Joe Walsh — Songs For A Dying Planet (May 21, 1992/2019)
•Ξ• „Have you ever been more famous than me? Well, I have,“ warbles Joe Walsh on „Fairbanks Alaska,“ his latest rewrite of his 1978 novelty hit, „Life’s Been Good.“ I’ll say it’s been good; believe it or not, Songs for a Dying Planet is solo album No. 10 for the Scaramouche of schmo~rock. And I bet Wayne and Garth have ’em all. Guitarist. Analog Man. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. HOW YA DOIN? One of rock’s most colorful figures, the James Gang leader also mounted a solo career enlivened by his skewed humor and bluesy guitar chops.
Birth name: Joseph Fidler
Also known as: “Clown Prince of Rock”, “Average Joe”
Born: November 20, 1947, Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Location: New York City
Styles: Arena Rock, Blues~Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll
Notable instruments:
• Gibson Les Paul
• Fender Stratocaster
• Fender Telecaster
• Rickenbacker 330JG
Album release: May 21, 1992
Recorded: During February~May 1992
Studio:
• Reflection Sound Studio, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Kiva West Studio, Los Angeles
Genre: Rock hard rock
Record Label: Sony/EPIC
Duration: 48:48
Tracks:
01 Shut Up 3:20
02 Fairbanks Alaska 3:27
03 Coyote Love 4:43
04 I Know 1:45
05 Certain Situations 4:35
06 Vote For Me 4:22
07 Theme From Baroque Weirdos 1:34
08 The Friend Song 3:33
09 It’s All Right 3:26
10 Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow 3:59
11 Decades 12:03
12 Song For A Dying Planet 2:01
Written by:
∴ Joe Walsh 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12
∴ Joe Vitale, Walsh 3, 6
∴ Bill Szymczyk, Vitale 7
∴ Gerry Goffin, Carole King 10
Personnel:
★ Joe Walsh — lead vocals, guitars, trombone, keyboards, percussion
★ Joe Vitale — drums, keyboards, percussion, flute, backing vocals
★ Dale Peters — bass guitar
★ Rick Rosas — bass guitar
★ Jim Brock — percussion
★ Jimi Jamison — backing vocals
Production:
✹ Producers: Bill Szymczyk and Joe Vitale
✹ Executive producer: Scott Maclellan
✹ Engineers and mixing: Bill Szymczyk and Mark Williams
✹ Assistant engineers: Tracey Schroeder and Mark Herman
✹ Mastering: Ted Jensen
✹ Art direction/design: Dawn Patrol
✹ Artwork: „Three Men in a Boat“ by Assheton Gorton
✹ Management: David Spero
Awards:
Billboard Albums:
Billboard Singles:
✹ 1992 „Vote for Me“ Mainstream Rock Tracks #10
AllMusic Review by Vincent Jeffries; Score: ★★½
✹ It’s hard not to think when listening to Songs for a Dying Planet that Joe Walsh has a profound musical statement that he has yet to make. After quite some time away from his solo recording gig, it figures that Walsh would have some interesting things to say, and a few guitar riffs to unleash. This 1999 Sony release fulfills those expectations to a degree, but the songwriter’s weakened comedic instincts and extreme sincerity make Songs for a Dying Planet a difficult recommendation. Things start off fierce and promising as two solid rockers („Shut Up,“ „Fairbanks Alaska“) lead into one of Walsh’s best songs in many years, the slow scorcher „Coyote Love.“ The sublime ballad „I Know“ follows, and at this point Walsh seems to be in a creative zone the likes of which he had not occupied since the early ‘80s. The momentum shudders as the listless „Certain Situations“ leads into the bad political lampoon job „Vote for Me.“ Humor in rock is a delicate endeavor, and one that Walsh clearly mastered on classics like „Life’s Been Good,“ but within that almost campy structure existed a palpable edge or even danger. The self~parody related more than a little first~hand experience and an undefined tragic subtext that resonated loudly in Walsh’s falsetto and his audience as they assessed their personal reality within the coming post~rock world. No such subtlety or importance exists on Songs For a Dying Planet (comedic or otherwise.) Everything is stated rather plainly, as in the sentimental „The Friend Song“ where listeners are led directly to the obvious personal sentiments. In earlier work, Walsh covered the descriptions and listeners came to their own meaningful or humorous conclusions naturally, on this record (and much of the musician’s work after the mid~‘80s) he decides things for himself, and the listener is forced into a passive response, no longer engaged.
Solo recordings:
★ Barnstorm (1972)
★ The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get (1973)
★ So What (1974)
★ You Can’t Argue with a Sick Mind (1976)
★ But Seriously, Folks... (1978)
★ There Goes the Neighborhood (1981)
★ You Bought It — You Name It (1983)
★ The Confessor (1985)
★ Got Any Gum? (1987)
★ Ordinary Average Guy (1991)
★ Songs for a Dying Planet (1992)
★ Analog Man (2012)
★ All Night Long: Live in Dallas (2013)
Website: https://joewalsh.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joewalsh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeWalshOfficial/
______________________________________________
•Ξ• „Have you ever been more famous than me? Well, I have,“ warbles Joe Walsh on „Fairbanks Alaska,“ his latest rewrite of his 1978 novelty hit, „Life’s Been Good.“ I’ll say it’s been good; believe it or not, Songs for a Dying Planet is solo album No. 10 for the Scaramouche of schmo~rock. And I bet Wayne and Garth have ’em all. Guitarist. Analog Man. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. HOW YA DOIN? One of rock’s most colorful figures, the James Gang leader also mounted a solo career enlivened by his skewed humor and bluesy guitar chops.
Birth name: Joseph Fidler
Also known as: “Clown Prince of Rock”, “Average Joe”
Born: November 20, 1947, Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Location: New York City
Styles: Arena Rock, Blues~Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll
Notable instruments:
• Gibson Les Paul
• Fender Stratocaster
• Fender Telecaster
• Rickenbacker 330JG
Album release: May 21, 1992
Recorded: During February~May 1992
Studio:
• Reflection Sound Studio, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Kiva West Studio, Los Angeles
Genre: Rock hard rock
Record Label: Sony/EPIC
Duration: 48:48
Tracks:
01 Shut Up 3:20
02 Fairbanks Alaska 3:27
03 Coyote Love 4:43
04 I Know 1:45
05 Certain Situations 4:35
06 Vote For Me 4:22
07 Theme From Baroque Weirdos 1:34
08 The Friend Song 3:33
09 It’s All Right 3:26
10 Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow 3:59
11 Decades 12:03
12 Song For A Dying Planet 2:01
Written by:
∴ Joe Walsh 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12
∴ Joe Vitale, Walsh 3, 6
∴ Bill Szymczyk, Vitale 7
∴ Gerry Goffin, Carole King 10
Personnel:
★ Joe Walsh — lead vocals, guitars, trombone, keyboards, percussion
★ Joe Vitale — drums, keyboards, percussion, flute, backing vocals
★ Dale Peters — bass guitar
★ Rick Rosas — bass guitar
★ Jim Brock — percussion
★ Jimi Jamison — backing vocals
Production:
✹ Producers: Bill Szymczyk and Joe Vitale
✹ Executive producer: Scott Maclellan
✹ Engineers and mixing: Bill Szymczyk and Mark Williams
✹ Assistant engineers: Tracey Schroeder and Mark Herman
✹ Mastering: Ted Jensen
✹ Art direction/design: Dawn Patrol
✹ Artwork: „Three Men in a Boat“ by Assheton Gorton
✹ Management: David Spero
Awards:
Billboard Albums:
Billboard Singles:
✹ 1992 „Vote for Me“ Mainstream Rock Tracks #10
AllMusic Review by Vincent Jeffries; Score: ★★½
✹ It’s hard not to think when listening to Songs for a Dying Planet that Joe Walsh has a profound musical statement that he has yet to make. After quite some time away from his solo recording gig, it figures that Walsh would have some interesting things to say, and a few guitar riffs to unleash. This 1999 Sony release fulfills those expectations to a degree, but the songwriter’s weakened comedic instincts and extreme sincerity make Songs for a Dying Planet a difficult recommendation. Things start off fierce and promising as two solid rockers („Shut Up,“ „Fairbanks Alaska“) lead into one of Walsh’s best songs in many years, the slow scorcher „Coyote Love.“ The sublime ballad „I Know“ follows, and at this point Walsh seems to be in a creative zone the likes of which he had not occupied since the early ‘80s. The momentum shudders as the listless „Certain Situations“ leads into the bad political lampoon job „Vote for Me.“ Humor in rock is a delicate endeavor, and one that Walsh clearly mastered on classics like „Life’s Been Good,“ but within that almost campy structure existed a palpable edge or even danger. The self~parody related more than a little first~hand experience and an undefined tragic subtext that resonated loudly in Walsh’s falsetto and his audience as they assessed their personal reality within the coming post~rock world. No such subtlety or importance exists on Songs For a Dying Planet (comedic or otherwise.) Everything is stated rather plainly, as in the sentimental „The Friend Song“ where listeners are led directly to the obvious personal sentiments. In earlier work, Walsh covered the descriptions and listeners came to their own meaningful or humorous conclusions naturally, on this record (and much of the musician’s work after the mid~‘80s) he decides things for himself, and the listener is forced into a passive response, no longer engaged.
Solo recordings:
★ Barnstorm (1972)
★ The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get (1973)
★ So What (1974)
★ You Can’t Argue with a Sick Mind (1976)
★ But Seriously, Folks... (1978)
★ There Goes the Neighborhood (1981)
★ You Bought It — You Name It (1983)
★ The Confessor (1985)
★ Got Any Gum? (1987)
★ Ordinary Average Guy (1991)
★ Songs for a Dying Planet (1992)
★ Analog Man (2012)
★ All Night Long: Live in Dallas (2013)
Website: https://joewalsh.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joewalsh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeWalshOfficial/
______________________________________________