Posts

,

Billy Joel- 52nd Street

Billy Joel's "52nd Street". We talked rock'n'roll, from Billy Joel seeing the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show  to British Invasion bands that followed, garage rock, and the New York City punk scene that influencedhis approach after the1978 "52nd Street" album. But we also talked at length about baseball...
,

Billy Joel- The Stranger

Billy Joel is certainly not "The Stranger" to spectacular popularity, or the record books documenting same. And it's not as if Billy Joel had not been a prolific recording singer/songwriter or an infrequent touring musician prior to his fifth album, "The Stranger", in Fall 1977. But strangely his album sales were in a decidedly negative trend after "Piano Man". "The Stranger" changed all that, permanently. Billy Joel joins me In the Studio on the album's 45th anniversary.

Phil Ramone,14-Time Grammy Winner Superstar Producer

Before he died in March 2013 Phil Ramone collaborated with a plethora of music superstars, including RAY CHARLES, BOB DYLAN, ARETHA FRANKLIN, PAUL MCCARTNEY, QUINCY JONES, FRANK SINATRA,  STEVIE WONDER, BURT BACHARACH, BONO,  MADONNA, and…

Billy Joel-“New York State of Mind”- UConn 12-76

This timeless 1976 performance of soon-to-be classic "New York State of Mind" serves as proof positive that, even before his 1977 blockbuster "The Stranger" brought him to mass popularity, Billy Joel was a terrific live entertainer with a superb band.