Thirds, by the hard rock trio The James Gang, which is led by the strong, quirky, and out and out rocking presence of lead singer/guitarist Joe Walsh, is now available on MP3 format from Amazon for only $5.

Released in 1971 and spawning the infectious radio hard rock hit “Walk Away,” Thirds (representing the bands third release) finds the three musicians in fine musical fettle indeed. The genre pendulum sways ever so slightly here, as the album goes from hard rock (the aforementioned “Walk Away”) to country (“Dreaming in the Country”) and back around to hard rock again albeit sublime as well (“Midnight Man”). Thirds would prove to be Walsh’s last album with the other two members (Jim Fox and Dale Peters on drums and bass respectively), as he would find further success and superstardom with his solid solo career and his work in The Eagles. But here back when he was in the James Gang, he was part of a great little swinging rock and roll unit of a band that also has their place in rock history. And as evidenced by a listen to Thirds, The James Gang, with their rocking struts and no-nonsense approach, made the band rise way above being just a Joe Walsh curio ultimately.

Browse the main sale page to see all 100 albums on sale for only $5 each in MP3 format through the end of September 2012.