Billy Joel - "Greatest Hits Vol. III"

Released in 1997 four years after Billy Joel retired from Pop music. There had been a number of trials and tribulations between this Release and his previous hits collection released in 1985.

Between 1985 and '97 Joel had toured the USSR (1987), a great honor considering no American musician had been allowed to perform there during the cold war, which was documented on video and on album ("Kohuept"). He had two legal battles one with his manager who had stolen a large amount of Joel's money and his lawyer who had done similar things. He retired from music in 1993 and divorced wife of ten years Christie Brinkley in 1996. Also during this period he released only three new studio albums "The Bridge," "Storm Front" and "River of Dreams" all of which produced a number of hit singles and were big selling albums. Joel was also trying to recoup his stolen money so he toured extensively through the 1989-1994 era.

SO now we come to Greatest Hits III which by and large is a very well done hits compilation on par with his two previous comps. There are two big hits (which have actually been forgotten by most people and is possibly why they are not here) left off the disc, "Modern Woman" and "Big Man on Mulberry Street," but other than that this is a solid collection and a great document of the last part of Joel's recoding career.

The disc starts with two big hits that were left off his previous collection "An Innocent Man" and "Keeping the Faith" then flows into his late 80s and early 90s hits. These songs are very different from all his previous work as they are more slickly designed to be pop hits (the albums often contained a half hits and other half forgettable filler). But what is included here is excellent if slightly darker than his early work but great tracks one and all from "A Matter of Trust" to "River of Dreams" all his best latter work is here.

This compilation ends with three new recordings to entice big fans, all are covers however by Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, and Goffin and King respectively. All three are preformed in sleepy slow versions and only Joel's rendition of Dylan's "To Make you Feel My Love" sticks in the memory. But these three tracks are not on par with the rest of the hits and Joel seems to have halfheartedly thrown them on at the record company's request. Also as is par with Joel albums the booklet is just the song lyrics nothing more.

Other than that this is a great compilation especially since Billy Joel's albums from this period were often half hits and half forgettable this is a really necessary collection for fans and novices.

Billy Joel - "River of Dreams"

The first CD I ever owned and Billy Joel's last pop album of new material.  After his massive 1980s success Joel had been riding high on "An Innocent Man" and "The Bridge" when he found that his manager, since the beginning of his career, had embezzled nearly all of Joel's millions (Joel would eventually gave some of it back after a long legal battle).

For much of the late 80s and early 90s Joel had to tour excessively and also churn out hits singles to try and regain some money. Thus many of his post "Innocent Man" albums were comprised of a couple winning songs with a lot of filler that Joel seemed not to care about.

By 1993 Joel was fed up and told everyone when the album "River of Dreams" was released that it would be his last album and to date 2012 he has yet to release any new original material (he did compose a new classical album though in the late 1990s).

When I first heard this album in 1993 I thought it was spectacular and one of the best things I had ever heard but as I grew older and went through Joel's back catalogue I found it to be his most labored and produced album to date, also none of the joy he had in his music (that appears on "Innocent Man," "52nd Street," "Turnstiles" etc.) is largely absent though it does appear occasionally, particularly on the title track.

Since Joel planned this as his last album there is a heavy reflective quality in the lyrics and songs which gives a very somber tone. The last track is called "Famous Last Words" and ends the album and Joel's recording career with a chorus that sings "These are the last words I have to say."

While the songs sound good it is slightly sad that Joel chose to end his recording career with such a dark album and only four or five really great songs the rest sound good but are largely somber filler. On the up side the album was a smash hit with the excellent gospel infused title track becoming a giant hit that everyone was singing at the time. Other than that there is the sweet song to his daughter "Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel)," "The Great Wall of China" (obviously directed at his thieving manager) and "All about Soul." Also there is excellent artwork by the then Mrs. Joel Christie Brinkley.

This is not his best album but it contains one of his greatest songs and it will always have a special place in my collection as the first album I ever owned.

Billy Joel - "Greatest Hits Volume I & II"

After the massive success of 1983's "An Innocent Man" album Billy Joel took a breather by releasing his first (and as the title suggests second) greatest hits compilation. Released in 1985 as a double album package (you couldn't buy just one volume they came as a set) does its job of being a very good example of Joel's career up to that point. By 1985 Joel had amassed a massive amount of hits as well as good songs and fan favorites that were not released as singles. So it is obvious that no double disc compilation could collect them all so it is refreshing that the songs present are so well chosen.

Volume 1 (also disc 1) covers the years 1973-1977. Ignoring his botched independent first album "Cold Spring Harbor" (which was released in 1971 at the wrong speed making all the songs too fast. Later Columbia records re-released the album with the problems fixed in 1983) and starting with "Piano Man" and running through his first smash hit songs from "The Stranger" album. Though not all of the songs on this volume were actually big hits they were his charting singles (save "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" which is a Joel and fan favorite that became very popular in his live shows) from the period and were popular on radio and eventually became very popular after Joel became a superstar.

Volume 2 (also disc 2) covers his superstar years 1978-1985 starting with songs from the album "52nd Street" through 1983's "An Innocent Man." All the songs here are smash hit singles and there is at least one song from all five albums he released during this period. The compilation ends with two new songs, only available on this album, both of which became hits as well. "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" is a fun catchy life affirming pop song and "The Night is Still Young" is a haunting powerhouse even though it is really just a great melody and chorus (it is still one of my favorite Joel songs).

While some may gripe that three BIG hits were left off, "Honesty," "Keeping the Faith" and "An Innocent Man," this double disc compilation does exactly what it sets out to do in being a excellent gathering of his biggest hits and a perfect example of why Billy Joel is one of the biggest superstars of the 1970s and 1980s.

Billy Joel - "An Innocent Man"

Billy Joel had been riding high as a music superstar since 1977's "The Stranger" and he had at least two hit singles every other year with a new hit album. Released just a year after the incredibly ambitious, critically praised, but low selling (by Joel standards) "The Nylon Curtain" this album "An Innocent Man" released in 1983 is one of Joel's biggest hits, second only to "The Stranger."

 

1983 was a year of mega albums, Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and The Police's "Synchronicity" were just two other smash hits released that year. Billy Joel's "An Innocent Man" was no exception seven of the album's ten tracks were hit singles and this album bumped Joel into the 80s music superstar ranks along with Phil Collins and The Police.

Like his previous albums he finds his inspiration from other artists but Joel never ceases to make them his own and superproducer Phil Ramone makes sure everything is pure pop. And somehow even though everythign is decidedly retro it never ceases to have a 1980s feel and I mean that in a good way.

 

What is most interesting about this album is that it is a homage to the music of Joel's youth, focusing on styles of late 1950s and early 1960s Doo-Wop and R&B. "Easy Money" is a Wilson Pickett soul rocker, the title track is inspired by "Stand By Me," "The Longest Time" is straight 1950s acapella gold, "Tell her About it" is Motown pop, "Uptown Girl" is a Four Seasons popper and "Christie Lee" is pure Little Richard complete with Wooohooo's. "This Night" and "Leave a tender Moment Alone" are pure Joel love ballads and the album closing "Keeping the Faith" is a toe tapping gospel inspired number.

 

Aside from a great batch of songs, also helping the album sales were the retro style music videos that played on the then very popular MTV. The videos looked like mini musicals with "The Longest Time" having Joel and company dressed up like singing janitors at a high school and "Uptown Girl" featured him as a mechanic with a garage full of dancers and a supermodel as his customer. That supermodel was played by Christy Brinkley, at the time the most famous model in the world, and whom Joel was dating and would marry in 1985. Many of the songs on the album were inspired by her and proves the time honored theory (along with Eric Clapton's Layla album) that if you are a musician and you write a hit album about a woman she will fall in love with you.

 

On the down side once Joel and Brinkley divorced in 1994 he abandoned most of the songs from this album. This album also sadly marks an end to Joel's album excellence after a string of strong albums, this is his last to be fully formed. He would continue to write excellent hit songs but his albums would consist largely of filler after this. "An Innocent Man" is one of Billy Joel's finest albums and one of the pop classics from 1983, that has sadly become a little overlooked in his catalogue.

Billy Joel - "Glass Houses"

Ok my return to the alphabetical posts of my album collection.  The last time I was in order was Billy Joel's "Turnstiles." Here we have Joel's 1980 hit album "Glass Houses." In between the two albums were two smash hits "The Stranger" and "52nd Street" which had catapulted Joel from the sensitive guy who sang "Piano Man" to a music superstar and household name.

As always Joel was never praised much by the critics and that made him angry and music was exploring new territory with Punk and New Wave in the late 70s and early 80s. So this album is his response to all that.

"Glass Houses" was described by Joel as his punk rock album and while it really is not punk rock it is his most rock oriented album. Striping away much of the production aspects of his previous two records and focusing on his five man band. Producer Phil Ramone, who worked on Joel two previous albums, is back and makes sure that this is still a hit making pop/rock album.

While there is the tender "C'etait Toi (You Were the One)" and the McCartney-esque hit "Don't Ask Me Why"most of the songs are rockers "You May Be Right," "All for Leyna," "Close to the Borderline" and the excellent but often overlooked "Sometimes a Fantasy." Then there is the number one hit "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me," which is really a new wave style song with some punk leanings.

Overall "Glass Houses" has a harder edge than any of Joel's other albums and has some great songs that can only be found on this album, one of my favorites is "I Don't Want to Be Alone" with its catchy chorus and relatable story.  This album will please his die hard fans and critics because he moves away from some of his more familiar aspects and it is a good mark in Joel's catalogue.

Billy Joel - "Turnstiles"

"Turnstiles may not have been a hit, but it remains one of his most accomplished and satisfying records, clearly paving the way to his twin peaks of the late '70s, The Stranger and 52nd Street." - All Music Guide


In my opinion this is Billy Joel's finest album and like the quote above says it may not have been a huge hit but it is an immensely satisfying record with many of the songs becoming fan favorites. After recording his first three records in California, Joel decided to return to the greatest city in the world his hometown area of New York City. Joel's song writing abilities were at their peak at this point (he also sustained his abilities for over a decade) and he uses the album not only a vehicle for himself but also as something of tribute to his idols.


The opening track "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" is a tribute to Phil Spector (even borrowing the drum beat from "Be My Baby") and the pop styles of the early 60s. "All you Wanna Do is Dance" and "James" are Paul McCartney styles the former a caribbean influenced number. "New York State of Mind," one of the best love songs to the city, is Ray Charles. "Prelude/Angry Young Man" has echoes of The Who's rock orchestras (and also influenced John Mellecamp's "I Need a Lover" as well as McCartney's "Rockestra Theme"). The Sci-Fi album closer "Miami 2017" is a Broadway style show stopper. Yet despite all the tribute being paid Joel never ceases to make the songs completely his, sure they are inspired by other musicians but they are purely Billy Joel songs.


Then there are two of Joel's finest songs "Summer, Highland Falls" and "I've Love These Days." Critics have often harped on Joel about his lyrics but with lines like, "They Say that these are not the best of times, but they're the only times I've ever known," will easily silence those nay-sayers. These two are pure Joel. 


His melodic skills are on full display and the album is full with beautiful sonic landscapes and stories. These turnstiles are ones you will want to pass through again and again.

Billy Joel - "Piano Man"

Billy Joel is one of my all time favorite musicians, his "River of Dreams" album was the very first CD I ever owned. Joel is one of those artists that despite a massive amount of hits, great songs, awards, and huge fan base he is still not given the credit he really deserves (much like Sheryl Crow and Joel's idol Paul McCartney). Well all us Billy Joel fans know how great a musician he is and love him for it.

After listening to "River of Dreams" I went back into Joel's catalogue and started falling in love with his music. "Piano Man" was his second album and really the record that started his career. The autobiographical title track became Joel's signature song and he became know as The Piano Man.

Released in 1973 this album by and large takes a cue from other 1970s contemporaries by creating a series of characters and story style scenes, some of which Joel inhabits other times he is simply the narrator. His first album was firmly planted in the singer songwriter genre and this album employs some of those songwriter elements, "You're My Home" and "If I only Had the Words" but really he expands his sound into what would become Billy Joel trademarks. His excellent melody abilities are on massive display that make all the songs sound spectacular. He also employs Western/Cowboy theme through the album, such as the banjo hoedown of "Traveling Prayer," the "Magnificent Seven" style "Ballad of Billy the Kid" and the country tinged "Stop in Nevada."

Occasionally Joel sounds like Elton John, particularly on "Ain't no Crime," but by and large this is Billy Joel finding his musical voice and identity with three of his best songs, the title track, "Ballad of Billy the Kid" and the rocking album closer "Captain Jack."

This is one of his best albums even though it has a terrible and creepy cover that has nothing to do with the album. I almost did not put a picture up because the cover freaks me out. Billy Joel is one of the greatest pop/rock musicians of all time and this was his genesis.