As if you couldn’t tell, I like a lot of loud music- everything from heavy thrash riffs to popping funk bass to crashing drums.  For every Iron Maiden there’s a Galactic, Kool & The Gang, or The Who to fit those moods.  But there are times when I want to feel vibes that are much simpler and less chaotic where nothing is in that 120 bpm mode that most hit records seem to average these days.  Gimme a bit of air and space…  sometimes it’s not what you are hearing, but what you are NOT hearing…

I thought about this recently when listening to the Joe Walsh song “County Fair”-  not really one of his well known hits but a perfect example of what I’m talking about.  Joe is a master in what I think of as “languid movement” in not only his riffs but his leads as well.  “County Fair” starts off with what sounds like a phased two chord riff before drummer Joe Vitale (a master of economy of scale himself) throws in a couple of slow and simple rolls to build up the intro before dropping out, leaving Joe to track a phased fingerpicking pattern o’er top a seven note rhythmic construct of electric guitar and piano.  Within a few seconds the vocal starts, with Joe all dreamily cool with some choice background “oohs” in the mix to help set the tone of the lyric.

Some of that languid movement appears after each verse, just going to show how shifts in mood and tempo can often be key to a well constructed song.  There is a 20-25 second section where Joe’s early fingerpicked pattern is simpler and Vitale’s drums are extremely laid back, lulling you into a sense of ease before that two chord riff (this time backed with what sounds like Hammond organ) snaps you back to reality.  Now here’s where the concept of “air” really plays out:  just after you snap back to that riffy mindset the whole band falls out, leaving Vitale a 15 second spot to tap out a simple, fairly non-distinct pattern until Joe comes in with some tasty bends.  The work from 2:25 to 3:55 is just an incredible build and is a great example of “it’s not what you play but what you DON’T play”.  This nearly TWO MINUTE section is just fantastic, tension building ever so slightly from the quiet sections through Joe’s licks as the band builds the tempo back to the earlier phased guitar part for verse two (just a masterstroke of ebb and flow here!)

Not much changes in the final verse as far as tempo is concerned, although Joe throws in more of those extremely tasty licks and the bass has some liquid runs behind Joe’s dreamy vocal.  But man…  those sonics here!  Nice production touches with layered instrumentation through the verses.  And after that final verse comes a bit of that languid movement smooth ride before the two chord riff comes in and the band rebuilds a rockier tempo for a minute and a half featuring some prime Joe Walsh guitar noodling before the song fades out.

There are a ton of examples of “air” out there in the classic rock realm, or that “less is more” approach-  some good examples are Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter”, ZZ Top’s “I Need You Tonight”, Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”to name just a few.  Would love to hear some other examples of your favorites!