911. Billy Joel / River of Dreams. 1993. 3/5

Perhaps the kindest thing I can say about this album is that it is the final studio album Billy Joel released before announcing his 'retirement'. Some will consider this a harsh judgement, but by the time this was released in 1993 the world of music had really moved on from what Billy Joel had to offer, and while there is no doubt about the quality of the musicianship, its the songs themselves that feel out of place.

That's not to say there aren't some okay songs. The opening track "No Man's Land" shows some style and substance, along with Billy's vocals coming through to lead the song from the outset. If the rest of the album could have followed up on this energy and vibe then it would no doubt have been a much more enjoyable experience. Billy then finds his inner Beatles again with "Great Wall of China", which almost could have been lifted from the Sgt Peppers album. This has its moments too I guess, and isn't all bad in the whole scheme of things, but at almost six minutes in length it is too long.
Then comes the middle section, with "Blonde Over Blue", A Minor Variation" and "Shades of Grey", which are repetitive in the music riff if not the drudgery of the songs themselves. They are all too long, and so they are unable to retain your attention beyond the first couple of minutes. They just don't seem to move anywhere.
"All About Soul" immediately hits you here because suddenly Billy's vocals are front and centre again, and his voice is what pricks up your ears and pull you in. I've never had the affinity for this track that many others have, but it is noticeable here because its quality towers over what the middle of the album has produced. "Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)" is another standard Billy Joel piano ballad, sung sweetly enough and played with dignity. "The River of Dreams" has never been a favourite of mine, perhaps through having to have heard it a billion times on the radio when it was released. Again, it's okay without being one of his best songs. In my opinion.
The album concludes with "Two Thousand Years" and "Famous Last Words". The former again concentrates on Billy's piano leading the charge, and his vocals being the centre of the song, while the latter does little harm, and also perhaps predicts that and ending is coming, in more ways than one.

No, this is only an average album, and in an age when grunge was still dictating terms it must have been a difficult album to promote. Whether he had begun to run out of ideas, or he just saw that there was little use in pushing out more of the same, it takes a special conviction to simply announce that there will be no more. The best part is that this doesn't harm his legacy, and still offers enough for you to be able to sit down and enjoy the parts that matter.

Rating:   "All the king's men, and all the kings horses, can't put you back together the way you used to be".  3/5.

910. Billy Joel / Storm Front. 1989. 2/5

For an album that contained a number one hit single, one that was adored by fans most of the way around the world, you would expect a lot from the album that it was taken from. At the very least, you would have expected that it would have been able to equal the enjoyment of the most recent releases, which though they may have had the odd flaw they wound up being a good within the total package. You may have expected that, but it isn't what is delivered.

The obvious stand out here is the single "We Didn't Start the Fire". Perhaps what stands out most about it is that it is more the lyrical gimmick of the song that makes it memorable, than anything to do with the music or the vocals. Without that, it could well have been a very average song. Some believe it is anyway. What surrounds it doesn't increase the anticipation either. The opening track "That's Not Her Style" drags in all the elements, the horns, a little funky guitar, a bit of jazzy piano, and while it is enthusiastic it isn't particularly awe inspiring. "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" has the potential to be one of those Billy Joel songs that becomes memorable, but just lacks something that ten years previous he may have been able to make happen. "I Go to Extremes" also tries to make a purse out of a sow's ear, but again just comes up short in providing a song that becomes a classic Joel song. "Shameless" is the start of a back half of the album that fails to live up to even these lowly standards.
Whether this second half of the album lacks in motivation or inspiration or new ideas, what we have is a lot of songs in the same tempo, sung in the same key, the same drum beat all the way through, the piano left to being a background instrument, and songs that are at the worst boring, and at the best are bland. The title track "Storm Front" is another that harks back to the past, to influences of Billy's favourite artists. But honestly, this just drags along like a long hot summer heatwave. It drains you of any desire to do anything - tap your feet, do a jig, sing a little. Just dreadfully dull and lifeless. "Leningrad" plods along, lost in its place on the album, wanting to revitalise the Billy Joel piano and vocal combination but without being able to bring the energy required to the song. "State of Grace" warbles through four and a half minutes without any deviation in its framework. I may not be a song writer, but just on observation and listening to this song, it really couldn't have taken much to put it together. I'm afraid that "When in Rome" doesn't do a lot very different either. The solid 2/4 drum beat barely changes tempo throughout, a few horns are thrown in for variety, and the song goes for a little longer. The album is completed by the piano ballad "And So It Goes", the softly spoken final song that still shows Billy can do it when he wants to, but for which comes less often.

After twenty years of writing some of the most popular music out there, this album for me is where the cracks really started o appear. Even given the massive sales of the one song on the album, what surrounds it is less exciting and lessening the attention span with every listen. Quite simply, in one word, this album is boring.

Rating:   "No we didn't light it, but we're trying to fight it".  2/5.

909. Billy Joel / The Bridge. 1986. 3.5/5

After the longest break between albums in his career - straddled only by the release of Greatest Hits: Volume I & Volume II - The Bridge brings yet another marked change in the genre and synopsis of Billy Joel's music. While his previous album An Innocent Man channelled the past in his writing, The Bridge goes for a more modern sound, incorporating the synth pop that proliferated the decade of the 1980's into his own unique brand of music to produce an album of varying degrees.

Would you like to know a secret? Thirty years ago, as much as I really loved An Innocent Man, I was really disappointed with what Billy had given us on this album. Go figure, huh? To be honest though, by the time this was released I was listening almost totally to heavy metal music, and albums like this did get short shrift at the time. There was recognition of some songs, but overall I was nonplussed by its contents. Once again though, as the years have passed and I have rediscovered albums such as this and recovered my equilibrium in regards to all genres of music, I can appreciate it much better than in years past.
The good songs here outweigh the average, and the 'current' sound they have compared to the predecessor album makes it more accessible in this way. "Running on Ice" sets up the album nicely, clipping along at a zippy pace that brings immediate enthusiasm to the album. This is followed by the slower, more reflective yet catchy "This is the Time", where Billy's emotive vocals make the best of the song. "A Matter of Trust" and "Modern Woman" were both big singles off this album, and as such they do tend to dominate the first half of the track list. "Modern Woman" is the epitome of an 80's single for Billy Joel, it has that keyboard that makes itself known through the track, and with its lively vibe it is rooted to the decade in which it was written.
"Baby Grand" is a duet performed with Ray Charles, and indeed could well be mistaken for a Ray Charles song. "Big Man On Mulberry Street" is a big number jazz track with horns and all, making it a performance piece that certainly seems grander than the other songs played on the album. "Temptation" brings the mood back, Billy crooning over his piano in a style he did more often in his middle-albums career.
"Code of Silence" was co-written with Cyndi Lauper, who also contributed vocals to the track. It actually comes across really well. It's nice to hear the urgency in Billy's vocals throughout, and Cyndi's co-operative backing vocals add to the song as well. This is probably my favourite song on the album. The closing track "Getting Closer" does enough to make this an excellent collection of similarly good songs.

I'm not sure what I would have given this all those years ago when it was released. Probably no more than a two. It was a different era for me, and a different time of my life. In the years since this, I have certainly come to appreciate this much more, to the point where I find this at least as entertaining as I do the previous album, and with that as the case then the rating has to be similar.

Rating:  "You don't want to lose a friendship, there's nothing that you have to hide".  3.5/5

908. Billy Joel / An Innocent Man. 1983. 3.5/5

Billy Joel’s career had been on a steady rise throughout the 1970’s, bringing a string of hit albums and singles to match. His album prior to the release of this one, 1982’s “The Nylon Curtain”, featured songs of a more serious tone lyrically than he had written in recent times, focusing on the changing times that he was living in, and some of the more serious topics that surrounded him. When interviewed about the tone of that album, Joel had said that he wanted to speak about the fact that because of the political and economic changes it was unlikely that you would inherit the same life that your parents had.
The success of that album and of its slightly darker tones brought Joel to a different plane when it came to recording its follow up. He had divorced his first wife and had been in the process of literally dating super models, women such as Elle MacPherson and Christie Brinkley. In interviews about this album in later years, he confessed that this new stage of his life actually made him feels like a younger man, and he began to go back and remember the happy times of his youth, which then made him think about the music that he listened to in those days and how much enjoyment he had gotten from that. And so it was from this that he came to write and record an album that utilised that music from his youth, and compose an array of songs in the same style of those artists that he loved from his childhood.
This of course could have been seen to be a move that could have hurt his musically. As much as those of his generation were still reminiscing about the same style of music that Joel was contemplating on composing, 1983 was as far from that music-wise as it could have been. It was the age of new-wave, pop-rock, glam metal and hard rock, and in no way a world that appeared conducive to a bout of 50’s and 60’s revivalist do-wop, soul and rock and roll. But this is still the direction that Joel went in, and the end result may well have been as surprising to him as it was to music listeners everywhere.

Now that I am older, though not necessarily wiser, but certainly of different and more varied music tastes, the stark fallback in musical genre that this album is generated from is something that is more interesting to face than it was in those early teenage years. It's not that it wasn't obvious all those years ago that there was a certain vintage quality about the songs on this album, it’s just that because they were Billy Joel songs it didn’t seem to matter. The fact is that this is in places such a vast divergence from the sound of the albums that went before it that as a package it really has to be dissected with that in mind. This IS an album that could have come from the 1950's and 1960's, with Billy writing each song as a homage to a different band or genre to the music of his childhood.
In the album linear notes, Joel explains what period or band each song is written with in mind, each as a homage to that particular artist, and as a result written ‘in the sound of’ that particular artist. Not a copy, not a rip-off, but as a loving original creation to stand as a tribute to them and their music that had inspired him as a child.
Taking all of that into consideration, crafting the album in this way and having the songs run smoothly throughout without affecting the flow of the album then becomes a task in itself. And given those wide variety of style of songs I’m sure people have different reactions to this.
The change in tempo and mood doesn't always make the album cohesive either. "Easy Money" is upbeat and vibrant, sung and played with gusto, before moving straight into the slow moving and moody title track "An Innocent Man" which is a completely different style. Then to complete the triumvirate you have "The Longest Time" which removes most of the instruments and relies mainly on the voices of Billy and his do-wop back up singers. Albums don't have to follow the same course of music style to be accessible, but it helps if there is some sort of progression, and here it feels a bit congested. "This Night" then moves into the bright and breezy "Tell Her About It" which is still a mood lifter whenever it gets played.
"Uptown Girl" is the song that everyone of my generation still knows off by heart and can sing along to whenever it is played. No matter that it is one of a plethora of songs where future second wife Christie Brinkley is the subject matter, it is still one of those songs that brings up memories of that era. "Careless Talk" always reminds me of the kind of music my grandparents used to play whenever we were over at their house, while "Christie Lee" is a little self indulgent and very much in the style of the legends that he has attributed it to, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. "Leave a Tender Moment Alone" and "Keeping the Faith" were both released as singles late in the piece, and again their style mixes in within what has come before them.
In later years, what this album has reminded me most of its one of those K-Tel compilation albums of the era, when the ads proliferation our TV screens of the 1980’s, with a variety of songs from bands of the late 50’s and early 60’s, where they styles change from rock n roll and do-wop to soul and r and b. It’s just that all of the songs here are composed and performed by Billy Joel, and combine to make a unique sounding album for the mid-1980's.

When this album was first released, I loved it. I loved almost all of the songs on it, and especially those that were released as singles. I enjoyed the fact that it was not the usual new wave pop music that was dominating the radio at the time. The change of pace, the fun side and the soft side, it was all terrific. And that is how I remembered it, up until about a decade ago, when I started to go back and listen to all of Billy Joel’s discography in order, and break them all down for reviews for my music album review blog at the time. And that process was eminently enjoyable, until I reached “An Innocent Man”. Why? Well, what seems to have changed for me from the time of this album's release in 1983 through to that point in time is that while I enjoyed and loved the renditions of the songs back when they were released, at a time when I was beginning to discover music in a larger way, and enjoying everything that Billy Joel was releasing, now I find them... less interesting, bordering on boring in some cases. I believe most of that was because I had always remembered in my head how much I enjoyed that album, and that once I listened to all of Billy’s other material all together, I found the weakness – the kryptonite – of this album. That it now sounded like an album of the 1950’s and 60’s, and not an album of the 1980’s.
It's fair to say that I have mixed emotions over this album now. I still recall the love I had for it back in the mid-1980's and trying to come to terms with that in comparison to some of the doubts I harbour for it now makes it a juggling act. There's no doubt that I don't feel as positive about songs such as "Easy Money" and "Leave a Tender Moment Alone" and even "An Innocent Man" and "The Longest Time" as I did thirty years ago. That doesn't deny the fact that despite its change in style from other albums of his, this was still a big part of my early teenage years. And it doesn’t mean I think this is an average album, it just means that my thoughts on it have changed with the onset of time, for many reasons.
I have had this going for three weeks now in preparation for this episode, and while it still has good moments, for me it has become a little dated. It may sound like I am putting the album down, but more importantly I just think I have grown away from the music as it is written.

907. Billy Joel / The Nylon Curtain. 1982. 3.5/5

With multiple number one albums now under his belt, and hit singles that were being played around the world, and with a continued desire to experiment with his own style and diversify his own music, there is little doubt that this is exactly what Billy Joel does on The Nylon Curtain. The music again appears divided, with the style and setting of the songs showcasing different sides of his writing personality.

"Allentown" is a another of those Billy Joel best constructed songs that invokes the basic emotions that he is trying to convey by the course of a couple of tricks of the trade, here with the steam mill sound punctuating the track throughout and his own impersonation of that sound, while the piano and guitar make their own parts of the song their own.
"Laura" might want to be drawing in those Beatles references and influences within in the song, but what hurts it a little in my opinion is that it just goes too long. Five minutes for a Beatles song? Perhaps by the conclusion of their time, but their best songs were always the tightly constructed three and a half minute tracks where nothing dragged out to become boring. "Laura" for me does that. A shorter tighter version would have fitted better.
The distinctive keyboard riff that dominates "Pressure" has always been catchy and a major influence on the song and its popularity. The vocals and music come across as frantic and elevated, increasing and enhancing the lyrical content, and setting the scene of the song by creating an atmosphere of pressure within the music itself. This is followed by the emotionally charged "Goodnight Saigon", whose slower building influence through the music and vocals is carried by the chopper blades during the intro and outro.
When it comes to the second half of the album, it feels a bit the same way that the second half of Glass Houses comes across. None of the songs really seem to capture the imagination like those on the first half of the album. The fact that everything here has obviously been constructed with a theme in mind means that the listener will either accept it and enjoy it, or just be confused by it. It starts off with "She's Right On Time" and "A Room Of Our Own", and those influences are immediately obvious.
"Surprises" may as well be John Lennon's posthumous song, such is the writing of the song, and Billy's vocals which are without doubt mimicking Lennon's style inimitably. More of the same follows with "Scandinavian Skies". And the songs are good, there's no problem there. But do you need to hear Lennon singing a Joel song? Is the trouble you go to in order to create two songs such as these, with their distinct renditions of the style of one of your influential bands, worth the creative process to put on an album that is showcasing your material? the same question can be asked of the closing track, "Where's the Orchestra?" which while giving a more Paul McCartney impression on the song still has the same values attached. Should I be listening to a Billy Joel album and wondering why I am hearing songs that may just be modernised Beatles themes?

Once again a Billy Joel album leaves me feeling conflicted. I feel I should be rating this highly, because the music performance is once again top notch, with a perfect combination of all of the instruments which bring the perfect emotional level to each song. But again, the mixing of styles almost always leaves me feeling as though something is lacking, missing, or just not as I expected. It's probably the latter. Given that, this is still yet another all encompassing album that stretches the formwork of the talents within the band, and gives off more highlights that it holds back.

Rating:  "You have no scars on your face".   3.5/5

906. Billy Joel / Songs in the Attic. 1981. 3.5/5

Songs in the Attic indeed. Releasing a live album at this stage of his career was a no brainer, not only because it would give him and the band a break from writing new material, but it also gave them the opportunity to showcase their wares in the live environment. What it also did was to bring to light songs from the early albums of his career that for the most part would have been almost unknown for many of his fans who had only come to discover him through the success of The Stranger.

Perhaps the best part of this album is that almost all of the songs sound much better in their live setting here than they necessarily do from their studio versions on the albums they originate. Perhaps it could be argued that the production here, helmed by Phil Ramone once again, is part of that process. but it is hard to argue that the band sound great live on stage, and the larger and fuller piano sound along with Billy's vocals when singing to an audience rather than an empty studio are also major factors in this.
The songs that appear here are, for the most part, the best songs from his early work, though most were (and probably still are) relatively unknown to his fan base. And they sound better, fuller. "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)" opens the album in style and sounds terrific here. "Summer, Highland Falls" and "Streetlife Serenader" are also upgraded here from their excellent studio versions, and given more life in the process without harming their initial fabric. "Los Angelenos" perhaps drags a little, but still sounds good. Two of Billy's early notable tracks, "She Got a Way" and "Everybody Loves You Now" are given a prominence here that they deserve. This live version of "She's Got a Way" made it into the charts upon its release, more so for the fact it was a "new" song to many who heard it.
The second side of the album is kicked off by the heavyweight duo of "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and "Captain Jack", which both crackle on these live versions. Billy's vocal enthusiasm along with that of his band draw the best out of both these excellent songs, and the albums would have been worth it for these two songs alone. The final three songs are still hit and miss, and while the live renditions sound great, the trio of "You're My Home", "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" and "I've Loved These Days" aren't quite the dynamite finish you would prefer on an album of note.

When this was released it was an excellent way to get a taste of those early Billy Joel songs, and a feel for his writing in those days. Strangely enough, it is perhaps still the best way to experience his early work, as the majority of his best songs from that period are here, and performed wonderfully well.

Rating:  "Captain Jack will get you high at night, and take you to your special island".  3.5/5

905. Billy Joel / Glass Houses. 1980. 3.5/5

Over a career that had already spanned over a decade by the time it came around to 1980, Billy Joel had parlayed a talent in music into a burgeoning career that saw his popularity on an ever-increasing curve. His early albums had seen songs make themselves popular on the radio, which in turn saw greater attendances at live gigs in the US and more so around the world.
His 1977 release “The Stranger” has exploded this ever further, yielding four top 25 hits on the US Billboard charts in “Just the Way You Are”, “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song), “Only the Good Die Young” and “She’s Always a Woman”, along with another fan favourite n “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”. “The Stranger” also reached #2 on the album charts in the US and was top ten around the world. This was followed by his next album “52nd Street” in the following year which went to #1, and with other big selling singles in “My Life”, “Big Shot” and “Honesty” Joel had reached a peak point in his career.
Flowing on from the revitalisation of his music, which was now successfully finding its way all around the globe, the promise of his next album “Glass Houses” found itself fighting its way in a new world of music genres. With the time span of his two previous albums, the music world had seen the rise in popularity of the disco scene, and on the back of this had seen the rise of the punk scene. Joel’s two albums had sliced through those genres and topped the charts with his piano based romantic ballad styled hits, along with some mid tempo almost-rock pop tunes to help out along the way. One of the things Billy had been able to do over the years was to not only ride out the popularist music of the time that he was writing new material but also be able incorporate change in his own music writing that suited where he was at that point time both personally and in music. In this regard, it has been suggested that “Glass Houses” is his answer to this time in music, that he incorporates closer to a full rock album on this release while also fusing in some new wave elements that were beginning to make their mark on the 1980 music scene. Whether or not that was the intention he had here or even that there was this kind of thought behind it, there are more songs on this album that fit into the upbeat variety than the reflective piano dominating songs that were a feature of his early albums. And listening back to this album now, and reflecting just what was happening to music at the turn of the 1980’s decade, there is just that possibility that Billy Joel had timed his run with this style of album to a nicety.

The first side of this album is excellent and probably the one where casual listeners to Billy Joel’s music will enjoy the most. It is where the most concentrated of his best songs appear. "You May Be Right" opens the album with the sound of glass smashing, no doubt from the rock Billy holds on the cover of the album, about to throw through the window of his own home at the time. This is the upbeat, guitar driven rock number that signifies that change in the way the album is heading. Billy sings his lyrics in forthright fashion with an attitude that befits them, and the guitar solo is accompanied by the saxophone that was to proliferate the new wave era ahead as well. This was the first single released from the album and starts “Glass Houses” off in style. “Sometimes a Fantasy” has a strong guitar riff throughout but also brings in a synth riff through the chorus and into the middle solo section of the song to again signify that this album has the rock and new wave parts combining to give it a place in both genres at a time when both were influencing the music trends. This is very much tied to the era and its influence on the album is significant. This is then completely reversed by “Don’t Ask Me Why” which follows. "Don't Ask Me Why" has very Beatles-esque qualities about it, or at the very least a George Harrison slash Paul McCartney style, which lightens up the album a touch from the opening two songs. Billy’s vocals on this track definitely channels both of those amazing voices that proliferated that band’s songs, and even now when I hear this song, I can almost see the Beatles playing it. This is followed by "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me", one of my favourite Billy Joel songs. His conversational tone throughout, singing back and forth to himself in conversation, and with another great sax spot in the middle of the song, works exceptionally well in making it not only an easy song to sing along to, but also makes a song that fits easily into any music playlist. This was the third song released as a single form the album, and became Billy Joel’s first US #1 single. The concluding track of side one of the album is the light and upbeat “All for Leyna”. This is a real piano rock song, with Billy’s tinkling of the ivories taking centre stage, and then switching to synth and guitar in the middle of the track.
All five songs on side one of the album were released as singles in some territories, while none of the five on side two were released in that fashion. Was this a deliberate ploy? To stack side one with the main songs, and then leave side two to fend for itself? They certainly aren’t bad songs, but they have nothing that jumps out at you or grabs your attention to make them stand out from the pack, or for the most part even get you tapping your foot or singing along with the lyrics.
“I Don’t Want to Be Alone” is built around the piano and Billy’s vocals again, both leading the song through the majority of its tenure on the album. "Sleeping with the Television On" has its moments, while “Cetait Toi (You Were the One)” falls back to his piano based ballad style, with lilting vocals over his softer toned piano. The final two songs hover around the same structure as the interspersed rock style. “Close to the Borderline” has Billy venting about the pressures being put on by the environment around him and how close it is pushing him to a breaking point, with lyrics like “Blackout, heatwave, .44 caliber homicide, The bums drop dead and the dogs go mad, In packs on the west side, Young girl standing on a ledge looks like another suicide, She wants to hit those bricks, 'Cause the news at six gotta stick to a deadline” while the closing track “Through the Long Night” again tends to channel a Beatles tune, the vocals again particularly imitating that range of harmonies that they were so wonderful at.
The selection of tracks for each side of the album makes for an interesting conversation. If the better songs were spread more evenly through the album, would that make the album a better listen? Or by putting what is commonly believed to be the better songs all on the first side of the album, and allowing the second side of the album to become a bit too similar and familiar without anything standing out that makes you not only want to listen to it but make you remember anything about the songs there at all, does that make it easier to market by bringing in everyone on that first half of the album?

My introduction to Billy Joel came via the singles released on the radio, and over the first half of the 1980’s they began to endear themselves to me. In particular this occurred with the release on “An Innocent Man” album and the single “Uptown Girl”. My first album though was the “Greatest Hits Vol 1 & 2” double album which I received for Christmas in 1985, with all of those great songs from his career to that point. And I played that a lot and have done so in the 40 years since I got it. But it wasn’t until much later in life that I began to go back and collect the individual albums to find out what his other material was like. “Glass Houses” was one that I had heard around different places, not the least my in-laws, where my mother-in-law Christine was a big fan of his and in particular this album.
As I have already alluded to, the first side of the album is where all of the singles came from, and it is fair to say the best songs on the album. I was always a fan of “You May Be Right” and “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” before I got this album, and “Don’t Ask Me Why” and “All for Leyna” were also familiar but became favourites as I listened to the album. “Close to the Borderline” has always been an interesting song, and I think it is the lyrics that intrigue me the most and were what led me to enjoying that song along with the harder sound of guitar and drums on that track. And the very Beatles-like sounds and harmonies of both “Sometimes a Fantasy” and “Through the Long Night” are wonderfully well performed, and whether or not those similarities are deliberate or not I enjoy them both for Billy’s talent and those familiar tones.
I’ve had my CD copy of this album on this week, likely for the first time since I picked it up. When it comes to Billy Joel, I will generally default back to my “Greatest Hits 1 & 2” for its known qualities, but when I do go to an album it is always enjoyable. And this one is no exception.
I haven’t actually done a ranking of Billy Joel’s album to this point in time – yes, yes, I know, very slack – but of his 13 studio albums I would suggest it is in the top five, not in the top two. That’s the best you are going to get at this point in time.
Billy’s career continued to rise through the 1980’s decade, with more albums and singles and sellout out concerts. This point of his career was arguably in the middle of a 6-7 year period where he sat on the crest of that wave and rode it into shore. And some of his most iconic material was still yet to come.

904. Billy Joel / 52nd Street. 1978. 3.5/5

With the world at his feet, Billy Joel set about trying to come up with a follow up album to be compared with The Stranger. Given its success and the pressure on him to find a collection of songs that would instill the same amount of excitement from his fans would have been daunting. It went on to become his first number one selling album in his native U.S, but was that on the back of past performances?

The opening track is brilliant, and Billy's vocals drip with irony and attitude throughout "Big Shot". "Honesty" comes straight at you with its balladesque basis, but in a different way from those on the previous album, "Just the way You Are" and "She's Always a Woman". They felt positive and happy, whereas this is loaded with sadness and disappointment. The different feeling it provokes causes a conflict with that from the opening song. This is exacerbated by the next song, "My Life", which again mixes emotions through the song with an upbeat tempo in the music. All three songs are some of the better known in Billy Joel's discography, and while I love "Big Shot" and "My Life", "Honesty" seems out of place with its dip in vibe.
"Zanzibar" is one of those songs in Billy's career that shines in its place, even though it was not released as a single. The many references to being in a bar and sports personalities and events, along with the a very jazz-influenced style in the music, makes it a easy and rewarding track.
"Stiletto" has an unusual structure, mixing staccato lyrical passages with two different sax breaks, a piano medley in another part as well as finger clicks which change up the way the song breaks. I like the song, maybe because of maybe despite the unusualness of it. "Rosalinda's Eyes" was apparently written about his mother, though the song doesn't grab me so much. "Half a Mile Away" returns to a upbeat style of song to lift the mood along the way.
"Until the Night", while inspired by the Righteous Brothers and having a sound that emulates theirs quite convincingly, for me is just a little too repetitive and a little too long to get the most enjoyment out of. Bring it in at about four minutes and then perhaps I would be OK with it, but it does feel as though it is dragging out longer than necessary by the time you get to the end of the song. The album concludes with the short and sweet title track "52nd Street".

While this is a good album it doesn't live up to its predecessor, but that was always going to be a huge task. What 52nd Street offers is some more very good songs, some that use the same pedigree as what has come before, and others that have taken a chance on a slightly different direction. Taken on face value without any negativity, this album is an enjoyable and interesting listen.

Rating:  "I don't care what you say anymore..."   3.5/5

903. Billy Joel / The Stranger. 1977. 4.5/5

Though I wasn't old enough to know how all of these albums performed on their release during the 1970's, by listening to the first four albums in order of their recording, you could see a pattern emerging. A pattern where the talent of Billy Joel and his band in each recording was obvious, but that there was something that was just holding back each album from becoming a breakout, an album that everyone wanted and knew. Rather than an album where one or two songs stood out from the others around them, producing an album that had no weak points, only great songs one after the other. With The Stranger, Billy Joel hit the jackpot.

This is an album where everything comes together, a perfect storm of song writing and performing, of getting the right mix of moods and tempos so that they work together rather than standing alone in a stark environment, so that although each song is memorable, it doesn't feel as though it has drawn all of the spotlight of the album, leaving the rest to make up the numbers.
From the beginning the album feels right and encourages you to sing along and enjoy the ride. "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" starts out in a jaunty story that combines Billy's wonderful story telling style in an easy going song that is immediately enjoyable. This segues nicely into the whistling tune that is "The Stranger", complemented by the piano and horns. Despite the somewhat sinister subtext of the lyrics, this is a terrific song, once again very easy to sing along with as the music and vocals roll along.
"Just the Way You Are" is another of Billy's easygoing, ballad love songs that he does so well. It was his first top ten single in the US, and by his own admission was a song that neither he nor the band liked very much. Must be tough writing a song you didn't like but became your biggest selling song to that point in time. This is followed by "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", another lengthy story in song form, which has a wonderful mood about it, as well as three separate 'chapters' that have changes in the music through the song.
"Vienna" starts off the second side of the album with its basis of piano and drums with Billy crooning over the top. "Only the Good Die Young" changes tack again, back into upbeat sassy movement pushed along by the band at its best. "She's Always a Woman" should be a song that never appeals to me. It is in that genre that I steer clear of, that I don't want to be a part of. The love song, the crooning ballad, is the type of song that usually has been running screaming to the hills in every other style of music I listen to. Well, the story of the matter here is that this is sung and played so beautifully by Billy that you can't help but love it. The performance is spectacular and subtle, quiet and reflective and yet soaring when it needs to. It is a terrific song, and surprisingly enough one that I have never had a problem with admitting that I like, even with scorn and ridicule from others around me. Go figure.
"Get It Right the First Time" is a lightweight, upbeat song that utilises the flute to give it an airy feeling throughout. The album closes with "Everybody Has a Dream", which was written back around the time that Cold Spring Harbor was recorded. It has the easy feeling that many of the songs off that album have. This is followed by a reprise of "The Stranger", with the piano and whistle fading out to complete the album on a high note.

On all counts, this is Billy Joel's finest album. It was the moment that he found the magical component he was looking for that elevated him to that next level, and produced songs that could appeal to people of all ages. Despite the half a dozen songs that came on the first four albums that should be considered as essential Billy Joel classics, for the beginner, this would be the perfect place to start.

Rating:   "Sinners are much more fun, cos only the good die young".  4.5/5

902. Billy Joel / Turnstiles. 1976. 3/5

Whether or not the album is written exclusively about Billy's own departure from the west coast of the US to return to his home back on the east coast and New York, the influence in the writing and the references to both are plentiful on this album. Everything seems positive in one direction and maybe not the other! As a device to produce a more enthusiastic follow up to the somewhat laid back effort that was Streetlife Serenade it has for the most part appeared to succeed.

The opening joyousness expressed in "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" kicks off the album on an uplifting note. Yes, Billy Joel's best music contains either positives overtones or an upbeat tempo in the song, and this does it best on both levels.
"Summer. Highland Falls" is characterised not only by a constant rolling piano playing that even sounds like a river gently flowing towards the falls, it has the clarinet in the middle of the songs that also brings up visions of that forest area that the river is flowing through. The reggae styling of "All You Wanna Do Is Dance" are probably what hinders the enjoyment of this song for me. Reggae is not my thing, and while the song itself is harmless it does detract from the album for me.
"New York State of Mind" is a brooding, moody song, one that finds its way forward in a stuttering way, mixed with sax and piano. It has become a favourite even though it was not released as a single. Personally I enjoy it enough to sing along to when I hear it, but it isn't a song I go out of my way to find. "James" then opens the second side of the album, and to be honest I feel the same way about it. It's a song that is well regarded within the Billy Joel community, but it doesn't strike a lot of chords with me.
Billy's story-telling songs are generally some of his best. In particular, those songs where he sings along at a speed where he seems to be trying to fit two lines in a space where there is only room for one are his most descriptive and most fun to learn and sing along with. "Angry Young Man" is such a song, and is one I enjoy for all of those reasons. Both sides of the story seem to come here, the description of the 'angry young man' and the reflective side from one who has seen (or been through) it all before. The frenzied piano keying of "Prelude" to start and then complete the song adds to the drama of the song. Terrific stuff.
"I've Loved These Days" brings the tempo and mood back a cog again, which is slightly disappointing on a personal level after the previous song, while "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)" does build throughout the song, but in the end ends as so many songs of this era of Billy's music do, on a slow decline to a single tempo that is enhanced by his marvellous vocals and terrific piano, but as songs perhaps only just come in above the average.

This album has more than its predecessor to enjoy, both overall and in the choice of two or three excellent songs of their own accord. As a whole it does still sit within the range that all of his first four albums have done - great musicianship and some cracking tunes, though rounded out by many songs that eventually all have the same modus operandi, and thus not breaking them out of the average to the extraordinary.

Rating:   "And he's proud of his scars and the battles he's lost".  3/5.

901. Billy Joel / Streetlife Serenade. 1974. 2.5/5

After two albums that had had varying degrees of success and popularity, and a career that was beginning to head in the right direction, the story goes that Billy Joel was under some pressure from the record company to get out another album to build on the success of Piano Man. Writing time was at a premium, and one could safely say that that does seem to come through in the music on Streetlife Serenade.

"Streetlife Serenader" starts the album off calmly and, dare I say it, serenely. As it turns out, the opening song seems to set the standard for the majority of the album, as for the most part the songs here are set in a calming atmosphere that is rarely broken free of. "Los Angelenos" and "The Great Suburban Showdown" are songs that are fine but that don't quite break out of the mould that has been set here. "The Great Suburban Showdown" could have been an Eagles song without the harmonies that band would have brought to the table.
"Roberta" is a pretty song, featuring the best of Billy's 'sweet' vocals. "Last of the Big Time Spenders" is again kept afloat more by Billy's marvellous vocals than by the music itself. "Weekend Song" sounds like it should be being performed live in a blues club, while "Souvenir" is a short piano ballad which on its own is another that showcases the best of his ability on both the keys and his vocals.
The two piano instrumentals on the album are of differing styles, and both are excellent. "Root Beer Rag" is very much as the title suggests, a honky tonk ragtime musical piece "The Mexican Connection" closes the album in its beautiful style, upbeat in mood and writing, it has the other instruments firmly in the background while the piano takes centre stage. It is a clear, crisp musical interlude to finish off the album on a high note.
"The Entertainer" is the song that stands out from the crowd on this album. It is the one song that shows some urgency, some real passion and energy. The song builds throughout its 3 minutes and 41 seconds, with another instrument coming into the song with each verse, until by the end we have a cacophony all blended together to make the song sound like a musical production in itself. Billy's vocals also build through the song, starting off quietish as he explains his way through his career, until we get to the end where he is at his biggest point. It's a cleverly written and performed song, which is still one of my favourites of his, and really does tower over this album as its masterpiece.

I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about this album. You can't question the musicianship on the album, but it does feel as though there is something missing in the song writing. "The Entertainer" is the absolute stand out song on the album, but apart from that the others all have little to distinguish themselves from the ordinary. It is an easy listen to put this album on and let it run through, but even now when it is over, there's probably not a lot of encouragement to listen to it once again.

Rating:  "I'm not a serenader, and I'm not a long haired band".  2.5/5

900. Billy Joel / Piano Man. 1973. 3.5/5

Billy Joel had been through some tough personal issues leading up to gaining his elusive first recording contract, and once this had occurred he would have felt that those troubles would have been over. However this was not to be, and having his first album “Cold Spring Harbour” mixed incorrectly and mastered at too high a speed meant that he was extremely unhappy with how that first album had turned out. Whether or not he would have been able to extricate himself from that contract without help is unlikely, at least not without a lot of pain. In the long run, he had a stroke of luck, and Columbia Records came knocking on his door offering him a chance after having seen a live recording he had made for a radio station become an underground hit. He was still legally bound to his first record company, but eventually (apparently under some pressure from Columbia) that contract was sold to his new label, and he was able to move forward on a major record label.
The release of “Piano Man” on Columbia thus gave Billy Joel an international profile that may well have exceeded his expectations. It certainly gave him a chance to show that apart from his song writing he was able to incorporate much more into his music than just lyrics and piano. He moved to Los Angeles on signing his contract and remained there for three years. For six months when he first arrived he played at The Executive Room piano bar on Wilshire Boulevard. It was during that time that he observed those around him, the customers he saw there on a daily basis, and slowly put together a story that he put to music all about the bar’s patrons. It was a song that was to become his signature piece, a song that would change his life and be revered around the world.

"Piano Man” immediately comes across as far more upbeat than “Cold Spring Harbour” both lyrically and musically. The opening track "Travelin' Prayer" reminds me of that old favourite "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", with the obvious reason being the violin fiddling away at a furious pace at different sections of the song. Add to this the honky tonk piano and the banjo and the similarities in style are complete. It makes for a great opening to the album. The titular track comes next, and "Piano Man" is the obvious gold nugget of the album, the song that has defined the artist and his career. Based around his own experiences of playing at a bar over those early years, the almost autobiographical song is known by people of all ages all over the world, and is the one song everyone can identify with Billy Joel. It still sounds as marvellously fresh and vital as it must have done on its release. "Ain't No Crime" is a good follow up, no doubt drawing on personal experiences to put together the lyrics, and sounding almost gospel in music and vocals. "You're My Home" was written by Billy as a gift for his wife on Valentine's Day, as he had no money at the time to buy her anything. It must be nice to be able to be talented enough to do such a thing.
"The Ballad of Billy the Kid" is lyrically, in Billy's own words, factually inaccurate, with many lines within the song having no part of the actual life of Billy the Kid. Despite this revelation, the song itself sounds great and is another sing-along hit.
"Worse Comes to Worst" opens up the second side of the album and combines variations of themes such as country, rock and gospel in a mix that strangely works, mainly through Billy's heartfelt vocals and marvellous piano playing. "Stop in Nevada", "If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)" and "Somewhere Along the Line" all feel a bit monosyllabic in regards to the music, if not the song lyrics themselves. "If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)" is the best of the three songs, but unlike the lively first side of the album, here it feels as though it gets bogged down a little.
"Captain Jack" was the song that is credited as the song which led to Columbia records wanting to and eventually signing Billy Joel to a record deal. On tour before this album was even thought of, Billy and his band played this at a live performance for a radio station, who then played that live version of this song for the next 12 months because of the number of requests they received to play it, not only gaining popularity from its listeners but gaining interest from record companies. It has been a favourite ever since, and one that I've always enjoyed because of the move from sublime to the raucous rendition of the chorus throughout. As a closing song, it is instrumental in wanting you to play the whole album over again because of the enjoyment you get from this finishing melody.
While the overall songs here are another step in the direction that Billy Joel eventually found as his middle ground, I would not class this as a better album overall than “Cold Spring Harbor”. The two standout songs aside, there is not much difference in the quality and enjoyment of the songs here and from his first album. they are all enjoyable and have wonderful musicianship, but there was certainly better yet to come.

Catching up to all of Billy Joel’s albums, especially those from the first half of his career, was something that I didn’t get around to doing until about 15 years ago. The singles from the radio I knew well, and then the Greatest Hits compilation that came out in the 1980’s filled a lot of other spaces. And occasionally I would be at a get together at someone’s house, and a Billy Joel album would come on. But as to actually getting those albums myself, and listening to them, it was some ways down the track.
Thus when I did get “Piano Man” and listen to it for the first time, I was still pleasantly surprised. The basis of his music is all here, written around his piano and vocals, and then expanded beyond that with other instruments and supporting vocals when needed. And listening to Billy Joel play piano and sing at you is always something worth doing. The songs here are his usual collection of lively upbeat songs and quieter more reflective songs, each with their own stories and derivatives throughout.
It is hard to believe that this album is 50 years old, perhaps because I didn’t hear it until so long after it was released, but more from the fact that the title track itself just doesn’t feel that old. Billy’s albums are all contemporary enough that they could have been written and recorded in any of the decades stretching from the 1970’s to the 1990’s, so the fact this one has reached its 50th anniversary is amazing.
I have listened to this a lot over the last 2-3 weeks, and it is still a great and easy listen. The songs that did not receive radio airplay are still solid tracks, and the album blends well together. For me it is somewhat true that it is the albums in the second half of his recording career that I enjoy the most, but that doesn’t change the fact that his albums of the early to mid-1970's are also very good. "Piano Man” is the epitome of that simile.

899. Billy Joel / Cold Spring Harbor. 1971. 3.5/5

I have only recently gone backwards in time to partake in the earliest Billy Joel albums. Like many of my vintage I know the popular tracks, and I know the albums from the late 1970's and early 1980's, but the first albums are mostly a mystery to me. In order to be able to complete my Billy Joel collection, I wanted to be able to say that I had experienced all aspects of the journey.

For the most part this is a sombre, melancholy and reflective album. Whereas the Billy Joel that most music listeners know has songs that are at an upbeat tempo and come out of the speakers with an enthusiasm that bounds, the majority of songs here are set back in recording, happy to float out at you rather than jump out. What you will hear is that wonderful piano sound that dominated the 1970's by both himself and Elton John. When that piano takes centre stage, with the drums and bass playing as the background, and Billy's vocals crooning over the top, that is when his songs, and this album, sounds at its best. "Falling in the Rain" and "Turn Around" are particularly good examples of this. They are favourites of mine on this album simply because they are the perfect mix of Billy's strengths, vocally, lyrically and the piano.
"She's Got a Way" is the best known of these tracks, as it has continued to creep into live sets through the years. I don't mind the song, but I don't think it is the strength of this album at all. "You Can Make Me Free" is what first lights up this album for me, if only because Billy brings his vocals and piano out the front for the first time, igniting the album in a away the opening track does not.
"Everybody Loves You Now" is the one song that differs from the norm, driven along by Billy's piano and showing off a disposition that is slightly out of character with the majority of these songs, though only because the others tend to slip on the side of misery. There is more anger in the lyrics here than anywhere else on the album, but it creates an uplifting vibe rather than a downward one. The other side of the coin comes through in "Tomorrow is Today" and "Nocturne", both lovely sounding songs but at the heart of the lyrics is... well... the broken heart. Certainly this is the case from the former song, which then segues into the instrumental piece of "Nocturne", but there is really no need for lyrics in this song to convey its emotional impact. There's no doubt about Billy Joel's talent in these two songs, one those explains his emotions perfectly with lyrics in the first song, and then perfectly in music in the second.
One should also quickly make mention of the fact that this was mastered at the incorrect speed, and this the vocals in particular sound anything but like Billy Joel. The stories regarding this event are out there for those interested in reading about them. Suffice to say Billy was not happy, and changed producer and record company from the following album onwards.

Some may say that casual listeners of Billy Joel's music would not like this album. To be fair, casual listeners would not even go looking for this album. It wasn't recorded for them. It was recorded as the first step to what Billy Joel and his music became. That's not to say the biggest fans will necessarily enjoy this either, but they at least will appreciate the skill and diversity that exists on this album compared to what came after it. There may not be a lot of joy and happiness within the songs on this album, but there is little doubt as to the talent that still exudes from it even in this modern day. Embryonic perhaps, but there is a lot to gain from taking the time to listen to this again.

Rating:  "Maybe you will find a little time to think of me".  3.5/5

458. Billy Joel / Greatest Hits Volume I & II. 1985. 4.5/5

A very nicely put together collection from back in the mid-1980’s, encompassing Billy Joel’s career to that point in time. I originally got this on double vinyl for Christmas when it was released. A decade later I updated and bought it on double CD, which included bonus tracks that I hadn’t had before, which made it even better.

While it was “Uptown Girl” that initially got me into Billy Joel, it came to pass that it was his older stuff that I probably enjoy more, and it was this collection that brought together all of his best stuff for me to listen to. “Captain Jack” and “The Entertainer” for me are just great. The diversity of his music, let alone the instruments he employs for his songs, and their style, is one of his features. Okay, there are the odd songs that I can quite happily skip past – “Always A Woman To Me” is the best example – and some songs seem strangely absent - "An Innocent Man" for instance, but the package is terrific.

For those that would like to see what all the fuss is about with Billy Joel, this is a good starting point. It’s pretty much where I started…

Rating: A great collection from a terrific artist. 4.5/5.