But Seriously, Folks...
"But Seriously, Folks..." is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh. The album was released in mid 1978, on the label Asylum. It included the satirical song "Life's Been Good". The original 8:04 (8:57 on CD releases with a speech at the end) album version of this track was edited down to 4:35 for single release, and this became Walsh's biggest solo hit, peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
| "But Seriously, Folks..." | ||||
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| Released | May 16, 1978 | |||
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| Length | 35:22 | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
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| Joe Walsh chronology | ||||
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The album also featured the other four members of Eagles — which Walsh had joined two years earlier — as well as singer-keyboardist Jay Ferguson, a former member of the groups Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne (who co-wrote one track on the album), drummer Joe Vitale from Walsh's former band Barnstorm, and bassist Willie Weeks.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+[2] |
| The Village Voice | C+[3] |
In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau wrote that, although Walsh has "a gift for tuneful guitar schlock", most of the album's songs fall "far short of the irreverent shuck-and-jive" of "Life's Been Good".[3] In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Al Campbell said that the album is "Joe Walsh's most insightful and melodic", and "captures a reflective song cycle along the same thematic lines of Pet Sounds, only for the '70s".[1]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Joe Walsh, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Over and Over" | 4:53 | |
| 2. | "Second Hand Store" | Joe Walsh, Mike Murphy | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Indian Summer" | 3:03 | |
| 4. | "At the Station" | Joe Walsh, Joe Vitale | 5:08 |
| 5. | "Tomorrow" | 3:39 | |
| 6. | "Inner Tube" | 1:25 | |
| 7. | "Theme from Boat Weirdos" | Joe Walsh, Joe Vitale, Jay Ferguson, Willie Weeks, Bill Szymczyk | 4:43 |
| 8. | "Life's Been Good" | 8:56 | |
| Total length: | 36:14 | ||
Personnel
- Joe Walsh – vocals, guitars, synthesizer
- Joe Vitale – drums, percussion, synthesizer, flute, backing vocals
- Jay Ferguson – keyboards
- Willie Weeks – bass
- Joey Murcia – 2nd guitar
Guests
- Don Felder – pedal steel guitar on "Second Hand Store" and guitar on "At the Station"
- Jody Boyer – backing vocals
- Glenn Frey – backing vocals
- Don Henley – backing vocals
- Timothy B. Schmit – backing vocals
- Bill Szymczyk – backing vocals, tambourine on "At the Station"
Production
- Producers: Bill Szymczyk, Joe Walsh
- Engineers: Bill Szymczyk, Ed Mashal (Bayshore Studios, Coconut Grove, Florida)
- Mastering: Ted Jensen (Sterling Sound, New York)
- Remastering: Bill Szymczyk
- Design: Jimmy Wachtel
- Photography: Lorrie Sullivan, Jimmy Wachtel
Charts
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] | 31 |
| US (Billboard 200) | 8 |
References
- Campbell, Al. "But Seriously, Folks... > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: W". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 21, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- Christgau, Robert (September 4, 1978). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 332. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "Gold/Platinum - Music Canada". Musiccanada.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". Riaa.com. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2015-02-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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