Many people consider the record label to be the lifeline of aspiring bands. They also ruin fun, if you work in the industry long enough to notice. It almost seems as though the executives in charge believe they own every artist on their roster. They will stop at nothing to ensure that they follow their instructions, as soon as you sign that contract. This entails tailoring everything to appeal to a family audience. However, Joe Walsh managed to slip a filthy song past his superiors on “I.L.B.T.”
Admittedly, a major contributing factor to the success of rock and roll has always been defying expectations. Telling a rock celebrity that they are not allowed to do something you don’t want them to do is essentially an invitation to do it more. For artists who have dedicated their careers to breaking through boundaries, they are always alluring.
However, Walsh would always follow his own set of rules. Even though he was known for being one of the world’s most insane guitarists from the moment he began performing with James Gang. That was all just a prelude to his solo career.
Songs like “Rocky Mountain Way,” which he eventually managed to release, were more in line with the gritty rock and roll sound he had always sought. Walsh gained renown for giving California rockers a new lease on life. He interspersed licks from “Life in the Fast Lane” between “Desperado” songs in the setlist. This was even while he was a member of the Eagles.
There comes a point at which it seems impossible to fail when you achieve that degree of success. Walsh tested that theory in “I.L.B.T.” How in the hell were you going to put “I Love Big Tits” on the radio, aside from the meaty guitar tone he got on the record?
But since this was Walsh, the record company sent it out anyhow, only to become infuriated upon discovering its true meaning. He told Rolling Stone that the guitarist could not have cared less when they called to voice their complaints: “It came out and then they heard it, and they called up and said, ‘You can’t do that.'” “Well, you shipped it three weeks ago,” I responded. Listening to it for the first time is a bit of a late start!
Is it reasonable to anticipate anything less from the same person who created the ironic humor in “Life’s Been Good“? Many rock artists have written songs about sex. This blunt frequently walks the tightrope between being offensive and almost too easy to laugh at all.
Walsh does things like this all the time. Therefore, the label’s lack of interest in reviewing it speaks more about them than it does about him. In retrospect, this is the kind of non-PC stunt that merely causes people to give Walsh the “Oh, You” look.
