The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get.

The groaning “Rocky Mountain Way” became a classic-rock staple and a Joe Walsh signature when The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get was released in June 1973. Far from being a boneheaded expression of groin rock, the songs here have more in common with contemporaneous works by multifaceted studio geniuses like Paul McCartney and Todd Rundgren. Certainly Rundgren’s influence looms large on “Dreams,” while the kinship “Book Ends” and “Days Gone By” share with Wings is underscored by the contributions of engineer Mike “Clay” Stone, who learned to layer tracks by working with Queen. While the album is generally regarded as a solo effort, it was officially credited to Barnstorm, Walsh’s band. Their contributions cannot be overstated — drummer Joe Vitale is the unheralded hero of this album, applying inventive, restless rhythms that nonetheless deliver an earthy wallop every time. This is one of those classics from the golden age of the vinyl LP, and with the right speaker set-up “Midnight Moodies” and “Meadows” will envelop the listener in a world of musical majesty.