Customer Reviews

But Seriously Folks

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was one of the first LPs I bought when I went up to college in the late 70s, and I wore it out very quickly. Within a few months it was unplayable. Elektra/Asylum must have been using flimsy vinyl, because several friends reported the same problem.

So it's great to have this album on CD, and in remastered format as well. This was Walsh's first solo album after 'Hotel California', and though there's a smattering of Eagles, their influence is not as pervasive as some had feared it might be. Actually there's as much of a reggae beat as there is any country rock feel to the album.

Although key sidesman Vitale was included, the band was less Barnstorm and more a stripped-down version of the band that had gone on tour and recorded 'You Can't Argue With a Sick Mind'. Walsh didn't need Vitale's composition strengths as much as on previous albums, but borrows the chorus and riff from 'Falling Down' on Vitale's classic 'Roller Coaster Weekend' LP to create 'At the Station'. Otherwise Walsh writes more of the music on this than on any previous album.

Overall, a good album, and a fine 'bad hair day' cover. Why do so many rock stars want to be filmed at the bottom of swimming pools?!

When he released "But Seriously, Folks..." in 1978, Joe Walsh was in the middle of his first tenure with the Eagles. (The group would split after their 1980 tour to support "The Long Run," and resume in 1994 with "Hell Freezes Over.") Although it looked like Walsh's solo efforts would be on hold indefinitely with him joining the Eagles, this album came as a pleasant surprise to many, and shows a wide diversity in his musical influences.

There are hints here of everything from reggae to country to pop to full-blown rock, and it all flows extremely well. "Life's Been Good" is undoubtedly the best known track on this album, and would become a top 10 single and a concert favorite. Walsh's signature slide guitar is present on this album, in the excellent solo on the reggae-tinged "Over And Over," and peppered throughout the nostalgic "Indian Summer," while "Second Hand Store" has a bit of a country feel to it, complete with pedal steel guitar courtesy of Don Felder. A bit of Eagles presence is heard in the harmonies of the laid-back "Tomorrow," with background vocals provided by Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Timothy B. Schmit. "At The Station" features the great double guitar work of Walsh and Felder. The sequence of "Inner Tube" and "Theme From Boat Weirdos" is beautifully done, and is widely considered to be the best of Walsh's instrumental work. The album's closer is the full version of the famous "Life's Been Good," Walsh's hilarious satire on rock stardom and "the silly lifestyle someone in my position leads," as he once put it so well.

Produced by Bill Szymczyk, this album features the core of Walsh's touring band from the 1976 live album "You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind," including longtime collaborator Joe Vitale, Jay Ferguson (Spirit), and the great Willie Weeks, as well as the noted appearances by Henley, Frey, Schmit, and Felder. "But Seriously, Folks..." is one of those rare albums that not only doesn't have a bad track on it, but also has a stellar list of supporting musicians behind those songs. This one is truly a classic.

...this one would. Don't make the mistake of thinking that this album contains only one good track ("Life's Been Could"). I listen to this CD every morning on the way to work and never get tired of it. "Second Hand Store" is an amazing piece of pop music writing. It's got a great hook and theme. "Indian Summer" foreshadows other Walsh numbers like "Where I Grew Up" and "School Days." It is embued with a wonderful nostalgic theme and boasts a catchy hook and clever lyrics. This CD is greater than the sum of its parts. There's not a stinker here. Originally I bought this only for the memorable classic "Life's Been Good," but was pleased as punch to get hooked on the other tracks at the first listen. This is a highly underrated CD and one of my top ten all-time favorites. Buy it!

But Seriously Folks is a great Album, not necessarily for its lack of resemblance to previous Joe Walsh works but for its quality in terms of the Country Rock genre. People talked of the Joe Walsh influence on Hotel California, this album illustrates the Eagles influence on Joe Walsh. Most typical is the outstanding harmonies on Second Hand Store and Tomorrow, (my fave`s along with Indian Summer)This album apart from Life`s Been Good is a poignant well crafted musical triumph and in my opinion a vastly underrated album. If you like Eagles circa Hotel California, or Walsh tunes like Help me through the night, get this album. Tomorrow, Indian Summer could have been Eagles Tunes. Sadly the jokey theme of Lifes Been Good permeates his later work far too frequently. Even a great riff as on Ordinary Average guy is ruined by an ordinary average lyric.

If you need a reason to buy this CD, the album version of "Life's Been Good" is reason enough. It is entirely possible that you have wasted valuable years of your life listening only to the 3-minute "radio edit" that does not begin to do this rock materpiece justice.

This would be a great album without "Life's Been Good" however. Given the edgly rock feel of "Life," it is surprising that the rest of the album is so mellow. Walsh's fake theme song "Theme from Boat Weirdo" and "Tomorrow" are suprisingly sensative and creative cuts that would seem at odds with "Life" except for the fact that it is the uneveness of this album that makes it so endearing.

If you only own one Joe Walsh album, this should be it. If you're gonna splurge on two, check out the sadly overlooked "Songs for a Dying Planet."

How ya doin?

I think this is a great CD. I love Joe Walsh's guitar playing and I enjoy listening to the entire first 4 songs straight through uninterrupted. "At the Station" "Indian Summer" and "Second Hand Store" always make me think of summer time when I was a kid and we used to hang out at the fishing hole drinking beer. Of course, this contains the classic "Life's Been Good" and there's also a great catchy tune called "Tomorrow" and a couple of cool intrumental pieces.

I am a huge Joe Walsh fan so I have to say I am probably playing some favoritism but why not - I think the man is underrated as both a guitar player and lyricist. He may not write mind bending philosophical lyrics 24/7 but he sure knows how to construct a good piece of humoring lyrical content and he has the ability to make you forget about your worries and draw you to another place and time. And isn't that what music is supposed to be about sometimes?

Remastered by producer Bill Szymczyk, "But Seriously Folks" is one of Joe Walsh's most catchy, ambitious mainstream albums. It's not as experimental as one of Joe's best album "Barnstorm" but this album along with "The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get", "So What" and "There Goes The Neighborhood" ranks among his best solo albums. Every song is infectious with great hooks and melodies. It's more like "So What?" than Walsh's first two albums which had elements of the folk/jazz of Traffic mixed into the crunchy guitar chords. Joe writes or co-writes all the songs on the album borrowing the chorus from one of multi-instrumentalist Joe Vitale's solo albums (Vitale was a member of Walsh's "Barnstorm" band and has toured with Walsh in just about tour he's done including The Eagles where Joe Walsh hangs a new melody on it (he even borrows the guitar riff he came up with for Vitale for that song)for "At the Station". Every song is a stand out with a bit of experimentation that recalls "Barnstorm" and "The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get" with the instrumentals "Inner Tube" and "Theme From Boat Weirdos" (a continuing theme and "joke" that plays across several solo albums of Walsh associates).

The big hit, though, was the nearly 9 minute (although it was edited down to 4 minutes for the AM radio version)rocker satire "Life's Been Good". Walsh pokes fun at the rock star lifestyle from trashing rooms, to having mansions that they never see because they are on the road touring so much. It's a great track and was one of Walsh's biggest hits propelling this terrific album into the top twenty.

While we don't get a booklet discussing the making of the album or any lyrics, we do get all the original credits but, more importantly, a beautifully mastered CD that captures the best qualities of the vinyl version released in 1978. The original vinyl had a terrific master by Ted Jensen and Szymczyk goes for broke replicating Jensen's master for a different format. There's a lot of great detail that can be heard on the CD from the cymbals that open "Over and Over" to the crunchy slide guitar work by Walsh on "Life's Been Good".

Featuring a parade of 70's rock stars as guests (all of the Eagles appear the album with Henley, Frey and Schmitt doing backing vocals for "Tomorrow" and Don Felder playing pedal steel on "Second Hand Store" and guitar on another track nicely complimenting Walsh. Jo Jo Gunne and Spirit alumni Jay Ferguson plays keys while Vitale plays drums, flute and other assorted istruments), "But Seriously Folks" was followed by "There Goes The Neighborhood" an album almost as strong as this one with another Walsh hit "Life of Illusion". Highly recommended.

With BUT SERIOUSLY FOLKS, Joe Walsh took a break from the Eagles and released a great solo album. The album's closer, "Life's Been Good", was a Number 12 hit, but the best song here is "At The Station", which is about being at a crossroads in your life. I highly recommend this album to anyone who loved HOTEL CALIFORNIA or any of the James Gang releases.

I remember buying this album on 8 Track Tape back in 1978 when I was in the 11th Grade! My Personal Favorites are Lifes been Good, Indian Summer, At the Station, and Over and Over. Its been so long and had to get it on CD! If your a James Gang, Joe Walsh, or Eagles Fan, This Classic CD is a MUST HAVE!!!

This is one of Joe's best albums.. From top to bottom, there are awesome classic rock songs. His national anthem Life's Been Good was also recorded on the Eagles live Album. Joe's will mostly be remembered for his contributions to the Eagles and James gang, but his solo stuff is the best. If you liek the eagles, you gotta get all of Joe's stuff.. especially this album!

if you have randy meisner's solo album's e-mail me!