PopTodd Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I know that I might be mocked for saying so, but this is a pretty great album. I could say that it was before he cheezed out, and it was. But we all know that he was most-likely a cheezeball from the start. Still, it was a centerpiece of my childhood listening and the title track is great. And, "Moving Out", "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant", "Always a Woman"... are some of the best songs he ever wrote. And "Only the Good Die Young" is the best. Anyone else here have some love for this?Show me the love... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
junkiesmile Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I never listened to this album in it's entirety but I used to have Billy Joel's greatest hits on cassette when I was a kid and I thought it was the bomb. That's my dirty little Billy Joel secret. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I have been a Billy Joel fan since I was about 8. Stranger is a great album! No shame in it! I do like his earlies stuff even better though. If you listen to Cold Spring Harbor it is hard to comprehend that this album was made as a 23 year old! Streetlife Serenader and Piano Man are great too! I have seen him about 7 or so times in concert and am seeing him next friday at Shea. I even met him once and he was very friendly! I do wish though he would spice up his setlist more and stray from the hit laden sets! Here is my Billy Joel top 10:1. Zanzibar2. Stilleto3. Everybody Loves You Now4. The Stranger5. Billy the Kid6. Stop in Nevada7. Angry Young Man8. Los Angelenos9. Allentown10. Downeastern Alexa Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mjpuczko Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 i still love billy joel at times. my sis & i saw him at MSG NYE 2000. crazy show. he'll always bring back great childhood memories. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Nothing wrong with Billy Joel.....I know the guy is starving so I sure am glad to see they are getting the guy some dough. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Degenerex Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Bought the reissue. Such a great album. Only the Good Die Young may be one of my favorite songs ever, and Italian Restaurant isn't far behind. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zoom Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Not to condemn other viewpoints, but If this topic is moving up, then I'm moving out . . . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
junkiesmile Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Not to condemn other viewpoints, but If this topic is moving up, then I'm moving out . . .Go ahead with your own thread just leave us alone Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Cousin Tupelo Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I know that I might be mocked for saying so, but this is a pretty great album. I could say that it was before he cheezed out, and it was. But we all know that he was most-likely a cheezeball from the start. Still, it was a centerpiece of my childhood listening and the title track is great. And, "Moving Out", "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant", "Always a Woman"... are some of the best songs he ever wrote. And "Only the Good Die Young" is the best. Anyone else here have some love for this?Show me the love...Dumb story, so ignore if not interested: While "legacy" is a bit strong, I actually had this album in high school when my buddies would cruise the country roads drinking and listening to music on a portable 8-track player. One post-football game Friday, we had parked and had scored about 3 cases of beer and were parked on a gravel road next to a corn field with two other carloads of folks breaking out the first drink when a county cop pulled up. Everyone but the driver of our car went directly into the cornfield, running through the stalks. One by one we wandered back towards the cars to see if the coast was clear. The cop took pitty on the guy because we all bailed on him, took what beer he could find and drove off. We still had two cases left and we got in and drove off -- leaving Billy playing in the cornfield, until we went back and found it 2 hours later. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
airtaco Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 This is indeed a great album. Used to love Billy as a kid, and while I've for the most part stopped listening, it's hard not to appriciate his gift of melody. The number of hits he's add is simply amazing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zoom Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Go ahead with your own thread just leave us alone Vroom, vroom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
H to the ickle Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I love Billy Joel. Billy Joel, Steely Dan, Cat Stevens, The Who and Neil Young made all of the music I listened to when I was really young and since Billy Joel was my mom's favorite, Songs from the Attic and The Stranger were nearly always on the turntable before my dad got home from work (I'm only 21 but we were too poor to upgrade to cassettes, let alone CDs until I was about 12). Also, Turnstiles is an awful record. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattZ Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I love this article on Billy Joel fandom from Jody Rosen at Slate... Well worth a read for those of us with a guilty soft spot for him. http://www.slate.com/id/2131184/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmait Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Whether you like him or not, it's hard to deny that he wrote a ton of great songs. The question is why his fountain has run bone dry since then. No new output of any substance for nearly two decades. Strange. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardwood floor Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 glad you started this thread i haven't listened to the record in years but do occasionally play Scenes from an Italian Restaurant and Ballad of Billy the Kid on the piano - fun songs to play. It's easy to dismiss Joel because his later stuff sucked so profoundly - i mean, we didn't start the fire? holy shit is that wretched. but he had a nice little run there with the first three records Plus, I once won $50 at a college talent show playing Root Beer Rag on the piano! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mjpuczko Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 matt, thanks for that article. it was brilliant. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Doug C Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I love this article on Billy Joel fandom from Jody Rosen at Slate... Well worth a read for those of us with a guilty soft spot for him. http://www.slate.com/id/2131184/Thanks for that. Those of you effusing positively over "Only The Good Die Young', listen to the "reggae" version available at the end of the third paragraph of the Slate article. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Not to start some shit here...but I am not sure how Billy Joel is that much more brilliant than some of performers who get a ton of hate here(Phil Collins, The Eagles...). They are all pretty much pop songwriters with their good (and bad) moments. (Can we talk about how great Elton John is?) New York State of Mind is a great song by the way. And I like Billy's later do-wop type stuff as well. (How about his former wife getting divorced AGAIN too.) Allentown is a great song as well. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stooka Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I think Just The Way You Are played when James at 16 got his cherry popped. .....or was it James at 17? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
junkiesmile Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Not to start some shit here...but I am not sure how Billy Joel is that much more brilliant than some of performers who get a ton of hate here(Phil Collins, The Eagles...). They are all pretty much pop songwriters with their good (and bad) moments. (Can we talk about how great Elton John is?) New York State of Mind is a great song by the way. And I like Billy's later do-wop type stuff as well. (How about his former wife getting divorced AGAIN too.) Allentown is a great song as well. LouieBEverybody listened to the Eagles where I grew up. I'm not sure why they became so uncool. Also Elton John's 70's output had some good stuff in there imo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Everybody listened to the Eagles where I grew up. I'm not sure why they became so uncool. Also Elton John's 70's output had some good stuff in there imo.You have missed all the Eagles hate here over the years, but I think they wrote pretty good radio fare myself. Meanwhile Elton John's body or work is monumental even into the 80s. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
junkiesmile Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 You have missed all the Eagles hate here over the years, but I think they wrote pretty good radio fare myself. Meanwhile Elton John's body or work is monumental even into the 80s. LouieBYeah, I work in a music oriented field and we're all a bunch of music junkies but I picked up early on that the Eagles were a very "unhip" topic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
froggie Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 i've loved his music since We didnt start the fire came out - and not ashamed to admit it. he had the knack of writing a catchy pop/rock/ballad tune. favourites: you're my homewe didnt start the fireallentownuptown girlscenes from an italian restarauntstorm frontkeeping the faithrootbeer ragmatter of trustmoving outthe entertaineryou're only human Quote Link to post Share on other sites
airtaco Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Turnstiles awful? Imo his second best record (behind the stranger) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I think Close to the Borderline is a great song. And the title track from The Stranger has one of the greatest ever 'whistling' parts in a song. Brilliant! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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