What does /mu/ think of Billy Joel?

>>69822989
pretty ok, definitely had his moments and songs, the stranger is good

I like him desu senpai. Never made a cohesive album tho.

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I love his stuff. His early 80s work is by far his best. And pic related is one of the greatest albums ever made.

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good pop. turnstiles is his best album. every song is good except for all you wanna do is dance

I love the rendition of Miami 2017 on Songs from the Attic.

Also, Summer, Highland Falls is his best song.

>Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
'Nuff said

ITT: moms

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Piano Man [Columbia, 1974]

After his initial bid, recorded in the vicinity of 35 rpm to fit all the material on--stubborn little bastard, he's one of those eternal teenagers who just won't shut up, stiffed, he worked a Los Angeles cocktail lounge soaking up Experience. Here he poses as the Irving Berlin of narcissistic alienation, puffing up and condescending to the fantasies of fans who spend their lives by the stereo feeling sensitive. And then, just to remind them who's boss, he hits them with a ballad in the manner of Aaron Copland. C-

The Stranger [Columbia, 1977]

Having concealed his egotism in metaphor as a young songpoet, he achieved success when he uncloseted the spoiled brat behind those bulging eyes. But here the brat appears only once, in the nominally metaphorical guise of "the stranger." The rest of Billy has more or less grown up. He's now as likable as your once-rebellious and still-tolerant uncle who has the quirk of believing that OPEC was designed to ruin his air-conditioning business. B-

The Nylon Curtain [Columbia, 1982]

"There's a lot of formula rock out there for 11 year olds and a lot of MOR for the over 50s, but people my age, 25-44 year olds who grew up in the shadow of the Cold War, there's nobody writing music for us." says Joel. As a member of that age group, I find it uncomfortable that, of everything else lumped on us, it now has to also include both formula rock _and_ MOR. Anyway, the basic belief of Cold War babies has always been that anything less than everything is a cheat. "Allentown" and "Goodnight, Saigon" dig into the Rust Belt and Vietnam survivor's guilt, while in the relationship songs sexual politics that rads like myself were fretting over a decade ago come home to roost. Is Joel every bit as deluded as his audience? You can bet he is. B-

An Innocent Man [Columbia, 1983]

His art album having gone platinum and failed to clear bottom line, Joel comes at his poor neglected generation direct, peddling a nostalgia no one will mistake for philosophy. And although he's still a wordy bastard who can't leave a simple piece of music alone, the pre-Beatle "concept"--unmistakable references to the Four Seasons and Otis Redding (as if Otis entered Billy's world before the Beatles, but never mind) marking a selfconsciously simplified musical orientation--does rein in his showbiz ornateness. A good half of these songs have the timeless melodic appeal of the greatest pop (the greatest pre-rock pop, but never mind)--the chorus he stole from "L. v. Beethoven" is by no means the most pleasing thing here. And though his Stax horns are way too ornate, that doesn't mean they're no fun. B+

Storm Front [Columbia, 1989]

Instead of going Broadway with his cautionary tales and cornball confessionals, he hires the man from Foreigner. And it makes no difference--even in arena mode he's a force of nature and bad taste. Granted, the best songs are the ones that least suit the mold--the tributes to Montauk and Leningrad, the lament for the working couple, the quiz from Junior Scholastic. And even the worst maintain a level of craft arenas know nothing of. B

>>69823852
>>69823876
Thx pal

Man, oh, man. Am I glad I live in the age of the Internet and not in the 1970s when people had no source of information on music other than people like Christgau and his proto-shitposting blogs.

Here in NYC, Billy Joel is a deified figure.

I Go To Extremes is kind of about being bipolar.

Im from Long Island so i like him

Prefer Robert Palmer