There are two albums and three years between this album and Piano Man. I know nothing about those records, but if the contents of The Stranger are taken in consideration, they must have shown the transition between Billy Joel the Barroom Pianist and Billy Joel the Pop Star. The latter made The Stranger, a record that showcases more simply played, more thoughtfully produced, and more listenable and toe-tappable songs. Joel’s maturation as a songwriter, as well as his growing distance from the lounge scene, helps to create an album much more listenable than his first commercial breakthrough.
billy joel
Record #45: Billy Joel – Piano Man (1973)
For an album called “Piano Man” by an artist famed for his piano playing, it starts off strangely enough–Travelin’ Prayer starts off with a fast piano figure, but it’s soon drowned out by banjo, bluegrass percussion, juice harp, and other Appalachian standbys. Joel belts out a frantic country western tune, pausing once in the chaos for a well executed–but brief–piano solo. It’s an interesting choice for an album that most every listener would buy on the merit of its legendary title track, and arguably, not a good one.
In fact, the first several bars of Piano Man are sadly obscured by this WTF moment that opens the album. But once the bluegrass fog fades away, the lead single is just as timeless and wonderful as you always remember. And when he belts out “the piano sounds like a carnival”–the picture he paints is just as potent and superbly crafted as it was the first time you heard it.