Personnel includes: Don Henley (vocals); Danny Kortchmar, John Corey, Stan Lynch (various instruments); Waddy Wachtel (acoustic guitar); Steve Jordan (guitar, drums, background vocals); Mike Campbell (guitar); David Paich (strings, piano, keyboards); Wayne Shorter (soprano saxophone); Steve Madaio (trumpet); Bruce Hornsby (piano, keyboards); Jai Winding (keyboards); Bob Glaub, Pino Palladino, Larry Klein (bass); Jeff Porcaro (drums); Michael Fisher, Jim Keltner (percussion); Patty Smyth, Valerie Carter, W. Axl Rose, Take 6, Ivan Neville, Charlie Drayden, Melissa Etheridge, Edie Brickell, Sheryl Crow, J.D. Souther, Julia Waters, Maxine Waters, Carmen Twillie (background vocals).
Producers: Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar, Bruce Hornsby, John Corey, Stan Lynch, Mike Campbell.
This 1989 release captures Don Henley at his best, and boasts well-crafted songs elevated by stunning poetic images and reflective narratives. In fact, few pop artists know how to illuminate the human condition with quite the same amount of insight and ethos as Henley. "The Last Worthless Evening" and "The Heart of the Matter" offer unique perspectives on love and romance, while other tracks seek even greater, more expansive, artistic truth.
The melancholy title track creatively blends together political denunciations (allusions to Ronald Reagan) with personal reckonings of lost virtue. In addition, jazz legend Wayne Shorter's soaring soprano sax solo on the bridge adds an emotional climax that's truly extraordinary. Another single from the record, "New York Minute" tells a tale of suicidal desperation, but ends with a kind of crippled hope; this song finds resiliency in faith and understanding in defeat. THE END OF THE INNOCENCE stands as an important pop record because of its lyrical brilliance, and its ability to speak so intimately to its listeners.
What the critics say...
Q - 4 Stars - Excellent
