Type: Lyrics are included with the album, Enhanced CD-ROM
Genre: Rock
Review
Recording The Nylon Curtain exhausted Billy Joel, and even though it had a pair of major hits, it didn't rival its predecessors in terms of sales. Since he labored so hard at the record, he decided it was time for a break -- it was time to record an album just for fun. And that's how his homage to pre-Beatles pop, An Innocent Man, was conceived: it was designed as a breezy romp through the music of his childhood. Joel's grasp on history isn't remarkably astute -- the opener "Easy Money" is a slice of Stax/Volt pop-soul, via the Blues Brothers (quite possibly the inspiration for the album), and the label didn't break the pop charts until well after the British Invasion -- but he's in top form as a craftsman throughout the record. Only once does he stumble on his own ambition ("This Night," which appropriates its chorus from Beethoven). For the rest of the record, he's effortlessly spinning out infectious, memorable melodies in a variety of styles, from the Four Seasons send-up "Uptown Girl" and the soulful "Tell Her About It" to a pair of doo wop tributes, "The Longest Time" and "Careless Talk." Joel has rarely sounded so carefree either in performance or writing, possibly due to "Christie Lee" Brinkley, a supermodel who became his new love prior to An Innocent Man. He can't stop writing about her throughout the album -- only three songs, including the haunted title track, aren't about her in some form or fashion. That giddiness is infectious, helping make An Innocent Man an innocent delight that unwittingly closes Joel's classic period. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Billy Joel (Organ), Billy Joel (Synthesizer), Billy Joel (Harmonica), Billy Joel (Piano), Billy Joel (Composer), Billy Joel (Keyboards), Billy Joel (Organ (Hammond)), Billy Joel (Vocals), Billy Joel (Vocals (Background)), Billy Joel (Producer), Billy Joel (Main Performer), Billy Joel (Fender Rhodes), Michael Brecker (Saxophone), Michael Brecker (Sax (Tenor)), Ronnie Cuber (Saxophone), Ronnie Cuber (Sax (Baritone)), Jon Faddis (Trumpet), Rob Mounsey (Synthesizer), David Sanborn (Saxophone), David Sanborn (Sax (Alto)), Finest Hour (Strings), Ralph MacDonald (Percussion), Dom Cortese (Accordion), David Matthews (Horn), David Matthews (Horn Arrangements), David Matthews (String Arrangements), Michael Alexander (Vocals), Michael Allaire (Engineer), Michael Allaire (Assistant Engineer), Tom Bahler (Vocals), Tom Bahler (Vocals (Background)), Tom Bahler (Vocal Arrangement), Jim Boyer (Engineer), Jim Boyer (Mixing), Eddie Daniels (Wind), Liberty DeVitto (Percussion), Liberty DeVitto (Drums), Rory Dodd (Vocals), Rory Dodd (Vocals (Background)), Eric Gale (Guitar), Eric Gale (Strings), Eric Gale (Guitar (Electric)), Eric Gale (Horn), John Gatchell (Trumpet), Lani Groves (Vocals), Lani Groves (Vocals (Background)), Scott James (Engineer), Scott James (Assistant Engineer), Russell Javors (Guitar (Acoustic)), Russell Javors (Guitar), Russell Javors (Guitar (Electric)), Russell Javors (Guitar (Rhythm)), Ted Jensen (Remastering), Ted Jensen (Digital Remastering), Charles McCracken (Cello), Ullanda McCullough (Vocals), Ullanda McCullough (Vocals (Background)), Leon Pendarvis (Organ), Leon Pendarvis (Organ (Hammond)), Phil Ramone (Producer), Mark Rivera (Percussion), Mark Rivera (Saxophone), Mark Rivera (Sax (Alto)), Mark Rivera (Sax (Tenor)), Mark Rivera (Vocals), Mark Rivera (Vocals (Background)), Joseph J. Shepley (Trumpet), Doug Stegmeyer (Bass), Ron Taylor (Vocals), Ron Taylor (Vocals (Background)), Richard Tee (Organ), Richard Tee (Piano), Terry Textor (Vocals), Terry Textor (Vocals (Background)), Toots Thielemans (Harmonica), Eric Troyer (Vocals), Eric Troyer (Vocals (Background)), Bill Zampino (Percussion), Bill Zampino (Advisor), Bill Zampino (Music Advisor), Mike Alexander (Vocals), Mike Alexander (Vocals (Background)), Dave Brown (Guitar (Acoustic)), Dave Brown (Guitar), Dave Brown (Guitar (Electric)), Joe Shepley (Trumpet), Joe Shepley (Horn), Christopher Austopchuk (Cover Design), Marl Larson (Cover Design), Bradshaw Leigh (Engineer), Laura Loncteaux (Production Coordination), Jen Wyler (Author), Jen Wyler (Authoring), Gilles Larrain (Photography), Frank Floyd (Vocals), Frank Floyd (Vocals (Background)), Patrick Demarchelier (Photography), David Matthews (Horn Arrangements), David Matthews (String Arrangements), John Naatjes (Tape Research), Ron Taylor (Vocals), David Brian Brown (Guitar (Acoustic)), David Brian Brown (Guitar (Electric))
An Innocent Man is the 9th album by Americansinger/songwriterBilly Joel, released in 1983 (see 1983 in music). It became one of his best-charted albums since Glass Houses, going directly to #2 in the UK. It featured three Billboard Top 10 hit singles: "Tell Her About It", which reached #1, "Uptown Girl", which peaked at #3 and "An Innocent Man", which peaked at #10. Four other singles were released from the album: "The Longest Time" (number 14), "Leave a Tender Moment Alone" (number 27), "Keeping the Faith" (number 18) and "This Night".
This album is Joel's tribute to the music of his childhood. He considers this a "singer's album," and pays homage to a number of different musical styles, most notably doo-wop, a style made popular in the mid-1950s and emulated in the songs "The Longest Time," "This Night," and "Careless Talk."
All songs by Billy Joel, except for the chorus for "This Night," credited on the sleeve to L. V. Beethoven.
N.B. - The track listing on the LP is slightly different from that on the cassette and original CD pressings, with the latter swapping "The Longest Time" and "Uptown Girl"'s places respectively. However, on the actual cassette shell and disc label, the songs are listed (and play) in the correct order as printed on the LP.
LP Track Listing
Side One
"Easy Money" – 4:04 -- an homage to James Brown; featured in the movie of the same name
"The Longest Time" – 3:42 -- an homage to doo-wop. This song required 14 background vocal tracks, each of which was done by Joel and pieced together in production.
