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The End Of The Innocence
How Bad Do You Want It?
I Will Not Go Quietly
The Last Worthless Evening
New York Minute
Shangri-La
Little Tin God
Gimme What You Got
If Dirt Were Dollars
The Heart Of The Matter
For the recording of this, his Grammy-winning and best-selling solo album The End Of The Innocence, former Eagles drummer Don Henley recruited a band of musicians and singers that reads like a Who’s Who of rock’n’roll: members of the Heartbreakers and Toto, Sheryl Crow, Axl Rose, Melissa Etheridge, Edie Brickell and most notably, Bruce Hornsby, who adds some classy piano touches to the title track, a Top 10 hit in the US.
Much of The End Of The Innocence was a poignant reflection on Reagan-era America, with Henley juxtaposing the rise of neoliberalism against the loss of the idealistic American dream, the bittersweet ache of ageing, and faded romance.
“We live in a time of great mistrust," Henley told the New York Times. "The feeling that we are one as a nation is rapidly disappearing, and that carries over into people’s private personal lives. I mention lawyers several times on the album. That’s because of the pervasive sense of every man for himself and every woman for herself. It’s a very insidious thing."
Every week, Album of the Week Club listens to and discusses the album in question, votes on how good it is, and publishes our findings, with the aim of giving people reliable reviews and the wider rock community the chance to contribute.
Other albums released in June 1989
- Agent Orange - Sodom
- Flowers in the Dirt - Paul McCartney
- Passion - Peter Gabriel
- In Step - Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- World in Motion - Jackson Browne
- Trouble in Angel City - Lion
- Extreme Aggression - Kreator
- Gretchen Goes To Nebraska - King's X
- Mr. Big - Mr. Big
- The Real Thing - Faith No More
- Cosmic Thing - The B-52s
- Bad English - Bad English
- The Iron Man: The Musical - Pete Townshend
- Magnum Cum Louder - Hoodoo Gurus
- Margin Walker - Fugazi
- Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe - Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
What they said...
"Don Henley took some time before completing his highly anticipated third album, The End of the Innocence. Although he manages to duplicate much of the magic of his previous album, Henley has backed off of the synthesisers and expanded his musical palette. He uses background vocals to great effect, whether it's the tragic ballad New York Minute (with vocal group Take 6) or the angry rocker I Will Not Go Quietly (with Axl Rose)." (AllMusic)
"In an era where individual songs often overshadow albums, The End Of The Innocence stands out as not only a timeless work but one that is cohesive and memorable. Yes, it is most certainly an album of the 80s, but its production is so strong that it can still be appreciated by modern audiences as Don Henley's talent as a musician knows few peers. For those with an interest in Henley, the Eagles, or classic rock, The End Of The Innocence is an essential listen." (Subjective Sounds)
"Unlike most major pop albums from the era, The End of the Innocence pays great heed to self-awareness, lessons, and mature depth. It may be cliché to describe the album simply as “pop with a message,” but the precision of Henley’s lamentations flavour well with the over-the-top sonic nature of an 80s album. Henley’s greatest legacy will probably always reside in the legendary annals of Eagles history, but The End of the Innocence cemented his reputation as a solo artist, and more importantly, a storyteller. (Sputnik Music)
What you said...
Philip Qvist: I cannot fault Don Henley's lyrics, while his voice is a perfect vehicle for the songs that he has written, either as a solo artist or as part of the Eagles. I don't rate him as a drummer, but that isn't an issue when the likes of Jeff Porcaro enter the studio.
As is the case with his previous albums, one Mr Henley has surrounded himself with great musicians, songwriters, producers and backing vocalists, including Bruce Hornsby, various members of the Heartbreakers and Toto, and his ever-dependable side man, Danny Kortchmar (or Danny Kootch as he appears on Carole King's Tapestry album). My picks from this album include The End of the Innocence, The Heart of the Matter, Little Tin God and Shangri-La, while New York Minute was just too whimsical for its own good.
So lyrically and musically, The End Of The Innocence is a pretty decent album to listen to, while it did tone down the synthesisers that were a constant feature on his previous two records. However, while it remains his biggest-selling album, I do have my misgivings about this particular record, mainly that an artist's best-selling album is not necessarily his best.
I would argue that Building the Perfect Beast is Don Henley's solo masterpiece, while I would also argue that his debut, I Can't Stand Still, is also a superior album. While The End Of The Innocence is a pretty good album, I won't be giving it much more than a 7.
Mark Herrington: My favourite Don Henley album, one that is anchored by some of his best-ever ballads.
The real strength of this album is the tracks in the style of the Eagles' The Last Resort, namely The End Of The Innocence, Last Worthless Evening, New York Minute, and The Heart of the Matter. The uptempo songs are generally not as good as those on Building the Perfect Beast, although the enjoyable I Will Not Go Quietly and If Dirt Were Dollars are the exception.
I really like Henley’s vocals, and here he’s on top form, with help from the likes of Bruce Hornsby to give its best moments a great laid-back vibe.
Regarding any feelings about his personality, I couldn’t care less, as we are reviewing his music. Overall, it's probably his classiest album, due to the strength of the slower songs.
Gary Claydon: I always liked Henley's vocals, and he's a competent enough drummer, but The End Of The Innocence is just dull. Ultra safe, conservative, white collar AOR/pop rock, which nevertheless sells by the bucket load in certain markets. People have done jail time for lesser crimes than Little Tin God.
Chris Elliott: Not an 80's cliché left behind. Add in the cast of thousands (endless writers), and it sounds like an 80's compilation, including what sounds like a Huey Lewis outtake.
The tracks vary from car crash (cod reggae) to bad hard(ish) rock through to okay, albeit overplayed. The guest vocals really emphasise the feel of a playlist more than an album.
Bar two tracks, it just passes by. You make dinner, it doesn't distract, then you forget it.
Evan Sanders: I'm glad I listened to The End Of The Innocence a couple of times this week, as my opinion rose after the second time, possibly because the first time I had turned on shuffle mode in Spotify, and I was really puzzled by the song order.
What I really like about the album is the social commentary lying beneath or right upfront in many of the songs. As he says with his guest singers on the third song, he will not go quietly. There are multiple strong songs which have remained radio staples, from the title song, as well as Last Worthless Evening, New York Minute, If Dirt Were Dollars, and The Heart Of The Matter, the last of which could almost be interpreted as a break-up song with his Eagles bandmates.
A hidden and prescient gem is Little Tin God, which could easily be a b-side, but has lyrics that make me think of today's AI-driven culture. If the Eagles had not come back together a few years after this one, I wonder if Henley would have devoted more energy to these kinds of songs, rather than playing Hotel California and Take It Easy night after night. I'll be listening to his follow-up efforts next. 7/10.
Greg Schwepe: So, when your mega-huge band is in the middle of a 14-year vacation, you’ve still got musical ideas that you want to share. And when you’re a prolific songwriter who’s written some pretty big songs, you can probably pump out albums fairly easily (says the person who has never released an album!). The End Of The Innocence was Henley’s third solo album, and at that point, I’m guessing Henley wasn’t sure if he was going to be a solo artist from this point forward or would eventually get back with his Eagles bandmates.
Don Henley has always had a lot of intelligent, insightful things to say in his lyrics. There is a lot to chew on lyrically in The End Of The Innocence, and just as much to chew on musically. I’m going to make this more of an album review rather than a literature review. But if you want to peel back the onion on every song on this album, there’s plenty of onion to go around. I certainly don’t know where Henley was coming from on every song, but for me it’s “here it is…here’s what I see… you figure it out and make your own conclusions.” And for me, it was the current state of things in America, all across various demographics and geographies at the time.
The title track opens with the distinctive keyboards of Bruce Hornsby. His piano style is as distinctive as the guitar tones of Carlos Santana or Brian May. And that’s just the start of the musician firepower on this album. When I read the album credits again, I was floored by the list. Axl Rose, Danny Kortchmar, Mike Campbell, Waddy Wachtel, Steve Jordan, Stan Lynch, Jeff Porcaro, Pino Palladino, David Paich, Patty Smyth, Melissa Etheridge, Edie Brickell, Sheryl Crow. Need I go on? I could! Massive talent base there.
Henley is another songwriter (along with Mark Knopfler) who can paint a picture with his lyrics. With Building The Perfect Beast he’d already provided the lyrics for me to envision a “Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac” and characters in and around the Sunset Grill. And there’s more of that on this album.
There's the yearning of the title track. The subtle rage of I Will Not Go Quietly with Axl’s background vocals adding emphasis. The chugging The Last Worthless Evening and its take on relationships. The jazz bar intro of New York Minute. Another picture painted. If the strings and piano don’t set a mood, I don’t know what does. The funky Shanghai-La and its funky cousin Gimme What You Got.
There is no filler on this album. Nothing I have to skip past. In my case, it’s the opposite; it’s going back and playing the same song a few times in a row. And that one for me is If Dirt Were Dollars, with my favourite line “If dirt were dollars, we’d all be in the black…”
The ringing tones of The Heart Of The Matter " close out the album; there are a lot of moods in those five-plus minutes. A perfect closer to tie this one together. Another picture painted.
8 out of 10 on this one for me. This one builds on the strengths of Building The Perfect Beast and ups the ante to make it a nice bookend to that one.
John Davidson: There was some excellent music created in the 80s despite the glossy production and overuse of synth drums. This is not one of them.
You can't deny Henley's chops as a lyricist (look at the Eagles songs he wrote), but they are wasted here on trite tunes and lifeless production.
The second-rate Hornsby piano-led opener is probably the best the album has to offer. Shangri La is a poor song on a decidedly dull album. But it's still heading downhill.
Lots of artists were exploring/exploiting calypso and reggae sounds in the 80s, but Little Tin God has to be one of the worst. If Dirt Were Dollars is (I presume) supposed to be the Boys Of Summer-style hit from this album, but it lacks attack and feels like it's holding back rather than rocking out.
Brian Hart: I’ve got to admit I’m kinda surprised by some of the negative reviews on this album. Let me start by saying Don Henley is not an artist I typically listen to. I’m more of a 80/90’s hard rock fan.
Surprisingly, I actually own this album. I remember liking the singles and bought the CD used. I never really gave the other songs a listen. I revisited this album, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Henley is a master at producing great introspective mid-tempo music. The title track, New York Minute, The Last Worthless Evening, and The Heart of the Matter are classics. They’ve aged well and still sound great.
What surprised me was the harder rocking songs I Will Not Go Quietly (Axl!), If Dollars Were Dirt, and Gimmie What You Got (shout out for the excellent guitar work on this one). How Badly Do You Want It, Shangri La, and Little Tin God fall short for me. They’re too experimental for my liking, and the 80s keyboards and electronic drums completely kill the vibe for me.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. I have to note how much I appreciate the lyrics on this album. Today’s artists are extremely lazy when it comes to lyrics. It’s usually four lines for the verse and then straight to the chorus. Henley’s lyrics are long and well thought out. The thoughtfulness of the lyrics on this album cannot be understated – even if you don’t like them. I can’t say that this will be on regular repeat. However, I will definitely listen to this album more than I did previously. 7/10.
John Edgar: This is certainly my least favourite of Mr Henley's 80s output, yet it's still a decent release. Surprisingly, this was his best seller, but that may be because initial sales were boosted by his previous album, which had multiple radio hits and videos all over MTV.
At that time period in America, MTV definitely ruled the day. It lacks some of the 80s production vibe featured on his first two solo releases, and because of that, The End Of The Innocence may seem a little less dated than its two predecessors. Now, almost 42 years after the original release date, the whole affair just feels a little...average. It lacks the bounce of his first release, and it lacks the great lineup of songs on his second release.
I have all of Mr Henley's solo releases in my music collection, but when I get in the mood to listen to some Henley, this is probably the least likely of his releases to get played. In 2012, Rolling Stone had it on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. But then again, Rolling Stone lost touch with the real rock world way before 2012.
Henry Martinez: Building The Perfect Beast is typically considered Henley's solo peak, but I'd argue he reached it here. It has a more organic feel than the mid-80s processed production of Building The Perfect Beast.
Let's start with the opening title track, with Bruce Hornsby providing the catchy piano bed, not unlike his timeless The Way It Is. Both are social commentary, but Henley is more biting here with his line, "They're beating plowshares into swords/For this tired old man that we elected king." (still relevant!)
From there, Henley simply decides not to constrain himself to any one style. His choices of backing vocalists for certain songs illustrate this: Ivan Neville (Shangri-La), Patty Smythe (How Bad Do You Want It?), Edie Brickell and Melissa Etheridge (Gimme What You Got), Sheryl Crow and J.D. Souther (If Dirt Were Dollars). These are among the weaker tracks, but hearing those familiar voices lifts everything up a notch. In other words, no song is easily skippable (except perhaps for the faux reggae Little Tin God).
But the most celebrated backing vocals came from Axl Rose on I Will Not Go Quietly, a hard rocker that would have benefited if Slash had also made an appearance. Danny Kortchmar is a perfectly fine guitarist, but not especially known for power chords, which this song demanded. But turn it up, and you'll at least get the idea.
Aside from the title track, three tunes serve as the album's anchor. New York Minute is a gorgeous arrangement with Henley finally showing a vulnerability he seemingly always tries to hide. This is one of his solo songs the Eagles always play (had they stayed together for an artistic statement in the '80s, this song would have fit nicely). The Last Worthless Evening is the first bookend for Relationship Don on this record. It's very earnest yet sincere in his message to his potential partner; you can do better, don't settle. No wonder it was an MTV hit.
The closing track is the other bookend, The Heart of the Matter. Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell returns after supplying The Boys of Summer on the previous album. This is so much more heartfelt and profound both musically and lyrically. It's not a breakup song; it's an aftermath one. He's wishing his former lover well, but the phrasing and words cut deep emotionally. Anyone in a similar situation can relate (and probably shed a tear) when hearing the money line: "I think it's about forgiveness/Forgiveness/Even if/Even if/You don't love me anymore."
The song and album fade into oblivion, and we as listeners are left to pick up the pieces. I think in his heart of hearts, Henley knew this was his solo peak, which is why hell froze over five years later when the Eagles reformed. But at least he left a statement of purpose behind, one that is eminently listenable all these years later.
Adam Ranger: I so want to like Don Henley's solo stuff. But I can't listen to the albums in their entirety. Any of them. Just not my style. I like a lot of his lyrics. But in the main, the songs are just not inspiring for me.
The perfect Don Henley album would be selected songs from all five solo albums. Controversial maybe, but I think 2000's Inside Job stands out as the best of those five.
So I can't score this album highly. It's not that it's awful or badly played, but it's just too 80s AOR/MOR for my personal tastes, and I don't feel inspired to listen to it again.
Mike Canoe: Several decades have not softened my dislike for The End of Innocence. I was 40 years too young for this album when it came out, and I'm almost 80 years too young for it now. At its worst, it's the simpering sentiments of a sanctimonious asshole wallowing in self-pity for himself and his fellow boomers.
Of the five singles, the click track title track is the nadir, while New York Minute is redeemed by the harmony vocals. I Will Not Go Quietly displays Henley, one of the big a-holes of the 70s, sharing the mic with Axl Rose, one of the biggest a-holes of the 80s, yowling about how they're going to keep on being a-holes. How Bad Do You Want It? Gimme What You Got and Little Tin God are OK in that slumming as a bar band sort of way. For me, solo Henley begins with Dirty Laundry and ends with The Boys of Summer. Nothing on The End Of The Innocence comes close.
Final score: 6.80 (64 votes cast, total score 442)
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