The Billy Joel Catalog, Dispatch #15

Song: “All My Life“
Year: 2007

So, almost 15 years after Billy’s retirement from pop music, he releases a pop single of original music. This was seen as revolutionary. I bought it because I was and am a fan. What I found was that Billy didn’t so much write a new pop song as he wrote a really great Tony Bennett song. The lyrics, the tempo, the orchestration, and even his time-addled voice belonged in another era. And while this very good, very precise tribute to his third wife might have been destined to become a wedding first dance staple for generations, it is almost too cliche and corny for even that. It’s still a good song but it needs more time to rise.

Album: ‘A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia‘
Year: 2014

Now, though I wasn’t too enthralled with ‘Konsert’ I was interested in the story behind it. I received this box set for Christmas last year and finally sat down to watch the documentary that went along with it. What I found was a very good documentary about a concert series that seemed to be a daunting task in the late 1980s. Billy set out to the Soviet Union to play rock and roll for people whose government frowned upon that. What the documentary showed was the level of socio-political importance he put on the shows, the bonds he forged, and how the experience was truly a group effort. I think he gives himself a little too much credit with bringing western culture to the forefront in the Soviet Union at the time, but his impact on the people was undeniable. It was fun to watch him flip out over his tech crew shining lights on the audience, though.

Finally, I made a promise at the beginning and I wish to follow through with it here. I have made a mix of all of the Billy Joel tracks from each album I feel are deserving. Now, I must warn you, there’s a lot of deep cuts here. If I wanted to give you the hits I’d just upload the three volumes of his greatest hits and be done with it. Instead, I went the direction of some of the deeper cuts and stuff you may not have heard before. Honestly, if you’re going to get into his stuff, this is the best way to do it. The hits will come easily but this stuff isn’t always forgiving. You can download the zip file here or you can listen to it on Spotify here.

Thanks for keeping up with me through this. Next time I post, it’ll be about someone different. HOW NOVEL!