Songs for a Dying Planet
Songs for a Dying Planet is the tenth solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh. It was released in mid 1992, on the label Epic. Keen to re-establish himself after his ill-received 1991 album, Ordinary Average Guy, Walsh enlisted his former 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]
| Songs for a Dying Planet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1992 | |||
| Recorded | February–May 1992 | |||
| Studio | Reflection Sound Studio, Charlotte, North Carolina and Kiva West Studio, Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:38 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Joe Walsh chronology | ||||
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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 solo 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 songs written and composed by Joe Walsh except where otherwise indicated.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shut Up" | 3:19 | |
| 2. | "Fairbanks Alaska" | 3:27 | |
| 3. | "Coyote Love" | Joe Vitale, Walsh | 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" | Bill Szymczyk, Vitale | 1:33 |
| 8. | "The Friend Song" | 3:33 | |
| 9. | "It's All Right" | 3:25 | |
| 10. | "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" | Gerry Goffin, Carole King | 3:59 |
| 11. | "Decades" | 12:02 | |
| 12. | "Song for a Dying Planet" | 2:00 |
Personnel
- Joe Walsh – lead vocals, keyboards, guitars, percussion, trombone
- Joe Vitale – keyboards, drums, percussion, flute, backing vocals
- Dale Peters – bass
- Rick Rosas – bass
- 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 |
References
- "Joe Walsh Online Fun Facts". Joewalshonline.com. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- Jeffries, Vincent. "Songs for a Dying Planet > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- "Songs for a Dying Planet Review | Music Reviews and News | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2014-10-24. Retrieved 2014-10-24.