Billy Joel C/D?

To quote Hunter Thompson quoting Stalin, "Fuck the Pope. How many divisions does he have?"

The Swiss Guard doesn't stand a chance against the reformed Eagles.

Krokus says Bring It On! We've even got our own Joe!

http://i.imgur.com/RV1nw6s.jpg

I'm not a fan, but I cobbled together a list of twenty songs.

Good list, but whither Laura?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALp9rfnPJ8c

the chip on his shoulder is his muse, for better or worse

good line. accurate.

happy to see you rate "don't ask me why" so high. curious as to your thoughts on the conspicuously missing "new york state of mind."

when is the damn billy joel poll happening?

Whither "Pressure?"

Inspired by Alfred's blog post, I took Greatest Hits Vol. I & II out with me on last night's dog walk. I didn't really need to hear "Piano Man" ever again, and I never liked "New York State of Mind" even a little bit, but good call on the link between "Captain Jack" and "Walk on the Wild Side;" the song definitely feels like a suburban Lou Reed to me (probably why, as a teen, I always ID'd far more with it than any Lou I had heard at that point). "The Entertainer" is a lot of fun as well--the "it took me years to write it/they were the best years of my life" lyric is exactly what I'm assuming Alfred means by that "chip on his shoulder is his muse" line, and the clunkiness of "stuck on the shelf like another can of beans" is Billy at his most adorkable (the way he constantly undercuts such attempts at poetry with graceless turns of phrase is a lot both a lot of what I find charming about him, and probably why he gets no respect). "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" is a "Be My Baby" riff only slightly less powerful than "Just Like Honey."

I like the Stranger a whole lot more than Alfred does, apparently. "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" and "Only The Good Die Young" would likely top my own list of fave Billy tracks, and Chuck Klosterman OTM re: "Just The Way You Are."

A bit more hesitant about dipping into the 80s stuff (probably on tonight's walk), but hoping to be surprised.

Billy at his most adorkable

yes

I know you don't like angry man Billy but I think "Pressure" is a kinda cool catchy tension headache of a new wave rip

Here's my Spotify playlist of Billy Joel's Greatest Non-Hits.

I want to know if they played "Miami 2017" at the All-Star Game the other night.

i want a billy joel tracks poll more than anything in the world

mainly bc i still dont know the albums very well

i love him tho, and greatest hits 1 & 2 is a regular go to

Underrated Leonard Cohen cover on Volume 3:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Sly0MmNQzE

tracks poll is actually just a few down in the queue! i'm stoked, y'all! <3

veg & Alfred I would do a Billy Joel listening club like the Eagles or Rod

yeah i'm down w/ that idea too

Here's me on a Billy Joel listening thread.

http://i.imgur.com/FIgBONr.jpg

omg ums YES a listening thread! that would be even better than a poll

Count me in on listening thread.

Shall we punt the poll down the queue a ways then, and have a listening thread instead? Then give it a few months for the listening vibes to percolate through the ILM hivemind and see whether there's appetite for a poll at that point? I've been in line for the poll since um (checks) .. August of 2013... but to me a poll and a listening thread sorta amount to the same thing - excuse to listen to a bunch of the artist and talk about them song by song.

i like that idea!

I think "Allentown" is also my #1 with "Laura" as my #2, and this bump is eerie because I tweeted about "Laura" twice in the past week.

Oh but I've determined that the lyrics of Allentown are kind of annoying working-man Bruce Springsteen bullshit but musically it's pretty fucking dope.

eg & Alfred I would do a Billy Joel listening club like the Eagles or Rod

― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown),

DON: Well, yeah.

cool! ok! imma get on this TODAY

what would be the period covered?

I feel like everything? I dunno even in his peak period outside of maybe the Stranger I feel like there's lots of stuff ppl don't know?

that's a lot of material! When col and I have moderated them, the sheer drudgery of everyday posting required time limits. At least the Eagles catalog is small.

I was thinking chronological, but not including Hassles/Attila just cause that'd bog it down right at the start? (Maybe double back to those as special features though?). Basically, Cold Spring Harbor to River of Dreams.... open to other approaches though!

Agreed that it's a more unwieldy catalog than the Eagles. OTOH the most familiar stuff is smack in the middle of the chronology - would be weird not to get to Allentown and Don't Ask Me Why etc., but also unsatisfying not to delve into the lesser-heard records...

OK. I'm convinced.

I think there's a lot of ppl like me who know tons of Billy stuff but never really owned a lot of albums because he was always everywhere on the radio and MTV

Atilla is a whole different thing and doesn't count I'm, though I like it

So, I've been compiling a spreadsheet and I count 149 unique songs that could conceivably be included - - - though that's including later live covers of things, duets with Tony Bennett and Rosie O'Donnell, Elvis covers on the Honeymoon in Vegas soundtrack, etc., much of which could be eliminated, or consolidated by covering several related songs on a single day. If we really do stick to the 1971-1993 'core' discography it's more like 125 entries. How long was the Eagles list, roughly?

How would you handle Songs In the Attic?

I was pondering that but I think it'd be either a matter of just noting, when we hit those songs, that they later showed up on that album in 1980-era live recordings, or, when we hit 1981 it's like a little, OK, break time, this three-day weekend's listening is Songs in the Attic, share your thoughts and feelings. I mean, later live albums, who cares, but I feel like that one's kind of part of the 'canon' for Joel fans.

I feel like list the main studio albums

tbh, since he has almost zero non-album b-sides etc., there are virtually no 'iffy' cases until after The Bridge so i can kinda read the room at that point and see how we're doing. i mean we have to have "the night is still young" and "you're only human," and i mean leaving off "why should i worry?" just seems mean.

How long was the Eagles list, roughly?

TOO LONG!

But seriously, probably around 100 songs (counting reunion stuff).

I say, lets do the Cold Spring Harbour through River of Dreams discography, excluding live stuff (does Songs from the Attic have any non-album material?) but including the rare odds and ends like the GH bonus tracks, and perhaps "Why Should I Worry." Billy certainly has a more manageable discography than Elton, and didn't you guys do that (I didn't follow it)?

Also, I think doing the listening thread prior to the tracks poll makes sense as a way for those of us who only really know the hits to get deeper into his catalogue, even if it means suspending the tracks poll if its turn comes up in the queue. I think it'll make voting more interesting.

I love this idea. Joel is one of those artists I've always wanted to delve into - I basically only know his zillions of singles. I wouldn't vote in a poll until I've listened to at least some of his classic albums

got caught up in stuff today but i think i can launch thread tomorrow!

I like the idea of the Songs in the Attic interlude as suggested - i have never listened to his live stuff so a good core live album tucked in the middle would be kinda enjoyable imo

It sounds do-able!

i love you ILM.

just trying to find the exact right image to top the thread....

:D

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/fe/02/f6/fe02f61a81bbb2abc278ca1cfef834e9.jpg

or perhaps

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/89/b1/47/89b14728dd9f0efed4ee37ecc09fa24f--billy-joel-the-album.jpg

much as i love the guy, i went with something just slightly more punchable

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

I wasn't sure which thread to put it on - this one? some other BJ? LC? - but here's this brilliance.

https://leonardjoelbillycohen.bandcamp.com/releases?fbclid=IwAR1mYTy6ZBCI17IYJCz2u9-bQKURJHdcptw_hd2rBECHE6Uexir7OMpjm8o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPHpKS04NJI