Billy Joel - Streetlife Serenade (1974)

I would consider myself a Joel fan, having memorized many of his tunes and seen him in concert a couple of times. But if I'm being honest, I started my fandom with The Stranger when I was in middle school and never really explored his back catalog. I eventually picked up a copy of Turnstiles when I was in college, but didn't go any further. So, surprisingly, I've never heard the entire Streetlife Serenade album. However, I'm familiar with four of the ten tracks via live versions on Songs In The Attic and my (very) used copy of a 1977 promo-only sampler Souvenir.

To rectify the situation decades after the fact, I placed an order and here we are. Let's take the cellophane off this thing and give it a long overdue spin. But first, here's what Joel had to say about the album back in 2011:

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "Joel's keyboard abilities notwithstanding, he has nothing to say as a writer at present"
• Stereo Review: "achieving what I shall call a dark brilliance"
• Billboard: "each song has a brisk creative flavor, in terms of lyrics as well as arrangements"
• CashBox: "a high peak of creativity and masterful musical energy"
• Record World: "fulfilling all the promises shown in his prior set"
• Robert Christgau (C): "Here he poses as the Irving Berlin of narcissistic alienation, puffing up and condescending to the fantasies of fans who spend their lives by the stereo feeling sensitive."

Chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200 chart: #35

Tracks (many of these are first impressions, admittedly not the best way to write about an album):

1. Streetlife Serenader: I always liked the version on Songs In The Attic and this studio version isn't quite as bombastic and I could do with out the steel guitar, but it's a good album opener and the piano interlude about 3:50 in is classic Joel writing.
2. Los Angelenos: On the other hand, I never much cared for the version of this song on SITA and the cut here isn't any better. The stereotype-driven lyrics wouldn't fly today and probably offended some back in the '70s. Rightly so.
3. The Great Suburban Showdown: Completely new to me. Starts with Joel experimenting with a Moog synth. Country rock in the vein of the Eagles and Ronstadt of '74. I don't think the writing's bad; it's just a bad arrangement.
4. Root Beer Rag: A ragtime instrumental which shows off Joel's formidable keyboard technique. It's fantastic, it just doesn't really fit on a country-flavored pop-rock album.
5. Roberta: Worst song so far. There's a hook sequence in the chorus ("It's tough for me, it's tough for you") that almost saves the track, but it can't quite overcome the mediocrity that surrounds it.
6. The Entertainer: The single released from the album, it peaked at #34 on the Hot 100 and #30 on the AC chart. Classic mid-70's rock with a little prog-rock taste thanks to the synth licks. The banjo needs to go, though. I'm starting to think Joel got some bad advice and guidance from producer Michael Stewart.
7. Last Of The Big Time Spenders: This is more like it. A bluesy piano-heavy ballad that sounds more like the Joel I'm familiar with. Until the steel guitar comes in, that is. Sheesh.
8. Weekend Song: This Three Dog Night-ish rocker chugs along and while it isn't doing much for me initially, I could see this one growing on me over time.
9. Souvenir: Easily the best cut on the album. Joel reaches back into his classical piano training/influences (Chopin and Schumann, in particular) and produces a brief, beautiful, nostalgic ballad. Just Joel on piano and vocals. Should have ended the album, another decision I'll conveniently blame on the producer.
10. The Mexican Connection: A pop/Latin/orchestral instrumental consisting of several musical ideas that really don't have much to do with each other and then it just sort of ends. A piecemeal job that isn't terrible, but tracks 9 & 10 should have been swapped.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

My Lives (2005)	The Nylon Curtain (1982)
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)	Songs in the Attic (1981)
To Make You Feel My Love (1997)	Glass Houses (1980)
River Of Dreams (1993)	52nd Street (1978)
Storm Front (1989)	The Stranger (1977)
The Bridge (1986)	Turnstiles (1976)
An Innocent Man (1983)	Piano Man (1973)

Billy Joel - River Of Dreams (1993)

I bought this album when it was released, didn't much care for it, sold it/traded it in, and forgot about it. I obviously thought it wasn't one of his better efforts. Joel was past his prime. Paying $2, I picked up another copy out of the clearance used bin earlier this month. I haven't heard the whole thing in over 25 years; let's give it a spin.

Had the piano man given up on piano? There's a lot of guitar here, which I guess should be expected when you get a guitarist to produce. I've got nothing against Danny Korthcmar, but I'd rather have Phil Ramone, Liberty DeVitto, and a Steinway. And don't get me started on the blatant cultural appropriation (which normally doesn't bother me much but I'm admittedly piling on here, so...) or the cover art by then-wife Christie Brinkley.

The verdict: after giving this another listen, I still don't care much for it. It's not that I gave up on Joel because of this album. I bought his 2001 "classical" piano album and saw him in concert in '99. I just don't think there's enough strong writing, both musically and lyrically, on this one.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "revealing the stranger behind the mask"
• Billboard: "the finest album of a remarkable career"
• Stereo Review: "The playing and arranging throughout are as sharp as a saber's tip."
• Entertainment Weekly (A-): "a popmeister’s epiphany, a pensive record that also manages to be irresistible."
• Los Angeles Times (★★): "a stream of social consciousness most buoyant when it breaks off into shallower tributaries."

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #1

Tracks: The standout track is the beautiful Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel). Despite the bitter lyrics, The Great Wall Of China has a good rock groove I'd forgotten about and a chorus that hearkens back to The Nylon Curtain. The Memphis-influenced A Minor Variation and, although I don't know what he's on about, the sea-chantey Two Thousand Years are decent filler. I'll pass on the rest, including the two Top 40 singles (mentioned on the hype sticker, below) which never seem to get going for me.

The album is not without some unintentional irony: a soulless song titled All About Soul and vague lyrics in a song titled Shades Of Grey. However, the last track is Famous Last Words which was foreshadowing his retirement from studio albums - that's my 20/20 hindsight in 2020.

Did somebody mention MiniDisc?

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: At the time of this release, I was just starting a 4 year stint as a stay-at-home dad. I had no idea what I was doing or should be doing which is quite frustrating. Plus, we had little CD (not to mention food) money because we'd given up my salary. Still, it's not a bad way of life and that son (now age 27) turned out better than I could have ever hoped. I've got plenty of regrets in my past, but the decision to stay home those four years is not one of them.

Previously revisited for the blog:
My Lives (2005)
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)
To Make You Feel My Love (1997)
Storm Front (1989)
The Bridge (1986)
An Innocent Man (1983)
The Nylon Curtain (1982)
Songs in the Attic (1981)
Glass Houses (1980)
52nd Street (1978)
The Stranger (1977)
Turnstiles (1976)
Piano Man (1973)

Billy Joel - Piano Man (1973)

Note: the CD I listened to was not the 2011 "Legacy edition" reissue.

Trying something different today: even though I consider myself to be a big Billy Joel fan from 1977 on, I've never heard this particular album complete. So when I recently saw this CD in the clearance bin for $3, I couldn't pass up the opportunity, despite the frightening cover art. Admittedly, I'm familiar with a few tunes from their inclusion on Songs in the Attic, and the title track (#25 pop, #4 AC) is an Irish bar singalong waltz classic, but I'm counting 6 of the 10 tracks that might be new to me. On first blush:

• Travelin' Prayer (pop #77) ✘
• Ain't No Crime
• Worse Comes to Worst (pop #80) - music isn't bad, but the lyrics may be Joel's worst, pun intended
• Stop in Nevada ✔
• If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You) ✔
• Somewhere Along the Line ✘

Initial take: the sound of a songwriter still finding his style. He picked the correct songs for inclusion on Songs In The Attic. No liner notes included, so how am I to know that Larry Carlton played on this?

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "his ten new tunes also introduce a more mature, less frantic musician."
• Robert Christgau (C): "he poses as the Irving Berlin of narcissistic alienation, puffing up and condescending to the fantasies of fans who spend their lives by the stereo feeling sensitive."
• Billboard: "Joel has a fine shot at establishing himself as consistent quality AM artist"
• CashBox: "Billy's piano playing has never been better"
• Record World: "should become a major act on the strength of his first Columbia album"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #27
• CashBox: #33

Tracks: see above

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, obviously

Previously revisited for the blog:

My Lives (2005)	The Nylon Curtain (1982)
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)	Songs in the Attic (1981)
To Make You Feel My Love (1997)	Glass Houses (1980)
Storm Front (1989)	52nd Street (1978)
The Bridge (1986)	The Stranger (1977)
An Innocent Man (1983)	Turnstiles (1976)

Billy Joel - My Lives (2005)

In which Columbia attempts (and fails) to clear the vaults of Joel recordings and, in the process, manages to cram 75 minutes of worthwhile material into a 4¾ hour box set. A 6 disc set: 4 CDs (demos, outtakes, B-sides, soundtrack cuts, live recordings, and album cuts), a DVD (concert footage from the River of Dreams Tour), and a "UMixIt" CD-ROM (whatever that is - I guess we'll find out). Also included is a 60 page booklet that I'd describe as mediocre at best. As you can tell, I'm disappointed with this set.

In my opinion, more attention should have been paid to the years 1976-86, Joel's commercial peak. I have several recordings on vinyl that don't appear in this set but could have: Joel's 1977 live promo Souvenir and the 12" Jellybean Benitez remix of Tell Her About It.

Update: In a 2018 interview with Vulture, Joel offered his thoughts on this compilation:

You know, there’s an album Columbia put out called My Lives, and it was unfinished stuff that never should have been heard. I didn’t want anything to do with it. I refer to that album as “Twigs and Stems and Seeds” — you’re not supposed to smoke that shit.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #171

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DISC ONE
19 tracks, 67 minutes
1965-80

The first five tracks come from Joel's groups prior to his becoming a solo artist in 1971. The first two, with his group The Lost Souls, are pleasantly derivative of The Beatles. The next two were recorded with The Hassles and aren't as good as they unsuccessfully attempt to merge disparate Long Island and Memphis sounds. The last of these tracks, with the organ and drums duo Attila is just bad (even Joel himself has called the Attila album "psychedelic bullshit").

The rest of the disc includes 8 previously unreleased demos, 1 previously unreleased alternate version, and 5 album tracks from Cold Spring Harbor, The Stranger, 52nd Street, and Glass Houses. I won't comment on the album tracks other than to wonder why they would include album tracks on a box set such as this - this set is for hardcore fans such as myself who already own all the albums. The best explanation would be "shameless record company money grab" and since that's totally believable, we'll go with that.

Of the demos, I enjoy Only A Man and Cross To Bear. There's also a fun pseudo-reggae version of Only The Good Die Young that's my favorite cut on this disc. But most demos don't bear repeated listens and these are no exceptions. If you're asking "if that's what you think about demos, Mark, why did you buy this box set?" It's a valid question and I'll just chalk it up to being a Billy Joel fan.

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DISC TWO
18 tracks, 75 minutes
1981-88

The best of the set, this disc includes 5 previously unreleased demos, 6 album tracks, 3 B-sides, a contribution to a children's album, an alleged 12" remix, a previously unreleased alternate take (really just another demo), and a previously unreleased live version of Captain Jack from '81.

I can't complain about the inclusion of She's Right On Time from The Nylon Curtain because that's one of my favorite Joel tracks. The best of the three B-sides is Elvis Presley Blvd, the flip-side to Allentown. Nobody Knows But Me, from the Sesame Street album In Harmony 2, is good as well.

Two of the demos are worth a listen: the looser, more rockin' version of Christie Lee and the beautiful, bare bones demo of And So It Goes. Track 12, the version of Keeping The Faith (from the album An Innocent Man) is listed as a 12" Dance Remix, but the Interwebs call foul and claim that the running time of 4:53 is not the 5:27 of the actual 12" single. While it's a fun remix with crunchy drums and additional synth horns, I'd hardly call it a dance single.

That's not the only misprint in the liner notes, however. The final cut on this disc, a predictable cover of The Times They Are A-Changin' from the 1987 Kohuept live album, gives writing credit to Joel instead of Dylan.

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DISC THREE
17 tracks, 71 minutes
1989-99

11 of the 17 tracks on this disc weren't written by Joel. I usually enjoy innovative and creative covers but Joel's covers are typically straight ahead. Most come from soundtracks:

• Honeymoon in Vegas (All Shook Up & Heartbreak Hotel)
• A League Of Their Own (In A Sentimental Mood)
• Oliver & Company (Why Should I Worry)
• Runaway Bride (Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)?)

or other compilation albums:

• Simply Mad About The Mouse (When You Wish Upon A Star)
• Greatest Hits Vol. 3 (Light As A Breeze, To Make You Feel My Love & Hey Girl)

But compiling tracks from other various albums is what box sets are all about. There's also a scattering of demos, live versions, and a B-Side. After many years of chart success, Joel had become a one-off soundtrack guy that toured his greatest hits and that's fine (in his defense, he had a lot of personal and legal issues at the time that demanded his attention). So while they're not the best, I'm grateful that all these tracks are in one place otherwise I might never have heard them.

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DISC FOUR
13 tracks, 74 minutes
2000-

Nothing much to hear here, move along. While the liner notes claim these tracks are from the year 2000 forward, they are not. There are seven average live cuts on this disc, including some recorded in 1980, 1982, and 1994. There's also a cover of Don't Worry Baby from an All Star Tribute To Brian Wilson (2001) as well as Joel's contribution to the 9/11 telethon benefit, New York State Of Mind (the best track on this CD). The latter half of the disc is a sampling of Joel's attempt at "serious" music which comes off as Rachmaninoff-inspired neo-Romantic piano noodling. Tacked on the end is a promotional interview for Joel's 1980 album, Glass Houses, which is horrid.

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DISC FIVE (DVD)

I'm not much for concert videos, so today is the first time I've watched this DVD. Taken from the River of Dreams tour, this is a 1994 concert from Frankfurt that was originally broadcast in the US on the Disney Channel. Joel looks disinterested throughout and seems to be simply going through the motions, but any time I get to watch a singer-songwriter perform his own music, I can get something out of it. Plus, I get a kick out of hearing a German audience singing Piano Man in English. Don't tell my wife, but my favorite part of the video is the footage of sexy multi-instrumentalist Crystal Taliefero.

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BONUS DISC

I inserted the bonus "UMixIt" CD-ROM in anticipation of remixing one of the four Joel tracks provided (Keeping The Faith, Movin' Out, Big Shot, and Only The Good Die Young). The disc installed a program called "Cakewalk Media Mixer" but then when I tried opening the files for my promised "interactive studio experience," the licensing for the songs had apparently expired. I wasn't particularly surprised since the software is almost ten years old and the website URL given (umixit.com) is currently unused and parked at GoDaddy. No upgrades were immediately available to me and, to be perfectly honest, I didn't look too hard.

Apparently, this promotional bonus disc was available if the box set was purchased at Best Buy, but I can't confirm that. If your box set didn't include it, don't lose any sleep over it.

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Personal Memory Associated with this box set: None. Glad I bought it used instead of paying full retail.

Previously revisited for the blog:
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)
To Make You Feel My Love (1997)
Storm Front (1989)
The Bridge (1986)
An Innocent Man (1983)
The Nylon Curtain (1982)
Songs in the Attic (1981)
Glass Houses (1980)
52nd Street (1978)
The Stranger (1977)
Turnstiles (1976)

Billy Joel - The Nylon Curtain (1982)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

If I had to pick my favorite Joel album, I'd probably go with either 52nd Street or Glass Houses. But if I had to choose my favorite Joel songs, Allentown and She's Right On Time from this album would certainly be in the discussion. As a cohesive concept album about suburban middle-agers, I don't think it's great, but there are some fantastic, underrated pop/rock songs scattered throughout. I think Joel agrees. I recently read a brief bit in Rolling Stone magazine where he states he's thinking about doing some "complete album" shows because, instead of playing his hits, he'd love to play other obscurities and the songs from this album top his list (RS 1189, p. 48). Having already seen him play his hits live, I'd be up for hearing a live rendition of The Nylon Curtain.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "well-crafted pop-rock fusion"
• CashBox: "destined to capture AOR and Top 40 by storm."
• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "brutally frank, aurally ambitious pop masterpiece"
• Stereo Review: "feels like something of a throwback to his earlier, dismissable work"
• Robert Christgau (B): "this consummate rock professional is working on instinct."
• Musician: "most serious and accomplished effort to date"

The commentariat generally consider this album to be Beatlesque and a more serious work for Joel. That may indeed be true (the guitar solo in Laura could be George Harrison), but all I cared about as a 16 year old Joel fan was the current music because I didn't yet have the prerequisite knowledge to understand all the musical influences. Now I get it, but too late - my opinions of these songs were formed 31 years ago. Like most Joel albums from 1977 - 1983, this one continues to get frequent plays.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #7
• Billboard Rock: #10
• CashBox: #5
• Rolling Stone: #3

Tracks:

Don't miss: Allentown, She's Right On Time
Good stuff: Laura, Pressure, Scandanavian Skies
Meh: A Room Of Our Own, Where's The Orchestra?
Skip: Goodnight Saigon, Surprises

For more information on the brief life of the CD longbox,
go visit The Legend of the Longbox.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  Like most Joel albums after The Stranger, this album was purchased within days (if not hours) of release. I remember going to the local music store and picking this up, walking to the sales counter and running into my high school music teacher. He asked what I was buying and I simply handed him the LP. He smiled, nodded, and handed it back. I have absolutely no idea what he was thinking at the time. Now I'm recalling that wonderful smell of fresh vinyl straight out of the record sleeve.

Also like most Joel albums after The Stranger, I knew all the lyrics to all the songs in a matter of days. Allentown, in particular, remains a car sing-along favorite to this day as it fits perfectly within my vocal range (at least I think it does). At 16, I thought the lyrics to Where's The Orchestra? were deep, but I couldn't decipher what I thought were metaphors. Turns out they were just bad lyrics.

Previously revisited for the blog:
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)
To Make You Feel My Love (1997)
Storm Front (1989)
The Bridge (1986)
An Innocent Man (1983)
Songs in the Attic (1981)
Glass Houses (1980)
52nd Street (1978)
The Stranger (1977)
Turnstiles (1976)

Billy Joel - Turnstiles (1976)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

A celebration of Joel's return to New York after attempting to become successful in California, this album starts off by thumbing its nose at SoCal in the blatant rip-off of the Ronettes' Be My Baby, which Joel subtly titled Say Goodbye To Hollywood. Overall, the songwriting is very strong; the main problem here is the production, which Joel handled by himself. He (or his label) must have agreed, because beginning with the next album, The Stranger, he began a very successful ten year collaboration with producer Phil Ramone. Still, in this album, you can hear the direction Joel was headed as he moved toward big commercial success with The Stranger.

There's a brief online interview with Joel describing the album cover concept here.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "a mildly depressing but, I think, valid glimpse into under-thirty thinking today"
• Robert Christgau (C+): "As Joel's craft improves...he becomes more obnoxious"
• Billboard: "seems to lack some of the power of earlier efforts"
• Record World: "sound like the Joel we've come to recognize"
• CashBox: "tunes are clean and catchy, filled out with beautifully precise orchestration"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #122
• CashBox: #92

Tracks:  4 of the 8 tracks were later released on the 1981 live album, Songs in the Attic, and since I heard the live versions first and was more familiar with them, I will probably always prefer the latter live renditions. Of the remaining four, my favorites are Prelude/Angry Young Man and fan-favorite New York State Of Mind. There's also a nice Rhodes piano ballad, James, that is an obvious predecessor to Joel's breakthrough hit, Just The Way You Are. The weakest track on the disc is All You Wanna Do Is Dance.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  When I saw Joel live in 1984, the showstopper was his attack on the piano during Prelude/Angry Young Man, so I bought this album about a year later in order to hear that song again. Although it is one of his better albums, it was never one of my favorites so I never replaced the LP with a CD until I recently saw it sitting in a used bin.

In 2004, the horrible movie Garfield (based on the cat comic) was released. I took my two young sons to see it at the theater. More than halfway through the movie, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Garfield (voiced by Bill Murray), sings New York State Of Mind with new lyrics: New Dog State Of Mind. Fortunately, we made it out the theater without any permanent damage.

Previously revisited for the blog:
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)
To Make You Feel My Love (1997)
Storm Front (1989)
The Bridge (1986)
An Innocent Man (1983)
Songs in the Attic (1981)
Glass Houses (1980)
52nd Street (1978)
The Stranger (1977)

Billy Joel - Storm Front (1989)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD.

One of Joel's most successful albums (4x platinum, 3 top 40 singles), it is also one of his most lifeless. This isn't one of my favorite Joel albums, but it is certainly not as bad as 1993's River Of Dreams. Joel's first mistake was getting rid of long-time producer Phil Ramone and bringing in Foreigner's Mick Jones. Next, he got rid of a few band members. Allmusic calls this album "the beginning of the end" but I would argue that tipping point happened with The Bridge. I would also argue that the album's success had less to do with solid songwriting and more to do with Joel's reputation and the horrid state of pop music in 1989 (Paula Abdul, Roxette, New Kids On The Block, Milli Vanilli). A few good songs here, but hardly a memorable album.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "isn't always consistent"
• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "reflects the hard-earned wisdom of a no longer innocent man."
• Stereo Review: "a mite strained"
• Robert Christgau (B): "even in arena mode he's a force of nature and bad taste."
• People: "lackluster, with little of the melodic finesse that graced Joel's best music."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1
• Billboard Pop CD: #1
• CashBox: #1

Tracks: If I never heard We Didn't Start The Fire again, I'd be okay with that. Despite the bizarrely defensive lyrics, the best song here is the opener, That's Not Her Style. Also good are I Go To Extremes, Shameless, and And So It Goes. I almost always skip The Downeaster 'Alexa', Leningrad, and the comic filler of When In Rome.

Note: this CD, released in 1998, contained CD Extra content, but my computer won't play it because the 1998 technology is no longer compatible. Maybe I've got an old Windows 3.1 machine in the attic somewhere...

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This album reminds me of the one year my wife and I lived in Farmers Branch and, for some reason, the dry cleaner we used there. A year later, I directed a junior high band that played an arrangement of We Didn't Start The Fire. I don't know which arrangement sounds worse - junior high band or Joel's own butchering on his live album, 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert.

Previously revisited for the blog:
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)
To Make You Feel My Love (1997)
The Bridge (1986)
An Innocent Man (1983)
Songs in the Attic (1981)
Glass Houses (1980)
52nd Street (1978)
The Stranger (1977)

Billy Joel - An Innocent Man (1983)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

In the late '70s and early '80s, a new Billy Joel album was normally purchased within a week of the release date. Released just before my senior year in high school, this album was no exception. Being single for the first time since he was a teenager, Joel paid tribute to popular music of his youth here, with homages to soul and doo-wop music. After the somber, Beatlesque album The Nylon Curtain, this album was a complete change of direction and became Joel's second most successful album after The Stranger. Joel was happier and it shows in this infectious music. I was growing out of my teenage angst years around this time and was much happier myself, so this album got a lot of playing time as it suited my general mood around that time (senioritis). Alas, this was to be Joel's last consistently great album. It's not that his next three studio albums didn't have some great pop songs on them, they just all have a lot of filler on them, too. He had a nice run (1977-83), though.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "The songs capture the innocence and charm of late '50s and early '60s pop while still sounding fresh and vital."
• CashBox: "undoubtedly the artist’s best musical work in some time"
• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "an affectionate, spirited paean to an undefiled past that's truly forever"
• Stereo Review: "confirms Billy Joel's pop -music artistry and stylistic mastery."
• Robert Christgau (B+): "A good half of these songs have the timeless melodic appeal of the greatest pop."
• Musician: "it's a kick to see someone so skilled having so much fun"

Album chart Peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #4
• Billboard Pop CD: #24
• Billboard Rock: #21
• CashBox: #3
• CashBox CD: #12
• Rolling Stone: #2

U.S. Billboard charted singles:	Hot 100	AC	Rock	Dance
Tell Her About It	1	1	17	38
Uptown Girl	3	2	22
An Innocent Man	10	1
The Longest Time	14	1
Leave a Tender Moment Alone	27	1
Keeping the Faith	18	3

Tracks: Even though many Joel fans have come to despise it, the best song here for me is the Frankie Valli tribute Uptown Girl. I can't help but smile and sing along with it every time. Other favorites are The Longest Time, This Night, and Tell Her About It. I'm not wild about Careless Talk or Christie Lee. In addition to this album, I had a 12" single of Tell her About It with a Jellybean Benitez remix; I've never found a legal digital copy. This just goes to show that everyone was doing the 12" remixes back then.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: On this date 28 years ago, some high school friends and I traveled to Houston to see Joel on tour supporting this album at what was then known as the Summit. No opening act, just non-stop hits (setlist with chart info below).

• Prelude/Angry Young Man
• My Life (peaked at #3 on Billboard Top 100 chart)
• Piano Man (#25)
• Don't Ask Me Why (#19)
• Allentown (#17)
• Goodnight Saigon (#56)
• Pressure (#20)
• Leave a Tender Moment Alone (#27)
• An Innocent Man (#10)
• The Longest Time (#14)
• This Night
• Just the Way You Are (#3)
• Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
• Sometimes a Fantasy (#36)
• It's Still Rock And Roll to Me (#1)
• Uptown Girl (#3)
• Big Shot (#14)
• Tell Her About It (#1)
• You May Be Right (#7)
• Only the Good Die Young (#24)

Naturally, I bought a concert tee. The sleeved tees were attractive, but I made the decision to buy this uglier choice because I loved the sleeveless look popular at the time:

I would bet my house that thing was worn to school on Monday, April 16.

Previously revisited for the blog:
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)
To Make You Feel My Love (1997)
The Bridge (1986)
Songs in the Attic (1981)
Glass Houses (1980)
52nd Street (1978)
The Stranger (1977)

Billy Joel - 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)

Recorded in Madison Square Garden, New York City, December 31, 1999.

Not a great live disc, this serves purely as a souvenir for me (see below). Joel's voice wasn't strong that night, which is to be expected at age 50, countless concerts, and plenty of cocktails. I can even forgive him for lowering the keys of several of his songs to accommodate his voice. However, I never figured Joel would become a Vegas act with all the trappings: using Beethoven's 9th Symphony as entrance music, self-promoting patter, John Wayne impression, augmented band with backup singers, overblown arrangements, and drunken screams, whoops and hollers (from Joel, not the audience). These are things I can almost forgive in a live show, but not on a live album. Joel has a catalog of fantastic songs and they deserve better treatment. I will give Joel some credit for his song selection for a New Year's Eve concert: instead of sticking strictly to a greatest-hits approach, he chooses songs with lyrics about either beginnings, endings, or transitions. The recording/production is great, the actual performance is disappointing. Joel's best live album remains Songs in the Attic. I love ya, Billy, but I'm going to stick to your releases from the '70s and '80s.

Liner notes? What liner notes? Obvious rush job.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #40 (May 20, 2000)

Tracks: Over 2 hours of music and jibber-jabber over 2 CDs. Quite a few hits are here, along with a Rolling Stones cover (Honky Tonk Woman), a Sly Stone cover (Dance To The Music), and the obligatory, seemingly unrehearsed Auld Lang Syne at midnight. For me, the highlights are Allentown, Prelude/Angry Young Man, Big Man On Mulberry Street (the one tune that fits the size of the band), and Scenes From An Italian Restaurant. While none of the versions here come close to the studio versions, I particularly don't care for We Didn't Start the Fire and River Of Dreams with its inexplicable inclusion of a verse of Land Of Thousand Dances.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: On this date 12 years ago, my wife and I saw Joel's concert at Houston's Compaq Center (the former Summit, now Lakewood Church).

Here's the setlist for the Houston show I attended, which is different from the concert represented on this CD, which was recorded only two weeks later:

• Only The Good Die Young
• Movin' Out
• This Is The Time
• Prelude/Angry Young Man
• 2000 Years
• Pressure
• My Life
• Goodnight Saigon
• Allentown
• The Ballad of Billy The Kid
• Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
• River Of Dreams
• Uptown Girl
• Purple Haze
• Good Times, Bad Times
• Don't Be Cruel
• We Didn't Start The Fire
• Still Rock 'N' Roll to Me
• You May Be Right
• Encore: Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
• Piano Man

Previously revisited for the blog:
To Make You Feel My Love (1997)
The Bridge (1986)
Songs in the Attic (1981)
Glass Houses (1980)
52nd Street (1978)
The Stranger (1977)

Billy Joel - The Bridge (1986)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

Joel had a good run in the late '70s/early '80s, but this album marks the point when he started to lose me as a fan. After having a few great concept albums (attempts at rock with Glass Houses, serious Beatlesque music with Nylon Curtain, and a doo-wop album with Innocent Man), this thing is just inconsistent as if Joel wanted us to know he could please everybody. To that end, we get duets with Cyndi Lauper and Ray Charles, a big band number, a movie soundtrack theme song, and attempts at power ballads. To his credit, you can hear piano on this album instead of only synths. That was rare in '86. Now it sounds dated and I'm not saying it's a bad album, but this release just doesn't measure up to its predecessors. I guess disappointing is the word to use.

Press of the time:

• High Fidelity: "only once here, on his duet with Ray Charles, does Joel reach that high point."
• Rolling Stone: " a smart, sophisticated collection of songs"
• Smash Hits (8 out of 10): "Polished and palatable to boot."
• Stereo Review: "it's a nice little record"
• Robert Christgau: B

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #7 (Sept 20, 1986)
• Billboard Pop CD: #3
• CashBox CD: #4
• Rolling Stone: #6

Tracks: I don't think there are any real stand-out tracks here, but the better cuts are This Is The Time, Baby Grand, Big Man On Mulberry Street, and Getting Closer (with a wicked organ solo from Steve Winwood). I'm not a fan of A Matter Of Trust, Temptation, and Code Of Silence (Not a fan of Cyndi Lauper, so there ya go).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This reminds me of the summer of 1986, which I spent in San Antonio. Sure I lived with my parents and worked part-time at a Sizzler steakhouse, but I got to spend my off time exploring a wonderful city that has so much to offer. This album got plenty of playing time as I drove around the city in the Markmobile. Those were good, carefree times.

Previously revisited for the blog:
To Make You Feel My Love (1997)
Songs in the Attic (1981)
Glass Houses (1980)
52nd Street (1978)
The Stranger (1977)

Billy Joel - 52nd Street (1978)

NUMBERS WEEK (MARCH 14-20, 2011)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

According to Sony Music (and appropriate for a blog titled The CD Project), 52nd Street was the first album to be released on compact disc when it went on sale alongside Sony's CD player CDP-101 on October 1, 1982, in Japan.

That Billy Joel was able to produce such a consistent album within a year of his breakthrough LP, The Stranger, shows that he finally figured out the formula that worked for him. Along with Glass Houses, this album is one of two Joel albums I can easily listen to from start to finish. Even though Joel would continue his success into the late '80s, the music on this CD represents the part of his career when he was consistently at his best. Unfortunately, in recent years, he's became a lounge act (why write new music when people will pay to hear your old music?). I wonder when he's going to start playing Vegas.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "Joel, who shines on piano and vocals, has blossomed into a consummate record craftsman for the hipper half of the mass audience."
• Rolling Stone: "boasts much of the color and excitement of a really good New York street fair."
• Record World: "some of the most compelling material he's ever written."
• Stereo Review: "an album that belongs in any serious collection of the young pop masters."
• Robert Christgau (B-): "he makes a better Elton John than Leo Sayer"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1
• CashBox: #1
• Rolling Stone: #1

The album holds the distinction of being the first album to be #1 on the Rolling Stone chart when it premiered in the December 14, 1978 edition.

Tracks: All nine tracks are good. The only one I'm tempted to skip is Honesty, not because it's a bad song, but because it was so overplayed back in '79. Zanzibar gets a special mention because of the trumpet solos by Freddie Hubbard. Even the filler cuts on what was side two (now tracks 5-9) are all good songs, especially Rosalinda's Eyes and Until The Night. My LP version of this album had a bad scratch on Until The Night and even now I still think the song is going to skip and repeat a line when I hear it.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: The song My Life reminds me of the Tom Hanks sitcom Bosom Buddies that used the song for its theme music. I also remember buying this LP on a Friday and knowing all the lyrics by Sunday. That's all I did all day Saturday was listen to the record over and over. The lyrics in the second verse of Zanzibar aren't really about baseball, aren't they? Until today, I had never noticed the large Heineken ad in the window on the album cover.

Billy Joel - The Stranger (1977)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

One of my favorite albums of the '70s. Heck, it's so good, even Rolling Stone likes it! They placed it at number 67 on their 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time (update: the album dropped to #169 on the magazine's 2020 list). If Rolling Stone magazine likes something, that can only lead to one thing: a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Joel was inducted in 1999. If you listened to the radio in 1978, you couldn't get away from this album's singles. I was hooked. After this, I was a Joel fan until the River of Dreams debacle of 1993.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "his fans won't be disappointed, nor will curious newcomers"
• CashBox: "a welcome addition to the somewhat over-commercial songs that vie for mass attention these days"
• Rolling Stone: "the imagery and melodies of The Stranger more often than not work."
• Record World: "fuses lyric and melody into a series of forceful statements"
• Stereo Review: "bone-honest, filled with a very privileged kind of insight, and as gritty as life."

Album chart Peaks

• US Billboard 200: #2
• CashBox: #2

Tracks: Here's the breakdown: There's one song that's become a pop standard, Just The Way You Are (even my mother knows the words). There are four other Joel classics, Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), The Stranger, Scenes From An Italian Restaurant, and Only The Good Die Young. There are two okay filler songs, Vienna and Get It Right The First Time. Then there are two slower songs that I don't care for: She's Always A Woman (this song's lyrics now seem strangely misogynistic to me) and Everybody Has A Dream. These aren't bad songs, they just don't measure up to Just The Way You Are in the pop ballad department.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Not long after moving to BC in August, 1978, I was befriended by twin brothers who lived a few houses down. They had this album and we would listen to it over and over. We especially liked Scenes From Italian Restaurant and would try to keep up with Joel as he sang the middle section. The brothers moved to Corpus Christi soon after. I missed them, of course, but their departure meant I had to go purchase my own copy of the LP.

Interesting story about the album's back cover photo: http://www.popspotsnyc.com/billy_joel_the_stranger/

Billy Joel - Songs in the Attic (1981)

"LIVE IN CONCERT" WEEK (FEBRUARY 7-13, 2011)

Recorded in NYC, D.C., St. Paul, New Haven, Boston, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Chicago, June & July, 1980.

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

Joel hit it big in '77 with The Stranger and followed that up with two more multi-platinum albums, 52nd Street and Glass Houses. Those hit albums brought him many new fans, including myself. So, in an effort to introduce these new fans to the music from Joel's first four albums, the record execs put out a live album that revisits Joel's music from that the early and mid-'70s. Works for me. Joel's touring band, which by this time had become fairly consistent, sounds good. A little rough in places, but that's what you want from a live performance. This is actually one of Joel's better albums, just ignore Joel's own incoherent liner notes. Interestingly, the teenage version of me didn't ever go back and buy the first four albums, which seems exactly like something I'd do.

Press of the time:

• Record Mirror (★★★★):"this live setting has managed to bring out [the songs'] true worth.
• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "show his development from intent greenhorn to creator of standards"
• Billboard: Spotlight album of the week
• CashBox: "right up there with Joel's best material"
• Record World: "work especially well in concert"
• Stereo Review: Recording of Special Merit

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #8
• Billboard Rock: #15
• CashBox: #7
• Rolling Stone: #6

Tracks: My favorites are Summer Highland Falls, Streetlife Serenader, She's Got A Way, and The Ballad of Billy The Kid. Weaker cuts include Los Angelenos and You're My Home.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When I was in high school, I had just enough piano and vocal talent to play and sing She's Got A Way. I quickly discovered that if you sing love songs to teenage girls, they completely melt. Back then, I was too goofy to have many girlfriends, but that song was money in the bank. Thanks, Billy. ;)