AnyBlogDotCom: A Quick Look at Billy Joel

I know nothing about Billy Joel other than the name. I know some of his songs, indeed some can't be avoided as they are on the radio often, such as "Piano Man", "We Didn't Start The Fire", "Just The Way You Are", but I hadn't even really been aware who they are by. Perhaps I might have linked the name to "Piano Man", but that's about it. But it turns out that he is one of the best selling music acts of all time. Phew. So, I'm having a quick look. At this point I'm not expecting much, after all the songs I've just named tend to wash me by. Thankfully, even though he's had a long career, it turns out that he stopped making albums a long while back.

Wikipedia:

William Martin Joel (/dʒoʊl/; born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his signature 1973 song of the same name, Joel has had a successful career as a solo artist since the 1970s. From 1971 to 1993, he released 12 studio albums spanning the genres of pop and rock, and in 2001 released a one-off studio album of classical compositions. With over 160 million records sold worldwide, Joel is one of the world's best-selling music artists and is the fourth-best-selling solo artist in the United States. His 1985 compilation album, Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II, is one of the best-selling albums in the U.S.

AllMusic:

New York City piano man whose driving rock, often with a cabaret twist, gained near-universal appeal in the 1970s and '80s. Billy Joel is a New York icon who became one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the late 20th century. He first rose to success in the mid-'70s with a melodic piano-led pop sound that merged Beatlesque hooks with elements of rock, jazz, Tin Pan Alley, and even Broadway. A Long Island native with a powerful voice and knack for storytelling, Joel first made the pop charts with "Piano Man," a rousing barroom singalong with a bittersweet old-timey feel that became his signature song. Released in 1977, his fifth album, The Stranger, launched him into superstardom, yielding four Top 40 hits including "Only the Good Die Young" and the Grammy Award-winning soft rock ballad "Just the Way You Are." By the end of the '70s, Joel was a major concert draw and one of the top American pop artists with a string of massive hits to his credit including "Movin' Out," "My Life," and "She's Always a Woman." His success continued into the '80s with albums like Glass Houses and An Innocent Man, the latter of which helped usher him into the MTV era with its "Uptown Girl" video starring supermodel Christie Brinkley. Released in 1985, Joel's double-disc Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 became a ubiquitous chart presence, eventually earning Diamond certification. His popularity extended well beyond the U.S., and he even reached across the Iron Curtain, doing a high-profile tour of the Soviet Union in the late '80s. Joel ended the decade on top with 1989's Storm Front and its smash hit "We Didn't Start the Fire." Four years later, River of Dreams proved to be Joel's last release of pop material and, aside from a 2001 album of original classical material, he shifted into legacy mode in the 21st century. Joel has remained a significant concert draw, touring frequently throughout the 2000s and 2010s, occasionally as part of a popular package with Elton John. Among the many honors that have been bestowed upon him are an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Kennedy Center Honors, and the only retired number by a non-athlete at New York's Madison Square Garden arena where he began a monthly residency gig in 2014. After the residency was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Joel made a grand return to his hometown arena in late 2021. In early 2024, he released first new pop song in decades, "Turn the Lights Back On."

Albums

Cold Spring Harbor (1971)

Debut album. Quiet. Understated. Sombre. A little grey and boring. I'm not attracted to his voice. His musical style. Nor his songs. I'm thinking there's something of Elton John about Joel (down to earth, straightforward, middle of the road "singer-songwriter" style songs), but far less entertaining and colourful and varied. This is not a bad album. It has a certain bedsitter-room warmth and charm. But nothing really stands out.

All songs written by Billy Joel.

Side one
No.	Title	Length (Original LP)	Length
1.	"She's Got a Way"	2:47	2:50
2.	"You Can Make Me Free"	5:49	2:59
3.	"Everybody Loves You Now"	2:46	2:49
4.	"Why Judy Why"	2:52	2:58
5.	"Falling of the Rain"	2:35	2:38

Side two
No.	Title	Length (Original LP)	Length
1.	"Turn Around"	3:26	3:06
2.	"You Look So Good to Me"	2:25	2:29
3.	"Tomorrow Is Today"	4:50	4:40
4.	"Nocturne"	2:39	2:46
5.	"Got to Begin Again"	2:54	2:52

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score: 4

Piano Man (1973)

Rockier and more energetic than the debut album. And "Piano Man" comes across with some verve as an album track. Though lively (strident?) the album overstays its welcome as the songs, for me, don't entertain and interest enough. And I don't really get off on his voice. Ho hum. But on the whole a decent album, and better than the debut.

All songs written by Billy Joel.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Travelin' Prayer"	4:16
2.	"Piano Man"	5:37
3.	"Ain't No Crime"	3:20
4.	"You're My Home"	3:14
5.	"The Ballad of Billy the Kid"	5:35

Side two
No.	Title	Length
6.	"Worse Comes to Worst"	3:28
7.	"Stop in Nevada"	3:40
8.	"If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)"	3:35
9.	"Somewhere Along the Line"	3:17
10.	"Captain Jack"	7:15

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score: 4.5

Streetlife Serenade (1974)

I'm really not getting on with Joel's voice, and I find it particularly grating on this album. Thankfully (!) there are a couple of instrumentals. It's a really superficial album with no cohesion. Lyrics on the album are dum de dum simplistic Tin Pan Alley. The sort of songs that are popular on the radio because they tell a simple story that everyone can follow and understand. I like this album the least so far. The synthesiser sounds cheap and tacky, which is perhaps appropriate.

All tracks written and composed by Billy Joel.

One side (side one)

"Streetlife Serenader" – 5:17
"Los Angelenos" – 3:41
"The Great Suburban Showdown" – 3:44
"Root Beer Rag" (instrumental) – 2:59
"Roberta" – 4:32

Another side (side two)

"The Entertainer" – 3:48
"Last of the Big Time Spenders" – 4:34
"Weekend Song" – 3:29
"Souvenir" – 2:00
"The Mexican Connection" (instrumental) – 3:37

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score: 3.5

Turnstiles (1976)

There's a cute early Sixties Spector sound to the opening track. This was released the same year as The Ramones debut album, which used the same influence and sound, though with much more style and humour. Again there's no focus to the album. it's a collection of middle of the road radio friendly songs. He doesn't, for me, have an attractive voice. It's a little stretched and a little sardonic. It works to deliver the lyrics, but no more than that. His piano playing is also workmanlike rather than moving or inspirational. There's an Elton John feel to this album, especially "Miami 2017". "New York State of Mind" is a decent song - it was covered by Barbra Streisand.

All tracks are written by Billy Joel.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Say Goodbye to Hollywood"	4:36
2.	"Summer, Highland Falls"	3:15
3.	"All You Wanna Do Is Dance"	3:40
4.	"New York State of Mind"	5:58

Side two
No.	Title	Length
5.	"James"	3:53
6.	"Prelude/Angry Young Man"	5:17
7.	"I've Loved These Days"	4:31
8.	"Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)"	5:12

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score: 3.5

The Stranger (1977)

There's a Supertramp feel to the opening track. I've heard it on the radio a number of times. It's inoffensive. It has never really attracted me, but it's an OK song. The tracks build, and this presents as a fairly serious and decent album. A little 10CC, a little Supertramp. OK. I've ended up liking this album. Some good tracks here. And the album holds together well as an album. There's a proper feel here. Little waste. Lots of chunky good songs.
It seems that Joel's record label, Columbia, was about to end his contract. This album was his last chance to prove himself. It worked didn't it! It became Columbia's best selling album - surpassing Bridge Over Troubled Water. Phew!

All tracks are written by Billy Joel.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)"	3:30
2.	"The Stranger"	5:10
3.	"Just the Way You Are"	4:52
4.	"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"	7:37

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Vienna"	3:34
2.	"Only the Good Die Young"	3:55
3.	"She's Always a Woman"	3:21
4.	"Get It Right the First Time"	3:57
5.	"Everybody Has a Dream"	6:38

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score: 7

52nd Street (1978)

This feels like a follow up to The Stranger. There's a similar feel and sound, but the songs are not as strong, and a lot of the bold, nervous, freshness has gone. Joel was no longer desperate to keep his record contract. This is like Darkness On The Edge of Town after Born To Run. Decent album, but no masterpiece. However, following the success of The Stranger, as sometimes happens, people dived into this, and it topped the US album charts for eight weeks. It continues to sell well, but over time The Stranger has outsold it by several million.

All songs written by Billy Joel.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Big Shot"	4:03
2.	"Honesty"	3:52
3.	"My Life"	4:44
4.	"Zanzibar"	5:13

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Stiletto"	4:42
2.	"Rosalinda's Eyes"	4:41
3.	"Half a Mile Away"	4:08
4.	"Until the Night"	6:35
5.	"52nd Street"	2:27

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score: 5

Glass Houses (1980)

I'm kinda getting to like Joel's sardonic New York voice and delivery. voice. And there's an element in him of Elton John, Paul McCartney, Nick Lowe, Early Tom Waits. A number of songs he's done, such as "It's Still Rock and Roll" on this album, I've heard on the radio many times, and assumed they were by other people.

All songs written by Billy Joel.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"You May Be Right"	4:15
2.	"Sometimes a Fantasy"	3:40
3.	"Don't Ask Me Why"	2:59
4.	"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"	2:57
5.	"All for Leyna"	4:15
Total length:		18:06

Side two
No.	Title	Length
6.	"I Don't Want to Be Alone"	3:57
7.	"Sleeping with the Television On"	3:02
8.	"C'était Toi (You Were the One)"	3:25
9.	"Close to the Borderline"	3:47
10.	"Through the Long Night"	2:43

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score: 5

Songs In The Attic (1981)
Live album

All songs written by Billy Joel.

Side one
No.	Title	Performance	Length
1.	"Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)"	June 24, 1980, at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY	5:05
2.	"Summer, Highland Falls"	July 23, 1980, at The Bayou, Washington, D.C.	3:03
3.	"Streetlife Serenader"	July 20, 1980, at St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN	5:17
4.	"Los Angelenos"	July 10, 1980, at Toad's Place, New Haven, CT	3:48
5.	"She's Got a Way"	June 1980 at Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA	3:00
6.	"Everybody Loves You Now"	July 23, 1980, at The Bayou, Washington, D.C.

Side two
No.	Title	Performance	Length
1.	"Say Goodbye to Hollywood"	July 14, 1980, at Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, WI	4:25
2.	"Captain Jack"	July 5, 1980, at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA	7:16
3.	"You're My Home"	July 23, 1980, at the Bayou, Washington, D.C.	3:07
4.	"The Ballad of Billy the Kid"	June 24, 1980, at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY	5:28
5.	"I've Loved These Days"	July 16, 1980, at The Horizon, Chicago, IL	4:35

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score:

The Nylon Curtain (1982)

All tracks are written by Billy Joel.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Allentown"	3:52
2.	"Laura"	5:05
3.	"Pressure"	4:40
4.	"Goodnight Saigon"	7:04

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"She's Right on Time"	4:14
2.	"A Room of Our Own"	4:04
3.	"Surprises"	3:26
4.	"Scandinavian Skies"	6:00
5.	"Where's the Orchestra?"	3:17

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score:

An Innocent Man (1983)

All tracks by Billy Joel

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Easy Money" (Homage to James Brown and Wilson Pickett^[2])	4:04
2.	"An Innocent Man" (Homage to Ben E. King and The Drifters)	5:17
3.	"The Longest Time" (Homage to doo-wop groups like Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and in particular "So Much In Love" by The Tymes)	3:42
4.	"This Night" (Homage to Little Anthony and the Imperials; chorus tune is Ludwig van Beethoven's Pathetique sonata)	4:17
5.	"Tell Her About It" (Homage to Motown groups like The Supremes and The Temptations)	3:52

Side two
No.	Title	Length
6.	"Uptown Girl" (Homage to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons^[13])	3:17
7.	"Careless Talk" (Homage to Sam Cooke)	3:48
8.	"Christie Lee" (Homage to Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis)	3:31
9.	"Leave a Tender Moment Alone" (Homage to Smokey Robinson)	3:56
10.	"Keeping the Faith" (Homage to Betty Wright's "Clean Up Woman". Lyrical homage to Pre-British Invasion Rock n Roll)	4:41

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score:

Greatest Hits Vol I & Vol II (1985)

All tracks are written by Billy Joel

Side one
No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"Piano Man"	Piano Man, 1973	5:36
2.	"Say Goodbye to Hollywood" (Live edited version)	Songs in the Attic, 1981; originally from Turnstiles, 1976	3:54
3.	"New York State of Mind"	Turnstiles	6:02
4.	"The Stranger"	The Stranger, 1977	5:07
5.	"Just the Way You Are" (Radio edit)	The Stranger	3:36

Side two
No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)"	The Stranger	3:28
2.	"Only the Good Die Young"	The Stranger	3:53
3.	"She's Always a Woman"	The Stranger	3:17
4.	"My Life" (Radio edit)	52nd Street, 1978	3:51
5.	"Big Shot" (Radio edit)	52nd Street	3:43
6.	"You May Be Right"	Glass Houses, 1980	4:09

Side three
No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"	Glass Houses	2:54
2.	"Don't Ask Me Why"	Glass Houses	2:57
3.	"Pressure" (Radio edit)	The Nylon Curtain, 1982	3:15
4.	"Allentown"	The Nylon Curtain	3:48
5.	"Goodnight Saigon"	The Nylon Curtain	7:00

Side four
No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"Tell Her About It" (Radio edit)	An Innocent Man, 1983	3:35
2.	"Uptown Girl"	An Innocent Man	3:15
3.	"The Longest Time"	An Innocent Man	3:36
4.	"You're Only Human (Second Wind)"	Previously unreleased	4:48
5.	"The Night Is Still Young"	Previously unreleased	5:28

Wikipedia

AllMusic:
Score;

The Bridge (1986)

All songs by Billy Joel, except "Code of Silence" written by Joel and Cyndi Lauper.

Side one

"Running on Ice" – 3:15
"This Is the Time" – 4:59
"A Matter of Trust" – 4:09
"Modern Woman" – 3:48
"Baby Grand" (duet with Ray Charles) – 4:02

Side two

"Big Man on Mulberry Street" – 5:26
"Temptation" – 4:12
"Code of Silence" (backing vocals by Cyndi Lauper) – 5:15
"Getting Closer" – 5:00

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score:

Kontsert / Kohuept (1987)
Live album

All tracks by Joel except where noted

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Odoya" (Performed by Zhournalist)	Traditional	1:17
2.	"Prelude/Angry Young Man"		5:24
3.	"Honesty"		3:58
4.	"Goodnight Saigon"		7:21

Side two
No.	Title	Length
5.	"Stiletto"	5:09
6.	"Big Man on Mulberry Street"	7:17
7.	"Baby Grand"	6:09

Side three
No.	Title	Length
1.	"An Innocent Man"	6:09
2.	"Allentown"	4:23
3.	"A Matter of Trust"	5:08
4.	"Only the Good Die Young"	3:33

Side four
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Sometimes a Fantasy"		3:38
6.	"Uptown Girl"		3:09
7.	"Big Shot"		4:44
8.	"Back in the U.S.S.R."	Lennon–McCartney	2:45
9.	"The Times They Are A-Changin'"	Bob Dylan	2:58

Wikipedia

AllMusic:

Score:

Storm Front (1989)

All songs written by Billy Joel.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"That's Not Her Style"	5:10
2.	"We Didn't Start the Fire"	4:50
3.	"The Downeaster 'Alexa'"	3:44
4.	"I Go to Extremes"	4:23
5.	"Shameless"	4:26

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Storm Front"	5:17
2.	"Leningrad"	4:06
3.	"State of Grace"	4:30
4.	"When in Rome"	4:44
5.	"And So It Goes"	3:38

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score:

River of Dreams (1993)

All songs by Billy Joel.

"No Man's Land" – 4:48
"The Great Wall of China" – 5:45
"Blonde Over Blue" – 4:55
"A Minor Variation" – 5:36
"Shades of Grey" – 4:10
"All About Soul" – 6:01
"Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" – 3:32
"The River of Dreams" – 4:05
"Two Thousand Years" – 5:19
"Famous Last Words" – 5:01

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score:

Greatest Hits Vol III (1997)

All songs written by Billy Joel except where noted.

No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"Keeping the Faith"	An Innocent Man, 1983	4:38
2.	"An Innocent Man"	An Innocent Man	5:19
3.	"A Matter of Trust"	The Bridge, 1986	4:12
4.	"Baby Grand" (Duet with Ray Charles)	The Bridge	4:05
5.	"This Is the Time"	The Bridge	5:00
6.	"Leningrad"	Storm Front, 1989	4:04
7.	"We Didn't Start the Fire"	Storm Front	4:48
8.	"I Go to Extremes"	Storm Front	4:24
9.	"And So It Goes"	Storm Front	3:38
10.	"The Downeaster 'Alexa'"	Storm Front	3:44
11.	"Shameless"	Storm Front	4:27
12.	"All About Soul" (Remix)	Exclusive to the "All About Soul" single, 1993; originally from River of Dreams, 1993	6:01
13.	"Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)"	River of Dreams	3:35
14.	"The River of Dreams"	River of Dreams	4:11
15.	"To Make You Feel My Love" (Bob Dylan)	Previously unreleased	3:53
16.	"Hey Girl" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King)	Previously unreleased	3:57
17.	"Light as the Breeze" (Leonard Cohen)	Tower of Song, 1995	6:12

Wikipedia

AllMusic:

Score:

2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)
Live album

All songs written by Billy Joel, except where noted.

Disc one

"Beethoven's Ninth Symphony" (Ludwig van Beethoven) – 1:43
"Big Shot" – 4:55
"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" – 5:23
"Summer, Highland Falls" – 5:29
"The Ballad of Billy the Kid" – 6:52
"Don't Ask Me Why" – 4:49
"New York State of Mind" – 8:29
"I've Loved These Days" – 4:30
"My Life" – 5:47
"Allentown" (Includes an excerpt from the Allegro of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, "The Emperor" ) – 4:48
"Prelude/Angry Young Man" – 5:23
"Only the Good Die Young" – 3:49

Disc two

"I Go to Extremes" – 5:01
"Goodnight Saigon" – 7:28
"We Didn't Start the Fire" – 5:21
"Big Man on Mulberry Street" – 5:29
"2000 Years" – 6:02
"Auld Lang Syne" (Burns/Traditional) – 1:44
"The River of Dreams" (Includes a bridge from "Land of a Thousand Dances" written by Chris Kenner) – 5:54
"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" – 8:05
"Dance to the Music" (Sly Stone) – 3:17
"Honky Tonk Women" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) – 3:17
"It's Still Rock & Roll to Me" – 4:08
"You May Be Right" – 6:07
"This Night" (Ludwig van Beethoven/Billy Joel) – 4:49

Wikipedia

AllMusic:

Score:

Fantasies & Delusions (2001)

All opuses composed by Billy Joel.

Opus 3. Reverie (Villa d'Este) – 9:31
Opus 2. Waltz #1 (Nunley's Carousel) – 6:58
Opus 7. Aria (Grand Canal) – 11:08
Opus 6. Invention in C Minor – 1:04
Opus 1. Soliloquy (On a Separation) – 11:26
Opus 8. Suite for Piano (Star-Crossed): I. Innamorato – 7:46
Opus 8. Suite for Piano (Star-Crossed): II. Sorbetto – 1:30
Opus 8. Suite for Piano (Star-Crossed): III. Delusion – 3:37
Opus 5. Waltz #2 (Steinway Hall) – 7:00
Opus 9. Waltz #3 (For Lola) – 3:28
Opus 4. Fantasy (Film Noir) – 8:56
Opus 10. Air (Dublinesque) – 3:46

Wikipedia
AllMusic:

Score:

Video singles

"It's Still Rock And Roll To Me" (1980)

A straight pastiche of the British New Wave style of Nick Lowe. I always thought it was Nick Lowe! Video is boring. The song is not great, but it's light, fun, and commercial.

Wikipedia

TV clips