Billy

Private Radio
Hobo
Healing the Divide: A Concert for Peace and Reconciliation
You'll Never Be a Stranger at My Door
Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul

ASIN: B000RIWASA
Release Date: 2007-07-24

Tracks:

It's Just Me
Restin' Your Soul
In the Day
Beautiful Door
I Gotta Grow Up
Hearts Like Mine
Carnival Girl
Always Countin'
Pretty People
I Can Tell You
Hope for Glory
Boys Is Gone

Amazon.com

Awright, den. Karl Childers's alter ego arrives on his fourth solo album mired in memories, awash in tears for too many lives and relationships that ended too soon. He's mournful for the war and the misguided politics that begat it, for a friend who suicided out, for a woman who broke his heart, and for a boy who died too soon. Unlike its predecessors, Beautiful Door seems stuck in a time warp of the '60s and '70s, from which it draws much of its lyrical inspiration and musical framework (folk, country, and roots rock, all a showcase for cowriter Brad Davis's eloquent, punch-in-the-gut guitar playing). Billy Bob Thornton doesn't so much sing as speak over music, his gravelly Arkansas drawl occasionally sustaining pitch long enough to approximate a melody. But his forthright vocals here owe more to The Edge of the World than to the whispery Private Radio or Hobo, though guest Graham Nash is so underground (on three cuts) you'd need a Geiger counter to find him. As his own producer, then, Thornton puts the focus squarely on the songs, which seem the private writings of a man who lives an intensely insular life, not an internationally known actor/director. Ghosts float across the ceiling throughout--the leadoff track, "It's Just Me," takes the point of view of the suicide who refuses to abandon the living, while the second song ("Restin' Your Soul") tells the same story from the companion left behind. Two other confessionals ("I Gotta Grow Up" and the winsome "Hearts Like Mine") may reference ex-wife Angelina Jolie. If the social commentary of "Pretty People" arrives DOA, Thornton turns drolly novelistic on the honky-tonking "Carnival Girl," an encounter with an unusually confident midway worker ("Her bottom lip and both ears were linked by chains/She even had a tattoo on her aura"). Consider Beautiful Door another strange visit with an artist who isn't afraid to put himself on the line. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews:

He's really done it this time.......2007-07-24

Hard to believe it's been this long, but "Private Radio" was my favorite record that came out in 2001. Thousands of listens and several copies later, that album has not lost one ounce of punch and I still break it out frequently. "Edge of the World" (2003), despite a few flaws, was by far and away my favorite. I loved the story it told by weaving together so many different styles and it still stays on heavy rotation in my truck or on my ipod. I thought He could never top that one. There was a certain magic going on that could have had to do with the personal drama he had going on at the time. It was (and still is) one of the most ambitious albums, in my opinion, since Willie Nelson gave us "Red Headed Stranger". Unfortunately, it wasn't as well recieved as it should have been. The combination of so many styles kinda threw people off, and the mere fact that Billy is not what one would call a "crooner". His voice is exactly what it should be for the songs that he writes. Their sorta mini-stories about (or told through the perspective of) the everyday folk. The guy or gal who takes your money and gives back your change at the local convenience store. That one guy that no one seems to notice, sitting alone at the end of the bar staring at a half-empty bottle of High-Life. The lonely. The misunderstood. The brokenhearted. The downtrodden. Their all there. It's the same sort of approach that he used when he wrote out the characters in "Sling Blade" and "Daddy and Them". It all translates seemlessly into his songwriting and delivery.

"Hobo" was a unique and great effort in its own right. It was on a smaller scale and with that one, he found a certain vibe and stuck with it. The theme was about California being "the new frontier" and it was sorta semi-autobiographical. It all resulted in a wonderfully re-playable and rewarding record that played oh-so-wonderful late at night with the candles lit and a fifth of rum (or maybe a little Purple Passion). I was still so wrapped up in "The Edge of the World" it took me a good year to really appreciate its greatness.

With "Beautiful Door", he's finally done it. He's made a classic that will stand the test of time and serve as a time capsul for the era. I'm happy/sad to admit that he did the unthinkable (for me, anyway) and topped "The Edge of the World". This time out, he co-wrote with Brad Davis, handled vocals, drums, and production on his own. If you've been there for the last three records, then the first thing you will notice is that everything is tighter. Tone wise, it's similar to "Hobo" with more of a 60s and 70s vibe and it rocks a little harder and a lot more frequently. His vocals are a bit different. I can't make any comparisons because I can't think of anyone that sounds like him. He's certainly found a vocal style that is more versatile and distinctive, and 100% his.

"Beautiful Door" isn't what I would call a bonafide concept-album, but all of the songs do flow together, despite covering such a wide variety of styles. The theme here is a lot broader than "Hobo". The lead-off track, "It's Just Me" is a song about suicide told in first person and "Restin' Your Soul" is the companion track told through perspective of the person left behind. Very unique and oddly comforting. "In the Day" is a look back to how we all remember our younger days as being more innocent even though the world was still far from it. "Hearts Like Mine" is perfect for radio play and will, I'm pretty sure, have a few people wondering just who he is talking about. "Always Countin'" is already one of my faves. It's about OCD and it's dead on. One of the boldest statements on the album comes in the form of the album's most rocking track "Hope For Glory". And it's awesome.

It's probably fair to say that the scope on "Beautiful Door" is on par with "The Edge of the World", even if it doesn't tell one specific story. The varitey is there too, without killing any of the vibe. Needless to say, it was well worth the wait and it's his best album yet.

Average customer rating:

Joel on a Roll
A strong selection of Billy Joel's best
MARVELOUS COLLECTION!!!
A great compilation very much like the three Greatest Hits discs
Joe's Review

The Essential Billy Joel

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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12 Gardens Live

ASIN: B00005OSX8
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Tracks:

Piano Man
You're My Home
Captain Jack
The Entertainer
Say Goodbye To Hollywood
Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
New York State Of Mind
She's Always A Woman
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
Only The Good Die Young
Just The Way You Are
Honesty
My Life
It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
You May Be Right
Don't Ask Me Why
She's Got A Way
Allentown

Tracks:

Goodnight Saigon
An Innocent Man
Uptown Girl
The Longest Time
Tell Her About It
Leave A Tender Moment Alone
A Matter Of Trust
Baby Grand (duet with Ray Charles)
I Go To Extremes
We Didn't Start The Fire
Leningrad
The Downeaster "Alexa"
And So It Goes
The River Of Dreams
All About Soul (Remix)
Lullbye (Goodnight My Angel)
Waltz No. 1 (Nunley's Carousel) *
Invention In C Minor*

Amazon.com

Early in his career, Billy Joel seemed cynical about fame, even as that distrust bore strange fruit: mainstream superstardom (thanks to "Just the Way You Are," "Honesty," and "My Life") and multiple Grammy awards, as well as the critic's-whipping-boy status that went with them. Maybe it was that restlessness--or undiluted cynicism--that inspired left turns into roots and nostalgia (the spunky "It's Still Rock & Roll to Me," "You May Be Right," "Uptown Girl," and "The Longest Time") as his career peaked. Perhaps not surprisingly, not long after Joel's songs seemed to find their most satisfying balance of angst and mature reflection on songs like "Storm Front" and "River of Dreams," he threatened to bolt the pop music business altogether. The 2001 recordings of "Waltz No. 1" and "Invention in C Minor" that round out this set are the unlikely products of Joel's commitment to classical music. Billy Joel remains both a true, if oft-lambasted, American pop icon and that rarest of animals: a bonafide crowd-pleaser with a serious case of 'tude. Both are well chronicled here. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Joel on a Roll.......2007-07-09

This 2-disc set is a very good overview of Billy Joel's music over the years. There's about 2.5 hours of music on the 2 discs, so definitely getting money's worth. All the songs you've heard on the radio are here, plus a bunch of lesser knowns. I note that Disc 2 contains 2 excellent lesser knowns: Lenningrad and Downeaster Alexa.

A strong selection of Billy Joel's best.......2007-06-16

With as many "best ofs" as Billy Joel has, calling this "Essential" is a grossly deceptive marketing ploy. While the name alone might raise your hackles, the music most certainly should not. On these two discs, you can follow the growth of Billy Joel as he evolves from angry young Piano Man to the classical composer of "Essential's" final selection.

The troubadour that composed the slice of life "Piano Man" was a troubled wayfarer with an attitude. His peers were trying to cope with the ennui of everyday life ("Captain Jack") and his early romanticism ("New York State of Mind") began to show fruit. But he was a rapid changer, and by the time "The Stranger" hit the charts, his melodic sense had sharpened to the point where he began having hits ("Just The Way You Are," "Moving Out"). That commercial success also came with a critical drubbing...he was often accused of being a lightweight. By the time the 80's rolled around, this name calling and the emergence of New Wave caused Billy to lash out with energy on "Glass Houses," declaring "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" and hitting number one. It was also about now that he changed the course of his career from Piano Man to Arena Rocker.

But Billy had bigger musical ideas. His Beatle-esque concept album "The Nylon Curtain" portrayed the once angry young man as a more pensive baby boomer casting a jaded eye on the Reagan Era. It also contains one of the best songs Billy has ever written, "Goodnight Saigon." He followed that by looking even further back, with the youthfully nostalgic and love-fests on "An Innocent Man." The Four Seasons tribute in "Uptown Girl" made Billy more popular than ever, and effectively bookmarked a chapter in his ongoing evolution.

A more mature Billy Joel continued with such albums as "Storm Front" and "The Bridge," which gave the history lesson as pop-tune "We Didn't Start The Fire," then the wonderfully mature "River of Dreams." His love for Christy Brinkley and his daughter Alexa came through on "Lullaby," but Billy also claimed that he had gone as far as he could with pop-music and was turning his sights to the classical "Fantasies & Delusions, Op. 1-10." While probably only fanatic would really be all that interested in those two songs presented here, they are from the last full album Billy Joel issued.

The strong points on all these songs remain their melodicism, Billy has always shared the same melodic sense as Paul McCartney (an obvious hero). What weakens the set is the omissions: where are "Pressure," "Big Shot," "You're Only Human/Second Wind" or "Keeping The Faith," to name a few. Also, a few obscurities might have spiced things up a bit, like "Why Should I Worry" from Oliver And Company: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack." Nevertheless, "The Essential Billy Joel" will fill a quick fix if you don't have many of Billy's 13 studio albums, and will certainly argue strongly that Joel's critics have been off-base all along.

MARVELOUS COLLECTION!!!.......2007-05-06

This is the pure Billy Joel; I was always waiting for a collection like this; every song in my favourite song, all of this album is perfect, for me is teh most complete compilation of Billy Joel's songs, from the mystic PIANO MAN, the finest song HONESTY, the great ballads JUST THE WAY YOU ARE, SHE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN and INNOCENT MAN, great rhythms like ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG, DON'T ASK ME WHY, RIVER OF DREAMS and MY LIFE, fast rockers like WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE, GO TO THE EXTREME, humanitarian songs like GOODNIGHT SAIGON, and lullabyes like AND SO IT GOES and GOODNIGHT MY ANGEL; also it has two instrumental piano compositions whom are very brillant... the work of a GENIUS!!!

A great compilation very much like the three Greatest Hits discs.......2007-04-04

First,three volumes of GREATEST HITS material,and now this essential compilation covering Billy Joel's career,spanning exactly three decades,at the time of this release. However,the last two tracks on disc two are instrumental classical pieces which were recorded following Joel's semi-retirement from pop/rock music. The other tracks that Joel's fans know and love were all previously released. Some of them never made it to the GREATEST HITS compilations,one of them being LEAVE A TENDER MOMENT ALONE from 1983's AN INNOCENT MAN. As for SAY GOODBYE TO HOLLYWOOD,a fan will wonder before purchasing this item,if the track is the TURNSTILES studio version or the live version from SONGS IN THE ATTIC. I would buy this item just for the classical tracks. Anyway,it's an excellent compilation.

Joe's Review.......2007-01-05

I really enjoyed this CD and made it a part of my collection. I then went back and bought a second copy for my son who is a big BJ fan.

Average customer rating:

Maybe my favourite record
Thanks Nora! Great Idea
Walt Whitman previously unrecorded
An incredibly productive colloboration....
There are some real jewels here

Mermaid Avenue
Billy Bragg & Wilco
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000007NC0
Release Date: 1998-06-23

Tracks:

Walt Whitman's Niece
California Stars
Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key
Birds And Ships
Hoodoo Voodoo
She Came Along To Me
At My Window Sad And Lonely
Ingrid Bergman
Christ For President
I Guess I Planted
One By One
Eisler On The Go
Hesitating Beauty
Another Man's Done Gone
The Unwelcome Guest

Amazon.com's Best of 1998

A ghost, a band, a troubadour. Easily the strangest co-op project ever, and easily one of the finest and most evocative albums of the year. British socialist and folkie Billy Bragg was given unprecedented access to Woody Guthrie's unrecorded lyrics. Teaming up with alt-country band Wilco and quoting from more than 50 years of country, folk, and rock music, Billy and company bring Guthrie's politics, poetry, and morality to the end of the century and prove he's as necessary now as ever. --Tod Nelson

Amazon.com essential recording

When you first heard that Billy Bragg and Wilco were teaming up to set some Woody Guthrie lyrics to music, you knew it'd be an interesting project. But did anyone realistically think Mermaid Avenue would also wind up being one of 1998's finest albums? That's exactly what it is, a distinction it pulls off by simultaneously honoring Guthrie and blasting away any folksy expectations we might have of his music. Walking Guthrie's World War II-era lyrics into the 20th century's second, rock & roll half, Bragg and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy take turns on lead vocals, and the entire group collaborates on a sound that draws on folk- and country-rock, from Bob Dylan and the Band to Gram Parsons and Uncle Tupelo. The results are nearly flawless, ranging from yearning laments and playful children's rockers to horny ballads and brave protest songs that are not merely political but also profoundly moral. Like all of Guthrie's work, Mermaid Avenue is music to live better by. --David Cantwell

Customer Reviews:

Maybe my favourite record.......2007-06-01

I think everything has been said already in the previous reviews so there's not much - or rather nothing - I can add.

All I wanted to say is that this is a very special record for me. I listen to a lot of music and own several hundred CDs but this one is really outstanding. I think that this record is really emotional but in a pleasent kind of way. A lot of songs on the album bring tears to my eyes everytime I hear them. The whole project was a great idea and one can feel that the participators put all their heart and love into it.

In short: Mermaid Avenue is one of the records that makes live worth living for me.

I'm a fan of Wilco but I love this one better than any of their studio-albums.

Thanks Nora! Great Idea.......2007-05-19

We should all thank Nora Gutherie for selecting Billy Bragg and Wilco to put this album together. What a fantastic combination. There are several wonderful songs on this cd. My favorite is "Hesitating Beauty". I was lucky enough to see Wilco perform this on Prairie Home Comapanion last week. It caused me to revisit this album and I'm glad I did.

Walt Whitman previously unrecorded.......2007-04-24

Billy Bragg and Wilco (what a combo!) team up on previously unrecorded Walt Whitman writings and the result is increcible. This is still one of my favorite albums, and, although my husband and I play a wide variety of music, this is an album that everyone likes. For me, it's perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

An incredibly productive colloboration...........2007-04-08

This is one of my all time favorite albums. It is a great colloboration between Wilco, who is one of the greatest bands to come out of the 1990's. I think Jeff Tweedy may be the greatest songwriter working today. For all the talk of the 90's being the grunge, "ironic" decade, there were a few real artists working under the radar, and Wilco/Tweedy was one of them. Billy Bragg is very good here as well. The songs are absolutely wonderful, with the first 5 songs absolutely perfect. Walt Whitman's Niece is a rousing opening number, and California Stars is ethereral and delicate, one of the most beautiful songs ever. Christ for President is really good, along with the raucous I Guess I Planted. Sadly, there will more than likely no more Mermaid Avenue albums, as Bragg and Tweedy weren't seeing eye to eye on a lot of things. Bragg is a political activist, and really wanted to concentrate strictly on Guthrie's political writings. Tweedy wanted to do more of the personal lyrics, and wanted to stay away from the political stuff. Regardless, this album is a masterpiece, and I'm glad that Nora Guthrie instigated this project, and gave it to two passionate, immensely talented people to interpret her late father's lyrics.

There are some real jewels here.......2007-03-01

"California Stars" is as beautiful a song as I have ever heard, all the credit in the world to Wilco for really bringing those lyrics to life. I think Woody Guthrie would have been more than thrilled with the rendition. Moreover, Bragg does a nice job with "Way Over Yander.." I think these are the two clearly outstanding songs on the album. My problem with this album is that some of the other songs are a tad weak, especially the ones that tend to be Bragg numbers. I think Wilco does carry their weight for the most part, but if you are expecting "Summerteeth" or "Yankee Hotel.." you will be very letdown.

Bernstein Century - Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, etc / Bernstein, New York PO

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What more could one ask for?
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Bernstein Century - Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, etc / Bernstein, New York PO

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000029XG
Release Date: 1997-10-28

Tracks: