The James Gang: The Best of the James Gang (Probe)/Steppenwolf: The Best of Steppenwolf (Probe)

A DIFFICULT ONE to start with: who created the Mid-West Sound? Bet you don’t know. Bet you didn’t know there was a Mid-West Sound. Well, it was the James Gang – it says so on the album notes – and judging from the contents the Mid-West Sound seems to be characterized by medium tempos, a tang of country and western, idiotic words ("I am the midnight man/I do everything I can/To make sure that I am/The midnight man") and Joe Walsh’s sweet and sour guitar solos which give the album its most successful moments.