| re: Other Favorites | |
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Posted by: |
Rakae 03:51 pm UTC 09/24/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Other Favorites - rockfenris2005 03:05 pm UTC 09/24/13 |
| The "River of Dreams" album always upset me, because it's blatantly an ending. Like the last note in Phantom of the Opera, it makes me feel empty, because the story is over and I wasn't ready to stop yet. Sometimes I find when an album or show is over I feel really desolate like that. I found it hard to enjoy it at first, because I knew it was the last album he intended to make. I LOVE running to the album though. I know the A side is a bit harsh considering your normal Billy Joel material, but there is a great cadence for 20-odd minutes of hard running. I find it extremely guitar heavy, and I'm used to more, what I'll call, "vaierty" from Billy Joel albums. It is very mature, and it does have some themes (economics; again!) that I bore of quickly. The riffs get stuck in my head easily. That's probably the closest thing I'd attribute as a "problem" with this album, because EVERY song can get stuck in your head in a heartbeat. As you can probably tell, I have a lot of emotional associations with songs, and I try to avoid listening to "Lullaby". It is absolutely gorgeous though. "River of Dreams" itself I found refreshing, in an acid trip /what the hell just happened?/ kind of way. I was not expecting so much colour and vibrancy from BJ, it was like his attempt to be MYTHICAL. It was an interesting piece, but it sounds like it needs supporting songs and a script. The song is kind of infuriating to me, because I can decipher parts of a story but many of the parts are missing. Some of the biblical references made me feel weird, but overall I really enjoyed them. I really like BJ's rebel tracks too. "Only the Good Die Young" was hilarious, and "The Stranger" is one of my favourite songs. What about "Glass Houses" album? I love that one to bits. > > I struggled with "Storm Front". There are moments that I > really like, like "We didn't start the fire", "Downeaster > 'Alexa'", "I go to extremes", "Storm front" and "And so it > goes" which I absolutely love, but I struggled with the > whole thing. Also, as I'm gathering you already know, it > was a pretty turbulent time in BJ history as well because > much of the band who'd recorded with Billy since "The > stranger" and played on tour had been replaced, and Phil > Ramone wasn't producing the album. BJ was producing it > with Mick Jones from Foreigner. And BJ said at the time > that he wanted to shake things up. Now that shouldn't > hinge on my enjoyment of the album and I'd have enjoyed it > anyway, but I don't know. I struggled with it. "River of > dreams" on the other hand is brilliant for me from > beginning to end, although I wasn't always completely fond > of the A side. > > "No man's land" is for me terrific, "The great wall of > China" which I think has a killer hook, "Blonde over > blue", I particularly love this musically, "A minor > variation", "Shades of grey" with that awesome riff, and > then the stellar B side with a trilogy of mind blowing > classics like "All about soul", "Lullaby (Goodnight, my > angel)" which is one of the prettiest and most > heartbreaking songs I've ever heard, and "The river of > dreams" (an alternate version of the song includes a > reprise of "Lullaby"). But it doesn't stop there. "Two > thousand years" is definitely one of my favourite BJ songs > and I wish it had been more popular than it was. It's kind > of like Jim's song "It just won't quit". By the way, I had > to double check if that really was the tune for the song > "There's a hole in my bucket". "Famous last words" is a > good track too and a nice note to finish on. > > With all of that said, I can understand why people > struggle with that album, because I am aware that it's > actually kind of grim, and a very mature album, but I love > it. I think it's precious. > > "Turnstiles" is another great album too, and "Streetlife > Serenade" has a lot of good moments. I absolutely love the > riff for "Streetlife serenader". "Prelude/Angry young man" > from "Turnstiles" is a killer song too. > > > > The big thing that comes to mind regarding "The Nylon > > Curtain" is only playing the album when my parents weren't > > around, because there's an F-bomb in "Laura". > > > > Also, I remember being in the car playing the "Piano Man" > > album for the first time, and it goes to "Captain Jack", > > and Billy Joel softly croons "You're sister's gone out, > > She's on a date... And you just sit at home... and > > masturbate" and my parents both turn and glare at me, my > > father makes a disgusted noise and then almost hits an > > oncoming vehicle. > > > > Anyway. > > > > I definitely like the Nylon Curtain,though some of the > > "human" attributes I love Billy Joel for do get slightly > > boring for me on that album. There's the ode to Allentown, > > which is very industrial sounding and honestly it takes > > more to retain my attention than complaining about > > economics. But I like the music, and it also reminds me > > how much Bill and Jim both use a lot of sound effects in > > their music. Again, it's very theatrical... > > > > My favourite Billy Joel songs tend to be the dramatic, > > intense or descrptive ones. I loved the "Ballad of Billy > > the Kid", because it tells a story and keeps my attention. > > I love most of "Storm Front", talking about /Going to > > Extremes/, /I'm SHAMELESS!!!/, the defensive "We didn't > > start the fire", and "Leningrad" brings me to tears every > > time. "The Downeaster Alexa" is also beautiful and tragic, > > in a very human way; but all of the ocean and boating > > references make me think of the pirates in Peter Pan, so I > > get a ton of personal imagery when I listen to it. > > > > Typically I don't like war songs, but Siagon and Leningrad > > both give me very strong feelings of despair and > > desolation, and I don't know very much about the > > circumstances - and my favourite part, is it's the music > > as much as the words that provoke the emotion in me. The > > musical tension during "I was born in '49, cold-war kid in > > McCarthy times" sets you up perfectly to understand the > > sentiment, even if you know none of the facts. > > > > I also liked "Where's the Orchestra", but it always makes > > me sad. I used to play in theatre groups since my teens, > > but I am unable to play anything now. I take it kind of > > personally in the last couple years. It is still > > beautiful. > > > > > > > > > > What do you think of "The Nylon Curtain"? I've heard it's > > > probably his most ambitious album but it definitely has > > > its moments for me. I love the song "Pressure". I think > > > that's gold. "Goodnight Saigon" is also very poignant. > > > Though I can't imagine that being played on the radio > > > every day. "Allentown" is another good one. And one of my > > > favourite ever BJ songs is on that album, "Where's the > > > orchestra?" | |
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