry Manning as the producer of the new album
• Among the musicians, JD Souther was the only other one Walsh knew before this project

Recording

• Recording began in early 1987 at Ardent Recordings and Alpha Sound in Memphis, Tennessee
• Former Barnstorm drummer Joe Vitale introduced session musician Rick Rosas to Walsh
• Rosas played bass on "Half of the Time" under the tongue-in-cheek pseudonym "Rick the Bass Player"
• After the album, Rosas and Walsh toured and recorded together

Cover

• Cover photograph by Carole Manning shows the Memphian Theater, which first opened in 1935
• Back cover shows Walsh in front of a 1962 Ford Thunderbird blowing a big gum bubble
• Inner sleeve shows Walsh grinning with bubble gum stuck to the outside of his face

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, born November 20, 1947 in Wichita, Kansas.
• Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles, joining in 1975 as guitarist and keyboardist, replacing Bernie Leadon.
• Earlier played with local Ohio bands, then the James Gang (1968–1971), known for the hit "Funk 49".
• Led Barnstorm (1971–1974) with Joe Vitale and Kenny Passarelli; "Rocky Mountain Way" reached No. 23 on the US Top 40.
• Solo hits include "Life's Been Good" (No. 12 Billboard Hot 100) and "A Life of Illusion".
• Rolling Stone ranked him No. 54 on its 2011 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Eagles in 1998.

Recognition

• Eagles won five Grammy Awards in total, with Walsh a member of the group.
• Earned an honorary music degree from Kent State University in 2001.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Music critics received the album negatively overall, while some reviewers noted good points
• Walsh's chart fortunes turned downward with this album, which led to both Warner Bros. and Full Moon dropping him

Reappraisal

• AllMusic (James Chrispell, retrospective): gave two out of five stars
• AllMusic called it a real bummer, saying nothing is sadder than a talented artist making such a record
• AllMusic suggested it might be one of the contractual obligation albums
• Italian Wikipedia summarized the critical reception as lukewarm, citing AllMusic's view that it was a contractual obligation

Records

• Peaked at No. 113 on the Billboard 200, a commercial disappointment
• Two singles: "The Radio Song" and "In My Car"
• "The Radio Song" was the first and leading single, a commercial success
• "The Radio Song" peaked at No. 8 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title came from a bum who asked Walsh for gum rather than spare change, a story Walsh told in an interview with Howard Stern in October 1987.
• "In My Car" was co-written by Walsh and Ringo Starr, and it first appeared on Starr's 1983 album Old Wave.
• The back cover dedicates the album to Walsh's daughter Lucy, who is also Ringo Starr's niece.
• Rick Rosas played bass on "Half of the Time" under the credit "Rick the Bass Player".
• The music video for "The Radio Song" featured the legendary DJ Wolfman Jack.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

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