• AllMyVinyl #15
• Band: Billy Joel
• Album Title: An Innocent Man
• Release Date: 8 Aug 1983
• Date purchased: 3 Nov 2023
• Location purchased: Gift
• Color of vinyl: black
• Number of discs: 1
• Links: [ Wikipedia | Discogs | Band Website | Complete album on Youtube ]

Now I hit one of my favorite albums from when I was still a teenager.   This was the 9th overall studio album by Billy Joel, which came out in the Summer of 1983.  Bought this album, saw the tour, played the shit out of the album over the years, so I was all in on this one.

I originally bought this on vinyl back in 1983, and that copy survived into 2024, but in 2023, I was gifted the Billy Joel box set in November 2023 from my family.  Two years prior they bought me Volume 1 in that series, so this completed the Joel vinyl collection.  Given I didn’t need two copies, I kept the one in the box set, as it was a 2023 reprint, and sent my original 1983 print to my brother back home so he can have it as well.  Visually, the new print looked the same as the old print, a true “reprint” as such.

This music is stellar.  It was produced and released during what I consider to be “Peak Billy Joel” which is the era between 1977’s “The Stranger” and 1983’s “An Innocent Man”.  Now that’s not to say I don’t like other Joel – stuff I love all of it, but this particular run of 5 albums is absolutely stellar.  There’s nothing to skip on An Innocent Man, not even a track that bores me.  The style of music is kind of all over the place.  From reading about it, the songs came from Billy’s youth, trying to write songs like that.  This would definitely be borne out in tracks like “This Night”, “The Longest Time”, or “Leave a Tender Moment Alone”.  The entire album is a homage to something – but those stick out more than others.

Anyway, about this album.  Given this album is so burned in my brain, I could probably write about the songs without listening to them.  I did, though.  :)

Easy Money – like a good fast song.  IT was a tie in to the movie of the same name starring Rodney Dangerfield.  As I saw it there first vs hearing it on the album, it’s kind of lodged in my brain as “the movie song”.  I “see” Rodney when I hear the song even though he’s not on it in any way.  I seem to have a memory of a video for this, but it could have been some promo thing for the movie I’m not remembering correctly over the decades.

An Innocent Man – One of Billy’s songs where he does high notes.  Something that went away after this in his music.  I didn’t write much about this, but I just take the song in.  :)

The Longest Time – Straight up doo-wop song.  When I saw him on the tour for this album, the band all came out front and did it live with no instruments.  Was really good, and something else I “see” when I listen to the song.  I looked around for video, but didn’t find it from THIS tour, but I did find it from the Joel tour I saw in 86 in Philly doing this.  It seems to jibe with what I remember seeing  back in ’83 for this.  Check it out.

This Night – Intersting credit here, Ludwig van Beethoven is listed as a co-write credit.  Joel loves writing songs about the women in his live.  This one was about model Elle MacPherson whom he dated before marrying Christie Brinkley.   More high notes, and while not straight up doo-wop, it feels that way to me.

Tell Her About It – Back to Rock & Roll with this Temptations homage.  Was a #1 hit, and in the glory days of MTV, you saw this all the time.  Even the music video for this is a throwback it simulates Joel being on the old Ed Sullivan show.   Rodney Dangerfield makes an appearance in the video.

Uptown Girl – The song that was most well known from this album I think.  I burnt out on it for a very long time due to radio (and MTV) overplay.  Christie Brinkley (who at this point was merely Billy’s girlfriend) appears as the titular “Uptown Girl”.  If you know anything from this album, I’d lay cash it’s this song.

Careless Talk – Back into the doo-wop stuff with Careless Talk.  It’s the one I probably like the least on the album, because at this point I’d had enough and wanted more rock & roll.  Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the song, but it’s not my favorite on the album.  I think it’s the “Oh, ah, ya-ya-ya, ya-ya-уа” lyrics that don’t work for me.

Christie Lee – While the title of the song is about his soon to be wife, I don’t believe the actual song is about her?  I always found an internal consistency with the songs “Stiletto” & “All for Leyna” from prior albums that tell direct stories of women who are out to get the main character of the song.   It’s a fast rock & roll piano song, harking back to Little Richard type stuff.  Good song.

Leave a Tender Moment Alone – The slow dance song.  This Smokey Robinson influenced song is one that screams “slow dance at the prom” or a wedding reception or something along those lines.   Great vocal performance by Billy here.

Keeping the Faith – The last song on the album is an early rock song – not too in your face, a nice solid vibe.  I’ve read that the song is autobiographical about Joel’s life.  I always felt this song didn’t get the attention he should have received.  Very much enjoyed the music.  The video is fun too – several cameos (Christie Brinkley again, Richard Pryor, & Joe Piscopo).  Great way to finish up the album.

Looked up the concert I saw on this tour on Setlist.fm.  They have the setlist.  If you’re a Joel fan, you would like this one.  Check it out.

Yeah, overall I really enjoyed this album.  It’s still as great as I remember when I bought it 40 years ago.  Those on the net who dump on Joel… Yeah, no.  You be wrong.  This is amazing stuff.