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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tribute to early rock, doo-wop in one of Joel's best albums, 2 Dec 2003
An Innocent Man, Billy Joel’s 1983 follow-up to the seminal Nylon Curtain, is a heartfelt tribute to the doo-wop and rhythm-n-blues based rock and roll music of the late 1950s and 60s. Its 10 songs vary in moods and tempos, ranging from the sassy “Easy Money” to the introspective title track, “An Innocent Man.” This retro atmosphere is reflected not only in most of its songs; the album’s front and back cover art has Billy and his band looking for all the world like a youth gang out of “West Side Story.” Musically speaking, Joel’s creative roots show a very eclectic set of influences. “An Innocent Man” has a pulsing bass undertone very similar to the classic doo-wop song “Under The Boardwalk,” the type of romantic vocal made famous by such groups as The Platters, The Regents, and The Diamonds. “This Night,” an ode to a friendship that turned into romance, not only has Frankie Valli-style vocals, but Billy Joel’s love of classical music shows in its chorus, which lifts its melody from Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto. “For The Longest Time” is also in the style of classic doo-wop, down to the a capella background vocals and melodic constructions. (In fact, it was this song that inspired me to listen to real doo-wop, a genre of music that I find more stirring that what passes for pop songs today.) “Uptown Girl,” which was Joel’s musical Valentine to Christie Brinkley, with its poor-guy-loves-a-rich-girl storyline, Frankie Valli falsetto styling, and catchy hooks and backbeats (provided by ace drummer Liberty DeVito) is sunny and charmingly innocent. “Leave a Tender Moment Alone” is more contemporary, or at least more “timeless.” Its self-deprecating narrator paints a vivid mental image of the awkwardness we guys feel when we fall in love with a woman. “Even though I’m in love/Sometimes I get so afraid; I’ll say something so wrong/Just to have something to say.” How true! To me, the heart and soul of this album is the title track. It deals with the difficulties faced when entering a relationship with someone who has been hurt in the past by former lovers. “Some people stay far away from the door,” Joel observes in his opening line “if there’s a chance of it opening up/They hear a voice in the hall outside/And hope that it just passes by.” It’s both a warning and a plea. It warns about the danger of willful self-isolation (“Some people live with the fear of a touch/in the anger of having been a fool…), while making a case for redemption (“But I’ve been there and if I can survive/I can keep you alive/I’m not above going through it again…”). Maybe in the raunchy era of Britney and Christina, these songs (like the doo-wop songs that inspired them) are corny and wear their heart on their sleeve. But in these uncertain times, maybe corniness and sentimentality are sorely needed.
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