YOU CAN BE SERIOUS – Joe Walsh & ‘BUT SERIOUSLY FOLKS’……..

[email protected] May 20, 2021

Throughout 1974 and 1975 there were several instances of high-profile rock bands having a ‘situation vacant’ with regard to their full complement of guitar-players.

Among them were Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull and Humble Pie, but most notably the Rolling Stones found themselves a guitarist down when in December 1974 Mick Taylor suddenly quit.

Indeed, through the early months of the following year it appeared even The Who may be in the market for another axe-crasher given the belligerence and bad-mouthing of his bandmates by angry of Acton. But no sooner was it all quiet again on the western (London) front, than out on the West Coast, L.A. headliners the Eagles were looking to hire following the departure of Bernie Leadon – who had become marginalised as the group continued their transition from country to mainstream rock.

In the event Mick and Keith snaffled Ron Wood from the Faces, Woody looking a Stone straightaway in contrast to the immensely gifted Taylor who appeared bewildered by it all from day one.

Meanwhile in California the Eagles sprang a surprise, opting against taking songwriting cohort J.D. Souther or a stray-Byrd into their flock and instead went for a new kid with renown – namely former James Gang frontman and now solo-wrecking ball Joe Walsh.

With a personality to match his mostly flamboyant playing, Walsh cited The Who as a major influence – Townshend in terms of power-chords, Moon with regard to offstage pandemonium. He was seen by many as an odd-choice for the remarkably successful, yet somewhat reticent Eagles (one concert reviewer of the time said they came on stage and ‘loitered‘) – which also left the issue of how his trademark tumult would be incorporated into songs such as ‘Peaceful Easy Feelin’‘ and ‘Tequila Sunrise.’

But assimilate he did and, alongside Don Felder, gave the Eagles an impressive guitar presence on their era-defining, huge selling ‘Hotel California‘ album (1976) – Walsh giving the tough rocking ‘Life in the Fast Lane‘ its musical framework and contributing the wistful piano-ballad ‘Pretty Maids All In A Row,’ previously described on these pages as more Randy Newman than ‘Rocky Mountain Way.’

As Walsh and his new band mates shared the same management and also had producer Bill Szymcyzk in common, the merger now seems less surprising. It also proved immediately productive, the Eagles coming up with an accomplished release on which the newcomer had made a noteworthy contribution.

Even as a fully-fledged Eagle, however, there had been no suggestion his solo career was on permanent hold and following a hugely successful world tour in support of ‘Hotel California‘ Walsh returned to the studio in order to create his fourth album.

When ‘BUT SERIOUSLY FOLKS‘ appeared in the late spring of 1978 his Eagle-credentials served him well in terms of sales, the record quickly holding down lofty chart positions on both sides of the Atlantic – sales given a further boost when an edited version of ‘Life’s Been Good,’ his satirical take on rock stardom, became a major hit single.

Success, however, was not just confined to the marketplace – this coherent, eminently likeable and at times innovative work, earned Walsh his most favourable critical notices since the latter days of The James Gang and first solo outing ‘Barnstorm‘ (1972) – several concluding it was the high-point of his non-Eagles career.

Either way, ‘But Seriously Folks‘ is a distinguished piece from which Walsh emerges with his reputation nicely enhanced.

Almost four years on from his previous outing, Walsh continued his move toward the centre ground with at least three ‘Seriously‘ tracks closer, in melody at least, to Jackson Browne than the hard rock tendencies of The James Gang.

This change in emphasis was most apparent on the two versions of ‘Turn to Stone‘ he had already cut; the first on ‘Barnstorm‘ a Zeppelin-esque work out, while the second, included on ‘So What‘ (1974), was more restrained and came complete with Eagle-harmonies. Messrs Henley, Frey and Meisner also added background vocals to another couple of ‘So What‘ cuts, drummer Henley penning the lyrics to the acoustic ballad ‘Falling Down‘ a song that would have not sounded out of place on ‘One of These Nights.‘

Each of the Eagles drop by to give Walsh support on his latest venture, Felder adding pedal steel guitar to the countrified ‘Second Hand Store‘ and guitar on ‘At The Station,’ although elsewhere their recent change in personnel is reflected in the harmony voices on ‘Tomorrow.’

Bassist Randy Meisner had quit after the ‘Hotel California‘ tour on tiring of life at the top – life at the top of the Eagles that is, where Don Henley and Glenn Frey were now calling the shots. Enticed from country-rock nearly-men Poco, new bass player Timothy B. Schmit added the third voice behind Walsh on ‘Tomorrow‘ a fine song that augured well for the Eagles future.

With Szymczyk at the controls to ensure a pristine production, Eagle-cameos aside, Joe leads a studio band comprising of his mainstay drummer Joe Vitale, keyboardist Jay Ferguson (for whom Walsh had produced an album), bassist Willie Weeks and guitar player Joey Murcia – Joe and his merry men setting out their stall on the opening ‘Over and Over.’

Serving as a manifesto for that follows, Walsh describes the vagaries of life over guitar-based soft rock:

‘That’s how it goes or haven’t you heard/Talking so fast all at the same time searching for words/It’s all about the same thing underneath the disguise/Just like I said if you’re looking for answers open your eyes.‘

Okay, as a lyricist Joe is no Townshend or James Taylor, but has enough wit to keep the listener interested, on ‘Second Hand Store‘ pointing out the confusion lurking beneath the surface of everyday existence: ‘So you keep on following directions until, pretty soon you’re past it/Guess you shoulda known better, and still/It was fun while it lasted’.

With its blend of acoustic and pedal steel guitars, this is far removed from the original take of ‘Turn to Stone‘ or his signature solo hit ‘Rocky Mountain Way.’ As such it is not hard to imagine the mothership recording this pleasant track – and if not quite strong enough to make the ‘Hotel California‘ cut, it would have improved their next album no end.

The same, in almost every respect, could also be said of ‘Indian Summer‘ and ‘Tomorrow.’ Both songs find Walsh in reflective mood, offering insight into where his life was and how it is now to the accompaniment of ‘Lyin’ Eyes‘ flavoured acoustic and electric guitars.

Contained within ‘Indian Summer‘ is the line ‘Well, the summers are hot and the winter’s gettin’ cold/Not a lot smarter but another year old‘ which can be read as paving the way for pronouncements he would make in ‘Life’s Been Good.’ On ‘Tomorrow‘ the theme is more standing still and taking stock, ‘Today I’m stayin’ right where I am/Break a few rules, make a few plans,’ the harmonies and interlacing organ and guitars making it the type of song Stephen Stills once excelled at.

In closing side one with ‘At the Station‘ Walsh and Vitale take snatches of songs they had previously written (Vitale from his 1974 solo album, Walsh the James Gang hit ‘Walkaway‘) for this crash about rocker. Lyrically it was not about to make Browne or Warren Zevon lose any sleep, but there is no shortage of fire in the playing – and in proving they are no ordinary Joes’ the slashing guitar chords and pounding drums make for a very passable Pete and Keith impersonation.

Between ‘Tomorrow‘ and the showpiece closer come ‘Inner Tube‘ and ‘Theme from Boat Weirdos.’ Those subscribing to the theory rock has rarely produced an instrumental that would not have been improved by a good set of lyrics might not find too much to enthuse over, although the latter (‘Inner Tube‘ lasts less than 90 seconds), with its passages where flute, organ and guitar come to the fore does conjure images of a Miami night resplendent with bright stars and warm sea breezes – a suitably atmospheric offering to reflect recording sessions conducted at Bayshore Studios, Florida.

Five years after a radio-friendly version of ‘Life’s Been Good‘ had made a significant dent in singles charts around the world, in an interview for the BBC radio programme ‘The Guitar Greats‘ its composer told John Tobler the ironic lyrics were written at one brief sitting, leading him to question their validity within a legitimate, rather than novelty, rock song – Walsh explaining the words as ‘not just about me, but anyone living this bizarre lifestyle.’

That said, if the opening couplets are not self-analysis, ‘I have a mansion forget the price, ain’t never been there they tell me it’s nice/I live in hotels and tear out the walls/I have accountants pay for it all,’ then it can only be Keith Moon or at a push Ron Wood he is talking about.

With enough self-deprecating humour to avoid accusations of boastfulness or conceit, from the attention-grabbing opening riff the guitar work, as you would expect, is exemplary and in making an important statement on the concept of late-70s rock stardom, Walsh gives the tale a cautionary twist:

‘I go to parties sometimes until four/It’s hard to leave when you can’t find the door/It’s tough to handle this fortune and fame/Everybody’s so different/I haven’t changed.’

In the final chorus he refutes allegations of being lazy by stating ‘it takes all my time‘ and in the true nature of show-business commits to ‘keep on going‘ even if he is not sure why, although in bringing the song to a rousing conclusion is quick to reiterate ‘life’s been good‘ – even throwing in a guitar-lick from ‘Life In The Fast Lane‘ during the fade-out for good measure.

Released in May 1978 the generally positive reviews for ‘But Seriously Folks‘ were pitched somewhere between the fanciful claim of one critic who compared it to The Beach Boys ‘Pet Sounds‘ and noted rock scribe Robert Christgau whose derision was made clear in his comment of ‘guitar-schlock‘ – which the record certainly was not.

If anything, regard for the album only increased the following year when the Eagles followed ‘Hotel California‘ with ‘The Long Run,’ (September 1979). Walsh contributes the forceful ‘In The City‘ (which had already been heard as a solo performance on the soundtrack to the Walter Hill film ‘The Warriors‘) and just one co-write to this, at best, patchy set.

Indeed, the upbeat tendencies that pervade ‘But Seriously Folks‘ are rarely apparent on ‘The Long Run‘ and while there was more pressure on the Eagles to produce an accomplished work, where Walsh exceeded expectations, they fell short.

With 1980 drawing to a close Walsh could consider himself a solo artist once more, the Eagles disbanding due to internal strife after a fractious US summer tour. In the wake of their split came a flurry of individual albums, Henley with the impressive ‘I Can’t Stand Still‘ (1982) making by far the best on a roster including a 1981 effort from Walsh entitled ‘There Goes The Neighbourhood.’

The first in a series of fitful records he would make in the 80s, issuing another single with ‘Life‘ in the title proved a wise move as ‘A Life of Illusion‘ (in fairness, a good song), cracked the US Top 20.

As the new decade unfolded Walsh began peppering his albums with songs encompassing broad humour as if endorsing the party boy reputation bestowed upon him, but none were as amusing as the cover of ‘But Seriously Folks‘ – Joe sitting underwater at the bottom of a swimming pool while his lunch floats away.

Is it a serious statement in regard to the lengths rock stars must go in order to find privacy?

Less seriously folks, he could just be waiting for Keith Moon to drive in and join him for dinner.

JOE WALSH – BUT SERIOUSLY FOLKS (Released May 16 1978):

Over and Over/Second Hand Store/Indian Summer/At the Station/Tomorrow/Inner Tube/Theme from Boat Weirdos/Life’s Been Good;

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NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.