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Long-overdue showcase of a hidden talent.Timothy B. Schmit is one of the most prolific musicians out there – he has played with just about everybody from Ringo Starr and Crosby, Stills and Nash to Steely Dan, not to mention his contributions to Poco and the Eagles, and to the various solo projects of his fellow band members. Yet, the guy who said in a 2001 "Rockline" interview that music is really all he lives for ("I have no hobbies") has only published four albums of his own, and like fellow-Eagle Don Henley, he has let a full 11 years go by between his last release, 1990's "Tell Me the Truth," and 2001's "Feed the Fire." Long-awaited by fans, the album, published on Lucan Records (the label he founded specifically for this purpose) showcases Timothy B. Schmit's incredible musical versatility. Written for the most part over the course of the past 4 or 5 years, the 11 songs are masterfully arranged, from the album's opener "The Shadow" (the closest thing to a title track because it contains the line "We need to feed the fire") to "Song For Owen," the last track, dedicated to Schmit's daughter. They range in style from beautiful ballads ("Running") to not-entirely-soft rock with slightly edgy guitar solos ("Moment of Truth," "I'll Always Let You In" – lead guitar: TBS's Eagles buddy Joe Walsh – and "I'm Not Angry Anymore," co-written by Stan Lynch who also makes a cameo background appearance) to Hollie-esque tunes ("Give Me Back My Sight" and "Top Of the Stairs," an amazing a-cappella piece where Timothy B. Schmit single-handedly performs every last one of the multiple vocal layers) to faster tunes ("Every Song Is You") and, last but not least, two warm and tender covers of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" and 1971's "You Are Everything," which has been recorded by artists representing such different genres as the Stylistics, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart and David Sanborn, and which TBS now presents in his own effortless style.
True to his modest ways (on stage with the Eagles, even after having performed his signature "I Can't Tell You Why" and "Love Will Keep Us Alive," he will rarely do more than deeply bow and thank his fans), Schmit has said that while all the musicians who have joined him on "Feed the Fire" are first rate, few of them are really well-known. However, Eagles, Bob Seger, Tom Petty and James Gang fans will know Scott Crago (drums), Stan Lynch and, of course, Joe Walsh; fans of Aerosmith know TBS's long-time friend Mark Hudson, who co-produced the album and co-wrote and played guitars on four of the songs; and fans of America know Hank Linderman, who co-wrote two of the songs and played guitars and various other instruments on those and two other pieces. And these are just a few of the many outstanding people appearing on this record. The fact of the matter is that Timothy B. Schmit is so well-connected (and -respected) in the industry that he had the ability to assemble a truly exceptional group of musicians for the production of an album which, for the longest time, he says he did not even seriously pursue. And of course, he himself is much more than the Eagles' and Poco's bassist and sometime singer – he plays all instruments save drums on "The Shadow" and guitars in addition to bass on "I'm Not Angry Anymore," "Moment of Truth" and "Song For Owen," and he stands in for nothing less than an entire a-cappella choir in "Top Of the Stairs."
While none of the great rock bands can survive without the collaboration of all of the extraordinarily talented musicians they consist of (as seen not least by the example of the Eagles' painful 1980 break up and subsequent 14-year hiatus), sometimes it takes a solo album to fully bring to shine the stars that are otherwise overshadowed by the more flamboyant members of their respective groups. "Feed the Fire" is a wonderful and long-overdue portrait of a musical talent who deserves a lot more public attention than he has claimed in the past.
Timothy B. Schmit's official website
Themis-Athena's Don Henley page
Themis-Athena's Glenn Frey page
Themis-Athena's Joe Walsh page
Themis-Athena's select annotated discography of Eagles member solo albums
Themis-Athena's select annotated Eagles discography
Themis-Athena's Classic Rock guides: Part 1 and Part 2
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