Ranking the BILLY JOEL Albums!

Come hang out as we each do our respective rankings of the Billy Joel albums!
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[@nathanalfaro2936]

“There’s no statute of limitations on knowledge” - quote of the decade.

[@djcrystalclear8169]

Right?!?

[@Persephonie22]

❤Love this awesome quote. It needs to be in T-shirts👕, mugs & bumper stickers. So it won't forgotten. I agree with Tommy is definitely right about that. There definitely no statue of limitations on knowledge. I could never stand it when people constantly say of course I don't know it b/c its before my time. Majority of of Billy Joel music I know because my Mom was a huge fan of his and kept playing it in the house.

[@jeffthevideoguy23]

"🎵you made the rice, I made the gravy. OH, but it just may be the lutefisk you're looking for. 🎵"

[@djcrystalclear8169]

😂😂😂

[@darrellwhitman4756]

12. River of Dreams 11. Storm Front 10. The Bridge 9. Cold Spring Harbor 8. Piano Man 7. Streetlife Serenade 6. Turnstiles 5. An Innocent Man 4. 52nd Street 3. Glass Houses 2. The Nylon Curtain 1. The Stranger

[@Persephonie22]

❤Terrific video of Billy Joel's albums @AsItShouldBe 👏🏼. Those lists were awesome. Love Billy Joel and he will forever be my piano man. I still can't believe they made a commercial of his lyrics like that.

[@Persephonie22]

Love all of Billy Joel's albums. My late Mother was a huge fan so I was bless to have the opportunity to listen to of of his music in my house since she always played them. As for An Innocent Man is my ultimate favorite❤ album along with 52 Street & The Stranger. We played them until they broke & replace them right away to listen again. I said it before and will say it again Billy Joel is & will always be my piano man.🎹🎶

[@UniversalBlackRocker]

Well awwright...Happy Thursday my musical family, friends and homies!! Before we crashed someone's party tomorrow and then say sorry on Saturday (nice reference I did there huh), I have my ranking of Billy Joel albums and I can say that majority of us all have the same number one album. So I'm keeping my faith and get it right the first time by ranking the Piano Man himself. 12. River Of Dreams 11. The Bridge 10. Cold Spring Harbor 9. Streetlife Serenade 8. Storm Front 7. Piano Man 6. An Innocent Man 5. Turnstiles 4. Glass Houses 3. 52nd Street 2. The Nylon Curtain And my number one favorite Billy Joel album goes to: 1. 1999...no that's not it. The Cars' self titled debut...wait, that's not it either. Rio... that's Duran Duran. What is the name of the album? Oh right, The Stranger. That's the one. But everything you guys were saying about The Stranger is on point. Just like Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd and many other classic rock acts of the 60s and 70s, it's something about that signature album or albums that changed everything of those decades and Billy's The Stranger did that as well as other albums around that era like Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Eagles' Hotel California. So that's my ranking of Billy Joel's albums.

[@djcrystalclear8169]

ZING!🎉

[@UniversalBlackRocker]

@@djcrystalclear8169 Thanks homie! 🎉

[@ChrisPropfeMusicallyObsessed]

Great rankings from all of you. I listened to most of Billy Joel’s music growing up in the ‘80s through MTV and then went back. I was never a huge Billy Joel fan but I like his songs and albums when I hear them…explain that???

[@michelewiese48]

@@ChrisPropfeMusicallyObsessed I think my nostalgic affection for some of his songs is because of the passing of time and childhood memories. Typically, I don’t gravitate toward his sound. The 80s music closest to my heart is much more synthy. But, when I hear certain Billy Joel songs, they take me back, and I can live in that moment for a little while. I feel similarly about Bruce Springsteen.

[@victorturturici4446]

He hated dehated the Cold Spring hall too.The producer speed up the sap.The voice it sounded like A.He called it the chipmunk album

[@victorturturici4446]

He hated cold spring horber he call it the chipmunk album

[@djcrystalclear8169]

Thank you Chris!

[@Smaxt45]

Love it yall. Can we get a Springsteen version soon🙂🙂🙂

[@magicgenius]

Ok. Here for it. ❤

[@reubensane5539]

I moved to LI when I was 15 with my parents,in 1982. Oceanside . I ran into Billy Joel once at Nathan’s ,it might have been car night .

[@RPCmuzique]

Thanks for the rankings AISB, and brilliant camera work, Paul. 54:08

[@RobertFithen]

We must be synced up, I talked about Billy Joel in my new video and agree with a lot of what was said here. I especially agree with Tommy's assessment of "An Innocent Man". I think I also even used the phrase "nailed it!" Still love "Allentown" though. loI I don't think I've actually ever heard "River of Dreams" in it's entirety. Here's a fun fact: "The Bridge" album cover was used as a clue in the movie "Million Dollar Mystery", the gimmick movie from 1987 where viewers were supposed to watch the movie for clues as to where in the US a million dollars was actually hidden for them to win. "Cold Spring Harbor" was re-released in 1983 and slowed down with some songs getting remixes with new instrumentation added. From my understanding, it still wasn't slowed to the correct speed and is still a bit fast, but not as cartoonishly so as the original pressings.

[@NaughtyVampire-zf8pd]

Hi guys. Here's my album list with fave song indicated: 1. Piano Man (title track) 2. Turnstiles (Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)) 3. Glass Houses (Close to the Borderline) 4. The Stranger (Only the Good Die Young) 5. Cold Spring Harbor (Everybody Loves You Now) 6. The Nylon Curtain (Pressure) 7. 52nd Street (My Life) 8. Streetlife Serenade (The Entertainer) 9. The Bridge (This Is the Time) 10. Storm Front (We Didn't Start the Fire) 11. An Innocent Man (title track) 12. River of Dreams (Blonde Over Blue)

[@UniversalBlackRocker]

@@NaughtyVampire-zf8pd Hey my friend NVG! Great list along with favorite songs. Pressure, that's the first song I got to know about Billy Joel because of the video being on heavy rotation on MTV. Just seeing Billy strapped in the chair saying "Pressure", his shoes being splash, him being eating by a shag carpet at the party where the guy went in this water mirror and the coffee spilled by itself (and the one extra who was in every Russell Mulcahy, David Mallet and Brian Grant videos, spilled his drink because his hand was shaking). Guess you can tell that I love early MTV stuff and know the music video directors LOL! Hope you're doing well my friend. Ttyl

[@djcrystalclear8169]

Fab as always NV🎉

[@NaughtyVampire-zf8pd]

@@djcrystalclear8169 Hey Crystal: Thanks so much. Hope you are enjoying the weekend. 😎

[@NaughtyVampire-zf8pd]

@@UniversalBlackRocker Hey Damar/UBR. Thank you so much for the comment!! Hope you are doing well and enjoying your weekend. Yeah - Pressure is a great video/song from the early days of MTV. You are certainly familiar with the directors. (Nice! 😎) I believe my fave Billy Joel video is the one for We Didn't Start the Fire. I could - and did - watch that one repeatedly. Plus it is one of my fave songs from Billy. Ok, Damar. Catch you later, my friend. Back to 2018! 🙃

[@UniversalBlackRocker]

@@NaughtyVampire-zf8pd Hey NVG!! You're very welcome my friend!! The We Didn't Start The Fire video was a great video too. I like the whole timeline of one family, one household from 1949 to 1989 concept with intercuts of Billy in a room lip-synching the chorus while the pictures in the background goes into flames. I'm not ready for 2018 but I'll be there. Have a great weekend my friend. 😊🎶🙌🏾

[@saturninebear]

Turnstiles will always be my favourite.

[@djcrystalclear8169]

What’s your favorite track?

[@saturninebear]

@@djcrystalclear8169 Summer, Highland Falls..

[@djcrystalclear8169]

Ooooh, nice ​@@saturninebear !

[@curly_wyn]

What a coincidence! I literally just made a Billy Joel ranking an hour ago! Haha, here it is: 1. The Stranger (1977) ❤ 2. The Nylon Curtain (1982) 3. An Innocent Man (1983) 4. Glass Houses (1980) 5. 52nd Street (1978) 6. Turnstiles (1976) 7. Streetlife Serenade (1974) 8. Cold Spring Harbor (1971) 9. River of Dreams (1993) 10. Storm Front (1989) 11. Piano Man (1973) 12. The Bridge (1986)

[@CoreyLeland]

Hooray! I'm very interested in this one :) Will watch later. Happiness and Peace. For me? 1.Glass Houses (Not only my favorite BJ album one of my favorite albums) 2. Stranger 3. 52nd Street (who needs side "B?" not me.)

[@LawrenceAkers]

Look, I'm from Melbourne Australia and I've grown up LOVING Billy Joel so you don't have to be from either the North or South side of Long Island to be spellbound by his music. In fact, when I was 12 years old, I had nagged my brother to buy me the (then new) Greatest Hits Vol 1 & 2 album for Christmas and I absolutely wore it out. Since then, I've gone back and bought all of his albums - in some cases, multiple times - and never miss him whenever he tours Australia. I'd say I agree with the general consensus that 'The Stranger' has to be his best album, although I truly have a soft spot for 'Glass Houses', 'The Nylon Curtain', 'Turnstiles' and 'Piano Man' as well. I think we can all safely agree that 'River of Dreams' and 'Cold Spring Harbor' is probably not his best work.

[@djcrystalclear8169]

Thank you Lawrence!😊

[@georgemathie8123]

This makes me happy been a Billy Joel fan since I was a kid top 5 for today are glass houses, the stranger, the nylon curtain, 52nd Street and piano man special mentions for the bridge, storm front and an innocent man it'll be fun to see where all of your rankings end up have fun

[@ErnestIII83]

Hey, everyone. So, similar to the Ramones ranking where I had a top 10, for Billy, I have a top 6. So, here goes: 6. Turnstiles (This IS an underrated album. The first "proper" Billy Joel album I liked and contains my overall favorite song of his, Summer, Highland Falls. I agree with Crystal on Say Goodbye To Hollywood. Ronnie Spector, who Billy had in mind when he wrote the song in the first place, recorded a cool version of it with the E Street Band as well) 5. The Nylon Curtain (Scandinavian Skies is killer. First heard it when Scott Muni played it on Q1043. I don't think it's that underrated these days considering people seem to be singing its praises as of late. Probably because Billy said it was his favorite of his own albums. Similar to when Phil Collins said Both Sides was his favorite of his own albums and people all of a sudden started re-appraising that too. Ha) 4. Glass Houses (Nope, not my no. 1 either, but I still dig it. Still Rock & Roll To Me is a song I don't wish to ever hear again, but as part of the album, it somehow works) 3. 52nd Street (I feel the same about Big Shot that I feel about Still Rock & Roll To Me. And I like side 2 as much as I like side 1. It's just that there aren't as many "hits" on side 2 as there are on side 1. Good stuff all around) 2. The Stranger (Can't really say anything about this album that hasn't already been said, so we carry on) 1. Attila. No. An Innocent Man (Did I really rank this above The Stranger? Yes. Yes, I did. The only thing disappointing about it for me is that I discovered it after my father died and I think if he was still alive I would recommend it to him and perhaps burn him a copy and he could possibly have it playing in his car. Has the feel of an album he would like. He was certainly aware of The Longest Time and Uptown Girl (the Four Seasons were his ultimate favorite) but I think he would've dug the rest of the album too, or at least get a kick out of it.) I just realized that all these albums I ranked were released back-to-back. Seems 1976-1983 is my favorite period of Billy Joel. At least album-wise. Was not intentional. Schweppe's. If I may rephrase a popular line from the videos of fellow commenter @PapaNicksMusic - That's good ginger ale. ;) Billy Joel is the Elvis Presley or Frank Sinatra of Long Island while I'm the Tiny Tim of Staten Island. "There's no statute of limitations on knowledge." Tommy the philosopher strikes again. I'm gonna start using that line. Considering for years I've heard people tell me that I'm "too young" to know certain things like certain types of music and performers or whatever, believe me, I can identify. Hell, I remember the story my mother and grandmother told of me sitting in the shopping cart (I was that young) and singing along to an Everly Brothers song playing in the store and the cashier asking them that question, "Isn't he too young to know that?" So, yeah, thank you Tommy for that. Matter Of Trust is a good song, but I can tell he was being influenced by Springsteen there. Nothing wrong with that, but that's the first thing that comes to mind whenever I hear it. Ha. Another notable line credited to drummer Liberty DeVito is "she got the house, she got the car" to the tune of "I love you just the way you are". Definitely aware of his classical album. Even got it around the time it came out. Never really listened to it, though. I'm sure I speak on behalf of most who got that album when I say that. (Most. Not all) At 7:18, either Tommy was trying to give Paul some fire or he was trying to get a kiss from Paul. Ha! Storm Front. "Your out of touch Dad makes a Billy Joel album." An album that went to no. 1 and sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. alone. Doesn't sound all that out of touch to me... I like Downeastern Alexa and I Go To Extremes as well. A cousin of mine was or is a big Billy Joel fan. He used to do his songs in clubs and places like that. I remember being over at his and his parents' house (his mother is the one who roundhoused Jani Lane and his brother is the one who sang with Neon Trees on Letterman's show, if you remember my comments of the past) and him singing and playing and me sitting by the piano and singing straight along to his rendition of Scenes From An Italian Restaurant. Good times. He even has the sheet music to that classical album of Billy's as well. So, I guess that's one other fan that listened to that album. Ha. Next week, 2018 albums? What, no Elton John album ranking? I'd probably do a top 4 for that anyway. Ha! See y'all then. :)

[@UniversalBlackRocker]

@@ErnestIII83 Hey Ernest! Talk about an amazing list. I agree on Turnstiles being the proper Billy Joel album. And The Nylon Curtain, that album has been my favorite since I was a kid because of the music video of Pressure being played a lot on MTV (and also, I'm a huge fan of Russell Mulcahy's music videos...well majority of them). And I see what you mean with Big Shot and It's Still Rock And Roll To Me, it's basically how I feel with Zeppelin songs, Queen songs, Pink Floyd songs, Fleetwood Mac, and others. They're not terrible or we're saying that we can't stand them, it's more like if we have to hear them every single day on the radio one more time, especially on Classic Rock stations, we would go insane and throw the radio out the window LOL!! And I didn't think about the Springsteen influence on A Matter Of Trust until I've listened to the song again and realized that you're on point. And that's the only one I really like on the Bridge album (which I feel like Columbia wanted Billy to make a Phil Collins-style album with that one.) I'm so not ready for 2018. Probably my picks will be 3 or 4 but we'll see what happens

[@djcrystalclear8169]

Great stuff E3!

[@PapaNicksMusic]

@@ErnestIII83 Thanks for the mention!

[@ErnestIII83]

@@PapaNicksMusic 👍

[@ErnestIII83]

@@djcrystalclear8169 Thanks! ☺

[@alexnejako777]

i could use a less warped version of glass houses on vinyl. it sounds like "it's stilllll rock and rohlllll to mewewee." i can't deal, i just put it back in my collection.

[@alexnejako777]

glass houses is where i became a fan. first rock singer i followed and i can play many songs of his on the piano . mid 70s to late 70s was a great time for Billy

[@alexnejako777]

you guys dont like Billy wailing, growling, and playing intense organ with Attila? that's metal.

[@alexnejako777]

i would have done a cease and desist on the english buses commercial so fast.. i'm glad we got billy joel on the bosom buddies opening for a bit even though that got changed and you can't see it on the reruns on tv anymore.

[@djcrystalclear8169]

@@alexnejako777Atilla! We talked about that mess in a previous episode, I think Tommy brought it up!

[@mikehernandez6024]

My top 3: 3. The Stranger (I'll be the weirdo that doesn't put it at #1) 2. Glass Houses 1. 52nd Street (50% of this ranking is due to the fact that this was my first album purchase with my own $$$. The other 50% is the fact that I do love this, even side 2. C'mon, Rosalinda's Eyes and Half A Mile Away are killers.)

[@PapaNicksMusic]

Billy Joel! He doesn’t have any completely mediocre albums: even the weak albums have at least two fantastic songs… Here’s my two cents. 12. Cold Spring Harbor-I get your point, Paul, in that this album sounds like he’s trying to be an artiste… 11. Streetlife Serenade-a couple of decent songs (The Entertainer, Los Angelenos) and a bunch of filler. He didn’t have strong material for this record. 10. The Bridge-like Streetlife, a bunch of weak songs with a couple of winners (A Matter of Trust, Code of Silence) 9. Piano Man-he has some really good songs on this one, but the album doesn’t stand up well in comparison to the later stuff in terms of the production. 8. An Innocent Man-I hated this one when it came out, but over time, I have come to like it quite a bit. If I’m handing out letter grades, this album gets an A-, so that will give you an idea of what I think about it. 7. River of Dreams-this album is sneaking up on my list. When I did my video ranking these albums, River of Dreams was much lower, but it’s growing on me. Part of that, I’m sure, is due to listening to Billy Joel’s Sirius XM channel and hearing him talk about the personal and financial issues he was dealing with and trying to process with his songwriting. 6. Storm Front-Excellent album, a good solid A. (My vote for most underrated album on the list.) 5. Turnstiles-I agree, Paul: if Phil Ramone had produced it, it would’ve been HUGE. It (along with the rest of the catalog) gets an A+ from me. 4. Glass Houses-A+! 3. The Stranger-surprising that I have it at number 3, considering the impact it had, but it’s still an A+! 2. The Nylon Curtain-A+! 1. 52nd Street-when this one first came out, I had the same reaction that y’all have, that side 1 was JESUS CHRIST THIS IS FANTASTIC and side 2 was meh. Several years later, I started listening more to side 2, and now, I think side 2 is better than side 1. (I know. Heresy.) The span of albums from Turnstiles to Nylon Curtain is insanely good, a level of excellence that very few recording artists before or after could match. I’ve always said that, if Brian Wilson is the George Gershwin of our time (and, yes, I think he is), then Billy Joel is the Irving Berlin of our time, The Great American Songwriter of the latter half of the twentieth century.

[@djcrystalclear8169]

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@stevenlewis6056]

Huge Billy fan here! Great job with your lists. Here is mine from worst to best: 12- The Bridge 11- River of Dreams 10- Cold Spring Harbor 9- Storm Front 8- Piano Man 7- Streetlife Serenade 6- An Innocent Man 5- The Nylon Curtain 4- 52nd Street 3- Glass Houses 2- Turnstiles 1- The Stranger

[@jeffthevideoguy23]

Play 41:32 to 41:39 at 0.25 speed. You can thank me later

[@michelewiese48]

I’m not well-versed in Billy Joel (at all) but I would be lying to myself if I denied some of his hits! “Only The Good Die Young”, “You May Be Right”, and “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me” were ubiquitous radio staples in my childhood. I’ve never explored his albums, so this episode will be an education for me. Excited for 2018! I know I’m in the minority! 😅 😂

[@curly_wyn]

Yeah.. I love Only the Good Die Young, I don’t mind It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me but don’t love it, and I absolutely fucking hate You May Be Right. 😅

[@michelewiese48]

@@curly_wyn Hey there! My ranking would be: 1. You May Be Right (love the breaking glass intro!) 2. Only The Good Die Young 3. It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me

[@Joelster-og4pf]

Hey guys. Really great video. Loved the humour and hearing some of the backstories. I would’ve put Fantasies & Delusions last (if I counted it), but it’s still ok. 12. The Bridge 11. The River Of Dreams 10. Streetlife Serenade 9. An Innocent Man 8. Storm Front 7. Piano Man 6. Cold Spring Harbor 5. The Nylon Curtain 4. Turnstiles 3. Glass Houses 2. 52nd Street 1. The Stranger Btw I think Crystal forgot to mention her placement for Streetlife Serenade, where would that’ve been? 🤔

[@andersond.d.sbargainjambor4278]

I never imagined I'd see the day when a self-professed Billy Joel fan would declare that the second half of 52nd Street (which includes Rosalinda's Eyes, Half a Mile Away, Until the Night, and the short but sweet title track) "doesn't do anything for me". Just... wow. By the way, 52nd Street is resoundingly #1 on my list. For me, the only slightly weak track is Stiletto, and it's still pretty darn good; everything else is an absolute banger.

[@summertime_blooz]

You could do a similar video for some other artists: Elton John, Queen, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Rolling Stones, ELO, Steely Dan, Chicago, Genesis, Doobie Brothers, Eagles, Prince, Police.

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

I mean, yeah. Of course. So far we've done The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Ramones and now Billy Joel. Obviously many more to get around to. I've already done Stevie Wonder, Stones and Prince on my own but would like to re-do them with the group.

[@dumbguydepot304]

1-2 Baby! I called a Glass Houses/The Stranger combo. Lol you mentioned me as I was typing this! I'm fine with either at #1, both are the best!

[@djcrystalclear8169]

It was a tough decision for me, they almost tied for first

[@dumbguydepot304]

@@djcrystalclear8169 I was being a bit of a goof last week about Glass Houses but it's that era I love. 52nd Street, The Stranger, GH and even Innocent Man is strong. I'm a 73' so I asked for the Uptown Girl 45 on Christmas and got it. One of my first 45's and that song meant as much to me as it seems like it meant to Tommy. The song itself is so well written. I also laugh at the front end loading of Glass Houses and fun fact, I never even gave side 2 a real listen until 2015! I had heard it at my cousins place around 1981 or so (they had a few tapes in the basement where we played as kids while the parents were getting drunk upstairs playing cards.) and they had this cassette along with the Village People 'Go West' cassette. We listened to that tape a lot I remember while The Love Boat, Chips or Fantasy Island was on TV. But I never gave side 2 a chance for over 30 years. Scenes is my fav song of Billy's so The Stranger and I also love 52nd Rosalinda's Eyes (if you've seen Freaks and Geeks you know) and My Life amongst others. I think we can all agree that Mr Joel is a National Treasure!

[@jasonbrooks6562]

That constant fanning by that woman is not only distracting its fucking annoying.

[@djcrystalclear8169]

What you don’t know Jason, is that it was 85 degrees in the studio, and we can’t have the air conditioner running while we tape the show…so GFY. Best, That Woman

[@curly_wyn]

Go put your nice three-piece suit on, Jason.

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Aw poor thing, feel better now? If you weren’t a miserable prick you probably wouldn’t find it so annoying. But hey, thank you for projecting your shittiness onto others.

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

@@curly_wyn I suspect his "suit" is all white...with a pointed tip