# Billy Joel



## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

One of my favorite rock composers/lyricists. He was classically trained too which is awesome.

Too bad he doesn't put out anymore music. Almost all of his albums are classics.

Any other fans here?


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

I think he has talent, but wasted a lot of it writing schlock. He has written Classical piano works, which I'm curious to hear.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

GreenMamba said:


> I think he has talent, but wasted a lot of it writing schlock. He has written Classical piano works, which I'm curious to hear.


Here's a playlist of the whole lot: (they're all, I think, highly derivative, i.e. all in some older 'classical' style.)





I don't think they would have seen the light of day if they were not by this well-known pop songwriter - performer.


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

Good pianist. His music isn't really my style.


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## scratchgolf (Nov 15, 2013)

Billy Joel was my first musical love and I have all his rock albums. I think _Glass Houses_ is his only weak effort. I consider him to be one of the most brilliant songwriters of the 20th century. Intelligent lyrics, without pretense, is difficult to pull off. He was able to accomplish this, in my opinion.


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## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Billy Joel. The Bridge was my favorite when I was younger, though doubtless its 80s synth sounds would sound dated if I played it again now.

Interesting looking at his discography now that there were considerably fewer albums than it feels like there were - especially considering the number singles.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I didn't get much into his music until two years ago. I like his music and that he wrote in many different styles. Plus, he has Phil Woods playing sax in Just the Way You Are; you can't get better than that.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I sincerely respect his playing. composing and arrangements ability but I simply can't stand his material. File under the likes of Andersson/Ulvaeus and Jeff Lynne who also are great at what they do/did but nevertheless leave me stone cold.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I remember seeing him in Ann Arbor live in 1978, but honestly I remember my hot date that night 10 times more. She was so happy that I had taken her to Billy Joel, and showed her appreciation later that night...to paraphrase Frankie Valli, oh what a night!


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## nikola (Sep 7, 2012)

Billy Joel a 'schlock'??? I don't agree. He is brilliant and talented melody maker. I'm big fan. I love many of his songs, but probably most favorite songs would be 'Leningrad'... 'And So It Goes' too. Only slightly weaker albums are his debut 'Cold Spring Harbor' ans 'Streetlife Serenade'. Almost no filler at all in his music.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

I liked his album _The Stranger_, and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant is my favorite song on that album.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Piano Man
Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
You May Be Right
Tell Her About It
New York State of Mind
Shameless

I love hearing those songs and quite a few others. I don't always like his songs or what he sings about, but when he's on, he's really on.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

nikola said:


> Billy Joel a 'schlock'??? I don't agree. He is brilliant and talented melody maker. I'm big fan. I love many of his songs, but probably most favorite songs would be 'Leningrad'... 'And So It Goes' too. Only slightly weaker albums are his debut 'Cold Spring Harbor' ans 'Streetlife Serenade'. Almost no filler at all in his music.


Agreed... every album is very good even up to his classical music compositions.


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## nikola (Sep 7, 2012)

Certanly, he is brilliant. I became his fan not long after I became Elton John fan. Since they both have somehow similar approach to composing (at least the results are similar) I think it was great idea for both of them to tour together. I'm pretty much sure that many fans of one of them are also a fans of the other one. Maybe I enjoy more Elton because of more musical variety, but to say that one is better than the other one wouldn't be fair. Elton has much more albums (cca 40), but they somehow vary in quality. Billy has only 12 studio albums and 90% of his work is brilliant to me. I also like his songs that some other find misogynist like She's Always a Woman, Stiletto or Laura. To me that is more art than singing something predictable what can we already hear in million of other pop songs.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

nikola said:


> Certanly, he is brilliant. I became his fan not long after I became Elton John fan. Since they both have somehow similar approach to composing (at least the results are similar) I think it was great idea for both of them to tour together. I'm pretty much sure that many fans of one of them are also a fans of the other one. Maybe I enjoy more Elton because of more musical variety, but to say that one is better than the other one wouldn't be fair. Elton has much more albums (cca 40), but they somehow vary in quality. Billy has only 12 studio albums and 90% of his work is brilliant to me. I also like his songs that some other find misogynist like She's Always a Woman, Stiletto or Laura. To me that is more art than singing something predictable what can we already hear in million of other pop songs.


What is very admirable is that Billy Joel retired from music rather than compose lousy stuff. Not too many pop/classical stars will do at the height of his or her career. River of Dreams was a fabulous album and wore the cassette tape out when I was in high school.


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## padraic (Feb 26, 2015)

Huge Billy Joel fan, my father was a big fan so his music was almost a soundtrack to my childhood.


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## nikola (Sep 7, 2012)

albertfallickwang said:


> What is very admirable is that Billy Joel retired from music rather than compose lousy stuff. Not too many pop/classical stars will do at the height of his or her career. River of Dreams was a fabulous album and wore the cassette tape out when I was in high school.


The River of Dreams song and video was my first introduction to Billy Joel and unfortunatelly that was his last album, so there wasn't anything new to hope for. It's very good album, although I'm not crazy about some songs. Favorites are River of Dreams, All About Soul, No Man's Land & Great Wall of China. I could live without the rest of the album.

For a long long time my favorite album was Storm Front. Some of my favorites are there: Leningrad, Downeaster Alexa, And So It Goes, I Go to Extremes and even We Didn't Start the Fire... it seem that people either hate or love that song.

So, there is of course The Stranger that gets better with years. Jazzy 52nd Street is great too with it's 2 biggest hits and Stilleto and Zanzibar. Even Until the Night is great song although on the verge of some kind of parody.

Glass Houses is funny parody to punk I guess. Really great energetic songs. 
Oh yes... I don't understand why many fans don't like The Bridge. It's brilliant album to me and there is no single song in which I wouldn't enjoy. Very melodic album with great variety of styles, yet all sounds great and cohesive together. Even Modern Woman that Billy hates is great to me.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

An Innocent Man for me is such a flawless classic. Short and totally harmonic!


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