Hey Pete *Fantasies and Delusions* is my absolute highlight and favorite no. 1 album of anything that in music exists because it is the only one that can really give me a break from that freaky world outside and after a very stressfull time it has got the best way to calm me down and dang, my batteries are reloaded again. How could you ignore this gem?
Give it a spin, Pete. it's very good neo-romantic style pieces, but the most interesting thing about it is hearing the little 'Joelisms' in some of these numbers.
When my granddad refused to retire I often thought of Billy's lyrics- "Sergeant O'Leary is walkin' the beat At night he becomes a bartender He works at Mister Cacciatore's down On Sullivan Street Across from the medical center He's tradin' in his Chevy for a Cadillac You oughta know by now And if he can't drive With a broken back At least he can polish the fenders " From Movin Out- brilliant stuff.
#1 52nd Street (1978), #2 Glass Houses (1980), #3 Piano Man (1973), #4 The Stranger (1977), #5 Storm Front (1989), #6 River Of Dreams (1993), #7 Turnstiles (1976), #8 Streetlife Serenade (1974), #9 The Nylon Curtain (1982), #10 An Innocent Man (1983), #11 Cold Spring Harbour (1971), and #12 The Bridge (1986)! Big Shot is my Favourite Billy Joel song on My Favourite Billy Joel Album: 52nd Street! Hands Down! Cool! 👍👌🤘✌😎
Yes! When I do my own ranking, I include Songs in the Attic for the mere fact that I love it so much. It usually slots in at number two or three for me, either just before or after 52nd Street (The Stranger is #1).
My favorite part about your channel is the variety of bands and artists you cover :) just in this last week, you’ve done shows about billy Joel, rival sons Aerosmith, queensryche, dio, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica, and Boston among others. So much variety here and I love it
I'm from mexico (and a big follower of yours) and i dig a lot Billy Joel material, great composer, great material, great music. It was a big surprise that you came up with this rank. Cheers!
I went back through my Billy Joel catalog and I'm amazed that I can't find a song that I've never heard. I was born in 1964 and grew up with AM radio until FM took over in the late 70s. Even in Ohio, he was very popular. The older I get the more I appreciate his music and talent. I think your album ranking is pretty much the same as I would rank them. My favorite song is Captain Jack. Yes, I started with the Greatest Hits Vol I/II CD set like many others.
My 15 favorite Billy Joel songs 15. My Life 14. Allentown 13. It's Still Rock And Roll to Me 12. Pressure 11. Honesty 10. You May Be Right 9. Big Shot 8. Goodnight Saigon 7. Zanzibar 6. Piano Man 5. The Entertainer 4. Only The Good Die Young 3. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) 2. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant 1. Captain Jack
I am originally from New York City/Long Island and got Glass Houses in 1980 for Christmas and I have been a fan ever since. I was 10 and I have loved Billy. 1980 was also the same year I got into AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Heavy Maiden. Years later, when I lived in Mexico for almost 2 years, I used to listen to my roommate´s Storm Front CD. It was his only disk in English. Whenever I was home alone, I would crank it up to 10 and think about home. Today, I now live in Florida and I still think about Long Island whenever his music comes on the radio. With so many songs about the NY area, it is impossible for a New Yorker not to love Billy.
What's so great about Billy is that he morphed his style multiple times, not because he was imitating anyone, but because he wanted to do something different, and he always put out songs you could sing along with. Somehow, even though I was into hard stuff like you were, I've always been into Billy Joel.
Billy Joel has never sold out. He kept changing things up every album to make them a little different from each other. I don't really see how anything he's ever released translates to selling out. Selling out would have been to make a An Innocent Man 2 (because AIM was so huge)....but he didn't.
@@SeenACowSki He got very poppy. I guess he always was but his music at one point seemed to have more depth. All I know is that at some point in the 80s a lot of people that used to think he was cool would groan at the mention of his name. Some see him as an all time great, others see him as cheesy.
He has never sold out. His 80s albums were Glass Houses (1980), Nylon Curtain (1982), An Innocent Man (1983), The Bridge (1986), and Storm Front (1989). And they were all great albums - Glass Houses (his most exciting rock and roll album) - Nylon Curtain (His Beatles tribute album, interesting work) - An Innocent Man (such a feel good album, so enjoyable) - The Bridge (My least favourite but a lot of great songs) - Storm Front (another great rocker album, underrated)
One of the best ever! Fantastic show Pete thank you! 1. Piano Man 2. Stranger 3. 52nd Sweet 4. Turnstiles 5. Streetlife Serenade 6. Nylon Curtain 7. Glass Houses 8. Cold Spring Harbor 9. RIVER OF DREAMS 10. Storm Front 11. The Bridge 12. An Innocent Man
You talked about so many great songs yet you only scratched the surface of Billy Joel's amazing catalog of work. This man is truly one of the greatest songwriters/ singers/ composers/ musicians ever! No one writes or sounds like Billy Joel. He is a true original.
Awesome! Love Billy, but now you MUST do Springsteen! 12 Storm Front 11 River of Dreams 10 An Innocent Man 09 Cold Spring Harbor 08 The Bridge 07 The Nylon Curtain 06 Glass Houses 05 Piano Man 04 Streetlife Serenade 03 52nd Street 02 Turnstiles 01 The Stranger
When I young i was a rocker like you Pete (Van Halen, AC/DC, Judas Priest etc. But I also owned Billy Joel's entire discography. He made truly incredible music. It's a real shame he stopped releasing new music decades ago.
In 1988 aged 19 I travelled around the USA, Canada and Mexico for five months in a Chevette that my friend and I bought for $400. A big part of the soundtrack to our trip was Billy Joel’s ‘Greatest Hits Vol.1 and 2’. I don’t know why, but those songs were just the perfect accompaniment. You had the big AOR hits like ‘My Life’ and ‘Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)’ and then more reflective songs like ‘Allentown’. Real variety. Someone that should never be forgotten is his producer Phil Ramone who was one of the all time greats. The work he did with Billy Joel and Paul Simon was just sublime. Those perfectly-realised studio creations with unforgettable guitar and piano licks, just genius.
I enjoyed this video so much I had to come back to it. Also I'm currently rediscovering Billy. Loved his music so much as a kid. Here's how I would rank them (in terms of favorites): 1. The Stranger 2. 52nd Street 3. An Innocent Man (got me into Billy. Loved the videos) 4. Glass Houses 5. Turnstiles 6. The Nylon Curtain 7. Piano Man 8. The Bridge 9. Storm Front 10. River of Dreams 11. Streetlife Serenade 12. Cold Spring Harbor You didn't include, as it's a live album, but one of the few live albums I love is Songs in the Attic. 2.
One of my favourites growing up in the 80s! My ranking would be: 1: The Stranger 2: Glass Houses 3: An Innocent Man 4: 52nd Street 5: Streetlife Serenade 6: The Nylon Curtain 7: Turnstiles 8: Piano Man 9: River of Dreams 10: Storm Front 11: The Bridge 12: Cold Spring Harbor. But I do love them all! Great video, again, keep up the amazing work and keep well!!
12. Cold Spring Harbor (Everybody Loves You Now, She's Got a Way, Tomorrow is Today) 11. Streetlife Serenade (The Entertainer, Los Angelenos, Streetlife Serenader) 10. The Nylon Curtain (Allentown, Goodnight Saigon, Pressure) 9. Piano Man (Ballad of Billy the Kid, Captain Jack, You're My Home, Piano Man) 8. River of Dreams (All About Soul, Lullabye, The River of Dreams) 7. The Bridge (A Matter of Trust, Baby Grand, Modern Woman, This is the Time) 6. Storm Front (And So it Goes, I Go to Extremes, Leningrad, The Downeaster Alexa, We Didn't Start the Fire) 5. 52nd Street (most of the album) 4. Glass Houses (most of the album) 3. Turnstiles (New York State of Mind, Say Goodbye to Hollywood, Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway, Summer Highland Falls) 2. An Innocent Man (An Innocent Man, For the Longest Time, Keeping the Faith, Tender Moment, Uptown Girl) 1. The Stranger (The first seven songs) Correction: Numbers 8 and 9 should be switched.
Turnstiles is number one for me. Every song is great, and it ends with the two most perfect songs to relate to what we're all going through right now: "I've loved these days" and "Miami 2017".
I'm from England Pete and I love Billy Joel so much so I totally get the pride and love you must have for him coming from the same city. The guy is an absolute genius, I honestly don't think we'll see the like of William Martin Joel again.
Having been raised on Billy's music, there are songs I love on every album. Even the title track of the album you ranked lowest is one of his best songs.
What can be said about this guy? I probably know more songs by heart than anybody else! I adore An Innocent Man album to death. Top two are right on and interchangeable for me
I seen Billy at Madison square garden June 2nd last year great great show he was really on form great setlist sounded amazing love how Billy has guests appear on stage Joe Elliot came on to sing pour some sugar on me it was fantastic , glass houses fav album for me.
12 studio albums in his catalog, next to no filler on any of them. The work of a songwriter's songwriter, Billy doesn't settle for "good enough." Every tune, every album has got to be the best he can make it. And it shows.
I haven't listened to Billy Joel in a long time and have almost all of his records - watching this makes me want to listen to all of them now. He brings back a lot of memories. I was in college when the Piano Man album came out and I played it over and over. I saw him play at a club once when there were not many people there. (hard to believe now). I saw him and spoke to him after another concert (1976) when he was jammed in between 2 people in the front seat of a car and I was a fan who found him behind the theater. (in Chicago). Definitely lots of great music. I LOVED Streelite Serenade it would be in my top 3 or top 5.
@@truckerkevthepaidtourist The 'Parental Advisory - Explicit Lyrics' label didn't come about until the late '80s. Besides, The Stones had at least one cuss word on nearly all their albums from _Exile_ onward (including the infamous "Starfucker" - retitled "Star Star" - from _Goats Head Soup_ ) and none of them were ever marked.
I listen too billy joel and i hear and feel nyc........old italian restaurants........time square......damn he is ny......love this home grown legend......thank you pete.....rick.
A number of years ago, whenever Billy Joel came to town, I would purposely sit *behind* the stage. Billy sits sideways anyway, plus I got a close-up view of one of my all-time favorite drummers, *Liberty DeVitto !!!*
Jorge Rodriguez i got tickets at the door, standing room they call it, held until 1/2 hr before the show, they sat me on the side stage left so i literally looked over his shoulder as the piano was stage left. Best spot in the house. He also popped up the side of me during only the good die young, i could hear him singing at speech level , we were arm in arm, but it sounded like he was bellowing out the speakers. Amazing singing control, just effortless.
great post and thrilled a metal head would appreciate and know Billy Joel's music so well! Here's my list leaving off the albums I do not know. 1. The Stranger 2. 52nd Street 3. Innocent Man 4. Nylon Curtain 5. Glass Houses 6. The Bridge 7. Piano Man 8. River of Dreams (all 8 of these albums are pretty damn good to great and the first 2 are masterful I'd say.) Don't know Turnstiles or Streetlight Serenade though of course have heard some songs and agree New York State of Mind is somehow a galvanizing force for the folks in that hood, which I have been sometimes. I also really like the Songs in the Attic album too....doesn't really count since it is a live one. Really hated that song We didn't start the fire so never dug into that album.
Billy Joel was always a guilty pleasure of mine throughout the 80's. His music transcends all genres and musical tastes. Some of my favorite deep cuts are "Roberta", "James", "The Mexican Connection", and "Through The Long Night" to just name a few.
Almost unknown for me!...Still rock n roll to me. You may be right. Only the good die young...Amazing songs! One of this days im going to getbsome of their material. Thanks Pete. Take care everyone!!!
My Top 12 Billy Joel Albums. 12. Storm Front 11. The Bridge 10. Cold Spring Harbor 9. Innocent Man 8. River Of Dreams 7. Streetlife Serenade 6. Piano Man 5. Glass Houses 4. The Nylon Curtain 3. Turnstiles 2. The Stranger 1. 52nd Steet Rosalinda's Eyes Is My Favorite Billy Joel Song.
Thank you Pete,really enjoy all you stuff because its great to see someone who has an obvious passion for what you do,better still is the fact some of the vids have had me check out or sometimes missed bands i thought i knew so ive been enjoying lockdown with Elton in the best possible way,cheers Pete stay safe.
I can’t really rank his albums at this time, but I will gladly do a top ten songs that I love from Billy Joel. Thank you Pete for helping to distract all of us from this quarantine. You’re the best. 10: Rootbeer Rag 09: She’s Just A Woman 08: The Ballad Of Billy The Kid 07: Prelude / Angry Young Man 06: Miami 2017 05: Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) 04: Captain Jack 03: You May Be Right 02: Scenes From An Italian Restaurant 01: The Stranger
Born in '75 and Billy Joel is one of my favorites of all time. It's astonishing that he put out such great music for so long. My parents bought me the box set some years ago but somehow I lost it. Got on a CD buying kick lately (damn UA-cam) and decided to get 52nd Street because it was the first commercially released CD. Good place to start. Despite having the box set at one time I'm pretty unfamiliar with his deep cuts except for "Rosalinda's Eyes" which I heard on an episode of Freeks and Geeks.Thank you for a great video sir!
I love Billy Joel. He doesn't have a bad album, and that includes his classical album--Fantasies and Delusions. He composed all the music on it, but said he didn't know the language of playing classical music well enough to record the album. So the artist playing on the recording is a Grammy-winning classical pianist Richard Yi (I think I got the last name right). It's an excellent album. Currently it's buried in my storage unit, but when I have all my cds out, Fantasies and Delusions is among my regular classical go to albums.
Hi Pete, i just want to thank you for bringing some brilliant new tunes into my life! Like you, i've had that Greatest hits double album, and have enjoyed it, for years, but have never listened to the original albums. It was the way you said "Zanzibar" that made me go look it up, and man, i'm off on another musical journey... the chorus of that tune? It's really a thing of beauty, it's been in my head for weeks. This is coming from a long time Steely Dan fanatic/completist (have you checked out their thrown away demos, Running Child, Mr Sam, Old Regime etc etc.?) His albums are right up there with the best of the Dan IMHO. I'm now going through his catalogue album by album, and it's been astonishing. Thanks again. Keep up the good work. Ted.
I'm from Melbourne, Australia - and I grew up WORSHIPPING Billy Joel. I asked my brother to buy me the Greatest Hits Vol 1 & 2 when it first came out for Christmas that year and I played that vinyl to death before going and getting his entire discography. I've seen him several times over the years and just love him. Favourite tracks would be a toss up between Vienna and Summer, Highland Falls - both classic tracks.
Hey! Here's one I requested! Thanks Pete! Yeah Innocent man,,,Never cared for it at the time cos I was into other stuff but now I love it and I love singing the title track and I can. I consider Billy Joel one of the great 20th century philosophers.
In between The Entertainer and just before Turnstiles came out Billy played at a community college in Jersey . I got to meet him and stand on the floor about 4 feet in front of him playing the piano .He opened up with Angry young man ,the band blew me away and they played just about everything from Capt. Jack ,the Entertainer and Turnstiles it doesn't get much better than that.😎👍
For some reason I completely missed Billy Joel growing up. Can't remember anything on radio, MTV, from my parents or school. In the late days of Napster a friend sent me "All for Leyna". Really liked it but didn't think much beyond that... Had no clue how big Billy Joel was. Many years later I did chance on "The Stranger" on CD and was glad I did. Here it is pretty much impossible to find anything Billy Joel in the record stores but will buy whatever I can find (prefer to support the stores via visit over just ordering). This ranking will be in my thoughts in the future. Happy Easter Pete and everyone!
Obviously Pete, I enjoy your ranking albums sessions more when I have all the albums of the artist. For that reason I loved your Nazareth list... and again with Billy Joel. I too listened to the big trio of The Stranger, 52nd St, and Glass Houses, whilst getting into the others at a later date. And it makes you appreciate the early albums more when you hear them for the first time. Delighted you stuck up for Streetlight Serenade and that you put it in the top 3. Again, you highlighted one of my top faves 'Roberta.'
As you said , didn't have a ton of time for his music when younger,but, his catalogue has proven to be timeless. Those late 70's and early 80's albums certainly take me back.
Really giving you Kudos for ranking 52nd Street almost at the top!. That is the first album that so got me into Billy Joel!! My top six are .... 1. 52nd Street 2. Turnstiles 3. The Stranger 4. Piano Man 5. The Nylon Curtain 6. Innocent Man...
Thanks a lot for your rankings, I'm from Mexico, I love Billy Joel since I was a child. My dad brought home a BETA cassette with many videos recorded from a place which had parabolic antenna, imagine that! It was the only way to see videos from MTV in Mexico at that time, anyways, in that home video came UPTOWN GIRL from Billy Joel, I was just 5 years old; however, the name kept in my head. So, every time that someone mentioned the name Billy Joel in the radio, TV or at home (older brothers and cousins who liked this music) I payed attention to the music. Then I grew up and started listening to Billy Joel on my own, until now. Now with the ranking I want to hear all of them in that order.
Hello Pete, I'm a 56 year old music lover from the Netherlands and I'd just like to let you know that I love watching your video's. If there is one good thing coming out of this terrible Coronacrisis it's that it gave me a lot of extra time in which I discovered your UA-cam channel. I've been viewing it for over a month now and added about 500 extra songs on my playlist, discovered great new (old) bands and rediscovering the hardrock and heavy metal bands from my youth. Just wanted to let you know. Would love to see a ranking the albums show, or top 10, about Alan Parson. My friend and I often talk about really bad songs from great bands. Would love to see a show about that. Keep up the great work. Greetings from the Netherlands.
i am a born-n-bred new yorker, 59 years old, and i completely understand what you mean about billy joel....my top 5 would be...turnstiles (i wore my copy out...new york state of mind...none better)...then second would be glass houses (rockin' mr. joel at his finest)...third would be piano man (how could it not be up here)...fourth is cold spring harbor (raw songwriting perfection)...and number five..the bridge (if just for big man on mulberry street alone)...and to be honest...the stranger got so played out on the radio, it's one i hardly listen to, but...only the good die young is still one of my favorite billy joel songs...thanx pete..peace always...rocky
Billy Joel ist my all-time-favourite artist. I discovered Billy rather late in 1983. I listened to Innocent Man over and over again. I even bought every 7" release and all the obscure releases like repressed Versions of The Hassles & Attila. Funny thing, I was actually a metalhead with no interest in other genres and still fell in love with Billy's storytelling. 🤘😁
I grew up in Hicksville. When I was in junior high school on Friday Nights we used to have something called Teen Center. Where we would have some local talent come and play. One night we had a band called the hassles, which Billy Joel was in. He literally grew 10 minutes from my house.
Love the Thor shirt! Big Billy Joel fan and another tough list to do. 1. The Nylon Curtain 2. 52nd Street 3. Glass Houses 4. Storm Front 5. The Stranger 6. Piano Man 7. Turnstiles 8. An Innocent Man 9. Streetlife Serenade 10. River Of Dreams 11. The Bridge 12. Cold Spring Harbour
THANK YOU Pete for doing these. I don’t think we stop to appreciate the good things right now that help us get through. Glass Houses was really the album that I first heard of his but I adore The Stranger. I still haven’t seen him live , but it is on my “bucket list” of shows. 1. The Stranger 2. Glass Houses 3. 52nd Street 4. Turnstiles 5. Innocent Man 5. (tie) Nylon Curtain
Yep, grew up listening to my parents AND grandparents (except Grandpa, who was drunk listening to the Mills Brothers somewhere) play tons of Billy Joel. We were all in California, but when it came to that guy, we might as well have been New Yorkers. 52nd St. and The Stranger are the two bigs. I personally loved Scenes from an Italian Restaurant the most growing up.
Im not a Billy Joel fan by any stretch of the imagination, but the song “Big Shot” is one of my favorite rocks songs of all time. I played in a cover band and I suggested we played that song. It’s so gritty, and Billy Joel’s phrasing and demeanor, when he goes, “You had to be big shot did ya”....in that new york accent, I LOVE IT! One of my favorite songs of all time for sure. By the way Billy Joel used to be in a metal band before becoming a solo artist, Attila or something.
Great surprise to see you do a review of Billy Joel. Have always loved his music even though at times in my life I have probably gone years without listening to him. Then all of a sudden you catch something awesome like 'Scenes from an Italian restaurant' on the radio and his quality just hits you all over again and then I dive back in! At some level his amazing music is always there!
Early on, I never cared much for Billy. All they'd play on radio was 'Piano Man'--hate it to this day. Then, The Stranger came out. SUPER album. That album is what got me into exploring him more. Besides the one mentioned, I'd have to choose 52nd Street (Honesty), Innocent Man, Nylon Curtain, Stormfront, Glass Houses--in no particular order. Thanks, Pete--you've inspired me to go and drag out the CD's!
thanx for doing this … Billy Joel one of my favorites - in my time frame ...best song - always a woman to me...anyways.... Gordon Lightfoot - suggestion Bob Seger Neil Diamond Jim Croce Cat Stevens
Sorry for my bad English. When I discovered Billy Joel in my Youth 1985 with zhe Album "52nd Strret " (from 1978) I was very excited that this great Album has so many Songs I loved in my Childhood - without knowing which was the Singer. My Ranking: 1. 53nd street 2. the stranger 3. Turnstiles 4. Glass houses 5. An innocent Man 6. Piano Man 7. The Nylon Curtain 8. Streetlife Serenade 9. Cold Spring Harnor 10.The Bridge 11. River Of Dreams 12. Storm Front
One of my favorite artist, I have all his albums, and not a bad one among them. My ranking of his albums: 1. 52nd Street 2. An Innocent Man 3. The Nylon Curtain 4. Turnstiles 5. River of Dreams 6. Streetlife Serenade 7. Storm Front 8. The Stranger 9. Glass Houses 10. The Bridge 11. Piano Man 12. Cold Spring Harbor
He inspires your singing. I never heard you sing so much!
That might be the most enthusiasm you’ve shown on a rank the albums. Was my favorite to watch. Love love love Billy Joel. Agree with your top 2
I know haha believe it or not but this video made me subbed to his channel.
Billy is one of those musicians that never produce bad music
It’s like you haven’t heard “All you wanna do is dance” or “root beer rag”
@@m.e.l.saniepic3419 I have heard those two great songs.
@@m.e.l.saniepic3419 Root Beer Rag is amazing wtf
Such a classic artist. It's been said before, but I love River Of Dreams.
So happy someone else shares my love for Zanzibar. It’s my favourite Billy Joel song on my favourite Billy Joel album. Its such and underrated gem!
I have Greatest Hits I and II, but I’m slowly getting into his music as far as his albums. Probably start from the beginning.
Hey Pete *Fantasies and Delusions* is my absolute highlight and favorite no. 1 album of anything that in music exists because it is the only one that can really give me a break from that freaky world outside and after a very stressfull time it has got the best way to calm me down and dang, my batteries are reloaded again. How could you ignore this gem?
If my dreams could speak they'd sound exactly like this.
@Mariya I'm glad someone else's appreciate this album too. My favourite song of his is Zanzibar. What's yours?
@@moritzkohler7988 Yes this man is living music right. My favorite BJ song's? For The Longest Time and 52nd Street.
Give it a spin, Pete. it's very good neo-romantic style pieces, but the most interesting thing about it is hearing the little 'Joelisms' in some of these numbers.
Nice album
Loved your countdown. Billy didn’t have a weak album.
When my granddad refused to retire I often thought of Billy's lyrics-
"Sergeant O'Leary is walkin' the beat
At night he becomes a bartender
He works at Mister Cacciatore's down
On Sullivan Street
Across from the medical center
He's tradin' in his Chevy for a Cadillac
You oughta know by now
And if he can't drive
With a broken back
At least he can polish the fenders
"
From Movin Out- brilliant stuff.
Such a great lyric. I often randomly song this part to myself for no reason at all.
1977's "The Stranger" towers over all!
#1 52nd Street (1978), #2 Glass Houses (1980), #3 Piano Man (1973), #4 The Stranger (1977), #5 Storm Front (1989), #6 River Of Dreams (1993), #7 Turnstiles (1976), #8 Streetlife Serenade (1974), #9 The Nylon Curtain (1982), #10 An Innocent Man (1983), #11 Cold Spring Harbour (1971), and #12 The Bridge (1986)! Big Shot is my Favourite Billy Joel song on My Favourite Billy Joel Album: 52nd Street! Hands Down! Cool! 👍👌🤘✌😎
A great overlooked album track primer is "Songs in the Attic". Great live album.
Yes, Even though it's a live album, the songs from "Turnstiles" sound more fleshed out and powerful. Good album
I was at the Toad's Place show where the Producer pulled "Los Angelinos".
Yes! When I do my own ranking, I include Songs in the Attic for the mere fact that I love it so much. It usually slots in at number two or three for me, either just before or after 52nd Street (The Stranger is #1).
Man he had a lot of great songs! Thanks Pete for making me remember that!
My favorite part about your channel is the variety of bands and artists you cover :) just in this last week, you’ve done shows about billy Joel, rival sons Aerosmith, queensryche, dio, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica, and Boston among others. So much variety here and I love it
I'm from mexico (and a big follower of yours) and i dig a lot Billy Joel material, great composer, great material, great music. It was a big surprise that you came up with this rank. Cheers!
I went back through my Billy Joel catalog and I'm amazed that I can't find a song that I've never heard. I was born in 1964 and grew up with AM radio until FM took over in the late 70s. Even in Ohio, he was very popular. The older I get the more I appreciate his music and talent. I think your album ranking is pretty much the same as I would rank them. My favorite song is Captain Jack. Yes, I started with the Greatest Hits Vol I/II CD set like many others.
My 15 favorite Billy Joel songs
15. My Life
14. Allentown
13. It's Still Rock And Roll to Me
12. Pressure
11. Honesty
10. You May Be Right
9. Big Shot
8. Goodnight Saigon
7. Zanzibar
6. Piano Man
5. The Entertainer
4. Only The Good Die Young
3. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
2. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
1. Captain Jack
I am originally from New York City/Long Island and got Glass Houses in 1980 for Christmas and I have been a fan ever since. I was 10 and I have loved Billy. 1980 was also the same year I got into AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Heavy Maiden. Years later, when I lived in Mexico for almost 2 years, I used to listen to my roommate´s Storm Front CD. It was his only disk in English. Whenever I was home alone, I would crank it up to 10 and think about home. Today, I now live in Florida and I still think about Long Island whenever his music comes on the radio. With so many songs about the NY area, it is impossible for a New Yorker not to love Billy.
A pub in my town in Norway, play the "Piano man" as the last song when they close. Great song
What's so great about Billy is that he morphed his style multiple times, not because he was imitating anyone, but because he wanted to do something different, and he always put out songs you could sing along with. Somehow, even though I was into hard stuff like you were, I've always been into Billy Joel.
He morphed his body, too. Unregnizable from the early days.
Never really disagree with you much but River of Dreams is up there with his very best & a lot better than his 80s sell out stuff.
Billy Joel has never sold out. He kept changing things up every album to make them a little different from each other. I don't really see how anything he's ever released translates to selling out. Selling out would have been to make a An Innocent Man 2 (because AIM was so huge)....but he didn't.
@@SeenACowSki He got very poppy. I guess he always was but his music at one point seemed to have more depth. All I know is that at some point in the 80s a lot of people that used to think he was cool would groan at the mention of his name. Some see him as an all time great, others see him as cheesy.
He has never sold out. His 80s albums were Glass Houses (1980), Nylon Curtain (1982), An Innocent Man (1983), The Bridge (1986), and Storm Front (1989). And they were all great albums
- Glass Houses (his most exciting rock and roll album)
- Nylon Curtain (His Beatles tribute album, interesting work)
- An Innocent Man (such a feel good album, so enjoyable)
- The Bridge (My least favourite but a lot of great songs)
- Storm Front (another great rocker album, underrated)
Thank you for your Billy Joel review.🎤🎸🎵🥁
One of the best ever! Fantastic show Pete thank you!
1. Piano Man
2. Stranger
3. 52nd Sweet
4. Turnstiles
5. Streetlife Serenade
6. Nylon Curtain
7. Glass Houses
8. Cold Spring Harbor
9. RIVER OF DREAMS
10. Storm Front
11. The Bridge
12. An Innocent Man
You talked about so many great songs yet you only scratched the surface of Billy Joel's amazing catalog of work. This man is truly one of the greatest songwriters/ singers/ composers/ musicians ever! No one writes or sounds like Billy Joel. He is a true original.
Awesome! Love Billy, but now you MUST do Springsteen!
12 Storm Front
11 River of Dreams
10 An Innocent Man
09 Cold Spring Harbor
08 The Bridge
07 The Nylon Curtain
06 Glass Houses
05 Piano Man
04 Streetlife Serenade
03 52nd Street
02 Turnstiles
01 The Stranger
When I young i was a rocker like you Pete (Van Halen, AC/DC, Judas Priest etc. But I also owned Billy Joel's entire discography. He made truly incredible music. It's a real shame he stopped releasing new music decades ago.
In 1988 aged 19 I travelled around the USA, Canada and Mexico for five months in a Chevette that my friend and I bought for $400. A big part of the soundtrack to our trip was Billy Joel’s ‘Greatest Hits Vol.1 and 2’. I don’t know why, but those songs were just the perfect accompaniment. You had the big AOR hits like ‘My Life’ and ‘Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)’ and then more reflective songs like ‘Allentown’. Real variety. Someone that should never be forgotten is his producer Phil Ramone who was one of the all time greats. The work he did with Billy Joel and Paul Simon was just sublime. Those perfectly-realised studio creations with unforgettable guitar and piano licks, just genius.
I enjoyed this video so much I had to come back to it. Also I'm currently rediscovering Billy. Loved his music so much as a kid. Here's how I would rank them (in terms of favorites):
1. The Stranger
2. 52nd Street
3. An Innocent Man (got me into Billy. Loved the videos)
4. Glass Houses
5. Turnstiles
6. The Nylon Curtain
7. Piano Man
8. The Bridge
9. Storm Front
10. River of Dreams
11. Streetlife Serenade
12. Cold Spring Harbor
You didn't include, as it's a live album, but one of the few live albums I love is Songs in the Attic.
2.
One of my favourites growing up in the 80s! My ranking would be:
1: The Stranger
2: Glass Houses
3: An Innocent Man
4: 52nd Street
5: Streetlife Serenade
6: The Nylon Curtain
7: Turnstiles
8: Piano Man
9: River of Dreams
10: Storm Front
11: The Bridge
12: Cold Spring Harbor.
But I do love them all!
Great video, again, keep up the amazing work and keep well!!
This is very much my ranking except I’d switch Streetlife Serenade and Turnstiles
I can't rank them all but I know that when I was 10 years old in 1980, I would steal my older sisters copy of Glass Houses and crank it up!
12. Cold Spring Harbor (Everybody Loves You Now, She's Got a Way, Tomorrow is Today)
11. Streetlife Serenade (The Entertainer, Los Angelenos, Streetlife Serenader)
10. The Nylon Curtain (Allentown, Goodnight Saigon, Pressure)
9. Piano Man (Ballad of Billy the Kid, Captain Jack, You're My Home, Piano Man)
8. River of Dreams (All About Soul, Lullabye, The River of Dreams)
7. The Bridge (A Matter of Trust, Baby Grand, Modern Woman, This is the Time)
6. Storm Front (And So it Goes, I Go to Extremes, Leningrad, The Downeaster Alexa, We Didn't Start the Fire)
5. 52nd Street (most of the album)
4. Glass Houses (most of the album)
3. Turnstiles (New York State of Mind, Say Goodbye to Hollywood, Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway, Summer Highland Falls)
2. An Innocent Man (An Innocent Man, For the Longest Time, Keeping the Faith, Tender Moment, Uptown Girl)
1. The Stranger (The first seven songs)
Correction: Numbers 8 and 9 should be switched.
Turnstiles is number one for me. Every song is great, and it ends with the two most perfect songs to relate to what we're all going through right now: "I've loved these days" and "Miami 2017".
I'm from England Pete and I love Billy Joel so much so I totally get the pride and love you must have for him coming from the same city. The guy is an absolute genius, I honestly don't think we'll see the like of William Martin Joel again.
Nice to see a Billy Joel ranking. Great artist.
For me, it's '52nd Street' all the way..
Having been raised on Billy's music, there are songs I love on every album. Even the title track of the album you ranked lowest is one of his best songs.
My Billy Joel Top Five is: 1. 52nd Street/2. The Stranger/3. An Innocent Man/4: The Nylon Curtain/5: Turnstiles.
What can be said about this guy? I probably know more songs by heart than anybody else! I adore An Innocent Man album to death. Top two are right on and interchangeable for me
I seen Billy at Madison square garden June 2nd last year great great show he was really on form great setlist sounded amazing love how Billy has guests appear on stage Joe Elliot came on to sing pour some sugar on me it was fantastic , glass houses fav album for me.
Love the emotion, Pete!!!!! Great great artist!
Awesome ranking. I am like you that I didn’t gravitate towards his stuff so much during the 80s but now absolutely love all of his albums.
I hold Billy very dear to my Heart. Loved him the first time i heard him. His best work is the seventies. He is so jazzy on those records.
12 studio albums in his catalog, next to no filler on any of them. The work of a songwriter's songwriter, Billy doesn't settle for "good enough." Every tune, every album has got to be the best he can make it. And it shows.
I haven't listened to Billy Joel in a long time and have almost all of his records - watching this makes me want to listen to all of them now. He brings back a lot of memories. I was in college when the Piano Man album came out and I played it over and over. I saw him play at a club once when there were not many people there. (hard to believe now). I saw him and spoke to him after another concert (1976) when he was jammed in between 2 people in the front seat of a car and I was a fan who found him behind the theater. (in Chicago). Definitely lots of great music. I LOVED Streelite Serenade it would be in my top 3 or top 5.
So you haven't listened to Billy Joel for the longest time. Time to get re-acquainted.
lincbond442 hahahaha I see what you did there
Spot on the top 3 good job Pete 👍
My fav is The Nylon Curtain. OMG, it has so many outstanding tracks, 'She's Right On Time', just listen to Liberty Devito's drums on that.
Laura.. those Beatlesque Scandinavian Skies..
and after a long duration of not hearing it I've come to like pressure also again
Goodnight Saigon is my favorite Billy Joel song.
"Laura" and "A Room of Our Own" are stellar tracks.
@@lincbond442 Laura with the big monster very no hidden obvious f-bomb that was never even marked back in the day on the album LOL..
@@truckerkevthepaidtourist The 'Parental Advisory - Explicit Lyrics' label didn't come about until the late '80s. Besides, The Stones had at least one cuss word on nearly all their albums from _Exile_ onward (including the infamous "Starfucker" - retitled "Star Star" - from _Goats Head Soup_ ) and none of them were ever marked.
I listen too billy joel and i hear and feel nyc........old italian restaurants........time square......damn he is ny......love this home grown legend......thank you pete.....rick.
A number of years ago, whenever Billy Joel came to town, I would purposely sit *behind* the stage. Billy sits sideways anyway, plus I got a close-up view of one of my all-time favorite drummers, *Liberty DeVitto !!!*
Jorge Rodriguez i got tickets at the door, standing room they call it, held until 1/2 hr before the show, they sat me on the side stage left so i literally looked over his shoulder as the piano was stage left. Best spot in the house. He also popped up the side of me during only the good die young, i could hear him singing at speech level , we were arm in arm, but it sounded like he was bellowing out the speakers. Amazing singing control, just effortless.
Liberty can tell you how bad a person Billy actually is.
great post and thrilled a metal head would appreciate and know Billy Joel's music so well! Here's my list leaving off the albums I do not know.
1. The Stranger
2. 52nd Street
3. Innocent Man
4. Nylon Curtain
5. Glass Houses
6. The Bridge
7. Piano Man
8. River of Dreams
(all 8 of these albums are pretty damn good to great and the first 2 are masterful I'd say.)
Don't know Turnstiles or Streetlight Serenade though of course have heard some songs and agree New York State of Mind is somehow a galvanizing force for the folks in that hood, which I have been sometimes. I also really like the Songs in the Attic album too....doesn't really count since it is a live one. Really hated that song We didn't start the fire so never dug into that album.
Billy Joel was always a guilty pleasure of mine throughout the 80's. His music transcends all genres and musical tastes. Some of my favorite deep cuts are "Roberta", "James", "The Mexican Connection", and "Through The Long Night" to just name a few.
My top 5 but I like em all!!
52nd Street
The Stranger
Turnstiles
Piano Man
Glass Houses
~Nearly every track on these albums are stone cold classics!!
Almost unknown for me!...Still rock n roll to me. You may be right. Only the good die young...Amazing songs! One of this days im going to getbsome of their material.
Thanks Pete. Take care everyone!!!
My Top 12 Billy Joel Albums.
12. Storm Front
11. The Bridge
10. Cold Spring Harbor
9. Innocent Man
8. River Of Dreams
7. Streetlife Serenade
6. Piano Man
5. Glass Houses
4. The Nylon Curtain
3. Turnstiles
2. The Stranger
1. 52nd Steet
Rosalinda's Eyes Is My Favorite Billy Joel Song.
Thank you Pete,really enjoy all you stuff because its great to see someone who has an obvious passion for what you do,better still is the fact some of the vids have had me check out or sometimes missed bands i thought i knew so ive been enjoying lockdown with Elton in the best possible way,cheers Pete stay safe.
Big Billy Joel fan as well I grew up with his music an incredible talent
Top 10 Billy Joel songs!
Thanks for all the videos! Especially in these crazy times
Goodnight Saigon and Scenes From An Italian Restaurant are my favorite Billy Joel songs. He's got so many songs and albums that I love. Incredible.
My brother, Steve Burgh, played on the Stranger. It wasn't just NY, NY, but we in PA loved Billy Joel.
"All For Leyna." Stone cold classic.
That song ends side one of Glass Houses with a bang! Love it!!!
Local Dj here is a Billy Joel fan so I often call in and ask him what he would do for Leyna.
Yes it is!
One of the best songs ever about unrequited love and/or misguided teenage romance.
I can’t really rank his albums at this time, but I will gladly do a top ten songs that I love from Billy Joel. Thank you Pete for helping to distract all of us from this quarantine. You’re the best. 10: Rootbeer Rag
09: She’s Just A Woman
08: The Ballad Of Billy The Kid
07: Prelude / Angry Young Man
06: Miami 2017
05: Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
04: Captain Jack
03: You May Be Right
02: Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
01: The Stranger
Agreed with your rankings! Good job!
Born in '75 and Billy Joel is one of my favorites of all time. It's astonishing that he put out such great music for so long. My parents bought me the box set some years ago but somehow I lost it. Got on a CD buying kick lately (damn UA-cam) and decided to get 52nd Street because it was the first commercially released CD. Good place to start. Despite having the box set at one time I'm pretty unfamiliar with his deep cuts except for "Rosalinda's Eyes" which I heard on an episode of Freeks and Geeks.Thank you for a great video sir!
I love Billy Joel. He doesn't have a bad album, and that includes his classical album--Fantasies and Delusions. He composed all the music on it, but said he didn't know the language of playing classical music well enough to record the album. So the artist playing on the recording is a Grammy-winning classical pianist Richard Yi (I think I got the last name right). It's an excellent album. Currently it's buried in my storage unit, but when I have all my cds out, Fantasies and Delusions is among my regular classical go to albums.
AWESOME PETE GREAT JOB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Pete, i just want to thank you for bringing some brilliant new tunes into my life! Like you, i've had that Greatest hits double album, and have enjoyed it, for years, but have never listened to the original albums. It was the way you said "Zanzibar" that made me go look it up, and man, i'm off on another musical journey... the chorus of that tune? It's really a thing of beauty, it's been in my head for weeks. This is coming from a long time Steely Dan fanatic/completist (have you checked out their thrown away demos, Running Child, Mr Sam, Old Regime etc etc.?) His albums are right up there with the best of the Dan IMHO. I'm now going through his catalogue album by album, and it's been astonishing. Thanks again. Keep up the good work. Ted.
5 - The Nylon Curtain
4 - Piano Man
3 - 52nd Street
2 - Glass Houses
1 - The Stranger
"Somethin's gotta be on the bottom, somethin's gotta be on the top" -Pete Pardo circa 2020
this should be on a T-shirt... ;)
My favorite song from Billy Joel is off of Streetlife Serenade, "The Entertainer."
Favorite song of all time
That’s a great song.
Glass Houses-one of my all time favorite albums
All For Leyna- my favorite Billy Joel song
I always thought that sounded like filler..no offense. Sleeping With The Television On is great though ...
I'm from Melbourne, Australia - and I grew up WORSHIPPING Billy Joel. I asked my brother to buy me the Greatest Hits Vol 1 & 2 when it first came out for Christmas that year and I played that vinyl to death before going and getting his entire discography. I've seen him several times over the years and just love him. Favourite tracks would be a toss up between Vienna and Summer, Highland Falls - both classic tracks.
Hey! Here's one I requested! Thanks Pete! Yeah Innocent man,,,Never cared for it at the time cos I was into other stuff but now I love it and I love singing the title track and I can. I consider Billy Joel one of the great 20th century philosophers.
In between The Entertainer and just before Turnstiles came out Billy played at a community college in Jersey . I got to meet him and stand on the floor about 4 feet in front of him playing the piano .He opened up with Angry young man ,the band blew me away and they played just about everything from Capt. Jack ,the Entertainer and Turnstiles it doesn't get much better than that.😎👍
For some reason I completely missed Billy Joel growing up. Can't remember anything on radio, MTV, from my parents or school. In the late days of Napster a friend sent me "All for Leyna". Really liked it but didn't think much beyond that... Had no clue how big Billy Joel was. Many years later I did chance on "The Stranger" on CD and was glad I did. Here it is pretty much impossible to find anything Billy Joel in the record stores but will buy whatever I can find (prefer to support the stores via visit over just ordering). This ranking will be in my thoughts in the future. Happy Easter Pete and everyone!
Obviously Pete, I enjoy your ranking albums sessions more when I have all the albums of the artist. For that reason I loved your Nazareth list... and again with Billy Joel. I too listened to the big trio of The Stranger, 52nd St, and Glass Houses, whilst getting into the others at a later date. And it makes you appreciate the early albums more when you hear them for the first time. Delighted you stuck up for Streetlight Serenade and that you put it in the top 3. Again, you highlighted one of my top faves 'Roberta.'
Always cool to find a fellow Nazareth fan. :-)
As you said , didn't have a ton of time for his music when younger,but, his catalogue has proven to be timeless. Those late 70's and early 80's albums certainly take me back.
Really giving you Kudos for ranking 52nd Street almost at the top!. That is the first album that so got me into Billy Joel!! My top six are .... 1. 52nd Street 2. Turnstiles 3. The Stranger 4. Piano Man 5. The Nylon Curtain 6. Innocent Man...
Thanks a lot for your rankings, I'm from Mexico, I love Billy Joel since I was a child. My dad brought home a BETA cassette with many videos recorded from a place which had parabolic antenna, imagine that! It was the only way to see videos from MTV in Mexico at that time, anyways, in that home video came UPTOWN GIRL from Billy Joel, I was just 5 years old; however, the name kept in my head. So, every time that someone mentioned the name Billy Joel in the radio, TV or at home (older brothers and cousins who liked this music) I payed attention to the music. Then I grew up and started listening to Billy Joel on my own, until now. Now with the ranking I want to hear all of them in that order.
Keep up the good work Pete great channel......
Top 5. No.1 The Stranger, without doubt Billy's greatest ever album!
No. 2 Turnstiles
No. 3 Glass Houses
No. 4 52nd Street
No. 5 An Innocent man
Hello Pete,
I'm a 56 year old music lover from the Netherlands and I'd just like to let you know that I love watching your video's. If there is one good thing coming out of this terrible Coronacrisis it's that it gave me a lot of extra time in which I discovered your UA-cam channel. I've been viewing it for over a month now and added about 500 extra songs on my playlist, discovered great new (old) bands and rediscovering the hardrock and heavy metal bands from my youth.
Just wanted to let you know. Would love to see a ranking the albums show, or top 10, about Alan Parson. My friend and I often talk about really bad songs from great bands. Would love to see a show about that. Keep up the great work. Greetings from the Netherlands.
i am a born-n-bred new yorker, 59 years old, and i completely understand what you mean about billy joel....my top 5 would be...turnstiles (i wore my copy out...new york state of mind...none better)...then second would be glass houses (rockin' mr. joel at his finest)...third would be piano man (how could it not be up here)...fourth is cold spring harbor (raw songwriting perfection)...and number five..the bridge (if just for big man on mulberry street alone)...and to be honest...the stranger got so played out on the radio, it's one i hardly listen to, but...only the good die young is still one of my favorite billy joel songs...thanx pete..peace always...rocky
Billy Joel ist my all-time-favourite artist. I discovered Billy rather late in 1983. I listened to Innocent Man over and over again. I even bought every 7" release and all the obscure releases like repressed Versions of The Hassles & Attila. Funny thing, I was actually a metalhead with no interest in other genres and still fell in love with Billy's storytelling. 🤘😁
I grew up in Hicksville. When I was in junior high school on Friday Nights we used to have something called Teen Center. Where we would have some local talent come and play. One night we had a band called the hassles, which Billy Joel was in. He literally grew 10 minutes from my house.
Great vid dude 👍
Love the Thor shirt! Big Billy Joel fan and another tough list to do.
1. The Nylon Curtain
2. 52nd Street
3. Glass Houses
4. Storm Front
5. The Stranger
6. Piano Man
7. Turnstiles
8. An Innocent Man
9. Streetlife Serenade
10. River Of Dreams
11. The Bridge
12. Cold Spring Harbour
THANK YOU Pete for doing these. I don’t think we stop to appreciate the good things right now that help us get through.
Glass Houses was really the album that I first heard of his but I adore The Stranger. I still haven’t seen him live , but it is on my “bucket list” of shows.
1. The Stranger
2. Glass Houses
3. 52nd Street
4. Turnstiles
5. Innocent Man
5. (tie) Nylon Curtain
Yep, grew up listening to my parents AND grandparents (except Grandpa, who was drunk listening to the Mills Brothers somewhere) play tons of Billy Joel. We were all in California, but when it came to that guy, we might as well have been New Yorkers. 52nd St. and The Stranger are the two bigs. I personally loved Scenes from an Italian Restaurant the most growing up.
Im not a Billy Joel fan by any stretch of the imagination, but the song “Big Shot” is one of my favorite rocks songs of all time. I played in a cover band and I suggested we played that song. It’s so gritty, and Billy Joel’s phrasing and demeanor, when he goes, “You had to be big shot did ya”....in that new york accent, I LOVE IT! One of my favorite songs of all time for sure. By the way Billy Joel used to be in a metal band before becoming a solo artist, Attila or something.
I've come across a video of Billy playing Root Beer Rag and he's is AMAZING!
Billy Joel - Legend! Very good albums Great songs, Lots of respect!
Great surprise to see you do a review of Billy Joel. Have always loved his music even though at times in my life I have probably gone years without listening to him. Then all of a sudden you catch something awesome like 'Scenes from an Italian restaurant' on the radio and his quality just hits you all over again and then I dive back in! At some level his amazing music is always there!
Like you i had no time for him as a kid.... But we had so much to learn.... Great vid as always.
Early on, I never cared much for Billy. All they'd play on radio was 'Piano Man'--hate it to this day. Then, The Stranger came out. SUPER album. That album is what got me into exploring him more. Besides the one mentioned, I'd have to choose 52nd Street (Honesty), Innocent Man, Nylon Curtain, Stormfront, Glass Houses--in no particular order.
Thanks, Pete--you've inspired me to go and drag out the CD's!
Billy Joel is a favorite of mine and I agree with you 100%. There is a great live through the years thing on Amazon that is great too
thanx for doing this … Billy Joel one of my favorites - in my time frame ...best song - always a woman to me...anyways....
Gordon Lightfoot - suggestion
Bob Seger
Neil Diamond
Jim Croce
Cat Stevens
Sorry for my bad English. When I discovered Billy Joel in my Youth 1985 with zhe Album "52nd Strret " (from 1978) I was very excited that this great Album
has so many Songs I loved in my Childhood - without knowing which was the Singer.
My Ranking:
1. 53nd street
2. the stranger
3. Turnstiles
4. Glass houses
5. An innocent Man
6. Piano Man
7. The Nylon Curtain
8. Streetlife Serenade
9. Cold Spring Harnor
10.The Bridge
11. River Of Dreams
12. Storm Front
One of my favorite artist, I have all his albums, and not a bad one among them.
My ranking of his albums:
1. 52nd Street
2. An Innocent Man
3. The Nylon Curtain
4. Turnstiles
5. River of Dreams
6. Streetlife Serenade
7. Storm Front
8. The Stranger
9. Glass Houses
10. The Bridge
11. Piano Man
12. Cold Spring Harbor
Jim Croce and Billy Joel are my favorite singer/songwriters
I like John Prine. (R.I.P.)
All For Leyna is an undeservedly forgotten song