Billy Joel: Glass Houses - 1980
By 1980, Billy Joel had, by putting out three excellent albums, gained record sales and was now getting good concert attendances.
Convincing critical kudos, however, was still eluding him and he was now considered a somewhat safe, mainstream artist suitable for playing at low volume on wine bars or hairdressers’ salons. He had garnered a certain amount of respect, but he found that the punks and the new wavers were considered far more credible than him, something that apparently infuriated him and his one-time amateur boxer’s fighting spikiness came to the fore on this, his most edgy and “rock” album.
A fair few artists channelled their inner punk-new wave traits around this time - The Rolling Stones, Queen, Elton John, Ian Hunter to name a few and Joel seemed to be wanting to prove that he too could do edgy, short, sharp rock and new wavey nostalgic pastiches. He left behind the Springsteen-esque street scenes and characters of the earlier albums too. The approach here was more minimalist, both musically and lyrically. Oddly, though, in the same period, previously punk groups like The Ramones, The Jam and The Clash were desperately trying to diversify and show just how “un-punk” they could be.
A glass smashing sound introduces the jangly Beatles-Byrds-style riff of the infectious rock of You May Be Right. “I walked through Bedford Stuy alone” proclaims a pugnacious Joel, referring to Brooklyn’s dodgy (now gentrified, apparently) Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood. This track has always been a favourite of mine. Its pounding drums and blues harmonica ending makes it one of Joel’s rockingest numbers to date.
This sound is continued on the new wave thump of Sometimes A Fantasy. If a group like The Police or The Knack had done this, it would have been hailed as a great single. Like many new wave bands, Joel had an ear for a melody developed from way back and this stood him in good stead as he launched his own brand of power pop.
The old McCartney-esque balladeer instincts haven’t left him completely, however, and they are used here to the max on the breezy, tuneful Don’t Ask Me Why. The big hit from the album was the infectious, singalong It’s Still Rock’n’Roll To Me. Again, many new wave acts were releasing retrospective material like this and being hailed for it. Look, Joel was a songsmith and a melodian. He didn’t need to prove anything and he duly got a big hit with this. His concept of punk-new wave was still so beautifully hook-laden, though, that however more ostensibly aggressive the album was, the very skills and talents that had got him this far were still apparent. You can’t keep a good songwriter down.
A personal favourite has always been the melodramatic, ABBA-esque All For Leyna (listen to that Ulvaeus-influenced piano intro). it is a punchy but tuneful piece of melodious but spiky rock. It was a minor hit and deservedly so.
I Don’t Want To Be Alone is a deceptively appealing number with real hints of Joe Jackson’s 1979-80 material in it, for me. It has a vaguely white reggae groove to it with a sumptuous bass line too. It is possibly the most new wave number on the album. Sleeping With The Television On has some nice guitar riffs, big drums and yet again, some killer hooks. Once more, there is something Joe Jackson-ish here. All very thin tie and sharp suits. C’Etait Toi (You Were The One) changes the mood as Joel sings at times in French over a jaunty French café accordion-driven backing. Nothing angry or confrontational about this.
The riffiness returns on the next one with the chunky rock of Close To The Borderline which has Joel sounded ever so slightly like Robert Plant in places. The album closes with the laid-back McCartney-style strains of Through The Long Night. So, yes, he may have been clad in a leather jacket on the front cover, smashing a glass window, and a new wave thin tie and blazer on the back but Joel didn’t really prove himself a punk. He was far too fond of a melody and a killer couplet for that. His efforts to prove a point resulted in a highly enjoyable album, nevertheless.
