This
BGO
2014 two-fer pairs
the James Gang
's 1973 album
Bang
and its 1974 follow-up
Miami
-- in other words, the two albums
made with guitarist
Tommy Bolin
instead of
Joe Walsh
. Despite the galumphing "Ride the Wind,"
does feel quite a bit different than its predecessors:
Bolin
is a more expansive guitarist who also was willing to dip into sentiment, as he did on the lovely "Alexis," and there are times
flirts with the open roads of
the Allmans
and the laid-back groove of
the Doobies
, decidedly '70s wrinkles that remain appealing.
contains some aspects of this rambling -- it opens with a song called "Cruisin' Down the Highway," after all -- but there's a slightly heavier dose of heavier rock, from the party rallying cry "Do It" to the trippy, slightly malevolent "Sleepwalker." Ultimately, these records are not quite
, not quite
, but are worthwhile '70s hard rock artifacts. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine