But Seriously, Folks...

Last updated
But Seriously, Folks...
Joe Walsh - But Seriously Folks.jpg
Studio album by
Joe Walsh
ReleasedMay 16, 1978
StudioBayshore (Coconut Grove, Florida)
Genre Rock, hard rock, soft rock
Length35:22
Label Asylum
Producer
Joe Walsh chronology
You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind
(1976)		But Seriously, Folks...
(1978)		 The Best of Joe Walsh
(1978)

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 Asylum label. 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 .

Contents

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

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Christgau's Record Guide C+ [2]

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]

Cash Box said that the single "Over and Over" "has several distinctive rhythmic breaks, organ backing, swirling guitar work, slip and slide beat and good double-tracked vocals" and praised Walsh's slide guitar solo. [4]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Joe Walsh, with additional writers noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Over and Over" 4:53
2."Second Hand Store"Mike Murphy3:35
3."Indian Summer" 3:03
4."At the Station" Joe Vitale 5:08
5."Tomorrow" 3:39
6."Inner Tube" 1:25
7."Theme from Boat Weirdos"Vitale, Jay Ferguson, Willie Weeks, Bill Szymczyk 4:43
8."Life's Been Good" (Life's Been Good ends at 8:04 and is followed by an untitled hidden track that runs for 42 seconds) 8:56
Total length:35:22

Personnel

Musicians

Guest musicians

Production

Charts

Chart (1978)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [5] 31
US (Billboard 200)8

Certifications

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References

  1. 1 2 Campbell, Al. "But Seriously, Folks... > Review". AllMusic . Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Christgau, Robert (September 4, 1978). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  4. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 21, 1978. p. 28. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ "Gold/Platinum - Music Canada". Musiccanada.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  7. ↑ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". Riaa.com. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  8. ↑ "Certified Awards". Archived from the original on 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
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