A bottle of red...

My first introduction to the work of Billy Joel came through MTV and the ridiculously overplayed songs from his "An Innocent Man" album. Anyone who grew up during that time has to remember the video to "Uptown Girl", with Christie Brinkley, all tan and teeth. That video pretty much summed up Billy Joel for me. Dismissible, lightweight, pop fluff.

It's funny because, in my routine raids of my older brother's record collection, I used to see some of Joel's albums, but I never thought to break one out to listen to it. But, I did love the cover of "Glass Houses":


There's something so wonderfully thuggish about Joel in the picture, dressed in his tough-guy leather jacket, wearing gloves so he leaves no fingerprints, getting ready to wreck havoc. Of course, my early teen mind didn't grasp the whole throwing stones while living in glass houses stuff. Understanding the metaphoric irony of the album cover didn't come until...um...today? I just used to stare are it and imagine the carnage that he was about to create. Shards of glass! Blood! Gore! (not Al)

Of course, over the years, a certain amount of Joel has seeped into my mind like water through limestone, mostly his classics like "Piano Man", "Big Shot", and "Just The Way You Are". They're likable enough, if in a background, Muzak-y sort of way.

So, imagine my surprise when, in a fit of nostalgia, I finally went back and listened to his old albums! (Actually, I lie. I was bored one day and my local library had a bunch of his CD's on the shelf. But, still, I was surprised!) His first few albums are very very good.

From the been-there-done-that understanding of "Angry Young Man" to the sweetly romantic tenderness of "You Are My Home" (and I'll even forgive him for his "pleasure dome" lyric!) to the even sweeter sentimentality of "James", Joel's songwriting ability really shines. There's something about his world-weary, angry, cynicism that really speaks to me now as I near dotage age (I can hear my wife going "uh-oh" already).

Without further ado, please take a gander at Billy Joel at his peak in 1977, right around the time he released "The Stranger" and vaulted into the top pantheon of American songwriters.

You may be very pleased and surprised by what you hear!

P.S.
For all your Billy Joel discography needs, just go to Jefitoblog and read his awesome Idiot's Guide to Billy Joel (parts 1 , 2 , 3)

Billy Joel
Long Island University
Brookville, NY
5/6/77
WLIR F.M. broadcast

Disc 1
1. Miami 2017
2. Somewhere Along the Line
3. Summer, Highland Falls
4. Piano Man
5. Scenes From an Italian Restaurant (in disc 2's folder)
6. James
7. Angry Young Man
8. NY State of Mind
9. Traveling Prayer (fades out - radio commercial break?)
10. (fades in) Traveling Prayer cont.
11. Just the Way You Are
12. The Entertainer
13. You Are My Home

Disc 2

1. Root Beer Rag
2. She's Got A Way
3. The Ballad Of Billy The Kid
4. I’ve Loved These Days
5. Captain Jack
6. Worse Comes to Worse
7. Ain’t No Crime
8. Say Goodbye to Hollywood
9. Weekend Song
10. Souvenir

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