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POP MUSIC REVIEW : The Flew Straightens Up After a While and Flies Right

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SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

If you and your friends were to get together and make as much noise as you could on a Sunday night, subject a captive audience to a slide show and to a seemingly endless supply of bad jokes, you’d wind up with angry neighbors and disgusted guests.

But then, chances are you aren’t a rock star and your friends don’t happen to be some of the finest musicians in rock.

When ex-Eagle guitarist Joe Walsh, scratchy-voiced English vocalist Terry Reid, and crack session musicians Nicky Hopkins, Rick (The Bass Player) Rosas and Phil Jones decide to kick up their heels, folks not only don’t complain, they come in droves and pay money to join in the fun.

Walsh’s traveling party is his informal band, the Flew. Sunday night at the Coach House, Walsh and his pals were able to generate enough hot licks and inspired moments to make up for the slide show that preceded the set and even to compensate for the terrible jokes Walsh interjected throughout the evening.

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The Flew was loose and self-indulgent but it was also brilliant. What the Flew’s 95-minute set lacked in coherence and structure it made up for in good humor and inspiration.

Following the series of slides reflecting his skewed sense of humor--lots of pictures of commodes--Walsh stood alone onstage and started the musical program with a flourish of synthesizers.

Walsh has had a fascination for electronic music ever since Who guitarist Pete Townshend gave him a synthesizer as a gift in the early ‘70s. As the synthesizers wailed, Walsh introduced the other musicians one by one.

Walsh acted as master of ceremonies throughout the show, but the others chipped in with comments whenever the spirit moved them. Rosas, in particular, was given to lengthy comments while Reid, with infectious good nature, told stories that even his band mates didn’t quite get. Only Jones--stuck behind his massive drum kit--and the shy Hopkins did more playing than singing.

The Flew started jamming with a chaotic but energetic version of Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride.” Then, Reid, who once turned down a chance to join Led Zeppelin, showed why Robert Plant was Jimmy Page’s second choice as Zeppelin’s lead singer, with a wonderful, soulful version of the gospel-tinged “I Can’t Stand the Rain.”

Walsh, who changed guitars during the set more frequently than Stevie Nicks changes costumes, showed off some impressive slide licks on his own minor hit, “A Life of Illusion.”

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At about that point, the Flew threw the set list away. The musicians huddled and from then on it was a free-for-all. “This show is deteriorating right on schedule,” Walsh said.

The 15-song set mixed tunes from Walsh’s albums with rock and soul classics. Walsh turned a deaf ear to cries from the crowd for Eagles and James Gang favorites and also for his solo hits.

When someone in the audience shouted “Eagles!” Walsh responded with “Oh, phooey.” Walsh did do one Eagles song but it wasn’t “Life in the Fast Lane,” “In the City” or any of the other Eagles’ songs he co-wrote.

Instead, Walsh sat down at the piano for an inspired reworking of “Desperado,” a song the Eagles recorded before he joined the band.

Walsh ignored his biggest hit, “Life’s Been Good.” Although he got as far as the opening chords to his signature tune, “Rocky Mountain Way,” he also skipped that tune. As far as Walsh was concerned, it was his party and he’d play what he wanted to.

While Walsh was clearly the centerpiece of the Flew, Reid was responsible for some of the group’s most dazzling moments. He sang the daylights out of the Waterboys’ lovely “The Whole of the Moon,” a song he recorded on his 1991 album, “The Driver.” He also did a beautiful, heart-wrenching version of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” and a playful yet respectful cover of Aretha Franklin’s “A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like).”

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Hopkins, who contributed keyboards to such rock classics as the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil,” added his classy piano licks to all the numbers. He had to be dragged into the spotlight for his one solo turn, when Walsh and the others begged him to do a “Nicky thing.” Hopkins responded with some energetic barrelhouse piano.

Jack Tempchin, introduced by Walsh as the sixth Eagle, opened with a 30-minute solo set of songs that ranged from ballads to blues.

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