Tommy Bolin left
the James Gang after the release of
Miami, leaving the band without a compelling lead guitarist once again. Fox and Peters broke up the group after his departure, but they re-formed a year later, adding guitarist Richard Shack and vocalist Bubba Keith. The new version of
the James Gang released their first album,
Newborn, in 1975. The record was another collection of mediocre songs -- a problem that plagued the band ever since the departure of
Joe Walsh in 1971. On
Bang and
Miami, the group were able to disguise the absence of good songs with
Bolin's playing, but Shack could not compete with his predecessor's forceful, flowing style and
Newborn suffered accordingly. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine