Yesterday I went to see Billy Joel in DC. This was my second time seeing him — I had previously seen him at the Verizon Center in 2006. I wanted to share the set-list as well as some of my thoughts, so I put together this article. Below is a journal of my day, with…
In the fourth entry of our ongoing Mixtape series — in which one or more writers picks about twenty songs from under a single umbrella — we’re digging deep into some of our favorite non-singles from well-known artists. As always, we’ve included a Spotify playlist to listen to as you read. Someday’s Gone – All-American…
I’ve made it through six albums in my ongoing Billy Joel retrospective, which means it’s time to write a review for his seventh: Glass Houses. It’s certainly one of Joel’s best albums, and I’ve been listening to it again recently in preparation for writing the review. There’s one thing I noticed that I wanted to comment…
Album rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5) 52nd Street is The Stranger‘s jazzy little cousin, not quite so sophisticated or psychologically complex but a gem in its own right.
Over the past year, I have been working on writing in-depth reviews and features on Billy Joel’s discography. As I publish them, I will link to the articles in below Album Reviews (out of five stars) Cold Spring Harbor (1971) – *** Piano Man (1973) – ****½ Streetlife Serenade (1974) – *** Turnstiles (1976) –…
Last week, I posted a ranking of the 100 best Billy Joel songs. In this post, I take a look at the most popular Billy Joel songs according to aggregated listening data from Last.FM and how that compares to my selections.
I was driving home from work a couple months ago listening to Billy Joel’s 52nd Street (review forthcoming!), and I thought to myself, “No matter how many times I listen to Billy Joel’s discography, there are always some great songs that I had forgotten about and rediscover.” I am convinced that nobody since 1970 has written…
I have often thought about — and even attempted to draft — some sort of lengthy countdown of my favorite albums, but I keep talking myself out of it. For one, that would imply that my opinion is something worth examining closely by someone who may stumble on this site. This ain’t the Sight and…
Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5) With Turnstiles, Billy Joel experienced a creative breakthrough. One album later, with The Stranger, he experienced a commercial breakthrough to match it. Peaking at #2 and ultimately going 10× platinum, his 1977 smash catapulted him to stardom he’s maintained for 35 years. From the first listen, it’s not hard to see…
“Every one of Joel’s songs — including the happy ones — are ultimately about loneliness.” – Chuck Klosterman For a singer known best as a Tin Pan Alley-inspired, Broadway-loving, pop balladeer, Billy Joel has a pretty big dark streak. You may not hear it in “Just the Way You Are” or “Uptown Girl,” but Joel’s…