| The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 18, 1973[1] | |||
| Recorded | During late 1972 – early 1973 | |||
| Studio | ||||
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| Length | 35:44 | |||
| Label | ABC-Dunhill | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Joe Walsh chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get | ||||
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The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get is the second studio album by American rock guitarist and singer Joe Walsh, released in 1973 by ABC-Dunhill Records in the United States and the United Kingdom, and was also released in Germany. It proved to be his commercial breakthrough, largely on the strength of the Top 40 hit single, "Rocky Mountain Way", which helped propel the album into the Top 10.
On this album, Walsh shares the vocals and songwriting with the other three members of Barnstorm: drummer/multi-instrumentalist Joe Vitale, bassist Kenny Passarelli, and new member, keyboardist Rocke Grace. As a result, a variety of styles are explored on this album; there are elements of blues, jazz, folk, pop, and even Caribbean music. However, the album is only credited to Walsh as a solo artist, not to Barnstorm,[2] which led to the band's demise.[3] After the success of this album, Walsh continued making albums as a solo artist.
The title is a play on words "The higher you get the better you play!"[citation needed]
- ^ Martin C. Strong, The Great Rock Discography, Random House, Inc., New York NY, 1998, p. 900
- ^ Classic Rock Review (18 June 2018). "The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get". Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ Adams, Deanna R. (2002). Rock 'n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection. Kent State University Press. ISBN 0-87338-691-4.