The Billy Joel Discussion thread.

[Patriot07]

Lately, I've been really getting into his music. I mean, it's not like I'm just discovering him because my Mom was a huge fan of his as long as I can remember. And one of the first songs on the radio I can remember above anything is River of Dreams. On the flip side, I always feel being a fan of his is like a guilty pleasure. Like I can't discuss it in school for fear of being made fun of.

So, what do you all think of him?

[Shellhead]

When I first started getting into music as a pre-teen, Billy Joel was one of my favorites. He has a strong, clear singing voice, some interesting lyrics, and plays some great piano. By the time I got to college, my taste in music had moved on from Pop 40 hits to heavy metal, classic rock, prog rock and the blues. So Billy Joel became more of a guilty pleasure that I only enjoyed when nobody else was around, like Abba and Supertramp.

A few years after college, an older friend of mine had tickets to see Billy Joel in concert, so a group of us went. Billy Joel had a cold that night, so his voice sounded lower and rougher than usual that night, and he did a surprisingly good cover of a Doors song during the show. It was an okay show, nothing special.

My friend brought binoculars, so we took turns getting a close look at the stage from our nosebleed seats. What I saw was very disappointing. Billy Joel was really into it. His drummer (Liberty Divito?) seemed to be ino the music, or at least put on the appearance of having fun. And a backup singer named Crystal Taliefero, who was also a decent local musician (this was when I lived in Indy) was really having fun. (I think she was best known as the female singer on John Mellencamp's song Cherry Bomb.)

But everybody else on stage looked completely bored. Like it was some kind of shitty minimum wage job and they couldn't wait for the next smoke break. Months later, when I was selling off stuff to pay for my move to Minnesota, I sold off my whole record collection, including several Billy Joel albums.

These days, I'm not much into Billy Joel. He got really overexposed during his marriage to Christie Brinkley, and I moved even farther away in terms of my own tastes, dabbling in rap and punk, lots of alternative rock and grunge in the 90's, and more esoteric stuff since, courtesy of the local college radio station.

Even so, I may still end up buying a copy of The Stranger. I think that was his best album. 52nd Street was pretty good, too.

[DLFerguson]

I think his video for "A Matter Of Trust" is the best one ever made.

[rick]

I always really enjoyed his 70's work, especially Glass Houses and 52nd St. His 80's work comes across as kind of schmaltzy though.

Still I admire the guy for sticking to his own style and for writing some of the most personal "pop" songs ever.

[david r]

Like Rick, I like his 70s music the best. "Honesty", "Only the Good Die Young", "It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me", "Pressure" are all great songs.

Joel had so many hits. And I also enjoyed his foray into 50s music on 1983's An Innocent Man. That record was a departure for him, and a giant smash. But I feel after that LP, his later music did not compare. I do not even know if he still records new tunes anymore.

[DennyK]

His old material is actually pretty good, and I find the song Goodnight Saigon (the version that appeared on his Live in the Soviet Union album) to be particularily powerful. He was really good live as well, and it's a shame that he has become kind of a punchline.

[Deathstroke]

I really like his work. He always seems to craft solid pop songs that leave you humming the melody long after the song ends.

[Spike-X]

His drummer (Liberty Divito?) seemed to be ino the music, or at least put on the appearance of having fun.

That guy is awesome to watch. He doesn't just hit the drums, he HITS!! the motherfucking drums!

And a backup singer named Crystal Taliefero, who was also a decent local musician (this was when I lived in Indy) was really having fun. (I think she was best known as the female singer on John Mellencamp's song Cherry Bomb.)

Was she? I did not know that. I only know her name from when she was the sax player in Bruce Springsteen's "other band" in 1992-93. But we don't talk about that.

[Spike-X]

I think his video for "A Matter Of Trust" is the best one ever made.

Yeah, that was a great Bruce Springsteen video.

Oh, wait...

[Patriot07]

Like Rick, I like his 70s music the best. "Honesty", "Only the Good Die Young", "It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me", "Pressure" are all great songs.

Joel had so many hits. And I also enjoyed his foray into 50s music on 1983's An Innocent Man. That record was a departure for him, and a giant smash. But I feel after that LP, his later music did not compare. I do not even know if he still records new tunes anymore.

Agreed. Though I think that he could have had a great comeback if he produced more music like Leningrad, We Didn't Start the Fire, This is the Time and River of Dreams. I would like to see a new album of his stuff. Just to see if he's any good anymore.

[curefreak]

When I first started getting into music as a pre-teen, Billy Joel was one of my favorites. He has a strong, clear singing voice, some interesting lyrics, and plays some great piano. By the time I got to college, my taste in music had moved on from Pop 40 hits to heavy metal, classic rock, prog rock and the blues. So Billy Joel became more of a guilty pleasure that I only enjoyed when nobody else was around, like Abba and Supertramp.

A few years after college, an older friend of mine had tickets to see Billy Joel in concert, so a group of us went. Billy Joel had a cold that night, so his voice sounded lower and rougher than usual that night, and he did a surprisingly good cover of a Doors song during the show. It was an okay show, nothing special.

My friend brought binoculars, so we took turns getting a close look at the stage from our nosebleed seats. What I saw was very disappointing. Billy Joel was really into it. His drummer (Liberty Divito?) seemed to be ino the music, or at least put on the appearance of having fun. And a backup singer named Crystal Taliefero, who was also a decent local musician (this was when I lived in Indy) was really having fun. (I think she was best known as the female singer on John Mellencamp's song Cherry Bomb.)

But everybody else on stage looked completely bored. Like it was some kind of shitty minimum wage job and they couldn't wait for the next smoke break. Months later, when I was selling off stuff to pay for my move to Minnesota, I sold off my whole record collection, including several Billy Joel albums.

These days, I'm not much into Billy Joel. He got really overexposed during his marriage to Christie Brinkley, and I moved even farther away in terms of my own tastes, dabbling in rap and punk, lots of alternative rock and grunge in the 90's, and more esoteric stuff since, courtesy of the local college radio station.

Even so, I may still end up buying a copy of The Stranger. I think that was his best album. 52nd Street was pretty good, too.

the problem youre describing with his band isnt all that new,
most singer songwriters cant afford to hire the people who actually play on there albums
so they end up getting shitty touring musicians who are only theyre cause of the paycheck or at least act like it.
and theres very little consistency between the players cause most of them dont have the same sense of comradery as groups do,
i honestly think sheryl crow gets affected by this the worst most of the ones from the 70s and 80s had a fairly consistent group of people they trusted to flesh out theyre live music in comparison to now.

[david r]

Agreed. Though I think that he could have had a great comeback if he produced more music like Leningrad, We Didn't Start the Fire, This is the Time and River of Dreams. I would like to see a new album of his stuff. Just to see if he's any good anymore.

In 1989, Billy produced a modestly good record, Storm Front. Which had "We Didn't Start the Fire" and "I Go To Extremes". But since then, his hits have been few and far between.

Billy's real heyday were the 70s and early 80s, where he was a sort of "angry" singer/songwriter. He seems to have lost his way since. But yeah, a comeback record would be great.

[curefreak]

someone gave me "the stranger" i really dug it cause you could hear how ben folds five was influenced by him.

[Buried Alien]

He did some excellent work during the 1970s, 1980s, and the beginning of the 1990s. It's been nearly fifteen years since his last pop album, however.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Catman_3]

I love Joel's 70 stuff and I'm not a big fan of anything after Glass Houses.
The Stranger is my favorite album and Captain Jack is my favorite song