52. Billy Joel--Piano Man

 #52: Billy Joel--Piano Man (1973)

Top-Notch Tracks: "Piano Man (HJ200 #9,)" "The Ballad of Billy the Kid," "Travelin' Prayer," "You're My Home"

Album Depth: "Ain't No Crime," "If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You,)" "Captain Jack"

Weak Links: "Stop In Nevada," "Worse Comes to Worst"

Stand-Out Lyrics: "Paul is a real estate novelist who never had time for a wife. And he's talking with Davey, who's still in the navy, and probably will be for life."--"Piano Man"

"Well, he robbed his way from Utah to Oklahoma, and the law just could not seem to track him down. And it served his legend well, for the folks they'd love to tell 'bout when Billy the Kid came to town."--"The Ballad of Billy the Kid"

"So you stand on the corner in your new English clothes, and you look so polished from your head down to your toes. Ah, but still your finger's gonna pick your nose, after all."--"Captain Jack"

"Hey, Lord, would you look for her tonight if she is sleepin' under the sky. Said now, make sure the ground she's sleepin' on is always warm and dry."--"Travelin' Prayer"

"The simple lines have all been taken, and the radio repeats them every day."--"If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)"

"If I travel all my life and I never get to stop and settle down, long as I have you by my side there's a roof above and good walls all around."--"You're My Home"

"Well, now you tell me that you love somebody and you'll love them forever--you may love them forever--but you won't like 'em all of the time."--"Ain't No Crime"

Billy Joel--Piano Man

Album Cover: 2 Out of 10.  Phil Collins, is that you? It's the old extreme-close-up-of-your-own-face approach. It's not my favorite. You would think that these amazingly talented musicians would have enough creativity to come up with a better idea for an album cover than, "how about a close-up picture of my face?" (And yes, I realize the musicians themselves don't always have control over their own album covers, and that's another problem altogether.)

Comments: I have to admit that when I finished the first draft of my Top 60 Favorite-ish Albums, this one wasn't on the list. Why? Mostly because three of the songs from this album are also on another album a wee bit higher on the list than #52. But then I listened to Piano Man again and realized that, even if I took those three songs out of consideration, this album still belonged in the Top 60 just on the strength of the songs "Piano Man," and "Travelin' Prayer." 

This album is definitely a tale of two sides. (Yes, Virginia, I'm talking about a time when albums released on vinyl or cassette had two distinct, discernible sides.) Side 1 is fantastic, full of five great songs. (In order of appearance: "Travelin' Prayer," "Piano Man," "Ain't No Crime," "You're My Home," and "The Ballad of Billy the Kid.") Side 2, by comparison, is quite the letdown. The most disappointed I've ever been at a Billy Joel concert was when he said he was going to do a song from the Piano Man album, mentioning a western theme, and I thought for sure he was going to sing "The Ballad of Billy the Kid," but he played "Stop In Nevada" instead. (Also, I've never quite made up my mind on how I feel about "Captain Jack." It's got some uncomfortable themes and lyrics, but is almost completely redeemed by the "pick your nose" line.)(And the "you're 21 and still your mother makes your bed" line.)

So, in the end, I couldn't leave this album off of this list. Why? Because it's got some damn good songs on it. (Also, I know something that they don't know: I know a woman in New Mexico.)


Up next: Put me in, coach! (I'm ready to play today.)


Comments

  1. darenolsonMarch 7, 2021 at 4:56 PM

    Billy played a live version of Captain Jack at an FM radio station in the early 70s, and after that performance it became the most requested song the station had ever had up to that point. That got the attention of the record company, and so they signed him. He ended up making a whopping $8,000 off the album royalties for Piano Man. But that wouldn't be the end of his problems with record companies or his managers. (Worse did come to worst.) Still, it's the album that gave him that moniker by which he's known around the world--"Billy the Man."

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