An Innocent Man

:"For the 1989 movie starring Tom Selleck, see An Innocent Man (film)."

Infobox Album |
Name = An Innocent Man
Type = Album
Artist = Billy Joel


Released = August, 1983
Recorded = Chelsea Sound and A&R Recording, Inc., New York, NY
Genre = Rock
Length = 40:25
Label = Columbia
Producer = Phil Ramone
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:7jd1vwrva9yk link]
* Rolling Stone Rating|4|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/billyjoel/albums/album/232195/review/6067984/an_innocent_man link]
Last album = "The Nylon Curtain"
(1982)
This album = "An Innocent Man"
(1983)
Next album = "Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 (1973-1985)"
(1985)

"An Innocent Man" is the 9th album by American singer/songwriter Billy 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. Three other singles were released from the album: "The Longest Time" (number 14), "Leave A Tender Moment Alone" (number 27), and "Keeping the Faith" (number 18).

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."

Track listing and Notes Montalbano

All songs by Billy Joel, except for the chorus for "This Night," credited on the sleeve to L. V. Beethoven.

#"Easy Money" – 4:04 -- an homage to James Brown
#"An Innocent Man" – 5:17 -- an homage to Ben E. King and The Drifters
#"The Longest Time" – 3:42 -- an homage to doo-wop. This song required 14 background vocal tracks, each of which were done by Joel and pieced together in production.
#"This Night" – 4:19 -- Uses Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata as the basis for the chorus
#"Tell Her About It" – 3:52 -- an homage to Motown
#"Uptown Girl" – 3:17 -- an homage to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
#"Careless Talk" – 3:48
#"Christie Lee" – 3:31 -- an homage to Jerry Lee Lewis
#"Leave a Tender Moment Alone" – 3:56
#"Keeping the Faith" – 4:41

Personnel

*Billy Joel - Baldwin acoustic piano (SF-10), Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3, vocals, background vocals
*Liberty DeVitto - drums
*Doug Stegmeyer - bass
*David Brown - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, lead guitar
*Russell Javors - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar
*Mark Rivera - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, percussion
*Ralph MacDonald - percussion on "Leave a Tender Moment Alone" and "Careless Talk"
*Leon Pendarvis - Hammond B-3 on "Easy Money"
*Richard Tee - acoustic piano on "Tell Her About It"
*Eric Gale - electric guitar on "Easy Money"
*"String Fever" - strings
*Ronnie Cuber - baritone saxophone on "Easy Money", "Careless Talk", "Tell Her About It" and "Keeping the Faith"
*Jon Faddis - trumpet on "Easy Money"
*David Sanborn - alto saxophone on "Easy Money"
*Joe Shepley - trumpet on "Easy Money", "Careless Talk", "Tell Her About It" and "Keeping the Faith"
*Michael Brecker - tenor saxophone on "Careless Talk", "Tell Her About It" and "Keeping the Faith"
*John Gatchell - trumpet on "Careless Talk", "Tell Her About It" and "Keeping the Faith"
*Tom Bahler - background vocals
*Rory Dodd - background vocals
*Frank Floyd - background vocals
*Lani Groves - background vocals
*Ullanda McCullough - background vocals
*Ron Taylor - background vocals
*Terry Textor - background vocals
*Eric Troyer - background vocals
*Mike Alexander - background vocals

"Solos"
*"Toots" Thielemans - harmonica on "Leave a Tender Moment Alone"
*Mark Rivera - alto saxophone on "Keeping the Faith", "This Night" and "Christie Lee"

Production

*Producer: Phil Ramone
*Engineers: Jim Boyer, Bradshaw Leigh
*Assistant engineers: Mike Allaire, Scott James
*Production coordinator: Laura Loncteaux
*Mastering: Ted Jensen
*Horn and string arrangements: David Matthews
*Background vocal arrangements: Tom Bahler
*Musical advisor: Billy Zampino
*Photography: Gilles Larrain
*Cover design: Christopher Austopchuk, Mark Larson

*Recorded at Chelsea Sound and A & R Recording, Inc., New York, NY
*Mixed at A & R Recording, Inc., New York, NY
*Mastered at Sterling Sound, New York, NY

Chart positions

Album

ingles

References