Billy Joel

[marcosgt]

I suspect he's not very fashionable and some will discount him as the man who married Christine Brinksmatrobbery and did that rather naff video for Uptown Girl.

BUT... on recently hearing "Piano Man" somewhere I invested £1.27 in a CD copy of his Greatest Hits album which I've had on vinyl since it was first released and was reminded that he wrote (and performed) some great songs with a remarkable range of style and subject.

I especially like Only The Good Die Young, Allentown and Goodnight Saigon.

Anyone else prepared to admit to admiring his work?

M.

[SebastienClement]

Yes. A wonderful musician.

[robbyd]

Yes - love all the early stuff - started going downhill in the eighties for my mind, 'Streetlife Serenade' is a great album. Some very talented musicians in the band as well.

[RichB]

Yes, he's a very good piano player and a great lyricist so an all round singer songwriter. Indeed on the basis that Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics to Elton John's songs he's arguably the better musician. Anyway, I like his stuff.

[Gargamel]

The nylon curtain, is a very good album.

[RichB]

robbyd said:

?.. started going downhill in the eighties for my mind...

Don't you like We Didn't Start the Fire?

[Hammer67]

Yup, I love his early stuff ~ Say Goodbye to Hollywood, Captain Jack, Italian Restaurant, Allentown, New York State of Mind etc etc. Saw him in London last time he toured here, very good live.

[robbyd]

RichB said:

Don't you like We Didn't Start the Fire?

Can't stand it!
(sorry)

[jas xjr]

he may or may not be a good musician . i saw him on a couple of episodes of american chopper , he did not come across well

[croyde]

Brenda and Eddy had had it already by the summer of '75...........

[TwigtheWonderkid]

I like a lot of his stuff. I didn't realise it was a bit sad to admit to it.

[marcosgt]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

I like a lot of his stuff. I didn't realise it was a bit sad to admit to it.

I'm not sure it is, obviously a few of us don't think so

M

[RichB]

robbyd said:

RichB said:

Don't you like We Didn't Start the Fire?

Can't stand it!
(sorry)

Fair enough. That's the good thing about music we don't all like the same people but don't argue the toss like those on the F1 thread : hehe:

[Marvindodgers]

Billy Joel is a wonderful singer, musician and songwriter of some of the greatest American music of the 1970s. I have to say that I am not as partial to his work post approximately 1982, not to say that I don't like his later work. Funnily enough I see the same quality cut off in his UK counterpart Elton John (1970s, just great, post 1982, not so good).
Piano Man is one of my favourite albums of all time.

[SpudLink]

Marvindodgers said:

Billy Joel is a wonderful singer, musician and songwriter of some of the greatest American music of the 1970s. I have to say that I am not as partial to his work post approximately 1982, not to say that I don't like his later work. Funnily enough I see the same quality cut off in his UK counterpart Elton John (1970s, just great, post 1982, not so good).
Piano Man is one of my favourite albums of all time.

In my adolescence he was my favourite american singer/songwriter. It was said by some that he was a Plastic Springstein. Not sure why.

[marcosgt]

There's a lot to compare with Springsteen and Elton I think, but that's not a bad thing in either respect.

I quite like We Didn't Start A Fire and River of Dreams, but his earlier stuff's better (in the same way I'm Still Standing and I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues are quite good, but no Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting).

His 'working Guy America' songs are, I think, easily comparable to Springsteen's even if Springsteen looks more of a 'rocker' than Joel does, which is probably why he gets more 'cred'.

To my uneducated ear, he appears to have a greater range of styles than Springsteen and seems pretty adept at whatever he tries.

M.

[br d]

'Just the way you are' is a beautifully crafted song. Like a lot of his early stuff, not so keen later on.

[ClassicMotorNut]

Late '70s and early '80s stuff was his best. My Life was good, It's Still Rock and Roll To Me was very good, Uptown Girl was okay and We Didn't Start the Fire was st.

[stevep944]

Always been a fan, have all his albums but, like most artists, his early stuff is the best.

[singlecoil]

I have a couple of his singles in various compilations I have made, never heard any of his albums though.