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.
"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.
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