''Yer' Album'' is the debut studio album by American rock band

James Gang James Gang is an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh (guitars, lead vocals), Tom Kriss (bass), a ...

. The album was released in early 1969 on the Bluesway label. This is the James Gang's only album to feature their bassist Tom Kriss. He was replaced by Dale Peters for their next album. The album is the first to feature guitarist

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr ...

, who would later achieve success as a solo artist and with the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

. Of the eleven tracks featured, three are covers —

Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield was a rock band formed in Los Angeles by Canadian musicians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and American musicians Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely known for the song "For What It's Worth", rele ...

's "

Bluebird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

", "Lost Woman" by the Yardbirds, and "Stop" by Jerry Ragovoy and

Mort Shuman Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as " ...

, recorded a year earlier by

Howard Tate Howard Tate (August 13, 1939 – December 2, 2011) was an American soul singer and songwriter. His greatest success came with a string of hit singles in the late 1960s, including "Ain't Nobody Home" and "Get It While You Can," the latter of wh ...

, as well as a version by

Al Kooper Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears, although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity. ...

and

Mike Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, who became one of the first popular music superstars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his ...

for the '' Super Session'' album (albeit without vocals). In the

locked groove The overwhelming majority of records manufactured have been of certain sizes (7, 10, or 12 inches), playback speeds (33, 45, or 78 RPM), and appearance (round black discs). However, since the commercial adoption of the gramophone record (ca ...

at the end of side 1 of the LP version of the album (which is normally silent on most phonograph records), the spoken phrase "Turn me over" repeats in a loop, while the locked groove at the end of side 2 repeats the phrase "Play me again". Both phrases were spoken by Walsh. A 'producers note' in the gatefold warns listeners not to spoil these endings to friends who have turntables with automatic return. These messages are removed from CD pressings, but are included on the 8-Track & cassette tape versions.

Critical reception

Critic William Ruhlman wrote in

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

that "''Yer' Album'' contained much to suggest that the James Gang, in particular its guitarist, had a great future, even if it was more an album of performances than compositions."

Track listing

Personnel

James Gang *

– vocals, guitars, keyboards, piano * Tom Kriss – bass guitar, vocals (tracks 10, 11),

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

(credited with "good vibes" and "cheek flute") * Jim Fox – drums, vocals (tracks 3, 10, 11), guitar (track 1), piano (track 4) *

Bill Szymczyk William Frank Szymczyk (; born February 13, 1943) is an American music producer and technical engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of th ...

– organ (track 4), tambourine (track 3), maracas (track 7), vocals (tracks (10, 11) *

Jerry Ragavoy Jordan "Jerry" Ragovoy (September 4, 1930 – July 13, 2011) was an American songwriter and record producer. His best-known composition " Time Is on My Side" (written under the pseudonym of Norman Meade) was made famous by the Rolling Stones, alt ...

– piano (track 11) Production *Bill Szymczyk – producer, engineer, photography *James Gang, Bill Szymczyk, Bert de Coteaux – arrangers *Denis Minervini – assistant engineer *Henry Epstein – cover design *Ladimir Jeric – cover art

References

{{Authority control 1969 debut albums James Gang albums BluesWay Records albums Albums produced by Bill Szymczyk