Well, what else can you say --- this is Billy Joel ---- my goodness --- what a voice.
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CD Reviews
Truly a landmark album from the 70's
Neal C. Reynolds | Indianapolis, Indiana | 05/29/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"In my mind, it was the singers like James Taylor, Neil Diamond, and Billy Joel who shaped the music of the '70's and powerfully influenced pop music of the following generations. I might get argument in my feeling that there is noticeable influence by both of the other singer/writers in Billy Joel's output, and that's no putdown because he still has his individual style, even if flavors of the other two are there. "Travelin' Prayer" is indeed a strong opening song, one that expresses love for the woman while portraying a feeling that there is a being listening, though he doesn't really know how to talk to that being. "Piano Man" is of course the signature hit. But "You're My Home" and "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" are definitely significant, and "Stop In Nevada" deserves recognition. And the conclusion, "Captain Jack", is up there with the best of the '70's. If you're at all into the influential music that started in the 70's, you need at least one Billy Joel CD, and there is much more depth in this one then you'll find in a collection that just has his major hits."
Ballad Of Billy Joel
Thomas Magnum | NJ, USA | 12/28/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Piano Man is the album that helped Billy Joel first grab the public's ear. The title track is an irresistible sing along number that has earned its place as a classic. The song's omnipresence overshadows the fact there are a couple of songs on the album that are even better. "Captain Jack" is a sprawling wide-open number that Mr. Joel sings with the perfect growl. "Worst Comes To Worst" is another tale about a lounge singer with a much more bouncy beat. "Piano Man" has become his signature number, but "The Ballad Of Billy The Kid" should be. Much like the former, the latter tells of his life. Opening up with a cowboy sound, the song shifts and moves back and forth and is one Mr. Joel's best. "You're My Home" is a gift to his wife while "Stop In Nevada" has a nice beat. The album is dragged down by some lesser tunes like "Ain't No Crime", "Travelin' Prayer" and "Somewhere Along The Line"."
Fine early Billy Joel album
Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 09/28/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Billy Joel's Piano Man album on Columbia Records remains one of his best ever; and anyone who enjoys good solid rock from the 1970s will enjoy this CD very much.
The track set opens with "Travelin' Prayer." Listen for some great drums, fiddle, banjo and piano to create a country flavor for this ballad. Billy's voice is rich and full of masculine warmth--terrific! "Piano Man," the title track for this CD, leaves nothing to be desired. It starts with some great harmonica playing; and when Billy Joel comes in "Piano Man" takes off like a jet! Billy sings some portraits of people who come to the bar where he plays piano. Moreover, "Ain't No Crime" is a beautiful, gospel flavored number with a backup chorus that harmonizes to perfection as Billy sings it well!
"The Ballad Of Billy The Kid" gives us a country/western flavored arrangement as Billy sings the story of Billy The Kid and even compares himself to Billy The Kid but in a more positive light. Billy Joel sings "The Ballad Of Billy The Kid" flawlessly.
"Worse Comes To Worst" actually has a catchy melody that reflects the optimism Billy's character feels that he'll get by no matter how hard life gets; and this song has a great early 1970s rock and roll beat to it! Listen for some great key changes on "If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You)," too.
The album ends strong with the ballad called "Captain Jack." Billy delivers this flawlessly with panache and sensitivity. Great!
The artwork impresses me--how's about that cover photo?
Billy Joel remains a titan in the music industry; and this title is well deserved. Billy is one of the very few versatile artists who can evoke whatever emotions he wants his audiences to feel with every song he sings or records. I highly recommend this fine CD to anyone who likes great rock music from the early 1970s.
Enjoy!
"
The Piano Man
... | Montreal | 02/26/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"On this, his first album with Columbia Records, Billy Joel first showed the promise and talent that would make him one of the most recognizable and beloved songwriters of the past quarter century.Aside from the classic title track, which has also become synonymous with the artist himself, there are several wonderful songs on this album such as "Travelin' Prayer", melancholy songs like the "Ballad of Billy the Kid" and "Captain Jack", and even some softer songs like "Stop in Nevada" and "You're My Home". This is definitely not Billy Joel's strongest album front to back, but in many ways it's his most lovable. In retrospect it's easy to see how this set the stage for the rest of his brilliant career, and fans of the Piano Man will definitely have to have this in their collection."
Great Early Album From The Piano Man
S. Heffer | West Babylon, NY United States | 11/21/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Back in the summer of 1979, before I knew anything of pop music aside from The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel, I went to a sleepaway camp where someone in my bunk had this great album. I didn't know who it was, but I loved these great songs - Piano Man, the song about Billy the Kid. By 1985, I was getting heavily into music...and of course, being from Long Island, Billy Joel was required listening. In my effort to find music by this guy that my friends were listening to (and who I knew from the radio from songs like "Pressure", "Allentown" and "Tell Her About It"), I went sifting through my dad's record collection. I found several there...Trying to go in chronological order, the earliest one I found was "Piano Man". When I saw the track listing, I realized that this was that great album that we used to listen to in summer camp.It wasn't long before I became intimately familiar with all the songs on this album. Nowadays, I don't listen much to Billy Joel (probably because I listened to so much of him during High School), but looking at "Piano Man" in the context of his other work as well as my exposure to much more and different and varied music over the years, I still feel that this is a really good album from someone who would emerge as one of the premier songwriters of the '70s and '80s.Highlights of this album include the poignant, expressive title track which paints a vivid picture of Billy Joel's experience as a lounge pianist (I believe in L.A.). He paints great characters in this song which, in itself would make the song really good - of course, then there's the great music of the song. "Captain Jack" was another great hit off of this album - an ode to the hopelessness of suburban teenagerdom...Other great songs found here include the rollicking western style "The Ballad of Billy The Kid", the pretty "Your My Home" (which my friends used as their wedding first dance song), and two very catchy, lesser-known songs "Worse Comes To Worst" and "Ain't No Crime". Also, "Stop In Nevada" is a very pretty song which, for me, for reasons other than the just the song title, evokes images of the expanses of the American West...Same thing with "Billy The Kid", except with that song, the song really does have a western flavor.To sum up, there are two songs here which, as individual songs ("Ballad of Billy The Kid" and the title track)are masterpieces when standing alone. The rest of the songs here range from good to very good. While not a masterpiece as a whole, it is a very good album - I would give it 4 1/2 stars (to get above this, really every song has to be classic material) and round up to 5 stars...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
Maria R. 
