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