

Through a combination of touring and constant hustling, he landed a contract with Columbia and recorded his second album in 1973. He didn’t abandon his dreams – he continued to write songs, including “Piano Man,” a fictionalized account of his weeks as a lounge singer. It may be a bastardization of the original release, but it’s an acceptable one, since these changes only accentuate the intimacy and vulnerability of the recording.įLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 43:34 minutes | 1020 MBĮmbittered by legal disputes with his label and an endless tour to support a debut that was dead in the water, Billy Joel hunkered down in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles, spending six months as a lounge singer at a club. The speed wasn’t the only thing changed – some songs were edited drastically (“You Can Make Me Free,” one of the standouts, was chopped by nearly five minutes) and instruments and backing vocals were stripped away from numerous tracks. It wasn’t until 1983 that Columbia released a corrected reissue. Through a bizarre mastering error, the tapes were sped up – legend has it that upon hearing the completed album, he ripped it off the turntable, ran out of the house, and threw it down the street. Ironically, it didn’t sound right upon its original release. In its own way, Cold Spring Harbor was a minor gem of the sensitive singer/songwriter era Joel may have been in his formative stages as a craftsman, but his talents are apparent, and he never made an album as intimate and vulnerable ever again. The record was uneven but very charming, boasting two of his finest songs – the lovely “She’s Got a Way” and the bitterly cynical “Everybody Loves You Now” – and a score of flawed but nicely crafted songs that illustrated Joel’s gift for melody, as well as his pretensions (the mock-gospel in “Tomorrow Is Today,” a classical stab entitled “Nocturne”). He had shown signs of McCartney-esque songcraft on Hour of the Wolf, the last Hassles album, but his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor, is where these talents blossomed.
#Billy joel discography 320 download
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Front coverĪ few short months after abandoning the heavy organ-and-drums duo Attila – partially because their sole record flopped, partially because he stole the drummer’s wife – Billy Joel reinvented himself as a sensitive singer/songwriter. His fusion of two distinct eras made him a superstar in the late ’70s and ’80s, as he racked an impressive string of multi-platinum albums and hit singles.īilly Joel – Cold Spring Harbor (1971/2014)įLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 30:24 minutes | 648 MB Joel’s music consistently demonstrates an affection for Beatlesque hooks and a flair for Tin Pan Alley and Broadway melodies. Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: Q0buz| Front Cover | © Columbia – LegacyĪlthough Billy Joel never was a critic’s favorite, the pianist emerged as one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the latter half of the ’70s. Billy Joel – The Complete Albums Collection (2011/2014)įLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 11:14:08 minutes | 13,9 GB | Genre: Rock, Pop
