New Billy Joel

Turn the Lights Back On

Absolutely love this song…

And he sounds Incredible!

Another really nice song by one of the all-time best. He seems to have a slight Elton John aspect to his voice and style.  Or maybe I just listen to them both too much.  

It reminds me of his older (better) stuff.

yahooyahoo said:

It reminds me of his older (better) stuff.

Yes! Voice is in fine form!

nice song

(sounds like he's having issues at home)

Some people get too lazy, so they just won’t get up to turn the lights back on…it comes with years of being comfortable in the dark… do they still sell this gadgets that you can clap on and off from the comfort of your bed?

Billy J was a first love in my music listening career.  It was my first rock concert, in a small college gym just when he was on the cusp of real success with Piano Man and Captain Jack.  Saw him a bunch of times in the early to mid 70s.

Yet he hasn't worn well on me at all over the years and I rarely stream any of his songs.  In contrast, I hold the early 70s albums of the other piano man, Elton, in high esteem.  Those albums are deep with great cuts and not just the singles.  Tumbleweed Connection is still one of my favorite albums.

bub said:
 I hold the early 70s albums of the other piano man, Elton, in high esteem.  Those albums are deep with great cuts and not just the singles.  Tumbleweed Connection is still one of my favorite albums.

madman across the water, that’s when I realized that EJ was gonna be a superstar. 

jamie said:

nice song

(sounds like he's having issues at home)

And/or he’s having an allegory about his muse.

Thanks for posting, Jim. It’s clear from what I’m reading today that Freddy Wexler (no relation to Jerry, as far as I know) had a big hand in writing the song. This relatively short joint interview with American Songwriter (correction: American Songwriter reported on an interview with a Maine radio station), worth reading in its entirety, includes a quote that made me laugh as I thought about Joel’s crusty reputation:

“I was so resistant to the idea of going back in and recording again,” he noted. “Rick Rubin’s tried to do it. Clive Davis has tried to get me to do it. A lot of people. … Even Elton John would say, ‘Why don’t you make some more new albums?’ And I would say, ‘Why don’t you make less new albums?’ You know, just to be contrary.”

And thank you, Dave, for posting the link to the interview. Good stuff.

I wonder how Joel would characterize the fallow period? Was the residency just about money?

Hoping this is the first of many.

Not. A. Fan. 

jamie said:

nice song

(sounds like he's having issues at home)

sounds like he's apologizing

DaveSchmidt said:

And/or he’s having an allegory about his muse.

yeah

ml1 said:

sounds like he's apologizing

Maybe. Or regretting lost time.

He performed on the Grammy's last night.

It was a good performance, but I got the feeling he didn't really want to be there.  Maybe he just doesn't like interviews.

yahooyahoo said:

He performed on the Grammy's last night.

It was a good performance, but I got the feeling he didn't really want to be there. Maybe he just doesn't like interviews.

Billy’s at his worst when he tries to sound tough, and unfortunately he couldn’t help himself on a song whose vocal is just right the way he recorded it.

I thought the You May Be Right encore hit the right rollicking note, though.

DaveSchmidt said:

Billy’s at his worst when he tries to sound tough, and unfortunately he couldn’t help himself on a song whose vocal is just right the way he recorded it.

I thought the You May Be Right encore hit the right rollicking note, though.

I don't think it was that he was trying to sound tough, but just that he couldn't hit the higher notes as he had in the studio.  Seemed like he was pounding the piano in frustration, to me.

I haven't seen the YMBR performance yet, but I know that he was backed up by Mike DelGuidice, who sounds just like a young Billy Joel.

jimmurphy said:

I don't think it was that he was trying to sound tough, but just that he couldn't hit the higher notes as he had in the studio.

I allowed for that while listening, and felt that the gruffness came at random, unchallenging spots.

jimmurphy said:

DaveSchmidt said:

Billy’s at his worst when he tries to sound tough, and unfortunately he couldn’t help himself on a song whose vocal is just right the way he recorded it.

I thought the You May Be Right encore hit the right rollicking note, though.

I don't think it was that he was trying to sound tough, but just that he couldn't hit the higher notes as he had in the studio.  Seemed like he was pounding the piano in frustration, to me.

I haven't seen the YMBR performance yet, but I know that he was backed up by Mike DelGuidice, who sounds just like a young Billy Joel.

Glass Houses is an all-time great album.

DaveSchmidt said:

I allowed for that while listening, and felt that the gruffness came at random, unchallenging spots.

Understood. Art is subjective, after all.

jimmurphy said:

Understood. Art is subjective, after all.

You’re telling me. All this Billy Joel talk inspired me to buy an original Cold Spring Harbor LP off eBay. A Long Island girl I met the summer before my senior year in high school recorded it for me by propping a cassette player next to her speakers, and, the tape long lost, I’ll be damned if I care that Billy himself hates the whole misproduced fiasco. I loved it. (And Artie Ripp’s 1983 remaster was worse.)

Dunno if I’ve listened to the album start-to-finish. Will try to get to it today, albeit not on vinyl.

I have that Cold Spring Harbor LP somewhere.  Probably havent thought of it in 40 plus years.

bub said:

I have that Cold Spring Harbor LP somewhere.  Probably havent thought of it in 40 plus years.

Haven’t listened to it since I was in my sister’s bedroom as a young teen (she worked for his record company and had the entire Billy Joel album collection up to Uptown Girl.)  Does it still hold up?

I (distantly) recall poor production quality.  He sounds like Mickey Mouse.  I don't recall ever thinking it was good or listening to it much. 

It does have some great songs on it - She's got a Way - Everybody Loves You Now - Falling of the Rain - Tomorrow is Today.

Billy hates it because they did speed it up a bit.  Wonder why they haven't tried to adjust it.

jamie said:

Billy hates it because they did speed it up a bit. Wonder why they haven't tried to adjust it.

What you posted is someone’s attempt to adjust the speed.* (If Jim wants a start-to-finish listen, I’d recommend Jamie’s video.) The original LP is faster.

Artie Ripp, the original producer, corrected the speed in the 1983 reissue I mentioned. But to avoid paying musician royalties, he eliminated the backing arrangements, which, for instance, cut the nearly six minutes of You Can Make Me Free in half.

* From your YouTube link:

“Billy Joel - Cold Spring Harbor [1971 LP - Incorrect pressing speed fixed in post]. … The rip you are hearing is a mixture of eight separate LPs, with the best quality segments being used and put together in Pro Tools. Two LPs were sealed, the rest were in NM condition. Any distortion you hear is a result of the poor pressing quality of the album rather than an anomaly of the playback equipment. This rip was created and released for free by Billy Joel: Completely Retold user Jamie Tate. He has done a tremendous job.”

DaveSchmidt said:

 (If Jim wants a start-to-finish listen, I’d recommend Jamie’s video.) The original LP is faster.

Already done earlier this morning. A bunch of great cuts. 

Tomorrow is Today is pretty bleak.  I wasn't aware of the backstory.

jimmurphy said:

Already done earlier this morning. A bunch of great cuts.

Tomorrow is Today is pretty bleak. I wasn't aware of the backstory.

Since he wrote the songs with the idea that someone else would perform them, and since her date at SOPAC next month brought her to mind, I’ve been imagining what a Joan Osborne version of the album would sound like.