Celebration of The Confessor

[whitcap]

Joe's album The Confessor was released 27 years ago today :)

[sodascouts]

The Confessor is a good album; the only song I dislike is "I Broke My Leg (http://www.myspace.com/joewalshofficial/music/songs/i-broke-my-leg-album-version-28233020)." It's just too freaking stupid (IMHO).

"Problems (http://www.myspace.com/joewalshofficial/music/songs/problems-album-version-28233019)" is the kind of song I usually don't like - kind of silly and rambling - but for some reason this song has stuck with me to the degree that if I'm having a lot of problems coming down on me, Joe singing "Hey now, do you have a problem?" ... "Still got 'em...problems" will pop into my head!

"Bubbles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXjSU0vjbkA)" doesn't have the greatest melody, but the "bubble" metaphors are clever and I do like the way he sings "the world goes down the drain."

"Slow Dancing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjkyELlidPA)" - one of Joe's sexiest songs.

"15 Years (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uspeCefnSis&feature=related)" - so simple, but so catchy!

"The Confessor (http://www.vh1.com/video/joe-walsh/46823/the-confessor.jhtml)" - The complexity of this song is in stark contrast to the rest of the album. I love the lyrics and the song's construction. The only thing I don't like is the "spooky" way he sings the title. It's a bit melodramatic. If you haven't seen the trippy video before, I suggest you watch it.

"Rosewood Bitters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhicyLcmFP4)" - I really like this one, especially the heartfelt chorus. Joe didn't write it, but he sings it with such sincerity you'd think he did.

"Good Man Down (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlSV6FOiaX8&feature=related)" - I like this one, especially the chorus.

"Dear John (http://www.myspace.com/joewalshofficial/music/songs/dear-john-28233027)" - this feels "confessional" - pardon the pun - and Joe shows a lot of vulnerability, although the use of the synth is uninspired. I always found it interesting that this song, the last on the album, ends with these ominous lines:
Dear John
I just gotta get back to my music
And all the things that go along with the job
Oh, and lyin' in bed with the room spinnin' 'round
It's the price that you pay when you're on the way down
It's the price that you pay
Sincerely yours

[mustangkim11]

The Confessor was the first Joe Walsh solo album that I ever bought and I'm going to date myself and say that I bought it on cassette and when that wore out, I got it on CD.

I loved the single of The Confessor when it first hit the airwaves and I still love it. I like the way that the song sounds when it begins and love it all the way through. I even like the video although, the chick in it is kinda hokey but it was the 80's what can I say? LOL!

Rosewood Bitters is also another song that I liked from the first listen and is in my top 10 Joe songs of all time.

I also love-

Slow Dancing-rowr! Joe can be very sexy when he puts his mind to it.
Good Man Down-love how Joe kicks ass on this one and the lyrics are great too
Problems-catchy with a reggae-flavor to it.

[Windeagle]

The Confessor is a good album; the only song I dislike is "I Broke My Leg (http://www.myspace.com/joewalshofficial/music/songs/i-broke-my-leg-album-version-28233020)." It's just too freaking stupid (IMHO).

"Problems (http://www.myspace.com/joewalshofficial/music/songs/problems-album-version-28233019)" is the kind of song I usually don't like - kind of silly and rambling - but for some reason this song has stuck with me to the degree that if I'm having a lot of problems coming down on me, Joe singing "Hey now, do you have a problem?" ... "Still got 'em...problems" will pop into my head!

"Bubbles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXjSU0vjbkA)" doesn't have the greatest melody, but the "bubble" metaphors are clever and I do like the way he sings "the world goes down the drain."

"Slow Dancing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjkyELlidPA)" - one of Joe's sexiest songs.

"15 Years (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uspeCefnSis&feature=related)" - so simple, but so catchy!

"The Confessor (http://www.vh1.com/video/joe-walsh/46823/the-confessor.jhtml)" - The complexity of this song is in stark contrast to the rest of the album. I love the lyrics and the song's construction. The only thing I don't like is the "spooky" way he sings the title. It's a bit melodramatic. If you haven't seen the trippy video before, I suggest you watch it.

"Rosewood Bitters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhicyLcmFP4)" - I really like this one, especially the heartfelt chorus. Joe didn't write it, but he sings it with such sincerity you'd think he did.

"Good Man Down (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlSV6FOiaX8&feature=related)" - I like this one, especially the chorus.

"Dear John (http://www.myspace.com/joewalshofficial/music/songs/dear-john-28233027)" - this feels "confessional" - pardon the pun - and Joe shows a lot of vulnerability, although the use of the synth is uninspired. I always found it interesting that this song, the last on the album, ends with these ominous lines:
Dear John
I just gotta get back to my music
And all the things that go along with the job
Oh, and lyin' in bed with the room spinnin' 'round
It's the price that you pay when you're on the way down
It's the price that you pay
Sincerely yours

Hmm... I'm seeing a trip to my favorite used record store in the very near future.

[jdubfan]

One of my favorites of JW's solo efforts. 9 songs, 36 minutes of mostly damn good stuff.

Problems: contains one of my favorite Joecasms "fictional friction" I use that from time to time when dealing w/drama queen/kings. Clever lyrics, with a kinduva rastafarian slant on dealing with the daily load of crap.

IBML: Letting us know about a moment of his life. Lyrics are nonsensical, but some good runs and effects that I enjoy hearing. Not a fav, but ok.

Bubbles: This album's gentle rant that we're cutting off our noses. An understated warning about screwing up... He's still worried about us today.

Slow Dancin: I agree, this is sexy Joe....gives me a shivah......if I smiled at you, would you walk my way? Heh heh, YEAH! :woah: just u n me....some nice intense, well placed geetar runs and a nice jam at the end. Classic Joe, understated but intense, just right.

15 Years: Love this one, and I always turn his geetar up as he requests. Simple lyrics, but hearfelt.

Confessor: One of my fav Joe songs. Love every second, lyric, lick, effect of this song. Total 7 minutes of pure pleasure for me. And when I hear it, I can hear Joe telling me as he signed my poster "over his big ole nose" that he was proud of this song, it was one of his favorites as well. Especially love the jam at the end and his plantive, emotional delivery of the lyrics GIVE IT UP!!

Rosewood Bitters: Lively, lovely cover of Stanley's tune. Very nice low key Joe.

GMD: Love, love this rocker. Joe and the Wad had a good time doing this, I bet.
Use every little trick you've found indeed...

Dear John: I've wondered if this is to the wife he divorced for Stevie? Pretty open expression of where he was at at the time. Sad and relatable, we've all been thru it.

27 years?!? are you sure?? good gawd...that's the year I graduated from college.....lordy lordy time flies.....

Since I am unabashedly committed to Joe n his music, I have no cares if I'm objective or not. I love it, it makes me happy, it carries my thru the good, bad, thick, thin and that's all that matters to me.

[jdubfan]

One of my favorites of JW's solo efforts. 9 songs, 36 minutes of mostly damn good stuff.

Problems: contains one of my favorite Joecasms "fictional friction" I use that from time to time when dealing w/drama queen/kings. Clever lyrics, with a kinduva rastafarian slant on dealing with the daily load of crap.

Bubbles: This album's gentle rant that we're cutting off our noses. An understated warning about screwing up... He's still worried about us.

Slow Dancin: I agree, this is sexy Joe....gives me a shivah......if I smiled at you, would you walk my way? Heh heh, need you ask?!? :woah: just u n me....some nice intense, well placed geetar runs and a nice jam at the end. Classic Joe, understated but intense, just right.

15 Years: Love this one, and I always turn his geetar up as he requests. Simple lyrics, but hearfelt.

Confessor: One of my fav Joe songs. Love every second, lyric, lick, effect of this song. Total 7 minutes of pure pleasure for me. And when I hear it, I can hear Joe telling me as he signed my poster "over his big ole nose" that he was proud of this song, it was one of his favorites as well. Especially love the jam at the end and his plantive, emotional delivery of the lyrics GIVE IT UP!!

Rosewood Bitters: Lively, lovely cover of Stanley's tune. Very nice low key Joe.

GMD: Love, love this rocker. Joe and the Wad had a good time doing this, I bet.
Use every little trick you've found indeed...

Dear John: I've wondered if this is to the wife he divorced for Stevie? Pretty open expression of where he was at at the time. Sad and relatable, we've all been thru it.

27 years?!? are you sure?? good gawd...1985, that's the year I graduated from college.....lordy lordy time flies.....

Since I am unabashedly committed to Joe n his music, I have no cares if I'm objective or not. I love it, it makes me happy, it carries my thru the good, bad, thick, thin and that's all that matters to me.

[Freypower]

There are a lot of good tracks here, particularly the title track & Rosewood Bitters. I like Bubbles & Slow Dancing too.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Happy Belated Anniversary to the Confessor!!!

I was going to listen to the CD today to refresh my memory so I could comment on all of the songs, but I can't find it. I had forgotten that it was missing. I remember that I misplaced it quite a while ago, and I still haven't found it. I have no idea where it is, but I'd bet good money that one of these days, when least expected, it'll show up again.

[sodascouts]

Happy birthday, Confessor! A good album overall, I think. Here's the title track with its trippy video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quVERH404pA

[DJ]

I like the album, it's Joe what more can you say.

[Houston Baby]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THE CONFESSOR!

It is one of my favorites of Joe. IMO it is pure Joe!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Happy Belated Anniversary to the Confessor!!!

I was going to listen to the CD today to refresh my memory so I could comment on all of the songs, but I can't find it. I had forgotten that it was missing. I remember that I misplaced it quite a while ago, and I still haven't found it. I have no idea where it is, but I'd bet good money that one of these days, when least expected, it'll show up again.

Sorry for quoting myself, but, sure enough, I finally found my Confessor CD a while back. It had slipped behind the other CD's in the cabinet. Anyway, I'm going to put this in my car and listen to it this week going back and forth to work. I agree that it is one of Joe's best solo efforts.

So again ...

HAPPY 29TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE CONFESSOR!!!

[WalshFan88]

Happy Anniversary to The Confessor!

[shunlvswx]

Happy 29th Anniversary to the Confessor. I don't know much about the album other than the title track, but I did find this album on Spotify. I'm going to listen to it one day.

[Brooke]

Happy Anniversary to The Confessor! 29 years! Unbelievable!

[shunlvswx]

Happy 30th Birthday to The Confessor.

I love the self title single.

[Funk 50]

Happy 30th Birthday to The Confessor.

I love the self title single.

Thanks for clocking it up shunlvswx:thumbsup:

Besides being a huge Walsh fan, I was also a Stevie Nicks fan, loving her first two albums. At the time, I was totally unaware that they had hooked up.

I was disappointed with both the resultant albums. The Confessor and Stevie's Rock A Little.

I tried so hard to like The Confessor but I felt the album was missing some Walsh essentials, ie. great production, likeable songs, real drums and a bit of instrumental interplay ie Bill Szymzyck and Joe Vitale.

Rock A Little has grown on me. The Confessor is still, and I hope will always be, my least favourite Joe Walsh album.

[Midnight Visitor]

Thanks for clocking it up shunlvswx:thumbsup:

Besides being a huge Walsh fan, I was also a Stevie Nicks fan, loving her first two albums. At the time, I was totally unaware that they had hooked up.

I was disappointed with both the resultant albums. The Confessor and Stevie's Rock A Little.

I tried so hard to like The Confessor but I felt the album was missing some Walsh essentials, ie. great production, likeable songs, real drums and a bit of instrumental interplay ie Bill Szymzyck and Joe Vitale.

Rock A Little has grown on me. The Confessor is still, and I hope will always be, my least favourite Joe Walsh album.

Couldn't have said it better myself Funk 50. Never bought another Stevie Nicks anything after Rock a Little. I only like about 1/2 of the Confessor album. Joe's albums from the 90's are far superior to this. In their defense I will say it was an ugly coked out time for both of them.

[sodascouts]

Interesting. I think The Confessor is far superior to Joe's late 80s and 90s output, although inferior to the work that came before it. To each his/her own, of course.

The quality of Stevie's albums has followed a similar trajectory to Joe's, IMHO, despite the fact that she sells a lot more. Rock a Little was inferior to what came before it and superior to what came after it until 2001's Trouble in Shangri-La, and Joe's work after The Confessor was on a downward slide until 2012's Analog Man. Again, just my opinion.

[Funk 50]

There hasn't been another album that I've tried so hard to like. If there is anybody that likes The Confessor, I'd love to know, what it is that I'm missing.

If The Confessor was the first Joe Walsh album I'd bought, I'm sure I'd never have become a Joe Walsh fan.

[sodascouts]

If there is anybody that likes The Confessor, I'd love to know, what it is that I'm missing.


I talk a bit about this on the first page. I'm not saying it's the best thing he's ever done - far from it - but I think it has more pluses than minuses.

The thing is, though, that people have such different tastes in what they like that what appeals to me may really turn off others. I can't convince somebody to like it when they don't. I can only explain why I do.

I find "Slow Dancing" to be the hottest song Joe's ever released in terms of sexiness, but maybe someone else isn't that impressed with his throaty overtures. I think "Rosewood Bitters" is moving and has a lovely melody, but that's all subjective. The title track is bound to be controversial; I like its epic scope and the sophistication of the well/water imagery, but it's quite a departure for Joe, and that might be unappealing to some. "15 Years" is simple but cool. "Good Man Down" is catchy and more traditional Joe material, and I enjoy that as well - lots of energy overall and a bit of wildness when he shifts to the "the boys just love it" and the similar shifts later (ie, "the boys stop talking", "the boys start shaking" etc.)

Even "Problems", which can get annoying, is a bit of an ear worm. "Bubbles"... again, a little annoying, but at least he's trying to say something. "Dear John"... somewhat dull, but there's some real emotion behind it.

"I Broke My Leg"... well... OK. This one is awful.

However, there's more to like than not on this album, I think.

I wonder if the track listing contributed to the disappointment of some fans. He led with the three weakest songs. Not the best way to engage the listener! I can see a lot of people getting bad first impressions that influenced the perception of the rest of the album. Nowadays it's not such a big deal, but back then, waiting eagerly for the new record to hit stores, buying it as soon as it's available, rushing home with it, excitedly putting it on the record player, and then hearing "Problems" followed by "I Broke My Leg" and "Bubbles" as the first cuts... yikes.


If The Confessor was the first Joe Walsh album I'd bought, I'm sure I'd never have become a Joe Walsh fan.That's fair enough. This album is not the Joe of the 70s that most people fell in love with. I still don't think the album is bad, though.

[Midnight Visitor]

Slow Dancing is a great song but do you realize it's a cover? I know everyone knows Rosewood Bitters is a cover song. I had no idea anyone liked this song until I started reading this website. I hate that song. I think it's one of the main things wrong with the album.

I like the story of 15 Years more than I like the song itself. Problems & Bubbles is awful as is I Broke My Leg. An embarrassment.

I do like the title track. It's easy to see why the album was called The Confessor.

[Funk 50]

Spurred on by your replies, Sodascouts and Midnight Visitor (thanks), I Googled Loz Netto's Slow Dancing. In the past there's been little info. Loz was a guitarist in Sniff 'n' The Tears. On this occasion, information's been a little more forthcoming. :)

http://secondhandsongs.com/work/124317/versions

There is a clip of Loz's original on his website.
http://www.loznetto.co.uk/HTML_files/loznettos_bzar.html

I think Joe's version is closer to the original than Chaka Khan's.

Slow Dancing is one of Joe's best vocals imho.

Believe it or not, I quite liked I Broke My Leg. Totally unpretentious. I prefer the lyrics of IBML to the lyrics of the title track. Pretentious twaddle.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE CONFESSOR!!!

I'm a little late to the party but, it's unbelievable that this album is 30 years old. I am one who likes this better than Joe's 90's albums. It's not my favorite, but to me, it's one of his better efforts.

[Funk 50]

This must be longest article about The confessor I've ever seen! although not much is dedicated to the actual grooves;

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/joe-walsh-the-confessor/

[Midnight Visitor]

This must be longest article about The confessor I've ever seen! although not much is dedicated to the actual grooves;

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/joe-walsh-the-confessor/

Not to mention inaccurate. Life's Been Good was NOT a hit before Joe joined the Eagles. It wasn't released until well after HC.

[sodascouts]

Once again, happy birthday to The Confessor!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Yep - I'm playing a little 'catch up' on the board, so I wanted to wish a belated Happy Anniversary to The Confessor as well.

[Tori]

Happy Anniversary to The Confessor! I first listened to Rosewood Bitters only about half a year ago and it's my most-listened-to song on Spotify. Just a freakin' amazing song on a great album.

[RamboIV]

Here's a fun video of Joe promoting the record on Letterman in 1985. Apparently he was "moving some of these boys". I wonder why he never talks about the actual records in these late night interviews. Or even perform songs from them!

Anyway...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq-3xOLVQ6k

[sodascouts]

Here's a fun video of Joe promoting the record on Letterman in 1985. Apparently he was "moving some of these boys". I wonder why he never talks about the actual records in these late night interviews. Or even perform songs from them!

Anyway...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq-3xOLVQ6k


Yes - playing "Life in the Fast Lane" instead of a song off The Confessor or even a solo song?

Cute interview. Dave apologizes for talking about something besides chainsaws but I'm like "YES THANK YOU." That was old in 1985 and in 2017 it's still the freaking lead-in on every freaking interview he does!!!

[Annoying Twit]

I find that The Confessor has some good songs, but it's uneven and could have been developed further. The initial few songs sound a bit Joe by numbers and not trying hard enough. The Confessor (title track) starts very well and sounds like it's going to be a classic, but I think the second bit isn't as good as the first bit. The last few songs are good.

It's an album that I think I'd like a lot if I played it over and over. But, I haven't done so.

Given how Joe was descending into alcoholism, it is notable that he did something as good as he did.

[Funk 50]

...
It's an album that I think I'd like a lot if I played it over and over. But, I haven't done so.....
.

I thought that too, Annoying Twit and I did play it Over And Over, solidly for several months. I never did get to 'like it a lot'.

I really appreciated how Joe kept churning out albums even through his barren years ("I'll keep on going though I'll never know why").

It's been a challenging experience watching Joe regain his mojo and return to his former greatness in the 21st Century, yet have very little new music recorded to document it.