american Idol this past week had Billy joel week and his songs were covered. now thinking back to the 70's where do you rank him amongest other successful singer songwriters?

as a singles act?

as a Albums artist?

does his 70's era work still hold up and does it merit being in the first tier? second tier? or middle of the road?

he was huge back then and yet only the stranger and glass houses get that due.

where you got him just for the 70's?

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

Classics: Piano Man, Turnstiles, The Stranger, 52nd Street
Still pretty good: Streetlife Serenade

Cold Spring Harbor is alright but you can tell he was still trying to figure out what sort of sound he was going for...

Trying to put him up against others is tricky... because he was definitely one of the more *pop* singer/songwriters, not afraid of a bit of novelty and cheese... for the period, this sort of puts him in his own category...

His output wasn't anywhere near elton's in terms of quantity, but it could hold its own in terms of quality...

*shrug*

It's good stuff - I wish more people knew Turnstiles all the way through, that's *probably* my fav album of his

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

even Billy Joel's biggest fans I've noticed don't really study his albums like that.

Folks know a gang of his songs but for a lot of them couldn't place what album they came from.

And he doesn't really have those album tracks that end up becoming classic-rock radio 'hits' the way a lot of his peers do.

For better or worse Billy Joel has always struck me more as someone considered a great in the eyes of the casual music fan rather than the obsessive music nerd types.

He's got musical chops & wrote some quality joints tho (even beyond his 70s work), I'll always give him that.

But if someone told me they prefer Billy Joel in the 70s to Stevie Wonder, I'd probably skip having an in-depth discussion with them about it.

but then again I can't harldy think of too many who are on a whole either. ya know how I feel about Stevie.

But Joel was able to keep a big hit and then those side bar hits and balance enough energy to meet what he had to.

its funny Joel and Donald Fagan both come from the Ray CHarles school and Joel had the bigger hits and Fagan had the better albums with Steely dan back in the 70's IMO.

funny how the same cloth you use has to different usage of soap and the end results Huh?

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

His songs stand up to anyone's, and surpass most.

and personally, I rank him amongst the all-time American greats ( in terms of Singer/Songrwiters).


I DARE you not to sing along to "Piano Man" or "For the Longest Time"...

______________



http://www.windimoto.com


http://ten2one.wordpress.com/ <-FEB

http://wallpapershi.net/wallpapers/2012/01/boba-fett-star-wars-star-wars-boba-fett-movie-anime-1080x1920.jpg