Billy Joel is probably one of the most significant American singer / songwriters to come up from the 70s and 80s. He was able to blend Tin Pan Alley song craft, with a romantic classical sensibility, and a penchant for hard rock into an accessible and unique blend, regardless of what some might feel about him, he is hard to ignore or dismiss.
Cold Spring Harbor (1971)
Billy Joel’s first album, technically, came about when managers advised him that the best way to sell his songs was to record an album as a showcase. Joel set up a management and publishing deal with producer Artie Ripp which enabled the album to get made, but it also would allow for impending problems, a contract that Joel would soon have to get out of. The album was a mixed bag, in part due to Joel not really finding his voice. The two best songs and the ones he’d continue to include on his set list was the plaintive ballad “She’s Got A Way”, and the up tempo piano rocker “Everybody Loves You Now”, which included some impressive dexterity on the keys. The third track that sounds the most like Joel is “You Can Make Me Free”. The better cuts on the rest on the album are the few plaintive piano tracks that feel introspective, the gospel flavored “Tomorrow is Today” and “Got To Begin Again” or the Beethoven / Debussy flavored instrumental “Nocturne”. As far as the rest, cuts like “Turn Around” and “Falling Of The Rain” feel like Elton John B-Side knock offs, “You Look So Good To Me” feels like the advertisement jingle for body soap or cosmetics, or a Paul Williams take, and “Why Judy Why” feels like his attempt at a “Yesterday” rewrite, pleasant, not bad, but also a little too self conscious. Soon, Joel would begin to have sure footing. The other problem with the original printing was the mastering which sped his voice up, something that was fixed in a 1983 printing.
Piano Man (1973)
For most fans, Joel’s second album feels like his official debut. The origin of the title track has been told endlessly, but Billy Joel spent six months playing a bar in L.A. and built the song out of that experience. While also entangled in legal disputes to break his ties with Ripp, he continued writing songs, and quite good ones at that. While still a little bogged down working with session musicians, and inspired by the flavor of Elton John, James Taylor, and Harry Chapin, the production sheen of Michael Stewart gave him a ‘California sound’, but surprises abounded. “Travelin’ Player” is a brisk, bluegrass number, “Ain’t No Crime” is a mid tempo gospel / R&B number with a real lift. “You’re My Home” is a country number, a ballad for his wife that was later recorded poorly by Helen Reddy. His first epic suite came about with “The Ballad of Billy The Kid”, it would not be the last. “Worse Comes To Worst” is an odd Latin flavored number. “Stop In Nevada” is a plaintive ballad with an effective emotional build that demonstrates gifts we would see again and again. But the last three songs are his best, and builds the album to a great final. The ballad “If I Only Had The Words (To tell You)” reveals a real confidence in his writing. “Somewhere Along The Line” reveals a hint into his insight and cynicism, and the proto metal “Captain Jack” with some provocative lyrics and comments on the futility of habitual drug addiction was unusual at the height of Rock N’ Roll indulgences. But this worked and put Billy Joel on the map, and also consigned some critics to view him as the next Harry Chapin, when Billy was probably thinking otherwise – “To hell I am.” But that would only be clear in the near future.
Streetlife Serenade (1974)
It was pretty evident in Billy Joel’s career that the wanted to bridge the gap between his classical influences and his pop instincts. The title track, “Streetlife Serenader” was the one ambitious number on the album, crossing Debussy influences with his folk rock instincts. The orchestration from the Piano Man album is replaced with synthesizers . Michael Stewarts production delivers an even sounding record, but there are already clear differences. Most critics characterize the album as Joel’s ‘Sophomore slump’, but the quality of the material remains high enough, in spite of the inclusion of two instrumentals, the Scott Joplin flavored “Root Beer Rag”, and a tune tailored for an imaginary western, the Sergio Lenoe / Ennio Morricone flavored “The Mexican Connection”. The second cut, the rocker “Los Angelenos” was written with Rod Stewart in mind. Several of the cuts seem like fairly standard country ballads, “The Great Suburban Showdown” and “The Last of The Big Time Spenders”. The track “Roberta” at least has a sweeping romanticism to it. The Lead single, “The Entertainer” has a real cynical bite to it. The rocker “Weekend Song” reinforces that he wasn’t going to be one type of writer, the plaintive “Souvenir” marks his Debussy influence, and remains one of the most poignant on the album and a favorite. This album also represented the end of his Southern California phase of his career, he would move back to New York, retool his band, and find his real voice.
Turnstiles (1976)
This is considered the album where Billy Joel was really taking control of his career, he Produced the album himself, which allowed him to bring in more members of his touring band, and stay clear of the session musicians that left his previous albums feeling a little flat. He also had moved back to New York and the album is a comment about that change, but it also allowed him to find his real voice as a writer. It opens with the Phil Spector flavored “Say Goodbye To Hollywood”, a song tailored to arenas, but much of the album manages to be eclectic and idiosyncratic. There’s the introspective “Summer, Highland Falls”, with its rolling piano figure, and the odd reggae of “All You Wanna Do Is Dance”. No know knew at the time, but Joel’s first real classic debuts here, “New York State of Mind”, and it would take Barbra Streisand recording her version to draw attention to its greatness. “James” is an electric piano ballad with a classical sense of harmony. “Prelude / Angry Young Man” is the ambitious rocker, with some dexterous piano and bright guitars. “I’ve Loved These Days” is nostalgic in the sense that it realized the indulgences of the seventies were about the end, an important cut that is incisive. The epic closer “Miami 2017 (See The Lights Go Out On Broadway)” may have been apocalyptic fiction, but resonates in this day and age, built around some fine piano and biting guitars. This was the beginning of Joel being on a roll that wouldn’t stop for a decade and a half.
The Stranger (1977)
There’s little argument that The Stranger is Joel’s breakthrough, but the story of how he got there is interesting. Prior to the recording Joel hired his wife Elizabeth Webber to take over as manager, and at least one song is a reflection of her experiences in a chauvinist business. At one point, Beatles producer, George Martin expressed an interest in producing him, but Martin wanted to use session musicians. When Phil Ramone agreed to come on board, he was savvy enough to agree to use Joel’s touring band, the core of which was drummer Liberty DeVitto, Bassist Doug Stegmeyer, and multi-instrumentalist woodwind and horn player Richie Cannata, and guest guitarist Steve Khan. This breathed a little more life into each song, and basically a fighting unit was established that would last for a decade. Four of the songs would be a mainstay on FM radio. “Just The Way You Are, Only The Good Die Young, She’s Always A Woman,” and “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” and “The Stranger” along with “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” would also get frequent play. The album became a template for the type of multi megahit release that would be prevalent in the 1980s. The song “She’s Always A Woman” has been branded unfairly misogynistic, but most people fail to realize it was about his wife, and the treatment she received as his manager for being tough. “Only The Good Die Young” has been accused of being anti-Catholic, but the song is really simply about rationalizational lust and one of the liveliest cuts of his career. “The Stranger” opens with a midnight jazz flavored motif before it’s segway into a bright syncopated tempo. “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” lived up to its epic suite. But songs like “Vienna” held its own charm, offering up insight to the young to slow down, and not lose sight in living in the moment as a trade off to their ambition. The pop flavored “Get It Right The First Time” is the closest thing to filler on the album, and the sprawling Gospel flavored “Everybody Has A Dream” rounds it out to satisfaction.
52nd Street (1978)
Billy Joel reassembled his team for the follow up, and while it share’s a similar production sound, there are differences. There’s a slight focus on jazz influenced numbers, but the material still remains eclectic. The three singles remained FM radio staples once again, the hard rock pop of “Big Shot”, the mid tempo pop of “My Life”, which was licensed to be used on the Bosom Buddies TV show, and the ballad “Honesty”. But there’s almost a basis for some critics that complain about Joel’s self conscious imitation of other artists. “Zanzibar” sounds like a Steely Dan outtake, but it does feature some great jazz soloing from Freddie Hubbard. “Half A Mile Away” does feel like a Chicago imitation to a degree, but the stellar “Rosalinda’s Eyes” with its Latin, Bossa-Nova Jazz rounds out the Jazz influences on the album. The longest track is the Phil Spector influenced and Righteous Brothers inspired “Until The Night”, which incidentally, Bill Medley record on a 1980 solo record. “Stiletto” is probably the most filler track on the album, although enormously enjoyable. The title track, “52nd Street” warps up the jazz flavor of the album with a touch of humor. But Joel would start breaking down assumptions with his eighties work.
Glass Houses (1980)
As soon as critics wanted to brand Billy Joel with a certain identity, he started to buck the trend. What is so funny, in my mind, about the surprise of some critics that Billy Joel wanted to play more rock material, is that Billy Joel always included heavy rock numbers with each prior release, and he had played in the brief, ill fated heavy metal duo Attila from 1969 / 1970, but Joel stripped down his writing to focus on clearly guitar driven material, lead guitarist Dave Brown made his proper entry here, and Joel offered his own take on new wave, punk, and the Rolling Stones. After the crash of glass, the Stones imitation , “You May Be Right” opens the album, I could very easily see Jagger and Richards performing this song. The new wave flavored “Sometimes A Fantasy” has the right range of paranoia and euphoria. The Spanish flavored “Don’t Ask Me Why” offers up the insight about past events happening for no grand reason, and you have to just move on. “It Still Rock N’ Roll To Me” offers the mission statement of the album, and Joel has observed that much of the new wave and some of the punk he heard at the end of the seventies, really just sounded like the power pop of the late 60s and 70s. “All For Leyna” has some robust piano work and clever time shifts, and was only released in the UK. Of course, the first four cuts became FM staples. The second half of the album only deepened the new wave motif, but it wasn’t all cut and dried. “I Don’t Want To Be Alone” sounds like a Joe Jackson cut from the late 70s, and “Sleeping With The Television On” follows the formula of countless early new wave acts. Things take a shift with “C’Etait Toi (You Were The One)”, a French flavored ballad the follows in the tradition of The Beatles “Michele”. “Close To The Borderline” is the closest thing to punk on the album, but it also sounds like something the Rolling Stones would have done, if they tackled the same approach. The closer “Through The Long Night” nods toward Paul McCartney. Overall sound of the album is very dry in most places and contrasts with the polish of the previous two albums, and credit must go to Phil Ramone for being adaptable to the change.
Songs In The Attic (1981)
It has been pretty common for most record labels to contractually expect recording artists to put out live records, and Billy Joel was no different, but he did something fairly clever, capitalizing on the momentum of three massive hit albums, he complied recordings of songs from the first four albums, but using his current band, and now with an established signature, the earlier songs took on a new life. But what probably surprised fans at the time were “She’s Got A Way” and “Everybody Loves You Now”, the two tracks from Cold Spring Harbor, which had gone out of print by the time of its release. The live “She’s Got A Way” was released as a single and did surprising well. The track listing for the rest of the album followed as thus: “Miami 2017, Summer, Highland Falls, Streetlife Serenader, Los Angelenos, Say Goodbye To Hollywood, Captain Jack, You’re My Home, The Ballad of Billy The Kid, I’ve Loved These Days.”
The Nylon Curtain (1982)
It’s difficult to say what impact the death of John Lennon had on Billy Joel, but a lot of stars at the time were unnerved by Lennon’s murder, and they reacted by pushing themselves to put out better material. The Nylon Curtain acts as a loose concept record, using the contemporary sound of John Lennon’s 1980 solo record, with a few Paul McCartney songs for good measure, and the spirit of Bob Dylan. Billy Joel put out what I consider to be his contemporary masterpiece, the album took about a year to record, with its layer or synthesizers, and live orchestrations, but more importantly, it was the biting social commentary that differed from previous records. Billy Joel has admitted himself to not being a fan of political records, and disliking County Joe & The Fish. But he focused on a range of topics, and recorded some of his most experimental material ever. “Allentown” is a comment about the displaced working class in small towns, and the decline of unions to strengthen them. “Laura” is a pretty scathing, mid tempo number about an manipulative and passively abusive woman that captures a little of Lennon’s sound. “Pressure” is self explanatory, but it blends with his classical instincts once again with some edgy instrumentation. The somber “Goodnight Saigon” was written about Viet Nam veterans. But side two remains just as interesting; “She’s Right On Time” is a Paul McCartney flavored number with a rich arrangement. “A Room Of Our Own” is a brisk pop blues number that channels the flavor of Lennon. “Surprises” is an expansive, and experimental ballad, that seems to be about himself stepping outside of himself to view his past. “Scandinavian Skies” clearly channels the ambition of The Beatles “I Am The Walrus”, and is about his brief experimentation with Heroin. But the last track is a real gem, “Where’s The Orchestra?” is another McCartney flavored track that uses the metaphor of life’s expectation’s with fame and the business not bringing all of the answers, as well as loneliness. His marriage to Elizabeth Webber was on the verge of ending during this period. Some critics were skeptical or reluctant to admit that Billy Joel had broken new ground, but there’s a good case to be made that this album represented a pinnacle of his career.
An Innocent Man (1983)
After Billy Joel’s divorce, he started dating several women and he’s admitted this was the impudence behind writing many songs that had a fun and retro aspect. But it was also a huge gamble at a time where the grounds of pop music was always shifting. In 1982, The Stray Cats managed to have great success with a retro rockabilly sound, and that might have given Joel some confidence to move forward. But indeed, Joel recorded an album that became his second juggernaut with An Innocent Man, I remember in 1983 and 84 that the album became so over saturated on the radio, it did become tiring, but the fresh novelty of the record paid off with another group of spades for the singer. It’s mix of R’n B and early Rock N Roll harkens back to the music of his childhood, but there was more than met the eye with the release. “Easy Money” held the flavor of James Brown and Wilson Picket, and was used in a Rodney Dangerfield movie. The title track really demonstrated the grown of his lyric writing, and was flavored by Ben E. King or The Drifters. “The Longest Night” was classic doo-wop and a nod to The Spinners. “This Night” borrowed its chorus from Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata, 2nd movement, and the tune was inspired by Little Anthony and the Imperials. The lead off single was Motown inspired, “Tell Her About It” held the flavor of The Temptations. “Uptown Girl” was a clear nod to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. “Careless Talk” was again a nod to Sam Cooke, The old school rocker “Christie Lee” has been compared to Little Richard, but really had more the flavor of Jerry Lee Lewis. “Leave A Tender Moment Alone” has been compared to Smokey Robinson, but has such a contemporary feel as a composition, it transcends it’s period feel. But “Keeping The faith”, a light funk, Wilson Picket number, is the albums key statement of purpose and explains his intent was less about nostalgia, but about looking backward before moving ahead:
You can get just so much
From a good thing
You can linger too long
In your dreams
Say goodbye to the
Oldies but goodies
'Cause the good ole days weren't
Always good
And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems,
I told you my reasons
For the whole revival
Now I'm going outside to have
An ice cold beer in the shade
Oh, I'm going to listen to my 45's
Ain't it wonderful to be alive
When the rock 'n' roll plays, yeah
When the memory stays, yeah
I'm keeping the faith.
Perhaps Billy sensed he was at his height, for the priorities of courting Christie Brinkley would change his focus. Six of the tracks would become FM staples, and he could never duplicate its success the same way again.
Greatest Hits Volume I & II (1985)
Joel would take some time off to get married for a second time and have a child, and put out an comprehensive overview of his output from 1973 to 1985. The only two new tracks hinted at the heavy synth and electronic pop that he would explore further a year later. This trend could also have been influenced by the popularity of figures like Thomas Dolby, and Depeche Mode, the two new tracks were a synth pop number “You’re Only Human (Second Wind)”, an anti suicide song that was inspired by personal experience, at the start of the seventies Joel did have a failed suicide attempt, and he continued to have depression issues he would keep from the public. The other track “The Night Is Still Young” seemed to reflect on his desire to settle down, he married Christie Brinkley and they had a child, hinting at something that the public had little suspicion of – that he would retire from recording within a decade.
The Bridge (1986)
The Bridge would be notable for several reasons and on several levels, it was the last record produced by stalwald Phil Ramone, and the last record with his core band of a decade. It managed to feature another four durable hits, ‘Modern Woman, A Matter Of Trust, Baby Grand” and “This Is The Time” and it was a showcase for a number of iconic musicians, namely Ray Charles, Jazz Bass legend Ron Carter, Steve Winwood, and Cyndi Lauper. The opening cut ‘Running on Ice” was inspired by the Police. Billy’s collaboration with Ray Charles, “Baby Grand” was a fitting ode to the Piano, and seemed apt considering that “New York State of Mind’ in 1976 was inspired by Charles, other session legends like Vinny Calaiuta, Neil Stubenhaus, and Dean Parks rounded out the session. The Pop synth heavy “Modern Woman” was used in the film, Ruthless People. The pop rocker “A Matter of Trust” was written on the guitar. The big Band flavored “Big Man On Mulberry Street” featured the jazz bass of Ron Carter, and swing horn work from Eddie Daniels and Michael Brecker. The two true filler tracks feel the most forced are the ballad, “Temptation” , and “Code Of Silence”. A track that Joel admits he had writers block working on and Cyndi Lauper stepped in to help finish, she also sang harmonies. Both tracks hint that the cracks were showing, that the writing wasn’t as effortless as it had been. The closing track, with Steve Winwood on B-3 is the strongest, “Getting Closer” was a pointed comment on his feelings on the music business. The Bridge managed to be an eclectic album that looked back while moving forward, and closing a book on a major part of his career. The Bridge is also notable for helping to end Joel’s contractual obligations to Artie Ripp in terms of royalties.
KOHUEPT (1987)
The Bridge tour was globally extensive enough to where when an opportunity to tour in Russia, namely Leningrad, and Tbilisi, Billy ran with it at the height of social changes that were being brought about due to glasnost and perestroika. The tour made history as Joel was one of the first American artists to have a live Radio broadcast in Soviet history. The tour had a profound impact on Joel, but he wasn’t really happy with the live album, it was released by Columbia without his input, and to meet a contractual obligation. The bulk of the material covered contemporary songs from Turnstiles, The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain, An Innocent Man, and The Bridge, and featured a live version of The Beatles ‘Back In The U.S.S.R.” and a more intimate acoustic cover of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are-A Changing”. Peter Hewlett was brought on the tour to cover some of the higher vocal notes, and his core band appeared on the tour sans David Brown. While not a definitive recording, it would be the final document of his core band, indeed changes were afoot.
Storm Front (1989)
Storm Front was the byproduct of a number of shake ups. Namely, the firing of brother-in-law Frank Weber (Elizabeth has ended her role as manager years before), and a law suit after an audit revealed major discrepancies in Weber’s accounting. Billy Joel didn’t bring back Phil Ramone, but brought in Mick Jones from Foreigner to co-produce. By his own account, Joel has started to feel that certain players had become complacent and he wanted a fresher sound. Liberty DeVitto and David Brown were kept on, as well as Mark Rivera who otherwise had no role on the album, but Russell Javors and Doug Stegmeyer were let go, and replaced with Schuyer Deale, Joey Hunting, and synth player Jeff Jacobs. As well as other players like Don Brooks, Mick Jones, Itzhalk Perlman, Lenny Pickett and the Memphis Horns. The album opens with the bluesy groove of “That’s Not Her Style”, a comment on the perception of his model / wife Brinkley. The musically simplistic “We Didn’t Start The Fire”, a relativist historical roundup, works due to the production sheen, it was a big hit. The rest of side one continues with strong material, ‘The Downeaster ‘Alexa’” deals with the plight of American coastal fisherman with a little help from Perlman, and then there’s the confessional “I Go To Extremes”, Billy has been candid about his depression issues. Followed by the unexpected country flavored “Shameless”, a track that manages to have the structure of something you’d expect from Jimi Hendrix. The title track has an R&B Stax feel with some surprising Jazz voicings. “Leningrad” is the most moving ballad on the album, taking a nod to Russian classical composers, it address his experiences from the Russian tour. “State of Grace” is the power pop number on the album, and has the strongest vocal melody I would say, it also illustrates that Joel could still craft a melody effortlessly. “When In Rome” is a more standard R&B Stax flavored number, I have to admit that “When In Rome” and “Storm Front” remain the weakest tracks. The plaintive “And So It Goes”, with just Piano and Synth is the most introspective, and will remind listeners of material from Cold Spring Harbor. One more surprise was on the way.
River of Dreams (1993)
The musical climate had changed drastically by the time Billy Joel released his final album of pop songs. The alternative rock scene had changed out the bulk of the old guard, and newer artists at the beginning of the 90s adapted to the changes. Perhaps Joel has been astute enough to recognize the shift, as there was another shake up with the album, Producer Danny Kortchmar was brought in to deliver a more stripped down and dryer sounding album, with some additional production help from David Thoener and Joe Nicolo. Most significantly his core band mates were replaced, Liberty Devitto only plays on one track, replaced by Zackary Alford or Steve Jordan, Danny Kortchmar handled much of the guitar duties along with guitar icon Leslie West, T.M. Stevens handled most of the Bass duties, with Jeff Jacobs being retained for extra keyboard work. The gamble may not have paid off as well as the previous album, but it did deliver an hit album. The turmoil of the legal suits with Frank Webber had taken their toll, and Billy Joel had a crisis of faith over his judgment. The album has been described by Joel as a song cycle, which deals with this crisis, and evolves into a more optimistic group of songs. “No Man’s Land” is scathing in its criticism of urban development, the rise of Box stores, and the track seems prophetic when considering the current crisis with entertainment retail. “The Great Wall of China” is pretty obvious vent about his former manager. “Blond Over Blue” has interesting contrasts between the verses and the lifting chorus. “A Minor Variation” is an R&B number that interestingly features Richie Cannata in the horn section. “Shades of Grey” deals with the ambivalence of getting older and not seeing things as clear cut. The second half has a stronger group of material, with the first three being the singles. “All About Soul” builds into a gospel flavored ending in the mould of “Everybody’s Got A Dream”. The simple ballad, “Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel) is a hymn to his daughter about mortality. “The River Of Dreams” has an African flavor that harkens back to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. There’s an increasing theme of spirituality to be found in the last half of the album, “Two Thousand Years” is basically an appeal for peace and reason. The closing track also closes out this phase of his career, “Famous Last Words” sums up his mission statement to not write anymore songs. Not everyone was pleased with the album, Liberty DeVitto was pretty scathing in his thoughts about the album. But Joel might have felt the need for the changes to stay vibrant, yet once his legal issues, and contractual obligations had been met, he might not have felt the need to continue.
Greatest Hits Vol III (1997)
Billy Joel made good on his vow to not write and record any new songs. His second compilation closes with three covers, the fairly new Bob Dylan ballad, “To Make You Feel My Love”, which remains the best cut. The Carol King / Gerry Goffin ballad “Hey Girl”, and Leonard Cohen’s “Light As A Breeze”. Good numbers, but not very distinctive in a way. The rest of the collection is round out by a few tracks from An Innocent Man, then cuts from The Bridge, Storm Front, and River of Dreams, basically for casual completes of his hits.
In fairness, I haven’t really listened in depth to his classical excursions, or the My Lives box set, or his live album compilations from 2000 onward, so I feel I can’t really access the material. But Billy Joel, regardless how you may feel about his work, or his cool factor, or lack thereof in certain circles, has produced a body of work that should be considered on par with Lennon / McCartney, George & Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, or Irvin Berlin. He was able to retain some rock authenticity while blending classical sensibility with Tin Pan Alley song craft. The 70s and early 80s catalog should speak for itself. As far as why he retired from recording? As far back as the late 80s, he started to use sports analogies about knowing when to quit. Perhaps, once he had met his contractual obligations, the urgency to write pop tunes wasn’t as great a need. He was part of a handful of working class musicians with the ability to craft intelligent songs, while being relatable. The other writer that shared the same ability was Bruce Springsteen, these points are important to consider once you realize what a prodigious writer Joel is – few can duplicate him.
