Billy Joel needs no introduction, so I’ll recount some facts, dispel a myth or two, and sprinkle a little personal flavor along the way! Although widely identified as from Long Island, Billy was born in Da Bronx 77 years ago. He grew up in Levittown, a neighborhood in Hicksville, in the City of Oyster Bay. He is a High School drop out. His father was a piano player of some renown, and at age 4 Billy’s mother insisted he take piano lessons- which he didn’t wanna do. Billy was an amateur boxer but quit the sport after having his nose broken! His first studio album (he made only 12), was 1971’s Cold Spring Harbor, not Piano Man. CSH was a commercial failure, causing him to leave Long Island to escape his contractual obligations to his first record label. He re-invented himself as Bill Martin (his middle name) in LA, playing in piano bars. The song that he wrote about that experience topped out at #25 on the Billboard Chart. Altho he had received some critical acclaim and did some touring, it wasn’t until his 5th album, The Stranger in 1977, that he became a huge commercial success. After that album, his first 4 records got a lot of sales and even more listens- As a freshman in College, I jumped onto that bandwagon. Still on it!
Having seen Joel perform live 16 times through the 80s and into the 90s, I can tell you that he did the most ad-libbing on stage that I ever saw. The crowd banter, the jokes, the interactions with the Band, were never the same as a previous show or tour. Billy used sessions musicians on his first 3 albums but finally settled on some longtime familiar players from LI: Liberty Devito (drums) and Doug Stegmeyer (bass). Along with Russell Javors (guitar) and multi-instrumentalist Richie Cannata, they became the heart of his touring and recording Band. I mention these guys because I had a particular fondness for all 4 of them!
I could make a Greatest Hits Album of Billy songs and NOT include the 9 tunes presented here: Allentown, Still Rock n Roll, NY State of Mind, and on and on. A few songs from the Streetlife Serenade: The Entertainer and Root Beer Rag and from Turnstiles: Say Goodbye to Hollywood, Summer Highland Falls and I’ve Loved These Days are among his best, in my opinion.
Enjoy!