''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: James Gang, the James Gang, Eagles (band), Eagles, and Ri ...

, 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 ...

, 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 Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game ( box art), music album ( album ar ...

for the album features the painting '' Zwei Männer in Betrachtung des Mondes'' (Two Men Contemplating the Moon), a famous work by the German 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's "Rosewood Bitters," which got some FM airplay in the US; Walsh played

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

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 g ...

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

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

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 from the late 1970s. A variety of styles are explored on this album, including elements of

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, pop, and even

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean S ...

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. Initi ...

Recording

Walsh's new girlfriend

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releas ...

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. ''Down ...

, Mike Porcaro,

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 Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern-accented singing style, early Americana-influenced songs (often with mordant or satirical lyrics), and vari ...

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, just ...

) who only recorded backing vocals.

Critical reception

Upon its release, the album was poorly received by many critics but sold quite well.

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...

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 for ‘Fifteen Years’ on the road," and that "The balance … is a sober

retrospective A retrospective (from Latin ''retrospectare'', "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past. As a noun, ''retrospective'' has specific meanings in medicine, software development, popu ...

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 cov ...

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 ...

– 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 o ...

– bass * Dennis Belfield – bass * Mike Porcaro – bass * David Margen – bass *

– bass * Rick Rosas – bass * Denny Carmassi – drums *

– 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, St ...

– 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 on ...

– 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 terre ...

) stated that

"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 196 ...

– 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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

(United States) Singles –

(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