Billy Joel (Official Thread)

[CP/M User]

I brought some Billy Joel years ago (1995 or something), when Sony Music were flogging 2 Albums for the price of 1, so the albums worked out around $15 each. With that I got "An Innocent Man" and "The Stranger".
Initially I would have been playing both albums, though these days the album that stands out for me between the 2 is "The Stranger".

I'm bringing this up because the other Billy Joel was the subject of conversation at work, and I suppose that there are people who enjoy his music and those who don't and usually if someone doesn't like Billy Joel it may have something to do with the flare in their music, which I thought perhaps it is true of his 80s music. "The Stranger" doesn't appear to have much of that and just thought that if there is a good album for anyone to checkout for me it would be "The Stranger". But like I mentioned earlier I don't have much Billy Joel.

 

[Magic]

September 2017 is the 40th birthday of the Stranger.



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stranger_(album)

Just The Way You Are

 

[darklands]

Captain Jack is an amazing track. There's a line in there that is very personal to my family. Not sure if I've mentioned that on here before or not.

Surprised i had to get to page 8 of this thread before seeing mention of this song - easily up there with Scenes from an Italian Restaurant and Goodnight Saigon (lyrically) - quite 'daring' lyrically for its' time.
Loved Streetlife Serenade and Turnstiles (as much, more probably, as later stuff) - and Songs from the Attic.

Here's a quick top ten: (some of them are better on Songs From the Attic)
1. Captain Jack
2. Streetlife Serenader (the piano)
3. The Great Suburban Showdown
4. The Entertainer (the lyrics - v clever song [lyrically], making it sound easy)
5. Say Goodbye to Hollywood (the sound - the drums, the drum fade-out)
6. I've loved these days / Miami 2017 (cheating, but they always seemed to go together)
7. Movin' Out (lyrics - and the confidence [like on It's Still Rock n Roll])
8. Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
9. My Life (it's an age thing - things i [subconciously] associate with first hearing this song!)
10. Until the Night (very under-rated - is it even on one of the Greatest Hits albums yet? [I know; wasn't a hit (or a single)])
11. Goodnight Saigon (some good lyrics* - don't so much like the 'We all go down together bit'!)[obviously written by someone who wasn't there, or asking what it was about]
12. An Innocent Man
13. This is the Time
14. We Didn't Start the Fire (whilst the lyrics could be slated, they're also pretty good - and, what a song!; kind of different - where did this come from?!)

Could've chosen more from Streetlife and Turnstiles - but that would've been even more of a personal bias.

Wonder if this will be enough to kick-start this thread - anyone?

 

[Magic]

Piano Man turns 50 November 2023

Piano Man (Billy Joel album) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Full Album