You may be right, I may be crazy, but it just might be a lunatic you're looking for, is a quote from one of Joel's songs. Indeed, Joel is one of those musicians that should be recommended to every music lover - every person.
It is difficult to find the same diverse, provocative, lyrical, melodic and interesting music in the compositions of performers of the XNUMXth century. Already during his lifetime, his merits were recognized, and every American will confidently call him the voice of his country.
Joel's musical work covers a 30-year period since 1971, and although our hero is still in good health and even tours, he stopped releasing his albums and new compositions.
Therefore, this biography will indicate the main stages of his work until 2001 - the release of his final, fully instrumental keyboard academic (which is very strange for his work) album Fantasies & Delusions, very personal for the artist and crowning his work.
Billy Joel's first steps (from 1965 to 1970)
William Martin Joel was born on May 9, 1949 in the Bronx (New York) and grew up in Long Island (in the musical and bohemian areas of New York, which gave him the idea to make music). Growing up, Joel learned to play the piano from his mother and was inspired by the playing of street musicians.
Then he dropped out of high school to pursue music and performed in two flimsy bands, The Hassles and Atilla. They played strange psychedelic rock without guitars, and their only self-titled album, Atilla, was unsuccessful, not even being on store shelves. After that, the unfortunate duet broke up.
Through fire, water and copper pipes (1970-1974)
William began that very period of his life when the musician decided: to give up or continue to fight? Quit everything or get your way? Obvious spoiler - Joel did it!
But before that, he fell into a deep depression, during which he signed a fatal life contract with the label Family Producions (from 1971 to 1987 he was forced to give $ 1 from each album, and the label's logo was on each plate).
With him, he released his first solo album Cold Spring Harbor, which was technically implemented as poorly as possible - Joel's voice sounded unnaturally high, and the recordings of some tracks sounded in an accelerated form. But even in this form, the album sounded very beautiful and sweet, and the remastering from 1983 corrected all the studio's shortcomings of the album.
But back to 1971, the label Family Productions refused to "promote" the album in music stores, and the situation brought Joel completely out of himself and he decided to secretly leave for Los Angeles.
Under the assumed name of Billy Martin, he took a job at the Executive Room bar, which was the basis for his most famous song (and also his second nickname) Piano Man - the second composition from his second self-titled album.
The Piano Man album gave Joel a new start, helped him start life from scratch, became a kind of financial support for him, allowing him to get out of the role of a bar pianist and become someone more important.
This most difficult period of formation is over. And the "Jew" from the bar, William Martin Joel, went out to the people by the world famous Billy "The Pianist" Joel.
Albums Street life Serenade and Turnstiles (1974 to 1977)
After the release of the Piano Man album, Joel was under pressure and did not have time to release a new album of the same quality and suitable for most listeners as Piano Man. Therefore, his next album Street life Serenade was mostly a musical experiment.
But a very successful experiment, although too progressive. The most interesting and loved by the public are the compositions: Root Beer Rag and Los Angelenos, which he played at every concert in the 1970s.
Recorded in January 1976, the album Turnstiles, together with musicians from the rock band Elton John, came out very cynical and expressive.
Billy Joel, as befits a creator, began to criticize the system and sympathize with the little man (Angry Young Man song), and at the same time impressed the audience with the infernal fantasy of Miami 2017.
The Stranger and 52nd Street (1979 to 1983)
Unimaginable commercial success and hitting all fronts in the desire to please the listener of the late 1970s and early 1980s - that's what can be said about these two albums in one sentence.
A playful song Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, which tells us about a couple going sybaritically in various restaurants, The Stranger is a song about a person you see on the street and revealing his experiences and what is really hidden behind the mask of a gloomy stranger.
And, of course, Just the Way You Are - Billy's composition, for which he received his first Grammy statuette, all these works of art by Joel you will hear on this album. These two Opus Magnums served as the apogee of the development of a genius and are recommended for listening to every person who considers himself a music lover.
Late career (1983 to 2001)
Throughout his subsequent career, Billy was nominated for 23 Grammy statuettes, five of which he eventually received (including for the album 52
He also became one of the first artists to hold a rock and roll concert in the Soviet Union (which was very heavy and emotional for the musician, so you can watch the documentary "Billy Joel: A Window on Russia") after the ban on rock was relaxed -roll music in the country.
Although he retired from writing and releasing pop music after the release of River of Dreams, he ended his career with the album Fantasies & Delusions, which is recommended for listening to every lover of academic music.
And Billy Joel still continues to perform for the “fans” of his music, his already pretty hoarse, but still the same sensual tenor can sometimes be heard passing by Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.
