Joe Walsh - The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get

True audiophile joy — now cut at 45 RPM 2LP for better tracking, exceptional bass!

Remastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original master tapes

Plated and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings!

Stoughton Printing gatefold tip-on heavyweight cardboard jacket

Praise for the 33 1/3 version of The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get

"As always, the pressing quality of this QRP product is exemplary. Cut from original analog tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio, the bass response is noticeably improved. The 45rpm cuts mean changing sides more frequently, but the sharper detail and expanded soundstage make it worth the effort." — Performance = 4/5; Sonics = 4.5/5 — Robert Baird, Stereophile, September 2024

"The details, the room and the air between the musicians helps so much to get dragged into this this grooviness, into this this tempo this this enthusiasm — this is very enthusiastic music in my opinion and and and when you listen to this it's it's always a pleasure." — Michael Ludwigs, 45 RPM Audiophile. YouTube video.

"(Side one) ends with the appropriately titled 'Happy Ways,' a Latin-tinged guitar-fest with lovely chunky bass lines that sounds absolutely glorious on this Analogue Productions pressing. The zing of steel string guitar almost sounds dead on the CD and tired on my ancient vinyl pressing, so this is clearly not one of those remasters that's based on an umpteenth generation copy of the tapes. ... You owe it to yourself to hear this album — and it will not sound any better than this spectacular pressing." — Recording = 8/10; Music 10/10 — Jason Kenedy, Hi-Fi+, Issue 148

"An outstanding new 180gm LP reissue from Analogue Productions, with improved sound thanks to a sparkling new remaster by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, makes it clear that this 1973 release remains — with the possible exception of 1978's But Seriously, Folks . . . — the undisputed highlight of Walsh's solo career. ... Another week, another beautiful-sounding, wonderfully packaged reissue from Analogue Productions." Read the whole review here. — Robert Baird, Stereophile.com, May 2017

In between his stints with the James Gang and the Eagles, Joe Walsh tackled his second solo studio album The Smoker You Drink The Player You Get which became his most successful solo outing. The 1973 LP continued the heavy and light rock mix of tracks found on his previous release, Barnstorm.

Analogue Productions has done reissue justice to the album that AllMusic decries "features some of the most remembered Joe Walsh tracks, but it's not just these that make the album a success. Each of the nine tracks is a song to be proud of. This is a superb album by anyone's standards."

To obtain the best sound possible we turned to Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio to remaster this superb album from the original analog tapes. Next we plated the lacquers and pressed LPs on 180-gram audiophile vinyl at the world's best LP maker, Quality Record Pressings. Top it all off with a deluxe Stoughton Printing gatefold tip-on jacket and you've got the makings for audiophile joy.

But would we stop there? Hardly. Now with our 45 RPM release, the best-sounding version of this rock music gem gives listeners an even richer sonic experience. The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately.

This amazingly eclectic rock album has Joe's smash "Rocky Mountain Way," his hit "Meadows," plus "Bookends," "Wolf; Dreams" and more! Walsh's abililty to swing wildly from one end of the rock scale to the other is unparalleled and makes for an album to suit many tastes.

1. Rocky Mountain Way (Joe Walsh, Joe Vitale, Kenny Passarelli, Rocke Grace)

2. Book Ends

3. Wolf

4. Midnight Moodies

5. Happy Ways

6. Meadows

7. Dreams

8. Days Gone By

9. Day Dream (Prayer)

Customer Reviews (5.00 Stars) 6 person(s) rated this product.

This is the Best Version of this that I've Heard posted on 09/03/2024 5 Stars Reviewer: Don Allen This is my first 45 RPM AP record. I have the original release, and it is very murky. 90% of that is absent from this release, and it sounds great! This is one of my favorite albums of all time, so you can imagine te big smile on my face. That said, If AP offers the 45 RPM version of any more records that are dear to my heart, I'm going to get them. $60 is a lot of money for an album, but this was worth it.

It's Joe Vitale's drums that come forward, finally. posted on 06/04/2024 5 Stars Reviewer: Sckott My first experience of this album was literally a bootleg 8- Track tape in '74 when I was 5. I've had MCA LP reissues, the 2fer CD (also great) and also an original Dunhill LP which was cut with a lot of dynamics as-is. This really takes the veil off the drum kit and brings life all around that just about barely made to the original LP. It's not a long record and Kevin Gray cut this so that it translates perfectly to audiophile vinyl. I'll treasure this one right next to my UHQRs. It's Joe Walsh recording at several studios, making it all sound uniform, which back then was super tricky. Jacket construction, great as always.

Holy Drums! posted on 05/14/2024 5 Stars Wow! I haven't heard the AP 33 RPM of this, but I am very familiar with this album. In both CD and OG LP form. This cut absolutely kicks ass! It has all the organic magic of the original mix but boy is the low end there to just balance everything out. Thanks Analogue Productions! It was a long wait, but it was worth it.

Analogue Productions Just Keeps Cranking Them Out. posted on 05/14/2024 5 Stars Reviewer: Chris Dean I have a original pressing, while very very good, it doesn't even touch how good this release sounds. I am not the hugest fan of 45rpm version vinyl for the time factor, but the sound quality because of how 45rpm version are cut ,they are worth the headaches of getting up to flip the record much faster. I have bought alot of the Atlantic 75th anniversary series and these reissues are as good. I am blown away at the consistency of Acoustic Sounds,Analogue Productions and QRP and the mastering engineers that they have doing these releases. Please, Please, don't stop. Keep them coming. Thanks Chris D.

The ultimate sonic experience of this masterpiece posted on 05/13/2024 5 Stars Reviewer: Justin R. Fantastic in every way. This has always been a favorite album of mine, and Kevin’s mastering has once again gone above and beyond. As an owner of both the 33 1/3 200g variation, as well as the 45rpm, this 45rpm truly makes this album shine.

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