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!

The Billy Joel Catalog, Dispatch #14

Album: ‘River of Dreams‘
Year: 1993

Knowing this was his last record, and getting a feeling about how sentimental he can be about his music, his process, and the journey, I kinda figured he would give a tribute of sorts to his previous body of work. like a way to let people know that this was what he was all about, that the culmination of the last 22 years was in this album. Everything he sacrificed, everything he learned might be here in this one offering. He wanted to go out with a bang and a fitting ending. He almost got it.

He reminded us that he could rock out in his opener of “No Man’s Land,” he reminded he could still appeal to our essence with “All About Soul,” and he left an endearing pop staple with “River of Dreams” because he fucking could. But, though there are shades of his past in this album, the legacy he wanted to leave seemed to be one of his future mostly focused on his daughter in “Lullaby (Good Night, My Angel),” his wife with “Blonde Over Blue,” and even for himself with “Famous Last Words.” And while he tried packing if full of good memories, it was still a good-bye. He wanted to make it timeless but I think he was so wrapped up in emotion that he couldn’t quite get there. If anything, this album makes me want to go back and listen to all of this again just because.

Let’s hear it from the man himself! I’ll die happy knowing he got that ear-worm of a song stuck in his head before anyone else did. Vengeance?

Track of Distinction: “Two Thousand Years” is the song he wrote to help us, as a species, come out of the darkness of our own shortsightedness and our own fear into the light of love and acceptance. This song is as appropriate today as it was 25 years ago. And we think we’ve progressed.

The Billy Joel Catalog, Dispatch #13

Album: ‘Storm Front‘
Year: 1989

Texting with Nick about this album earlier in the day–even before I had a chance to sit down and listen to it–he asked me for my thoughts. I admitted I hadn’t listened to it yet but, from what I remembered of it it seemed like it and ‘The Bridge’ were like a double album that had been split and recorded three years apart. The blue/red album covers kind of support that but the album tones and sounds are very complimentary. After listening to it again, I find I was pretty right on the money, but for more reasons than I stated above.

With this album, and ‘The Bridge’ it’s like there are two Billy Joel’s fighting for control of the album. One wants to experiment, go to weird, wild places, try out these new sounds and techniques he’s seeing everyone else doing, and seeing if he can do it all better. The second is the one who knows what works, does it well, and does his best not to compromise. It’s the second Billy Joel that made the hits on this album. I mentioned before about the timelessness of his hits and all of them seem to be the ones that aren’t trying to keep up with the trends but as staying true to the artist, whether the artist wants to admit it or not. Songs like “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’,” “Lenningrad,” and “And So It Goes” are firmly in Billy’s wheelhouse. “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “I Go to Extremes” fit his career arc but in more modern terms, and the rest is just forgettable. But this proves that Billy is better when he’s not trying to chase some persona and allows his instincts to kick in.

Let’s hear it from the man himself! I did not know that about the beats. Very interesting.

Track of Distinction: It’s hard for me to not give this to “And So It Goes” because of its simplistic beauty. It’s one of those songs that, while it’s mostly a solo, fills any space with glorious sound.

The Billy Joel Catalog, Dispatch #12

Album: ‘Konsert‘
Year: 1987

So, this is another point in this journey that Nick and I will be differing. He is sticking to the studio albums while I’m branching out with a couple of live recordings. This second one was highlighted as a recording that was a must-have for any Billy Joel fan, not only because of it’s socio-political importance (only Nixon can go to China but only Billy Joel can go to Russia) but because it was one of the better live recordings. Not being a big fan of live stuff, I was willing to give it a shot. Kinda wish I hadn’t.

While I mentioned before that some of Billy’s harder songs come off better in a live setting (the whole reason behind ‘Songs in the Attic’), some of them do not fare so well. “Baby Grand” loses Ray Charles but gains Billy doing an awful Ray Charles impression. “Big Man on Mulberry Street” comes off as pandering and self-congratulating (which, I know, is the point of the song but it’s even more annoying live). This recording irritates me and I think it’s because it’s abridged. Last Christmas, I was gifted ‘A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia‘ which is the full, unabridged concert recording with some bonus rehearsal stuff and a documentary. I will probably listen to this after the rest of the studio stuff, and do another dispatch. But, as of right now, this is something Nick should be glad he skipped.

Track of Distinction: For some reason, “Sometimes a Fantasy” really pops in this live show. I don’t know if it’s because they really played up the rock aspects of it for the foreign crowd or if it just lends itself better live than it did in the studio; it just works.

The Billy Joel Catalog, Dispatch #11

Album: ‘The Bridge‘
Year: 1986

To say that I have been dreading this album since the onset of this journey is kind of an understatement. That’s not to say that there aren’t positives to this album–“A Matter of Trust,” “Baby Grand,” and “This is the Time” immediately jump out at me–but the album, as a whole, is just such a mess that it’s hard to get any pleasure from those songs because of the supporting company.

While this album was a commercial success for Billy, it’s also one of the low points of his as an artist. And while he may like this album (we shall see in a minute!) doesn’t mean it’s any good (see ‘The Nylon Curtain’). And I think the big part of it is that, outside of those three songs I mentioned above, nothing endures. They are products of their time and are hopelessly quantum locked to the mid-80s without a chance to be timeless.

Let’s hear it from the man himself! So, it seems Billy Joel is to blame for all those assholes in coffee houses “working on their screenplays.” Thanks, dick!

Track of Distinction: I got a vinyl copy of this album about a year ago and, one of the big reasons it didn’t get sold off to some random record shop–aside from the fact I’m obviously a huge Billy Joel fan–is the song “A Matter of Trust,” one of my favorites of his despite its failings. Perhaps my love for this song is a lie of the heart?

The Billy Joel Catalog, Dispatch #10

Album: ‘An Innocent Man‘
Year: 1983

While listening to this album, I got a strong sense that Billy was taking a step back and really trying to get to the roots of his love of music. When I went to Wikipedia and looked at this album, it turns out I was right. I don’t know if I had made this discovery before and it just settled into the unconscious recesses of my mind or if this was genuine. Probably the latter. Yeah, the latter.

And while we tend to debate cultural appropriation to no end these days, back in 1983 this seemed like kind of a no-brainer. Billy’s music just screamed his influences even from his early days. He wasn’t trying to be a revolutionary, he was trying to make good music that he would enjoy listening to. So, when he sat down and made msuic that seemed like a tribute to his influences in 60s doo-wop, pop, and soul, we get the likes of “The Longest Time” (a personal favorite), “Christie Lee” (which sounds like it could have been a Little Richard song), and “Tell Her About It” (a tribute to the Supremes) and a cast of others that really gives good context to Billy’s state f mind when he’s thinking about pure, uncut music.

Let’s hear it from the man himself! I could totally see “Uptown Girl” being sung by The Four Seasons.

Track of Distinction: I high school, when I first heard Billy Joel thanks to my procurement of the three volume box set of his greatest hits, I found myself attracted to “Keeping the Faith,” a song I contend was too upbeat and pure to close out this album.

The Billy Joel Catalog, Dispatch #9

Album: ‘The Nylon Curtain‘
Year: 1982

I can see why Billy Joel in the 1980s can come off as some sort of joke. Though I think he would push back at the notion that he is a slave to trends, Billy, at the very least, had some kind of fascination in some of the trends that were innundating pop music at the time. I don’t know whether he thought he was ebtter than the trend setters or just wanted to make something his own, but he sure went after a good number of them here (not as much as ‘The Bridge,’ but I’ll get to that later).

Like with his last studio effort, Side 1 on this album is dynamite. He took on The Boss with his own working-man’s anthem “Allentown;” he gave a Bill Withers-esque nod to Vietnam vets with “Goodnight Saigon” (though about six years later); he out-Peter Gabriel’d Peter Gabriel with “Pressure;” and he seemed to have a sixth sense about a relationship I would have nearly 20 years later with my own (and incidentally named) “Laura.” And while I adore this first half, the second side falls flat again, even with Billy trying his best with his homage to The Beatles ‘Sgt. Peppers’ with “Scandanavian Skies” or even weakly calling back to some of his 70s hits with “A Room of Our Own.” While I would assume that he’s running out of steam, I remember he always writes for himself and not necessarily for the fans so this might just be where he was.

Let’s hear it from the man himself! I’m sure it was exhausting turning your method on its head. Glad I called out ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ before I saw this. VALIDATION!

Track of Distinction: Though I kinda shit on it, “Laura” would be my pick from this album because of the conflict within the song itself so accurately mirrors the conflict you might have with someone like this in your life.

The Billy Joel Catalog, Dispatch #8

Album: ‘Songs in the Attic‘
Year: 1981

Sometimes, for creative people, creating something you think is pretty great only to have it shot down or ignored by people is kind of irksome. I know I have dealt with that kind of passive rejection in my life, too and I wish there was something I could do to get in people’s faces and draw attention to it without being a monumental dick. Billy found a way to showcase those songs he felt either weren’t appreciated well enough in their time or new fans might have missed coming in late, and he did it with a compilation live album.

Being someone who understands and embraces the inherent power of a live performance over a studio one, I really like this album. It finally does justice to songs like “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)” and “The Ballad of Billy the Kid” as these are songs that need the raw power of a live audience feeding the delivery. Plus, it gave “She’s Got a Way” off of Billy’s acrimonious first album a chance to shine in the way he wanted it to (in fact, this is the version that’s on ‘Greatest Hits I & II‘ instead of the studio version. In the studio, they felt flat but they seem to be redeemed here. Some don’t really need the live help (“Summer, Highland Falls” instantly springs to mind) and there were others that were left off for later live offerings (any live version of “Angry Young Man” is so much better than the studio) but this album did what it was intended to do: bring a more cohesive view of Billy into the eyes of his newer fans.

Let’s hear it from the man himself! Huh, I guess he didn’t really love all those songs.

Track of Distinction: “I’ve Loved These Days” gets the extra push it needed in the studio and elevates itself to masterpiece status.

The Billy Joel Catalog, Dispatch #7

Album: ‘Glass Houses‘
Year: 1980

By the time the 1980s came around, Billy finally decided to make a rock and roll record like–and this is just me talking–he always really wanted to. If you ever see concert footage of Billy, especially when he was younger, he really conducted himself like a rock star on stage. He is very in-your-face and very energetic on stage, so it shouldn’t have surprised anyone who was paying attention that this album was coming. This was more an eventuality than an experiment.

And boy, did it deliver! “You May Be Right” might be one of my favorite rock songs of all time and, if you’re ever riding in a car with me, listening to music, and that glass break sound happens, you had better bucking the fuck in and hold on because I’m going to belt out every lyric of that song off-key and at about 110 decibels. Nick can attest to this as he has seen that and a very infamous karaoke version, too. But, like ’52nd Street,’ the first side slaps while the second side wains with too many songs about the emptiness of a lonely life and not enough rock. Regardless, the first side makes the record and that’s fine by me. They all can’t be winners.

Let’s hear it from the man himself! I, too, don’t know what the fuck to do with my hands most of the time.

Track of Distinction: The back-and-forth style of “Still Rock and Roll to Me” and talking to that hipster devil on your shoulder still strikes me as great because, as a concept, it shouldn’t work, but it really does.

The Billy Joel Catalog, Dispatch $6

Album: ’52nd Street‘
Year: 1978

Coming off of an album like ‘The Stranger’ there’s a lot of really high expectations, and Billy found himself equal to the task. He had found a producer in Phil Ramone that “got” what he was trying to accomplish so he set out on the task to follow up a brilliant record with another. And, what tarted out good ended with kind of a plop. But it still garnered him the Grammy for “Album of the Year,” which seems kind of weird given the stiff competition that year.

The first side of the album is brilliant. The nice kind of yin-yang dichotomy of “Big Shot” and “My Life” on the same side wasn’t lost on me, the jazzy “Zanzibar” was an excellent chaser for the side, and the heart-aching but still too-early-on-the-record “Honesty” still kind of stings, but he makes it all work exceptionally well. It’s the second side where it falls apart with the lackluster “Rosalinda’s Eyes” and “Half a Mile Away” not really fitting the tone and mood he established on the first. Not even the ambitious “Until the Night” could save the album that ended up uneven and kind of flat on arrival. But, I guess it was good enough for the Grammy voters, so here we are.

Let’s hear it from the man himself! If I can be honest for a moment, I never noticed the trumpet in his hands until he called it out. I AM THE MASTER OF DETAILS!

Track of Distinction: There’s not enough love for “Zanzibar” in this world, so I’m going to give it some here. Go listen to it now if you haven’t had the pleasure. It’s kind of a weird ride but worth the price of admission.