Songs for a Dying Planet
1992 studio album by Joe Walsh
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Songs for a Dying Planet is the tenth solo studio album by American musician Joe Walsh, released in May 1992 by Epic Records. Keen to re-establish himself after his ill-received previous studio album, Ordinary Average Guy (1991), Walsh enlisted his former record producer Bill Szymczyk. At the end of the track "Certain Situations," one can hear a Morse code message that says "Register and vote for me."[1]
- Reflection Sound (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Kiva West Studio (Los Angeles)
| Songs for a Dying Planet | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1992 | |||
| Recorded | February–May 1992 | |||
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| Genres | ||||
| Length | 48:38 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
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The album was received negatively by the majority of music critics and it was also a commercial disappointment, missing the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic, which called an end to Walsh's solo career for 20 years before he released another studio album in 2012 called Analog Man. The song "Vote for Me" however was a minor success, peaking at number 10 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | F[3] |
Reviewing for AllMusic, critic Vincent Jeffries wrote that the album "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."[2]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Joe Walsh, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shut Up" | 3:19 | |
| 2. | "Fairbanks Alaska" | 3:27 | |
| 3. | "Coyote Love" |
| 4:43 |
| 4. | "I Know" | 1:45 | |
| 5. | "Certain Situations" | 4:34 | |
| 6. | "Vote for Me" | Vitale, Walsh | 4:21 |
| 7. | "Theme from Baroque Weirdos" |
| 1:33 |
| 8. | "The Friend Song" | 3:33 | |
| 9. | "It's All Right" | 3:25 | |
| 10. | "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" | 3:59 | |
| 11. | "Decades" | 12:02 | |
| 12. | "Song for a Dying Planet" | 2:00 | |
| Total length: | 48:38 | ||
Personnel
- Joe Walsh – lead vocals, keyboards, guitars, percussion, trombone
- Joe Vitale – keyboards, drums, percussion, flute, backing vocals
- Dale Peters – bass guitar
- Rick Rosas – bass guitar
- Jim Brock – percussion
- Jimi Jamison – backing vocals
Production
- Scott MacLellan – executive producer
- Bill Szymczyk – producer, engineer, mixing
- Joe Vitale – co-producer
- Mark Williams – co-engineer, mixing
- Mark Herman – assistant engineer
- Tracey Schroeder – assistant engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Dawn Patrol – art direction, design
- Assheton Gorton – artwork ("Three Men in a Boat")
- David Spero – management
Studios
- Recorded at Reflection Sound Studios (Charlotte, North Carolina).
- Mixed at Kiva Recording Studio (Memphis, Tennessee).
- Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York).
Charts
Singles – Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Vote for Me" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 10 |