Billy Joel – An Innocent Man (Hybrid SACD, Ultradisc UHR)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
Vocals, backing vocals, Electric Piano, Piano, Electric Organ – Billy Joel [click here to see more vinyl featuring Billy Joel]
Backing Vocals – Eric Troyer, Frank Floyd, Lani Groves, Mark Rivera, Mike Alexander, Ron Taylor, Rory Dodd, Terry Textor, Tom Bahler, Ullanda McCullough
Bass – Doug Stegmeyer
Drums – Liberty DeVitto
Lead Guitar – David Brown
Percussion, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Mark Rivera
Rhythm Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Russell Javors
Strings – String Fever
Alto Saxophone – David Sanborn (1), Mark Rivera (4, 8, 10)
Baritone Saxophone – Ronnie Cuber (1, 5, 7, 10)
Tenor Saxophone – Michael Brecker (5, 7, 10)
Electric Guitar – Eric Gale (1)
Electric Organ – Leon Pendarvis (1)
Trumpet – Joe Shepley (1, 5, 7, 10), Jon Faddis (1), John Gatchell (5, 7, 10)
Piano – Richard Tee (5)
Percussion – Ralph MacDonald (7, 9)
Harmonica – Toots Thielemans (9)
Background Vocals arranged by Tom Bahler
Horns & Strings arranged by Dave Matthews
Written by Billy Joel
Chorus composed by Ludwig van Beethoven (4)
1 SACD, gatefold jacket with a 12-page booklet
Limited numbered edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Stereo
Studio
Label : Mobile Fidelity
Original Label : Columbia
Recorded at Chelsea Sound and A&R Recording, Inc., New York, NY during spring 1983
Mixed and engineered by Jim Boyer
Produced by Phil Ramone
Mastered by Rob LoVerde at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Sebastopol, CA on The Gain 2 System™
Manufactured by Sony Music Entertainment
Glass master manufactured at Sony DADC
Design by Christopher Austopchuk, Mark Larson, John A. Beck
Photography by Gilles Larrain
Originally released in August 1983
Reissued in 2013
Tracks:
- Easy Money
- An Innocent Man
- The Longest Time
- This Night
- Tell Her About It
- Uptown Girl
- Careless Talk
- Christie Lee
- Leave A Tender Moment Alone
- Keeping the Faith
Reviews :
“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.” AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Ultra High-Resolution (UHR) is a dual-layer hybrid SACD recorded with Direct Stream Digital Technology at a sampling rate of 11.2 MHZ and a frequency response of DC to 100KHz. In addition, a high-precision down-conversion is utilized for the CD layer (16bit/44.1kHz) to preserve the sonic integrity of the original DSD capture. The result: State-of-the-art sound on any machine that can play either standard compact discs or SACDs.
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4 / 5 , Discogs : 4.54 / 5