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Billy Joel is everywhere


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Now look up any Springsteen album. Then look up any Gino Vannelli album. These people dont know good music. Not that Bruce is bad, by any stretch. But he aint head and shoulders above everyone else, either.

 

The funny part is, Billy Joel really did grow up blue collar (like Springsteen pretended to), but somehow they each managed to carve out the other's space. Kind of the like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, where the former were the groupie-banging street kids you would not have wanted to get in a fight with, and the latter were effete upper-class dweebs who went to prestigious universities. Yet somehow they carved out each other's turf.

 

I have to just go ahead and admit that I NEVER bought Springsteen's act, which made me an outlier among my friends, all of whom worshipped him. I think the dividing line is probably seeing him live; those who saw his epic early shows, even in bars, bought in to the whole package, and those who came to him through recordings, as I did, couldn't figure out what the hell the guy was trying to be. I liked Southside Johnny infinitely more.

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
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Yes, the clincher is seeing him live.

 

My girlfriend dragged me to a show on his home turf - Giants Stadium, NJ, in 1980 or thereabouts. You would have thought she was bringing me to have root canal surgery, I would rather have been doing anything else. I came away stunned, I could not believe what happened. The entire stadium was roaring and heaving like an immense hive mind organism. Ive seen many great concerts - I have never experienced anything remotely like that show, before or since.

And hey, those first couple of albums are killer.

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Fluff piece on the piano man,

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/30/billy-joels-first-splurge-was-a-50000-dollar-piano.html

 

Talks about how when he first had checks coming in from The Stranger he splurged on a set 9ft Steinway at $40/50k. It was a lot of money but he wrote it off on taxes. Credits mom with supporting his lessons as a kid. $10 a lesson in the 50s was a sacrifice.

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  • 9 months later...

In my opinion, Jann Wenner had a narrative and worldview to pitch about rock 'n roll, and RS sold it unashamedly as the gospel truth.

 

That in itself is no great sin - every editor is entitled to their editorial bias.

 

The great sadness is in the absence of several competing voices, young impressionables grew up reading RS and the bible of contemporary music - "They said it's crap, I shouldn't like it" - before developing the having the maturity to think for themselves.

 

I was guilty as charged - until I became a junior in high school and saw it for the biased scree that it always was. Sadly, many folks still think RS is the authoritative voice on contemporary music criticism.

..
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And then she said, I got some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge

Today, Billy Joel threw Christie Brinkley off the Tallahatchie Bridge. :rawk:

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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I'm also a fan, although like a couple of others here I like his later stuff and would put 'The Bridge' as my favourite. 'A Matter of Trust' is a damn good rock song, wish he'd done more of em.

 

On Springsteen vs Joel, not sure where you get the idea Springsteen didn't grow up working class - he absolutely did but didn't hold down any real jobs outside of music once he had grown up and his parents left for the West Coast.

 

One last thing: I've never seen him live and one reason I haven't is an interview he did probably 20 years ago where he alluded to being bored stupid playing live, and after that I'd watch him on live videos and it all looked like a going through the motions exercise. Would totally go see him now though.

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Now look up any Springsteen album. Then look up any Gino Vannelli album. These people dont know good music. Not that Bruce is bad, by any stretch. But he aint head and shoulders above everyone else, either.

 

The funny part is, Billy Joel really did grow up blue collar (like Springsteen pretended to), but somehow they each managed to carve out the other's space. Kind of the like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, where the former were the groupie-banging street kids you would not have wanted to get in a fight with, and the latter were effete upper-class dweebs who went to prestigious universities. Yet somehow they carved out each other's turf.

 

I have to just go ahead and admit that I NEVER bought Springsteen's act, which made me an outlier among my friends, all of whom worshipped him. I think the dividing line is probably seeing him live; those who saw his epic early shows, even in bars, bought in to the whole package, and those who came to him through recordings, as I did, couldn't figure out what the hell the guy was trying to be. I liked Southside Johnny infinitely more.

 

Your wrong. He for sure grew up working class living home to home in different towns near the shore and with no money. I know his background and where he grew up. He isn't trying to be anything that what he is. If you don't like him that's fine.

 

As for Joel I just saw an interesting interview where he said "I used to call out critics on stage" and "that really doesn't help anything" I also agree about the Rolling Stone being pretentious thing.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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I liked Southside Johnny infinitely more.

I used to catch them at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park back in the 1970s. Talk about a great bar band. They wouldn't hold a candle to Brucey as a stadium act though. Apples and oranges.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

-Mark Twain

 

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I saw Billy in Concert at the Lincoln Center in New York City after he came back from California when he finally got his record deal. This was after the Piano Man hit, and his current radio play song was "The Entertainer". He was using a Baldwin grand piano, and had two Mini Moogs to his right on stage. He only used one of the Mini Moogs for the synth part in the Entertainer.

 

I remember the Intro he was given before he walked out on stage:

 

"Ladies and Gentlemen please WELCOME HOME Billy Joel"

 

Apparently there were were a lot of New Yorkers in the audience and the crowd went nuts. Billy put on a great show, he most certainly could play and sing. A VERY powerful voice.

 

My sister was living and working in Manhattan at the time so she was able to get her hands on tickets. One of the best concerts I ever attended. Great sound, we had great seats, and we didn't have to put up with an overwhelming crowd.

 

I prefer most of Billy's earlier albums, but I have most of them whether or not I was on board with the style of music on the record.

 

Over the years, and in particular at the height of his popularity I played a lot of his material. I played Piano man on my Electric Grand, and of course played the harmonica too. No, my playing and singing could never compare with Billy, but I did get a lot of gigs because he was so popular. So, it wasn't only Long Island musicians that got the popcorn gigs because of Billy.

 

 

 

Mike T.

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A couple years ago we did a show with an incredible Billy guy that was in the Movin Out tour show- Kyle Martin from nor cal, really had me wanting to get more into Billy. This guy was the real deal, the music is awesome.
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Both BJ and BS seem "interesting"; but oddly, I can't stand their music.

I used to play in what amounted to a BS tribute band before he got gigantic. We did material from "The Wild, the Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle", and "Greetings from Asbury Park", back when David Sancious was in the band, and I really enjoyed his music. Once he got famous with "Born To Run" and onwards, I just couldn't relate.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

-Mark Twain

 

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Your wrong. He for sure grew up working class living home to home in different towns near the shore and with no money. I know his background and where he grew up. He isn't trying to be anything that what he is. If you don't like him that's fine.

 

As for Joel I just saw an interesting interview where he said "I used to call out critics on stage" and "that really doesn't help anything" I also agree about the Rolling Stone being pretentious thing.

 

 

Hmm...I remember when I wrote that I had just read something about his relatively comfortable childhood. But maybe I got it wrong or misunderstood...?

 

Anyway, the larger point still stands: that somehow he got the blue-collar stamp, while Billy Joel, who also grew up scrappy and poor, kind of got the fancy-boy rap. Maybe some built-in associations with their respective instruments, come to think of it...

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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I think critics are BS

 

Yes, this. His critics don't play piano, obviously. If they did, they wouldn't be critics.

 

His stuff is fun to play, always very clever without being flashy, and always a crowd favorite. Just this evening I came back from playing a wedding rehearsal dinner with my trio. Smashing success, really. We did "Just The Way You Are" and ended the evening with the singalong "Piano Man".

 

We had the crowd on their feet, swaying and singing along to the lyrics, which they all knew. Even the younger ones ... btw, making that one sound good took a bit of woodshedding.

 

The other winner in the genre is Elton John of course. We do more than a few of his tunes (Daniel, Your Song, Tiny Dancer, etc.) and they go down well with an acoustic crowd. I pulled out I've Seen That Movie Too during a rehearsal, the other musos were like "wow, that's a great tune". Maybe it's time to work up Burn Down The Mission. Or Hercules. Lots of brilliant choices with his earlier stuff.

 

Maybe I should do what dB did and create a mashup name? Billy John? Elton Joel?

 

Nah, it doesn't work, does it?

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