Search - Billy Joel :: Cold Spring Harbor

An angry producer couldn't stop him....

Stephen Len White | Bartlett, TN United States | 08/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll give away my age here, but I can remember seeing Billy Joel at Lafayette's Music Room in Overton Square in Memphis in 1973 just as Piano Man went big. There was much controversy about Cold Spring Harbor because an upset producer had messed up the tapes so Billy's voice was at a higher speed on the original original release. Destiny had other ideas, and songs like She's Got a Way persevere no matter what someone might do. The pianistic ability evident in Everybody Loves You Now....the sheer songwriting ability evident in She's Got a Way...this is an album you will return to again and again no matter where or when you discovered the majestic artistry of Mr Billy Joel...."

An impressive debut album for Billy Joel...and much improved

Michael Slater | Massapequa Park, NY United States | 04/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As most Billy Joel fans probably know by now, his debut album "Cold Spring Harbor" was accidentally speeded up in the mastering process upon its' original release in 1971. However, in 1983, the album was re-released and remastered with some editing and additional recording. In my opinion, this re-release corrected all that was wrong with the original. Yes, the original was speeded up to make Billy sound like a chipmunk but there were other imperfections as well. "You Can Make Me Free" was a decent enough song, but for about the last two minutes Billy is screaming his head off and it gets a bit annoying. On the remastered version, the song is faded out just before all the screaming and I think the song shines much more without it! The song "Tomorrow Is Today" is one of the best on this album, but the original is way over-produced, with very heavy backup and lots of strings. The remastered version eliminates all the over-production, leaving just Billy's voice and piano...the way it SHOULD have been done in the first place! Usually, I don't like when original recordings are messed with...but being that this was Billy's debut album, it didn't quite live up to his later offerings. However, the remastering of this LP gave it a better sound and helps it to blend in more comfortably with the rest of Billy's catalogue."

The seed was there for greatness

Nicolas W. Dubin | Michigan | 04/05/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I only wish I was living back when this album came out, because I would have correctly predicted Billy would have been the superstar that he turned out to be. This album (next to Turnstiles) is probably as intimate an album as Billy Joel ever made. The melodies are haunting and it's clear he has absorbed much from the Beatles in this debut, particularly the McCartney like "You Can Make Me Free". The lyrics to "Tomorrow is Today" are almost as haunting as Beethoven's 5th (not quite), but knowing that the lyrics were originally a suicide note is why I say that.



This wouldn't be the first album to start with if you've never bought yourself a Billy Joel album. Try The Stranger or 52nd Street before venturing to this less popular but possibly just as rewarding material."