IT'S BETTER THAN DRINKIN' ALONE: The Official ILM Track-by-Track BILLY JOEL Listening Thread

Would have been a much better direction than the one Billy actually took imho. But we'll get there...

I like the 1973 record Billy released in 1973. Dig the 1978 one and the 1980 one too.

But if he had switched it up and released a 1962 record in 1983 followed by a 1955 record in 1985, I dunno. My enthusiasm would've waned much more than it did.

But we'll get there...

I remember reading an inter where Lou said he loved "The Longest Time" and wished Billy would go a little further in that direction.

If it's not a true opinion, it's an excellent form of Lou trolling.

― pplains, Tuesday, August 8, 2017 8:15 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'd expect it was real, one of the things Lou had undying affection for was 50s doo-wop and Brill Building rock n roll stuff. There's that famous bootleg where he hosts a community radio show for a couple hours and some goomba calls in and they tawk about how great old time rock n roll is

So you go to the Village in your tie-dye jeans

Always a fan of Billy Joel's specific clothing descriptions (later in "Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me" and "Keeping The Faith"),

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6f/be/7f/6fbe7fe71984ab1c86f8865a784b714f.jpg

https://cdn.smehost.net/billyjoelcom-uslegacyprod/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/140509_birthday_ad.jpg

Following a tour in support of Piano Man, Joel by his own account was a bit worn out and short on new material as he came into the studio in Spring 1974 to record the followup. Michael Stewart and Ron Malo were back as producer and engineer, respectively, and the number of session players climbed, with no fewer than eight guitarists and three bassists across the ten tracks of Streetlife Serenade. The album hit stores in October '74 and peaked at #35 on Billboard (#16 in Canada); despite having scored a moderate hit with the previous album, Joel seems to have been under-promoted, with only one single released. Maybe the label didn't smell a hit.

Today, it's probably his most obscure LP, excepting Cold Spring Harbor, since while Turnstiles did worse on the charts, it contained several more fan favorites. This one here tends to get relegated to the "rushed followup" or "failed experiment" bins (it was halfheartedly hawked as some kind of concept album) but I think there's some good and interesting material to be found! Significantly, it was in promoting this record that Joel absorbed a Long Island trio called Topper as the core of his touring band; they would remain so for the next decade, but more about them on the next album.

https://img.discogs.com/Rxr7GdUoMjJfFRwSQzPZE1osJk0=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-1991423-1352031594-9157.jpeg.jpg

http://www.popspotsnyc.com/streetlife_serenade/billy-joel-streetlife-seranade_back.jpg

Per Wiki: The back cover has a portrait of a barefoot Joel sitting in a chair looking unhappy and Joel himself says that he had only recently had his wisdom teeth removed two days prior to the shoot.

The album opens with Streetlife Serenader; as always, the Songs in the Attic version (recorded in this case at the St. Paul Civic Center, 7/20/1980) is worth checking out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TNrs1434DA

This *sounds* like the intro to a 70s concept album, in that its kind of ponderous and more concerned with narrative than melody. I know of at least one song I like from this record (we'll get there, but--hint--it's the obvious one), so I'm gonna hope it gets better from here.

Streetlife Serenade is suuuuuuch and early Springsteen title, I'm almost surprised Billy got to it first

lotta empty space/piano digressions in this one but i like it. feels very ambitious even as it goes nowhere. extremely mccartney imo

Yeah, "ponderous" maybe sums this one up for me. I like each of the pieces and it's very prettily-recorded, but basically we've got five verses, each kicking off with one of two starting lines, alternating with big instrumental sections. Very much a curtain-raiser but it'd still be good to have more of a song there, and the attempts to pile on oomph make it kind of wearying. For the first time I'm a bit reminded of Ben Folds in 'concept' mode, though I don't think he'd ever give guitar solos the spotlight the way Joel does here. The McCartney comparison is interesting - Paul doesn't tend to try to make Statements as much, but certainly they're both drawn to the use of medleys of somewhat disconnected pieces.

The lyric is an interesting start... seems like he's continuing from "Piano Man" with the interest in musical performers and what they offer the society around them. Maybe he was trying to be more subtle and less literal in sketching this out, but for me it just ends up vague, what with there being no narrative and no specific characters. Some lines feel like red herrings - "Child of Eisenhower" in particular suggests we're getting a Portrait of a Generation (see Hall & Oates's War Babies, released eight days after this album), but that doesn't really go anywhere.

That second promo shot is just a little too close to McCartney for comfort:

http://www.feelnumb.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/paul_mccartney_let_it_be_album_cover_the_beatles_microphone.jpg

https://cdn.smehost.net/billyjoelcom-uslegacyprod/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/140509_birthday_ad.jpg

I really can't forgive titling a song Los Angelence

quality manspreading back cover photo tho

"I still am into doowop. When I can find it. I was amazed, we were in a restaurant the other day and they were playing this Billy Joel thing, where he does all the voices as acapella doowop, it was really good, I wish he’d do a lot more like that."

from: http://sylviesimmons.com/lou-reed/

I really can't forgive titling a song Los Angelence

ha. it's "los angelenos." and i can guarantee you that whatever he might have done with "los angelence," it would have been a much better song than "los angelenos."

lou reed otm

BILLY: Here's one of my new ones, Lou. It goes a little something like "UH-ONE, UH-TWO, UH-ONE-TWO-THREE-FOUR!"

LOU: Yeah, you should really give that doowop sound another try.

Puffin thinking the same thing I was thinking with the beard pic. Funny thing is, it sounds like he's trying to channel Lennon on this one.

On the Al Stewart thread, we were talking about how he kinda has a Lennon thing going, and believe me, I'm not trying to say this one sounds like Al Stewart.

Something about those nasal, drawn-out Eeee-lussss-oooonnnnnnnnnn, ~oonnnnnn~oo-ONNNNsss!

waaaay too long, and, yeah, it reminds me of mediocre Elton John, the first song on a concept album

I am not aware of Billy ever trying to emulate George Harrison.

I have seen him do Ringo Starr, but outside of music.

"streetlife serenader" sounds like 5 minutes of writer's block.

recorded in this case at the St. Paul Civic Center, 7/20/1980

First concert I ever went to was Billy Joel, and I'm pretty sure it was this one!

I'm really glad Billy goes on to do some great songs because many of the early ones are a slog. Big step backwards here compared to Captain Jack.

The way he holds notes on this song ("serenaderrrrrrrrr") gets old real fast. That's the kind of thing you should do once or twice in a song not at the end of every line. this song goes nowhere

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa9dYAIwj_s

Los Angelenos is another non-narrative sketch, focusing on a different set of local characters. It, too, stayed in the setlist and got the Songs in the Attic treatment, with a version recorded at Toad's Place in New Haven, 7/10/1980. (The video, like others from SitA, uses footage shot separately at another location.) It's not a wildly different arrangement, though it maybe rocks slightly harder. I assume this is one included less because Joel was disappointed in the original recording, and more because he liked the song and wanted to introduce it to his larger fanbase... though this crowd seems hyped for it already anyway! This version also got a single release in Japan in 1981:

https://img.discogs.com/qcHNTlhyDZnU8EfyLgrSoz2rjog=/fit-in/600x605/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-8361464-1460119609-9140.jpeg.jpg

Sucker for that main riff during the riffs. It sounds familiar, probably because it's one of those chord progressions found in 1000 other songs. Works well here.

Billy's NY/LA thing is one of my favorite aspects of his catalog. Saying goodbye to Hollywood while New York City burns to the ground. Steely Dan also with their love/hate/hate relationship between home and away, but Billy takes the supposed rivalry to extremes pretty good as well.

And he should whip out the Attila organ on every song, even The Longest Time.

Whatever that accent he's doing here is, he needs to stop it.

los ANNNNHHNNHJUHLEENOHHS

It, too, stayed in the setlist and got the Songs in the Attic treatment

did it stay in the setlist or was that just a momentary revival for that brief SITA tour?

Proto-Toto "Hold the Line"
I dig this

this is kinda like a him trying Steely Dan lyrics

this is better than i remembered it. the elec piano and gtr work nicely together. the first real appearance of rawk and roll billy. i'm not sure i've ever tried to connect billy to steely dan, but now that pplains has brought them up, i could imagine the dan having a go at this one.

also: nice rolled r's.

good question fcc - I'm actually not sure! I'm not finding any live versions from the late 70s online which might be a sign that it's a revival...

"shitty Steel Dan song w/singer w v awkward accent" p much sums it up

Weird accent aside, I kinda like this one.

and got the Songs in the Attic treatment, with a version recorded at Toad's Place in New Haven, 7/10/1980.

just listened to the SITA version. faithful but kinda goofy. more-than-kinda goofy if you include billy's and liberty's funny faces. i like the original more.

https://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/2/27239/1998565-3ds_sm3dl_1020_38.jpg

open up! open up! it's-a-me...

looool

Street Life Serenader -- this wants to be a great song, it feels like it's knocking at the door. Maybe it's the Elton-ness of it that gives me that impression idk. I love the music and it really wants to take you somewhere but the lyrics are like placeholders and just leave you going huh, that was ok I guess

Los Angelenos. Love this riff, LOVE it. I actually really dig this one, despite the MAJOR accent fail. Yikes. Definite Toto vibes for sure. The percussion gives me a bit of Santana too or something I can't quite place.
Kinda feels like the kinda song that'd be playing in the background during a house party/key party/coke party whatever the fuck 70's suburbanites got up to at their parties back then

kinda kinda kinda ugh i hate myself

whatever the fuck 70's suburbanites got up to at their parties back then

going into garages for exotic massages, if billy is to be trusted on this one

going into garages for exotic massages, if billy is to be trusted on this one

well that's a step up from sitting at home and masturbating, if you ask me.

y not both

ha

http://i.imgur.com/Wawj5V5.gif

bwahaha

pplains - major lol, bravo

hero

omg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qwEtA_yx-g

The Great Suburban Showdown: Billy gets some time on the studio's Moog, and spins out another sketch of a time and place, though this time in the first person and with more of a story (and perhaps a touch more empathy). The setting, though certainly not the treatment, reminds me a bit of Newman's "So Long Dad"...

I like this one. Needs a stronger hook but that intro with the Moog just puts me in a good mood, cemented by the steel guitar. How many songs feature both of those instruments? Very odd hybrid he's going for - wonder if he'd heard Jeff Haskell's Switched On Buck (1971). Anyway, I'd forgotten that his country attempts continued onto this album... a part of his kettle of influences I don't normally think about, or try to listen for in later albums. This song probably needs more of a hook - I kinda don't remember it after it's over - but it's the best listen on this album so far, for me.