Joe Walsh-But seriously folks,,,

But seriously folks..

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.

James Gang-Rides Again

Rides Again

The Joe Walsh led James Gang may be the most unknown group in rock and roll... I say that because most people think 'Funk #49' and 'Walk Away' are JOE WALSH songs. Their loss...

This album is definately one of the best rock and roll albums ever from first note to last. 'Funk #49' leads into the playful 'Ashtonpark' to the bombast of 'Woman' and 'The Bomber'(oh, that last chord that just rings out for 15 seconds!). Then the "light"/ more acoustic side featuring 'Tend My Garden/ Garden Gate', 'There I Go gain', the working man's themed 'Thanks' ["Yes to the man above ya/ Hope you passed the test/ Nope to the man below ya/ Leave him with the rest"] and closing with the sadly beautiful 'Ashes, the Rain and I'.

My only gripe is the inclusion of the extended mix of 'The Bomber' INSTEAD of the original mix. Why not add the extended mix as a bonus track?

Other than that, the new remaster sounds fantastic and if you turn up you can feel Joe's guitar and Dale Peters' bass in all their sonic glory and enjoy Jim Fox's under appreciated drum work (especially on the quieter songs). Get one for the car AND one for the house.

Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh

Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh (born November 20, 1947)[1] is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands: the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles. He has also experienced success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B. King and Dan Fogelberg. He holds the 54 spot in Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."
In January 1968 he replaced Glen Schwartz as lead guitarist for the James Gang, an American power trio. Walsh proved to be the band's star attraction, noted for his innovative rhythm playing and creative guitar riffs. In particular he was known for hot-wiring the pickups on his electric guitars to create his trademark "attack" sound.[2] The James Gang had several minor hits and became an early album-oriented rock staple for the next two years, including James Gang Live at Carnegie Hall. In November, 1971 Walsh left the group and formed the group Barnstorm, although their albums credited Walsh as a solo artist. Walsh and Barnstorm released their debut, the eponymous Barnstorm in 1972. The album was a critical success, but had only moderate sales. The follow-up The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get (1973) was titled under his own name (although officially a Barnstorm album) and was Walsh's commercial breakthrough. The first single "Rocky Mountain Way" received heavy airplay and reached #23 on the US Top 40 chart. In 1974 Barnstorm disbanded and Walsh continued as a solo artist.

In December 1974, Walsh released an official solo album, So What and in March 1976, a live set, You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind. These would be his last solo albums until 1978. On December 20, 1975 he joined the Eagles as Bernie Leadon's replacement. His addition steered the band toward a harder-edged sound and away from their early country-style work, and he was featured prominently on their multi-million-selling album Hotel California, co-writing the Top 20 hit "Life in the Fast Lane" (with Don Henley and Glenn Frey) and "Pretty Maids All in a Row" (co-written with former Barnstorm drummer Joe Vitale).

As the Eagles struggled to record the follow-up to Hotel California, Walsh re-ignited his solo career with the well-received album But Seriously, Folks... (1978) which featured his hit comic depiction of rock stardom, "Life's Been Good". Walsh also contributed "In the City" to The Warriors soundtrack (1979), a song penned and sung by Walsh that was later rerecorded for the Eagles The Long Run album.
Walsh married Marjorie Bach (sister of Barbara Bach) in Los Angeles on December 13, 2008, making him a brother-in-law of Ringo Starr.

Walsh's daughter, Lucy Walsh, is also a musician; she has worked with Ashlee Simpson and others, and released her debut album, Lost in the Lights, in spring 2008.[citation needed]

Walsh's eldest daughter, Emma Kristen, was born in 1971 and died in 1974 at the age of only 3 as a result of injuries suffered in an automobile accident on her way to nursery school. Her story inspired the track "Song For Emma" on his album So What released later that year. In her memory, he had a fountain and memorial plaque placed in a park in which she played; North Boulder Park in Boulder, Colorado. While touring with singer Stevie Nicks in 1984, Walsh took Nicks to the park's fountain; Nicks subsequently immortalized this story in her song "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You" on her 1985 album Rock A Little. Nicks stated in a 2007 interview with the UK's The Daily Telegraph that Walsh had been "the great love of her life."