Don Henley - The End of the Innocence [2LP]

Don Henley's The End of the Innocence spreads across two 180-gram LPs, giving his 1989 solo high-water mark plenty of room to breathe.

By the end of the eighties, the Eagles' drummer and voice had already proven himself as a solo artist, but this third album was something deeper. It is a record about lost idealism, politics, love and ageing, delivered with the wry intelligence that always set Henley apart. It became the best-selling solo album of his career and remains one of the defining adult rock records of its decade.

The title track "The End of the Innocence," co-written with Bruce Hornsby, whose rolling piano carries it, is a wistful look at a nation and a romance both losing their way. "The Heart of the Matter," written with Mike Campbell and J.D. Souther, is a moving meditation on forgiveness that has only grown in stature. "The Last Worthless Evening" offers tender reassurance, while "New York Minute" builds into a moody, atmospheric reflection on how fast life can change.

Every song carries the weight of experience without ever sounding heavy-handed.

Spread over two heavyweight discs, it still speaks directly and warmly to anyone who has looked back and wondered where the years went.