Billy Joel: Piano Man - 1973
Like Elton John, to whom he was often compared, Billy Joel released a low-key first album and then on his second, laid down a bit of a marker. This, Joel’s sophomore effort, from 1973, has flown under the radar for a lot of people, including myself, which is to do it something of a disservice. There are four absolute Joel classics to be found in here, as well as a few underrated gems.
Travellin’ Prayer is a deliciously shuffling number, featuring some catchy piano, lively drumming and rubbery bass parts and a sort of country meets Paul Simon feel about it. There is also some fine fiddle and barroom piano too. It is actually a very un-Billy Joel number. It even goes funky right at the end before some more hoedown fiddle finishes off one of Joel’s most unique songs.
The chunky mid-pace piano-driven rock of Ain’t No Crime is very Elton John-influenced, with Joel sounding very like him on both the vocals and the clunky piano chops. Nice saxophone at the end too. Next up is the absolutely gorgeous and beautifully romantic You’re My Home. It has a breezy country-ish acoustic finger-picking backing and an endearing vocal, together with a sumptuous bass line. It is one of my favourite Joel songs of all time.
Another fine song is next in the grandiose Western pastiche of The Ballad Of Billy The Kid, which starts by detailing the story of the legendary outlaw before bringing it full circle with Joel describing himself. Musically it is full of mock classical, sweeping Western movie-style strings and some great piano. It really is good stuff.
Worse Comes To Worst is a great little gem of a song, with a lilting, reggae-style beat and another Paul Simon vibe to it. It is a rarely mentioned song, but I love it. Stop In Nevada is an orchestrated very typically Joel number, featuring lots of melodic ups and downs, lots of strings and, country guitar and, of course, more infectious piano work. Tracks like these really are most underrated.
If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You) is an unremarkable piano ballad that brings to mind the ‘filler’ tracks on The Stranger (Everybody Has A Dream) and also Meat Loaf’s Dead Ringer (More Than You Deserve and Everything Is Permitted). A similar vibe can be heard on Somewhere Along The Line, although this one has more of a melodic appeal.
If these last two tracks were a little underwhelming, the same certainly cannot be said for the mighty take of suburban drug abuse that is Captain Jack. It is a big, multi-verse power ballad, full of hard-hitting pathos (if that is not too oxymoronic). You really feel the stultifying despair of the young man featured in the song and I have loved the song for its bristling atmosphere and characterisation for many years now. Joel does a stonking live version of the song on his Songs From The Attic album too. It is one of the great seventies drug songs and it brought Joel to many people’s attention as a songwriter who could come up with something very special. "Your sister's gone out, she's on a date, you just sit at home and masturbate". We've all been there, Billy. Weird cover though.
