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Bill Joel
1976-06-10
The Bottom Line
Early Show
New York, NY
FM Broadcast
320 kbps
Artwork Included
CD 1:
01. Prelude > Angry Young Man
02. Somewhere Along The Line
03. Summer, Highland Falls
04. Piano Man
05. Root Beer Rag
06. James
07. Travelin' Prayer
08. New York State Of Mind
09. The Entertainer
10. Ballad Of Billy The Kid
11. Band Intro
12. I've Loved These Days
13. Impressions
14. Miami 2017
15. Captain Jack
16. All You Wanna Do Is Dance
17. Ain't No Crime
18. The Weekend Song
In 1976, after a less than successful 4 year stint in Los Angeles, Billy Joel returned home to New York, where he almost immediately began recording his 4th album, entitled Turnstiles. One look at the cover photo - shot in a New York City subway, - is all any one needs to realize that the album is all about Joel being back on familiar ground. Three of the album's track directly reference New York City - New York State of Mind, Summer Highland Falls and Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out on Broadway). Another, Say Goodbye to Hollywood, alludes to his leaving the West Coast to come back home. Of course, in addition to being a reflection of his personal life, those 4 tunes are among the strongest that he has written. The album also features such Joel classics as Prelude/Angry Young Man and I've Loved These Days. While not a commercial success, Turnstiles was an omen that stardom was around the corner for Billy, as his next release, The Stranger, would prove. That said, both my lovely bride, who's a big fan of Mr Joel, and I, prefer Turnstiles. This FM Broadcast, from the Bottom Line in New York on June 10, 1977, 34 years ago today, captures Billy, just a month after the release of Turnstiles. He plays almost the entire album, as well as earlier hits such as Piano Man, Captain Jack and The ballad of Billy The Kid. Download this one to hear Billy in his home town, on the cusp of stardom. One note -- the 18 tracks listed above are the only ones that were played at the Bottom Line. The other tracks listed on the back cover are from another show, which I couldn't find. If any one comes across it, please post a comment!
Billy Joel/Bruce Springsteen Connections
- The press and rock fans have often linked Joel and Springsteen simply because the former is from Long Island, NY and the latter’s roots were from right across the Hudson River in New Jersey.
- Bruce and Billy were both inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
- Springsteen and Joel both appeared at the 12-12-12 concert to raise funds for the New York and New Jersey victims of Hurricane Sandy.
- During Springsteen’s set at the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concert at Madison Square Garden on October 29, 2009, Billy Joel joined Bruce on stage. Joel did 3 tunes of his own, then played alongside Bruce on Born To Run and (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher.
- Joel, who owns a custom motorcycle shop, actually built a bike for Springsteen.
- At a fund raiser for then presidential candidate Barack Obama held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York in October 2008, Springsteen and Joel teamed up on stage for a two hour set featuring a host of classics from both artists’ catalog of music. Go here to read more about that.
