Storm Front Yielded Billy Joel's Final Number 1 Hit, "We Didn't Start The Fire".

Released in 1989, this was the album that gave Billy Joel his fourth and final number 1 single: “We Didn’t Start The Fire”. The song cast such a shadow on the album that people are mostly unaware of what is included besides that chart-topper. The truth is that there are a handful of songs that keep up with Joel’s standards and craftsmanship. These are mostly segregated on the first side, and they include “I Go To Extremes” and “The Downeaster Alexa”. The former is an energetic number about bipolarity, whereas the latter is a spot-on commentary on the plight of fishermen at around that time.

Besides, the album includes “Leningrad” along with the bittersweet “And So It Goes”, a song rendered by Billy playing solo. I can’t help but notice how Elton John and Billy Joel share the same approach in some of his ’80s albums, ending them on a solo note. Elton does exactly the same on the “Sleeping With The Past” record, in which the ending track has him playing unaccompanied for a long stretch, and even when other instruments do come in the focus never strays from Elton’s piano.

“Leningrad” keeps up with the social vision Billy first offered on “The Nylon Curtain”, and the video makes the song stand all the more relevant if only because it narrates a true story. The song also spotlights a more classical side to his piano playing.

Elsewhere, we have compositions that Billy wrote inspired by his then wife Christy Brinkley. These include the acceptable set opener “That’s Not Her Style” and “When In Rome”, a song that lowers the appeal of the record before “And So It Goes” rolls in to save the day. The title track is one of the weakest links, and I also seem to be the one and only person in the world that listens to “State Of Grace” enthusiastically.

In finishing, while “Storm Front” does not rival his ’70s output it does include enough quality songs as to merit a spin. And if you went for the “Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II” set and wish to listen to the rest of the story, this is where to begin – it has the one chart topper you don’t have, and some of his best late-day releases in the form of “I Go To Extremes”, “Leningrad” and “The Downeaster Alexa”. The rest is not stellar, but it won’t have you reaching for the skip button either. On the other hand, this album is more than satisfactorily represented on the “Essential” compilation. If you already own that and you have just a passing interest in Billy’s music, there is no real reason to brave this particular storm front.

Rating: 7.5/10

Only two Billy Joel compilations that span two CDs have been issued so far. I have reviewed the first one here – it is the one named “Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II”. The second definitive compilation was issued in 2001, and it is the one entitled “The Essential Billy Joel”.

“Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II” has 35 tracks. “The Essential Billy Joel” has 36. The latter covers every single album he released, the former reaches up to “An Innocent Man”. His three final albums are not covered.

There is a very glaring omission as far as the “Essential” compilation goes: “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” has been neglected. The song is beloved by fans, and while it was never released as a single (the only justification the compilers have for the omission) its relevance within Joel’s catalog is something which can never be disputed.

Conversely, since “The Bridge” and the two albums that followed are included the “Essential” discs have “A Matter Of Trust”, “We Didn’t Start The Fire”, “I Go To Extremes” and “The River Of Dreams”. These songs are indispensable.

The “Essential” album does not include “You’re Only Human” and “While The Night Is Still Young”, and that is a good thing. The songs were mere bait for collectors, and even if they charted well I deem them as peripheral to Joel’s appeal.

The “Essential” compilation, though, does include two tracks from Billy’s 2001 release “Fantasies & Delusions”, an album of classical-oriented compositions. These jar a little to be frank, and I don’t consider them as either representative of what Billy Joel was known for, nor as a good way to close the compilation.

My overall opinion as regards which album to buy is that “Greatest Hits Vol. I & II” has more discovery potential. That is, if you buy it you will like it and be motivated enough as to buy further albums by Billy. If you buy the “Essential” set that will be mostly it. And in any case, if you want a truly comprehensive overview, you would have to buy “Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II” and a single disc which was issued a little later on named “Greatest Hits Volume III”. Still, both CD sets make a clear case that Joel was a force to be reckoned with in his heyday, and that he seldom misstepped artistically.

The Front Cover

At the time of its release (1985), “Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II” was the definitive Billy Joel collection. All his major works are covered (no less than 6 compositions are culled from “The Stranger”), and two new tracks were included to appease long-time fans that already had all the hits.

The first disc opens with his by now standard “Piano Man”, and culminates with the highlights from “The Stranger”. Included is “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant”, a true favorite of Joel’s fans along with the title-track and a song that topped the charts and which Billy doesn’t particularly like: “Just The Way You Are”.

Disc two has the number one hits “It’s Still Rock & Roll To Me” and “Tell Her About It”. It likewise has the exceptionally fine “Uptown Girl”, one of his signature tunes along with “My Life” and the foot-stomping “You Might Be Right”. It also includes some of his most pensive and effective compositions this side of “River Of Dreams”, all culled from “The Nylon Curtain”. These are “Allentown”, “Pressure” and a song that I deem as the most poignant commentary regarding Vietnam: “Goodnight Saigon”.

The two new tracks are “You’re Only Human (Second Wind)” and “While The Night Is Still Young”. They both charted in the Top 40, and “You’re Only Human” actually hit the Top 10. “You’re Only Human” was written on request – the song deals with teenage suicide, and it aims to encourage youngsters never to give up and face difficulties with a strong resolve. It is a nice and commendable sentiment, but the song ends up coming across as just patronizing. And it sounds very dated production-wise today. “While The Night Is Still Young” is slightly better, if only because it doesn’t sound as cluttered as “You’re Only Human”.

On the whole, this album provides you with a very good overview of the piano man’s career up to that point. He was to release three more albums before taking a prolonged leave of absence from the rock & roll scene. They were “The Bridge”, “Storm Front” and “River Of Dreams”. Now, I would like to compare “Greatest Hits I & II” with a compilation that was released many years later and which also spanned two discs: “The Essential Billy Joel”. Click on this link to proceed to that part of the review.

Sing Us A Song, You're The Piano Man

I discovered Billy Joel through his connection with Sir Elton John. Obviously, I had been on very good terms with songs like “Piano Man” and “Uptown Girl” long before I ever bought my fist Billy Joel record, and I recall that the one song of his that had me buying that album (a compilation) was “She’s Always A Woman”. I know the Elton/Billy comparison is a frequent one, but having listened to the output of both artists I can tell you it is a bit of a gratuitous comparison.

To begin with, Billy not only sings and plays the piano but actually writes the music and the words to his songs. Elton (as you probably know) writes only the music. That might be one of the reasons why Billy Joel only released about a dozen albums while Elton has released over 50 and counting.

But the main difference to me seems to lie in the actual subject matter. Simply put, Elton’s career has a somehow farcical value attached to it by many. Personally, I don’t like to use that expression when talking about Elton but it is the one that best defines a significant part of his career, and (most tellingly) the one that made him a star. And a fact is a fact: there is not an album within Elton’s discography that has the cultural significance of something like “The Nylon Curtain”, nor a song like “We Didn’t Start The Fire”.

Since Billy’s career has been shorter than Elton’s (he quitted recording rock and roll after releasing the “River Of Dreams” album in 1993), it is easier to get acquainted with his work and the filler is less abundant.

Still, Billy has always had something akin to a rocky relationships with critics. His one album that received almost unanimous praise was precisely “The Nylon Curtain” (1982), and that was one of the albums of his that failed to attain good sales.

He began his solo career in 1971, with a record called “Cold Spring Harbor”. His next album would be the one to garner some attention, as it included his signature song: “The Piano Man”- it hit the Top 40 alright, but it wasn’t such a big smash then as many might be led to think now. By his fourth album (“Turnstiles”, 1976) he had is act worked out, and the two records that followed (”The Stranger” and “52nd Street”) established him as a hitmaker. He continued scoring big hits during the ‘80s, and he was to accumulate four number 1 singles and a lot of songs that went pretty close to the top spot.

A very evocative ballad, and a number 1 single:

As I said above, he stopped recording rock and roll music in 1993, after he released “The River Of Dreams”. He was to release an album of classical-oriented compositions in 2001 entitled “Fantasies & Delusions”, and then he released no more albums except for some live sets.

From my vantage point, Billy Joel is a consummate craftsman of songs, paying equal attention to the music and the lyrics he writes. He used to have such high standards that I am not surprised the well ran dry. And I respect (and admire) his decision to call it a day. He left behind an excellent catalog, made up of songs which are catchy and socially relevant at the same time. If you like music that carries a meaning and resonates enough as to be remembered long after the records have stopped spinning, you might like to give this American pianist a try. And in any case, a compilation of his is a must for those who like music of the mid-‘70s to the end of the ‘80s.