Record basics

Album name: Songs in the Attic
Artist name: Billy Joel
Year: 1981
Number of discs: one
Label: Columbia Records
Collection: Selman
Distinguishing characteristics:
- Scratched into side one of LP: AL 37461 2J
- Scratched into side two of LP: BL 37461 2B
Buy it on Amazon: $18.00

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I am not familiar with this record, but it’s the third that I’ll have reviewed by Billy Joel. The other two were:

52nd Street (1978): 2/5
An Innocent Man (1983): 4/5

What I expected

This is a compilation of songs from his earlier records that were recorded live during a tour in summer 1980. I guess I expect some piano ballads, saxophone and other soft rock accoutrements.

What it was actually like

This was much more of a rock record than I expected.

Some of the songs definitely were close to what I imagined they would be, especially on the second side: She’s Got a Way, I’ve Loved These Days, You’re My Home, Captain Jack and The Ballad of Billy the Kid. All of these, however, at least had a recognizable rock sound, though it was not the dominant sound.

Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) started out sounding like it was going to be a boring piano ballad, then turned into a rock song with a great tempo, and the vocals were dumb, but it was not a bad song.

Everybody Loves You Now also had a fast tempo that I liked, except acoustic, and was also all right.

I did not like the piano on Summer, Highland Falls, but it was another ok rock song, as was Los Angelenos.

Say Goodbye to Hollywood would have been good, but was ruined by an unnecessary saxophone solo.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

Songs in the Attic by Billy Joel (Vinyl record album review)