''The Confessor'' is the seventh solo studio album by American rock musician

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr ...

, released on May 21, 1985 by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, and

Full Moon Records Full Moon Records was an American record label existing from 1974 to 1992. Prominent signed acts included Chicago, Joe Walsh and Dan Fogelberg. Beginning in 1974 with Fogelberg, Full Moon Records was originally a subsidiary "spin-off" label from ...

. It was produced by

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

-winning producer and sound engineer

Keith Olsen Keith Alan Olsen (May 12, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American record producer and sound engineer, who worked with Magnum, Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Saga, ...

as well as Walsh himself. The album peaked at number 65 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Album artwork

The cover art for the album features the painting '' Zwei Männer in Betrachtung des Mondes'' (Two Men Contemplating the Moon), a famous work by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

nineteenth-century romantic landscape artist Caspar David Friedrich, with a grainy photograph of Walsh in behind. The back cover is another painting by Friedrich, '' Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer'' (Wanderer above the Sea of Fog).

Composition

The album includes a cover of

Michael Stanley Michael Stanley (born Michael Stanley Gee; March 25, 1948 – March 5, 2021) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, radio and television personality. Both as a solo artist and with the Michael Stanley Band (MSB), his brand of heartland r ...

's "Rosewood Bitters," which got some FM airplay in the US; Walsh played slide guitar on the original recording which Stanley originally recorded. On this version instead he plays an

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

. "Slow Dancing" is a song written by Loz Netto for Walsh. Netto was the guitarist in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

band Moon from the mid 1970s and the band

Sniff 'n' the Tears Sniff 'n' the Tears is a British rock band best known for their 1978 song "Driver's Seat", a moderate hit in many countries (including No. 15 on the American ''Billboard'' Hot 100) (in September 1979). The band is led by singer/songwriter Pa ...

from the late 1970s. A variety of styles are explored on this album, including elements of blues, pop, and even Caribbean music. The title song is more in the vein of

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...

Recording

Walsh's new girlfriend Stevie Nicks would get involved with the recording of this album, as her old friend

was hired to produce the album. The superimposed LA session stalwarts like

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

Mike Porcaro Michael Joseph Porcaro (May 29, 1955 – March 15, 2015) was an American bass player known for his work with the rock band Toto. He retired from touring in 2007 as a result of being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was t ...

Waddy Wachtel Robert "Waddy" Wachtel (born May 24, 1947) is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work. Wachtel has worked as session musician for other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Kim Carnes, Randy ...

, Randy Newman,

Alan Pasqua Alan Pasqua (born June 28, 1952) is an American rock and jazz pianist. He studied at Indiana University and the New England Conservatory of Music. His album ''Standards'' with drummer Peter Erskine was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008. As a ...

and a lot of musicians Walsh had never worked with before were the musicians who played on the album. However, the only familiar face was Timothy B. Schmit (of the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

) who only recorded backing vocals.

Critical reception

Upon its release, the album was poorly received by many critics but sold quite well. Guitar World critic Bruce Malamut wrote that the album is "the apologia of a strictly raised mid-western episcopalian after living in

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

for ‘Fifteen Years’ on the road," and that "The balance … is a sober retrospective from rock’s own

Harpo Marx Arthur "Harpo" Marx (born Adolph Marx; November 23, 1888 – September 28, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, mime artist, and harpist, and the second-oldest of the Marx Brothers. In contrast to the mainly verbal comedy of his brothers Grou ...

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

said that "Walsh is trying to make the kind of record he used to make a decade ago, and the result is, well, out of date, sound '' ic' like something out of a 1975 time capsule." Writing retrospectively for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, critic James Chrispell highly complimented the title track, but wrote of the album "Joe Walsh just hasn't been able to produce a complete album of great material, and The Confessor is no exception. The first half is dreck... Worthwhile for the title track alone."

Live performances and Tour

After the release of the album, Walsh toured again with Joe Vitale in Australia and in the US. In Australia the band was called Creatures from America. In the US they were the opening act on some gigs for Foreigner. " The Confessor" and "Good Man Down" were the only tracks from this album which were performed live on that tour.

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians *

– lead vocals, synthesizers, lead guitars, bass,

talk box A talk box (also spelled talkbox and talk-box) is an effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument by shaping the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds (in the same way as singing) onto the sou ...

* Randy Newman – keyboards *

– keyboards *

– guitars *

Mark Andes Mark Andes (born February 19, 1948) is an American musician, known for his work as a bassist with Canned Heat, Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall, Heart, and Mirabal. Early life Andes was born in Philadelphia, but grew up in Los Angeles, one ...

– bass * Dennis Belfield – bass *

– bass * David Margen – bass *

– bass *

Rick Rosas Rick "Rick the Bass Player" Rosas (September 10, 1949 – November 6, 2014) was an American musician, and one of the most sought after studio session musicians in Los Angeles. Though largely known for his long collaboration with Neil Young, throu ...

– bass *

Denny Carmassi Denny Carmassi (born April 30, 1947) is an American drummer most notable for playing with many rock bands. Biography Carmassi was born into a family of drummers; his father, his uncle, and his brother each played the drums. Some of Denny's e ...

– drums *

Rick Marotta Richard Thomas Marotta (born January 7, 1948) is an American drummer and percussionist. He has appeared on recordings by leading artists such as Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Lennon, Hall & Oates, Ste ...

– drums * Chet McCracken – drums *

Jeff Porcaro Jeffrey Thomas Porcaro (; April 1, 1954 – August 5, 1992) was an American drummer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work with the rock band Toto but is one of the most recorded session musicians in history, working o ...

– drums * Jerry Peterson – saxophones * Earl Lon Price – tenor saxophone * Kenneth Tussing – trombone * Timothy B. Schmit – backing vocals

Production

* Joe Walsh – producer * Keith Olsen – producer ** Although unaccredited, Walsh (in a June 2012 interview on

Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, '' The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terr ...

) stated that Stevie Nicks "rode shotgun" with him during the production of this album. Engineering * Keith Olsen – engineer * Dennis Sager – engineer * Goodnight LA Studios (Van Nuys, California) – recording and mixing location *

Greg Fulginiti Gregory Fulginiti (born February 13, 1951 in Cape May Court House section of Middle Township, New Jersey) is an American recording and mastering engineer. Fulginiti grew up in Wildwood, New Jersey and graduated from Wildwood High School in 1969 ...

– mastering at Artisan Sound Recorders (Hollywood, California) Album artwork * Hugh Kent Brown – art direction, design * Caspar David Friedrich – paintings * The titles of the paintings by Friedrich: ** Front cover: "Zwei Männer in Betrachtung des Mondes" (English: Two Men Contemplating the Moon) ** Back cover: " Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer" (English: Wanderer above the Sea of Fog)

Charts

Album – Billboard (United States) Singles – Billboard (United States)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Confessor 1985 albums Joe Walsh albums Albums produced by Keith Olsen Albums produced by Joe Walsh Warner Records albums Atlantic Records albums Pop rock albums by American artists