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Joe Walsh — Rocky Mountain Way
Album: The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get
Avg rating:
7.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2895









Released: 1973
Length: 5:09
Plays (last 30 days): 2
Spent the last year
Rocky Mountain way
Couldn't get much higher
Out to pasture
Think it's safe to say
Time to open fire

And we don't need the ladies
Cryin' 'cause the story's sad
'Cause the Rocky Mountain way
Is better than the way we had
Whoa-oh-oh

Well, he's tellin' us this
And he's tellin' us that
Changes it ev'ry day
Says it doesn't matter
Bases are loaded
And Casey's at bat
Playin' it play-by-play
Time to change the batter

And we don't need the ladies
Cryin' 'cause the story's sad, uh huh
Rocky Mountain way
Is better than the way we had
Yeah-ah-ah
Comments (247)add comment
The air spotter in me recognises the cover as a WW1 Sopwith Camel, also used in WW2 as a torpedo bomber. Sad, or what? :o)

A great classic rock number. You really can't beat a solid tight background riff. As a hillwalker, it does make me think of stomping on rocky mountains  
First song I ever played on bass guitar 
The last half hour has more than made up for the half hour before! I mean horns and bongos are ok, but....
Oh my.

Remember the arguments. Back and forth between a bunch of 15 year olds in a car, parked on some back roads.

Who is the best guitar player?  Joe Walsh? Jimmy Page? Eric Clapton?  Jeff Beck? Steve Howe? Carlos Santana? Jerry Garcia? Joe Perry? Alvin Lee? Duane Allman? Lowell George? 

Of course, this was after we  all agreed that after Jimi Hendrix was number 1.  
   


Saw an interview with Joe in which he said that, if he knew he was going to write a song that would become the biggest hit of his career, he wished he had written a better one! Funny guy. I like the song, always have. Simple but good.
What a guy..
This is on the definitive soundtrack of the 70s. 
 On_The_Beach wrote:

Well, the similar sounding Steve Miller song "The Stake" was released 4 years after Rocky Mountain Way, so it seems more likely that Steve stole it from Joe.
To complicate matters further, Stephen Stills claimed Joe stole it from him!
More likely all three just wrote songs with similar riffs.
Whaddyagonnado?
Ezzackly! 😁✌️

 rc1414 wrote:

When I was young and just discovering music, as a treat my mom would buy me a 45 at the dime store on occasion.  On one of these occasions, I'd asked her to buy me a copy of Rocky Mountain High by John Denver.  Instead, she comes home with this.  It was very different than the music I'd been previously exposed to, to say the least.  Have to say, the music gods were smiling on me that day ... I shudder to think what might have been if I'd continued down the path I was on.  



It's ok to like both artists, just so you know.
Saw Joe in April...before he went into this song, he said: "If I knew when I wrote this I would have to play it the rest of my life, I would have wrote a different song!"

How you doin?
When the intro starts I always have to think about whether this is Steve Miller's "The Stake".  It's interesting to consider how they arrived at the same sound and where the influences came from.  The Stake was recorded about 1975–76, Rocky Mountain Way in 1973.
This was recorded at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, I believe.  I've tried to visit, but it's no longer a studio and fiercely private property.
The more stoned you are, the better this sounds!   
The theme song for my annual Colorado ski trip.  Nothing like a bluebird day with a Camelback  of freshly hydrated Ripple powder. 

(Sorry, Utah; I love  Snowbird, but you know how it is.)
Such a 70's song. I miss the 70's.
This takes me back to 1975 when I was sharing a tiny cottage in South Wales, smoking the local home-grown and having a blast on almost no money - it makes me realise what a gilded youth I enjoyed compared to the grind that my own children are having to endure.
Génial !
my dad had this album when it first came out when i was 5 
i found it many years later and was so surprised that he dug it. now that he's gone, and i also know him better, i totally see it and think of him when i hear this. 
Oh Hell Yes!
 rc1414 wrote:

When I was young and just discovering music, as a treat my mom would buy me a 45 at the dime store on occasion.  On one of these occasions, I'd asked her to buy me a copy of Rocky Mountain High by John Denver.  Instead, she comes home with this.  It was very different than the music I'd been previously exposed to, to say the least.  Have to say, the music gods were smiling on me that day ... I shudder to think what might have been if I'd continued down the path I was on.  



Great story!
 rc1414 wrote:

When I was young and just discovering music, as a treat my mom would buy me a 45 at the dime store on occasion.  On one of these occasions, I'd asked her to buy me a copy of Rocky Mountain High by John Denver.  Instead, she comes home with this.  It was very different than the music I'd been previously exposed to, to say the least.  Have to say, the music gods were smiling on me that day ... I shudder to think what might have been if I'd continued down the path I was on.  




Your mom might have decided that Rocky Mountain HIGH was too psychedelic and went with the more sedate 'WAY' instead.  ;-)
 fredriley wrote:

I think that's a Sopwith Camel on the cover, in service in both world wars, latterly as a torpedo bomber. Like the plane, the song's a long-lasting classic. 8 ftom the airspotting Nottingham jury.



Er no...its a Sopwith Snipe, which succeeded the Camel at the end of WW1. Certainly never served as a torpedo carrier and not in WW2...you may be thinking of the Fairey Swordfish...
Takes off nerdy hat, and gets back to enjoying RP🙂🙂
I think that's a Sopwith Camel on the cover, in service in both world wars, latterly as a torpedo bomber. Like the plane, the song's a long-lasting classic. 8 ftom the airspotting Nottingham jury.
ya know....the keyboards on this are exceptional
 BigTex wrote:

Played to DEATH on my 8-Track, then cassette, then CD, then Ipod.  Still love it.


funeral playlist!! 
I worked in a bar in France during the 90's, and on weekends I would put this CD on and blast this song out as the last piece of music of the night. This was the "last call for alcohol" song.
Not my last call:)
"I'm living in Colorado and I'm mowing the lawn. I look up and there's the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains and there's snow on them in the summer. And it knocked me back because it was just beautiful." --Joe Walsh, 2012, recalling the song's origin
'South Park' tells me all of the time that "drugs are bad" (Trey Parker).
     but this sounds sooo good?
 idiot_wind wrote:

This guys, whoever he is, needs to take some guitar lessons 



I think I know why you are called 'Idiot Wind' now.
The more you smoke, the better this sounds! .....
"the more you drink the better you play"?
 Svenskaskogen wrote:

Så mycket bra...kanon gitarr. Lyssnar på Triumph's cover mycket ofta också. Båda versioner är fantastiska. Joe Walsh är en legendarisk kille....




Exakt! 
Så mycket bra...kanon gitarr. Lyssnar på Triumph's cover mycket ofta också. Båda versioner är fantastiska. Joe Walsh är en legendarisk kille....
This guys, whoever he is, needs to take some guitar lessons 
 stangalbraith wrote:
Simply one of the most memorable, catchy, iconic rock and roll songs ever. Sure glad that once Joe joined the Eagles they gave him the spotlight in every concert to do a couple of his original pre-Eagles songs. My wife and I have seen the Eagles in concert three times and one of the highlights of each concert was the Joe Walsh tunes. 
 

Would love to see him sans Eagles. Solo stuff and James Gang - ahh!
 rc1414 wrote:
When I was young and just discovering music, as a treat my mom would buy me a 45 at the dime store on occasion.  On one of these occasions, I'd asked her to buy me a copy of Rocky Mountain High by John Denver.  Instead, she comes home with this.  It was very different than the music I'd been previously exposed to, to say the least.  Have to say, the music gods were smiling on me that day ... I shudder to think what might have been if I'd continued down the path I was on.  
 



'cause this Rocky Mountain way
Is better than the way we had
Whoa-oh-oh
 countryrds wrote:
Have to comment on RP 20th year.  Not sure exactly when I started listening, probably close to that but it was love at first hearing.  Thank you Bill and Rebecca for a simply outstanding site second to none!
 
I wish that I’d discovered RP twenty years ago, but am so glad I eventually did.  This station brings me so much enjoyment.  
Simply one of the most memorable, catchy, iconic rock and roll songs ever. Sure glad that once Joe joined the Eagles they gave him the spotlight in every concert to do a couple of his original pre-Eagles songs. My wife and I have seen the Eagles in concert three times and one of the highlights of each concert was the Joe Walsh tunes. 
9
               Need I say more?
Recently watched the documentary on Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac - worth seeing. Fun fact - I had missed that she and Walsh were an item for a while.
 rc1414 wrote:
When I was young and just discovering music, as a treat my mom would buy me a 45 at the dime store on occasion.  On one of these occasions, I'd asked her to buy me a copy of Rocky Mountain High by John Denver.  Instead, she comes home with this.  It was very different than the music I'd been previously exposed to, to say the least.  Have to say, the music gods were smiling on me that day ... I shudder to think what might have been if I'd continued down the path I was on.  
 
Love, Love, Love Joe Walsh but there's nothing wrong with Rock Mountain High either. Both musicians were very influential to me.
 ick wrote:
This song always reminds me of skateboarding in an emptied swimming pool in the back of a neighbor's house with this blaring over their stereo in the mid to late 70's.
 

So ditto! Old school SoCal skate or die! 
 dfphillips1 wrote:
 diannemck56 wrote:
Went to an Eagles concert last year and Joe Walsh was definitely the spotlight.  He made the show for me and rocked that Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium sold out show.  One of the best I've ever experienced.  
 
I also saw them last year.  Agreed; it's now really Joe Walsh's band.  He was great, and so were the others.
 
Here in Cleveburg, we have always said, Joe Walsh and The Eagles after he joined up with them. :)

The Eagles were always a back up band (and a damn good one) looking for a front man or woman in the case of Linda.

How about an outing with Joe and Linda and The Eagles !  I would actually pay to see that.
 ick wrote:
This song always reminds me of skateboarding in an emptied swimming pool in the back of a neighbor's house with this blaring over their stereo in the mid to late 70's.
 

Skate or Die!
Still sounds great about a billion plays later (straps on air guitar).  : )
I remember being in a record shop listening (in the day when they had private listening booths) to this and then listening to Ian Hunter's "Once bitten twice Shy" and then ZZ Top's "Tres Hombre" album - I bought the ZZ Top album. Still got it on vinyl, not a scratch on it and yet I've played it so often I should be able to see through it. Thanks RP.
 rc1414 wrote:
When I was young and just discovering music, as a treat my mom would buy me a 45 at the dime store on occasion.  On one of these occasions, I'd asked her to buy me a copy of Rocky Mountain High by John Denver.  Instead, she comes home with this.  It was very different than the music I'd been previously exposed to, to say the least.  Have to say, the music gods were smiling on me that day ... I shudder to think what might have been if I'd continued down the path I was on.  
 

wondered if she did it on purpose 
maybe she was thinking Rocky Mtn High was Drug related and thought " this is more "grounded".......
 diannemck56 wrote:
Went to an Eagles concert last year and Joe Walsh was definitely the spotlight.  He made the show for me and rocked that Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium sold out show.  One of the best I've ever experienced.  
 

did he play any James Gang or solo stuff (like this)?
 Canadese wrote:

and in the meantime we also lost Cynaera (originator of this string), one of the great RP commenters.
 

Great words
This is pure glacier water
 bruceandjenna wrote:

Nine years later, the future has not improved. 
*We and the Russians have restarted the nuclear arms race. 
*Global climate change had started kicking butt and promises further wreckage ahead.

The rest doesn't matter if we don't solve these two.  We are not.  The greedy and powerful will save sacrifice all our futures.
 
and in the meantime we also lost Cynaera (originator of this string), one of the great RP commenters.
I agree.  WEnt to the  Eagles show in Philly in 2018.  Joe is the best, and what a character he is.   diannemck56 wrote:
Went to an Eagles concert last year and Joe Walsh was definitely the spotlight.  He made the show for me and rocked that Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium sold out show.  One of the best I've ever experienced.  
 

 diannemck56 wrote:
Went to an Eagles concert last year and Joe Walsh was definitely the spotlight.  He made the show for me and rocked that Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium sold out show.  One of the best I've ever experienced.  
 
I also saw them last year.  Agreed; it's now really Joe Walsh's band.  He was great, and so were the others.
Have to comment on RP 20th year.  Not sure exactly when I started listening, probably close to that but it was love at first hearing.  Thank you Bill and Rebecca for a simply outstanding site second to none!
Went to an Eagles concert last year and Joe Walsh was definitely the spotlight.  He made the show for me and rocked that Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium sold out show.  One of the best I've ever experienced.  
 Cynaera wrote:
I cling to the past, because the present isn't so fun and the future isn't looking too promising, either.

 
Nine years later, the future has not improved. 
*We and the Russians have restarted the nuclear arms race. 
*Global climate change had started kicking butt and promises further wreckage ahead.

The rest doesn't matter if we don't solve these two.  We are not.  The greedy and powerful will sacrifice all our futures.
 Proclivities wrote:

{#Lol} Sometimes moms do know what's best for us.
 

Mom knew what she was doing. ;)
 ToddyWoddy wrote:
When I was a wee child growing up in rural Canada I throught this was by Triumph ha
 
They did do it though. Often.
Bob Heil gets the credit for that bridge, IMO.
When I was a wee child growing up in rural Canada I throught this was by Triumph ha
 Valley_Boy wrote:
Went to an Eagles concert once and a Joe Walsh show broke out. He did a bunch of his solo stuff and a few of rhe James Gang tunes. That made the show!
 
Hah! That would have been fun. Somehow I don't associate Joe with the Eagles despite all the evidence. I suppose it's because I like him.
omg. omg. omg. Where the f*ck is my blacklight?
This song always reminds me of skateboarding in an emptied swimming pool in the back of a neighbor's house with this blaring over their stereo in the mid to late 70's.
 deepwoodskev wrote:
Played to DEATH on AM/FM radio. Don't even enjoy it anymore.
 
Played to DEATH on my 8-Track, then cassette, then CD, then Ipod.  Still love it.
 expertTexpert wrote:
Completely stole this lick from Steve Miller!
 
Well, the similar sounding Steve Miller song
"The Stake" was released 4 years after Rocky Mountain Way, so it seems more likely that Steve stole it from Joe.
To complicate matters further, Stephen Stills claimed Joe stole it from him!
More likely all three just wrote songs with similar riffs.
Whaddyagonnado?
The Colorado state anthem
Played to DEATH on AM/FM radio. Don't even enjoy it anymore.
Bill. Bill here. Play 'Meadows' please. Thank you Bill. From Bill.
 rc1414 wrote:
When I was young and just discovering music, as a treat my mom would buy me a 45 at the dime store on occasion.  On one of these occasions, I'd asked her to buy me a copy of Rocky Mountain High by John Denver.  Instead, she comes home with this.  It was very different than the music I'd been previously exposed to, to say the least.  Have to say, the music gods were smiling on me that day ... I shudder to think what might have been if I'd continued down the path I was on.  
 
{#Lol} Sometimes moms do know what's best for us.
 rc1414 wrote:
When I was young and just discovering music, as a treat my mom would buy me a 45 at the dime store on occasion.  On one of these occasions, I'd asked her to buy me a copy of Rocky Mountain High by John Denver.  Instead, she comes home with this.

 
From the title, she probably thought this song would be the safer choice...the other being a clear reference to drug use, and likely to be a very bad influence. {#Wink}
When I was young and just discovering music, as a treat my mom would buy me a 45 at the dime store on occasion.  On one of these occasions, I'd asked her to buy me a copy of Rocky Mountain High by John Denver.  Instead, she comes home with this.  It was very different than the music I'd been previously exposed to, to say the least.  Have to say, the music gods were smiling on me that day ... I shudder to think what might have been if I'd continued down the path I was on.  
Crankin' it! So glad that Joe came out Rocky Mountain Way! I smile to recall an interview he did on Letterman in '85 when he said that among the wildest times of his life was the months he spent "living in Dan Fogelberg's VW van" in Nederland, Colorado! Rock on, Smokin' Joe!
 Hannio wrote:
Sorry, after Tinariwen this is pretty thin.

 
"Hwat is that you say?! Señor Walsh could rawk the cojones off those rank amateurs! We don't need no steenkin' Tinnyairywhen, gringo."

{#Grumpy}


Sorry, after Tinariwen this is pretty thin.
Yay! First song on RP today with a sense of humor. (I take that back, we had Talking Heads about three hours ago).

Joe did the drunk thing so much better than Neil Young  IMO.
That is it exactly - no pretense - play on!

 
Rick_V wrote:
Awesome tune.

Joe Walsh is a stone cold rock guitar player. No pretense, he just brings it.

 


That song can turn goat piss into gasoline!  {#Guitarist}
Check Joe out on paladin cable channel with live from daryl's house. He's still got it.
 Proclivities wrote:

I think he was being facetious about Steve Miller's song "The Stake", which was released about four years after this tune and bears somewhat of a resemblance in some parts.

 
Thanks, I don't follow Steve Miller as he get's played to death on the radio {#Laughing}
 ShaunJ wrote:

What song?

 
I think he was being facetious about Steve Miller's song "The Stake", which was released about four years after this tune and bears somewhat of a resemblance in some parts.
 expertTexpert wrote:
Completely stole this lick from Steve Miller!

{#Guitarist}
{#Roflol} 

 
As John Lennon said, "There's only so many notes."

Now consider of the 100's of thousands (millions?) of songs and pieces of music out there. A few are likely to sound a bit similar, don't you think?
 expertTexpert wrote:
Completely stole this lick from Steve Miller!

{#Guitarist}
{#Roflol} 

 
What song?
Completely stole this lick from Steve Miller!

{#Guitarist}
{#Roflol} 
Gee wiz. This guy needs to learn to play guitar. 
 racerx wrote:


Posted: Apr 10, 2009 - 10:46
 

Surprising to hear this here, not complaining but you should instead play some of his "deeper cuts" like Meadows, Welcome to the Club or Mother Says.  Thanks to Clear Channel, RMW is forever burnt-out..


 
What he said.

I believe this was the first time the voice box was used in a recording. Peter Frampton liked it so much he called up Joe and asked what it was and how he got it.

The rest (or so they say) is history!


 ThePoose wrote:
...and so is his brother-in-law, Richard Starkey.

 
ShaunJ wrote:

I had the pleasure of seeing Joe and the Eagles crank this out last Friday, September 6th in Vancouver.
Joe is worth the price of admission {#Bananajam}

 



 
Saw him do this on Bondi Beach in Sydney in the 80's. Just walking along the beach and there it was. He played with a group called the party boys in Sydney for several summers.
{#Dancingbanana_2} Rocky Mtn. Way! Life's good here in Colorado.
Nice to hear this again on RP after what, three months?
Awesome tune.

Joe Walsh is a stone cold rock guitar player. No pretense, he just brings it.
Tell 'em, Joe!  Rocky Mountain Way is still MOST DEFINITELY BETTER than any other I've found so far! I got this thing CRANKED to 11!
To my submarine buddy living in Denver:  No "medicinal" need required now, right?  (green with envy)  Don't leave the ladies crying!

To Joe Walsh:  You're welcome in my house at any time for any reason. 
...and so is his brother-in-law, Richard Starkey.

 
ShaunJ wrote:

I had the pleasure of seeing Joe and the Eagles crank this out last Friday, September 6th in Vancouver.
Joe is worth the price of admission {#Bananajam}

 


 coloradojohn wrote:
Wow! I recall a road trip, and it included tripping on some wicked little shrooms with two gals in a funky old garage belonging to the brother of one of them out in the symmetrical blue-green hills near Santa Fe (we met at Club West) on a full moon night in late December of '83, and I freaked as we started to shoot a crazy game of cut-throat on the pool table when out of the radio came, "Comin' to ya from that WIDE SPOT ON YOUR DIAL, YOU CAN'T MISS IT -- KFAT!" followed by Thin Lizzy's Boys Are Back, and the trip went into its Groove Phase, the tinges around everything became purple, and damn if that station didn't rock us right on through that weird and wonderful night...
---- 

oldfart48 wrote:
the times were odd, the acid was fantastic, the music real.....{#Sunny}{#Dance} and your D.J. was a serious KFAT reality.....

 











 
it's KPIG now.....
Wow! I recall a road trip, and it included tripping on some wicked little shrooms with two gals in a funky old garage belonging to the brother of one of them out in the symmetrical blue-green hills near Santa Fe (we met at Club West) on a full moon night in late December of '83, and I freaked as we started to shoot a crazy game of cut-throat on the pool table when out of the radio came, "Comin' to ya from that WIDE SPOT ON YOUR DIAL, YOU CAN'T MISS IT -- KFAT!" followed by Thin Lizzy's Boys Are Back, and the trip went into its Groove Phase, the tinges around everything became purple, and damn if that station didn't rock us right on through that weird and wonderful night...
---- 

oldfart48 wrote:
the times were odd, the acid was fantastic, the music real.....{#Sunny}{#Dance} and your D.J. was a serious KFAT reality.....

the times were odd, the acid was fantastic, the music real.....{#Sunny}{#Dance} and your D.J. was a serious KFAT reality.....
 DanFHiggins wrote:
Always love this

 
I had the pleasure of seeing Joe and the Eagles crank this out last Friday, September 6th in Vancouver.
Joe is worth the price of admission {#Bananajam}
So simple yet so sublime; showing us The Rocky Mountain Way, digging it intensely even as he lived and shivered in Nederland in Dan Fogelberg's VW van (till he met The Eagles at a gig in Boulder, and the rest is A Very Kind History) and this, well, THIS JUST ROCKS!
Always love this
Is this a John Denver cover?
 coloradojohn wrote:
THIS pretty much changed the world for a while...and showed us all THE WAY...
and sometimes it is so incredibly good to crank this bad boy all the way UP, too! 

 
I honestly think Joe Walsh was David Lee Roth's prime inspiration.
    The absolute apex of Rock-n-Roll decadence. Kickin' up some dust... Thank you B. & R.

This is one of those songs that you remember from your teen years and now play it for your kids ....trying to make mine learn those great JW riffs.   
 aspicer wrote:
Still love it - even on the billionth listen.  That says something.....about me, the song, or both?!
 
Volume turned up to 11 every time {#Bounce}
So true coloradojohn. Never too much JW. Somehow i grew up not hearing James Gang's Walk Away till RP spun it one day. Thanks Bill! DB in CB, Nova Scotia.
THIS pretty much changed the world for a while...and showed us all THE WAY...
and sometimes it is so incredibly good to crank this bad boy all the way UP, too! 
Is Don Henley next?
 Good times with 'ol Joe and his Rocky Mountain Way, "Bases are loaded and Casey's at bat"...
Saw Joe a week ago... STILL ROCKIN THE HOUSE DOWN  !!         I 'd go again right now. He looks good and acts the same ,two hours almost non-stop.                     
worries me when RP plays Joe Walsh within 7 songs of The Eagles... did someone die? or was RP purchased by ClearChannnel?
 gemtag wrote:

Mainly because some of us do not listen to other radio stations.like clear channel. So I'm happy to hear a little Joe now and again.

Plus he's such a happy rocker... 
 
Agree 100%.  My ONLY music fix is RP and I too love me some Joe.  James Gang anyone?
 neotrogg wrote:

WHY? i can hear this on clear channel radio 5 times a day along with Sweet home alabammy,rock an roll,freebird.....ect ect.!

 
This.                                        {#Beat}

Needed this, go joe !
Holy geez I needed this!
Still love it - even on the billionth listen.  That says something.....about me, the song, or both?!
Right on! Far out! A great song from a great era that will be lost but not forgotten!

We have a local band (Dirty City) in Annapolis, MD that plays this and other Joe Walsh songs.  It is a dad on guitar and his son on drums.  His sons friends fill out the rest of the band.  Did is in, I would say, his mid to late 50s...and he is bad ass.  He kills this song.  Gives me a new appreciation for it. 


Rated it an "8", but have really heard this song waaaaaaaaaaaaay too many times.  But it's a rock classic.  I'm conflicted.  Strange.
Best enjoyed with a bold Cabernet.

 
Foot wrote:
For whatever reason have always disliked this song.