| "But Seriously, Folks..." | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Joe Walsh | ||||
| Released | May 16, 1978 | |||
| Genre | Rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 35:24 | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Producer | Joe Walsh, Bill Szymczyk | |||
| Joe Walsh chronology | ||||
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"But Seriously, Folks..." is the fourth studio album by Joe Walsh, released in 1978 (see 1978 in music). It included the reggae-styled satirical song "Life's Been Good". The original 9-minute album version of this track was edited down to 4½ minutes for single release and this became Walsh's biggest solo hit, peaking at #12 on the Billboard chart.
The album also features the other four members of the Eagles -- which Walsh had joined by the time the album was released—as well as singer-guitarist Jay Ferguson, a former member of the group Spirit (who co-wrote one track on the album), drummer Joe Vitale from Walsh's former band Barnstorm, and renowned bassist Willie Weeks, who is well known for his association with singer Donny Hathaway.
Original pressings of this record had text engraved on the carry-out grooves:
Originally, the Walsh song "In the City", was recorded for this album, but released on the Warriors soundtrack, and re-recorded for the Eagles album, The Long Run. The leadout track after Life's Been Good has a dubbed recording of "A flock of wah-wahs" which is a minute of gibberish wah-wahs.
Walsh ran a mock campaign for President in 1980; one of the planks of his platform was to make "Life's Been Good" the new national anthem.
Contents |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
Writing for Allmusic, critic Al Campbell wrote of the album "As far as studio albums go, But Seriously Folks is Joe Walsh's most insightful and melodic... It captures a reflective song cycle along the same thematic lines of Pet Sounds, only for the '70s... The only way But Seriously Folks could have been improved, was to include "In the City," essentially solo Walsh, which unfortunately ended up on The Long Run instead."[1]
All songs by Joe Walsh, except where noted.
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Billboard Top 200 | 8 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Life's Been Good" | Pop Singles | 12 |
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