Billy Joel: Turnstiles - 1976

 

Arguably Billy Joel’s first great album, often unfairly overshadowed by the multi-million selling The Stranger. It felt on here that he had finally married all the disparate facets, both musically and lyrically, that appeared in patches on previous albums. 

This one hit the nail on the head. Joel was now beginning to forge an identity as an artist with a Springsteen-esque finger on the pulse of the streets of New York City which was partnered with an innate instinct for a melody and a killer lyric. He could give you moving, sensitive ballads yet he could also rock when necessary. He had returned to his native New York and wrote this album as a kind of celebration of his homecoming. You can really feel this and the result is a far more cohesive, expressive piece of work than its predecessor. 

Billy had wanted to write a song for Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes. What a song it was too, he out-Spectored Phil Spector on the marvellous, uplifting, saxophone-heaven that is Say Goodbye To Hollywood. Despite Ronnie’s iconic voice, Joel’s version is even better. Joel had always loved The Beach Boys' Don't Worry Baby and this song is composed along the same lines, along with those of The Ronettes' Be My Baby. Joel liked to pay a bit of musical homage and he certainly did so here. 

There are two other great rock songs on here too, the closing, anthemic Miami 2017 (I've Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) with its great New York-inspired lyrics and the mighty, piano-introduced Prelude/Angry Young Man, often used since as a worthy concert opener. Both of these show that what a great rock outfit Joel and his excellent band could be, at times. 

The sensitive balladeer is found on the simply beautiful, short but sweet Summer, Highland Falls, one of my favourite Joel songs ever - “they say that these are not the best of times, but they’re the only times I’ve ever known”. It is chock full of gentle atmosphere. James is also a lovely, thoughtful, tender song to an old schoolfriend and I've Loved These Days is a slightly tongue-in-cheek mock celebratory but strangely yearning piece of nostalgia for the decadence of an era that has barely ended. 

The slightly Latin-influenced All I Wanna Do Is Dance echoes the same sentiments, with its question "why don't The Beatles get back together". Then, of course, there is the iconic New York State Of Mind. Forget Sinatra’s New York New York, this has to be the greatest of all NYC songs. Full to the brim with images of the Big Apple against its melodic piano backing and Joel’s soulful voice. One of his finest moments. Do not underestimate this album in comparison with others. It is up there among Joel’s best.