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I never bought Billy Joel<\/strong>‘s rock persona. I simply can’t stand the bulk of his Glass Houses<\/em> era work; it feels forced and insincere to me. His earlier stints in The Hassles<\/strong> and Atilla<\/strong> notwithstanding, Joel has never been a rocker. He’s a troubadour, a singer\/songwriter, a piano man, if you will.<\/p>\n And a damn fine one at that: the albums he released in the 1970s are exemplars of the genre, and deserve mention alongside the best work of Carole King, James Taylor and other legendary (if decidedly non-rock) artists. And his 1974 Streetlife Serenade<\/em> is one of the best among several superb discs. 1971’s Cold Spring Harbor<\/em> was a solid if middling effort (marred forever by its too-fast mastering that made Joel sound a bit like a singer\/songwriter Bee Gee<\/strong>). His second release, Piano Man<\/em> (1973) has long been viewed as Joel’s breakthrough, but even it’s a bit precious, and his lyrical concerns are often overwrought and maudlin (see \u201cBallad of Billy the Kid,\u201d the squirmworthy ode-to-wanking \u201cCaptain Jack,\u201d and the title track for evidence). But by Streetlife Serenade<\/em>, Joel had found a balance between his singer\/songwriter instincts and a rock-leaning<\/em> (but not rock!) ambience that in places suggested how fellow tri-state area boy Bruce Springsteen<\/strong> might have sounded if he sat down at a grand piano.<\/p>\n \u201cStreetlife Serenader\u201d (note the spelling; as such it’s not quite<\/em> a title track) kicks the album off in troubadour mode, to good effect. \u201cLos Angelinos\u201d is a vignette\/story song, the kind of thing Joel has always excelled at, and a good example of the manner in which his vocal timbre changes radically when he sings louder or in higher registers; it’s almost as if he’s a different vocalist altogether. And the use of other keyboards in \u201cLos Angelinos\u201d \u2013 Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond organ \u2013 shows the composer’s breadth of skill at arranging and playing.<\/p>\n A fetching Moog synthesizer intro hammers that last point home, giving way quickly to \u201cThe Great Suburban Showdown,\u201d a tune that \u2013 with its understated but essential pedal steel guitar \u2013 would make a perfect companion piece to most anything on Elton John<\/strong>‘s Tumbleweed Connection<\/em>. The Moog returns for a lovely solo and again as an outro; few artists in the singer\/songwriter camp were finding such melodic and subtle uses of Moogs in ’74, and Joel deserves plaudits for doing so, even if it’s an avenue he rarely explored further.<\/p>\n The now-classic \u201cRoot Beer Rag\u201d is a showcase for Joel’s barrelhouse\/ragtime piano skills; in some ways, Streetlife Serenade<\/em> is almost a demonstration record of Billy Joel’s mastery of styles and keyboard instruments. And \u201cRoot Beer Rag\u201d has dated well, still sounding fresh these some forty-plus years later; unlike Keith Emerson<\/strong><\/a>‘s similar excursions (see the synth-and-organ fireworks of ELP<\/strong>‘s reading of Aaron Copland<\/strong>‘s \u201cHoedown, which, while an undeniable tour-de-force, sounds inescapably of its era).<\/p>\n \u201cRoberta\u201d steers the album back to singer\/songwriter mode, and for those who don’t like Joel’s approach, his sincere-guy-at-the-lounge-piano shtick here won’t change their minds. But for those who like his work in the style, it’s as sturdy an entry as any.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Entertainer\u201d is one of Joel’s signature compositions. It’s remarkable for its reliance on acoustic guitar and synthesizer to start the piece. His strident vocal approach is at the fore, and the arrangement calls to mind no one else as much as Paul Simon<\/strong>. Taking a (back) page from Bob Dylan<\/strong>, Joel spins out his tale without the use of a chorus, and over seven \u2013 count ’em \u2013 seven verses. Some lovely and varied piano work remains the song’s highlight, even though it’s not the focus of the arrangement. And once again, Joel’s use of synthesizer is nothing short of remarkable in its understated effectiveness.<\/p>\n When you see it in print, \u201cLast of the Big Time Spenders\u201d sounds almost like a Bernie Taupin<\/strong> title, doesn’t it? Guess what: it sounds like one, too, another in Joel’s Tumbleweed Connection<\/em>-like compositions for Streetlife Serenade<\/em>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/billyjoel_streetlife2.jpg\")
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