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