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[ Cold Spring Harbor ]
[ Piano Man ]
[ Streetlife Serenade ]
[ Turnstiles ]
[ The Stranger ]
[ 52nd Street ]
[ Glass Houses ]
[ Songs In The Attic ]
[ The Nylon Curtain ]
[ An Innocent Man ]
[ Greatest Hits: Voume I & Volume II ]
[ The Bridge ]
[ Kohuept ]
[ Storm Front ]
[ River of Dreams ]
[ Greatest Hits: Volume III ]
[ 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert ]
[ The Ultimate Collection ]
[ The Essential Billy Joel ]
[ Fantasies & Delusions ]
[ Movin' Out: Original Cast Recording ]
[ The Harbor Sessions ]
[ 12 Gardens Live ]
[ The Hits ]




[ Live From Long Island ]
[ The Video Album: Volume I ]
[ The Video Album: Volume II ]
[ Live From Leningrad, USSR ]
[ A Matter of Trust ]
[ Live At Yankee Stadium ]
[ Eye of the Storm ]
[ Shades of Grey ]
[ Greatest Hits: Volume III ]
[ The Essential Video Collection ]
[ Rock Masters: Billy Joel ]
[ The Last Play at Shea ]



"Joel Gaining Respect Among Indie Rockers"
By: Tom Murray
(November 2nd, 2007)

Billy Joel, long dismissed as terribly uncool, is starting to gain respect among indie rockers.

"He's absolutely amazing," says Edmonton filmmaker and drummer Trevor Anderson of the Wet Secrets.

"Billy Joel was one of those people I listened to as a kid and then shamefully hid away when I got older and worried about being cool. Then at some point I decided not to care about being cool anymore and I started listening again."

Joel is undergoing a musical reassessment by many musicians. Not one that involves some kind of overlooked artistry in the singer/songwriter, but one that points to the facts: Years after his songs ruled the charts but disgusted rockers, they're still around, and he's still selling out arenas, despite the fact that he's all but disappeared from mainstream media.

Anderson - who also expresses a love for the noisiest garage rock - is unabashed in his appreciation of the "Piano Man." You can point to a fascination with "My Life" as a reason why Anderson can't quite give up on his guilty pleasure. Jump in his car, the first thing you'll hear blasting out of the stereo, CD cover lying among more hip recordings, is "Billy Joel: Greatest Hits - Volume I & II."

"I was always about the singles.

"I don't know that I ever owned an album," Anderson says, which is very telling.

Joel's influences - pre-pop Brill Building and Tin Pan Alley songwriters, Paul McCartney, doo-wop singers - all rested their careers on singles, not albums.

"That might be why his songs are more memorable than most of his albums. He put so much into each single," Anderson reflects.

Anderson is in his 30s. He can still remember when allegiance to Joel guaranteed strange looks all around.

However, 22 year-old Doug Hoyer, who leads his own band and plays with local indie rockers Illfit Outfit, can't quite see why Joel was so maligned.

"Just this summer, when I was working at a record store, I was discovering so much of his music through "The Essential Billy Joel" album," he relates. "Those songs between '77 and '80 were great pop songs."

The post "Piano Man" Joel offerings - "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," "Big Shot," "Only The Good Die Young" - were extravagant productions at odds with his reputation as a schmaltzy balladeer, as represented by songs like "Just The Way You Are" and "New York State of Mind."

Anderson can hear echoes of this Joel period in rockers The Flaming Lips' recent albums, an evaluation that likely would forever scar some of their fans if it turned out to be true.

Hoyer, meanwhile, is fascinated by Joel's chameleon-like changes through the late '70s and early '80s.

"On 'Glass Houses' (released in 1980) you can hear the way that he was responding to the punk and new wave around him," says Hoyer. "You can even hear The Cars in some of those songs. Same as the album with 'Uptown Girl.' He always seemed to be challenging himself."


"Concert Review: Rexall Place, Edmonton"
By: Colin MacLean
(November 4th, 2007)

We all grew up with Billy Joel.

The most autobiographical of singers, we shared his early triumphs, his "New York Frame of Mind," his seemingly endless string of hits, his various wives and affairs, his suicide attempt, his alcoholism and stints in rehab and his three arrests in two years for dangerous driving.

And, I suspect, the near capacity audience at his concert last night at Rexall Place, many of a certain age with spreading middle and greying of hair, have shared many of their own personal memories to the sound of a Billy Joel song.

His hits go all the way back to the early '70s and he's sold an astonishing 150 million records.

Last night when Joel invited us to sing along - no one needed a teleprompter.

Now 56, with a shaved head, craggy well-worn ex-boxers visage and his legendary pugnacious, no nonsense manner, he's everyman - as feisty and unpredictable as ever. "Only The Good Die Young," he sang to the wildly appreciative house.

"I'm Billy's dad," he told us. "Billy is still young and good lookin'. Well actually, he's never really been good lookin.'"

In fact, he played the audience with the same skill he brought to his piano. Which rose from the stage and then revolved so the audience could all get a good look at him. "This is our only special effect," he told us. "We want to keep the ticket price down."

The show, as you might expect, was really "the best of..." Which means the considerable Joel songbook was much on display. Songs included, "Just The Way You Are," "Allentown," "Pressure," "An Innocent Man," "My Life," "The River of Dreams," "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," & "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me."

And many more.

With such a large repertoire it's natural that some favorites were left out. I particularly missed his Goodnight Saigon with its whirring helicopters and the dramatic Shameless which went to #1 on the charts - as did Garth Brooks' cover a couple of years later.

Showing his mastery of the instrument, he also played the piano, jamming with his band to his own music and a range of influences from classical to rock and roll.

At one point, he picked up an electric guitar and had one of his roadies (he called him "Chainsaw") deliver a high decibel version of the old AC/DC hit, "Highway To Hell."

Actually his seven-man band was as tight as you could want and seemed perfectly at home in everything from rock to sentimental ballads.

But the music is just part of a Billy Joel concert. As you might expect of a man who once toured American campuses giving lectures, the singer/songwriter had a lot to say. He's serious about his music but he is not above poking a lot of fun at himself. "I'm not losing my hair but I'm gaining more head," he said to an appreciative laugh. In a reference to his driving record he observed, "Hey, I need your money. I've got ridiculous car insurance."

The light show that went with the performance was as slick and precise as any I've seen at Rexall Place.

Great singer. Great piano player. All-round entertainer.

Listening to the Joel in the spacious barn of Rexall Place, one is struck that his is the perfect talent for the big spaces. He is larger-than- life and his songs, from simple cart-busters to 10-minute mini-operas, fill the hall. Behind the energetic, big voiced delivery lies considerable subtlety and the seemingly simple lyrics, delivered with perfect phrasing and diction, have depths within depths.

In the last half hour, Joel and his cracker-jack band ramped up the audio level, intensity and tempo and had the joint rockin'. He brought it all back down with his mandatory closer, "Piano Man."

No one went home disappointed.


"'Piano Man' Grand"
By: Theresa Tayler
(November 6th, 2007)

Billy Joel just wanted to be a boxer.

Instead, his mother forced him into piano lessons and he ended up becoming one of the world's top-selling recording artists - we're talking 150 million records here.

While he may have begrudgingly taken to the ivories as a child, he has his mom to thank for his unbelievably successful career behind the grand piano.

The guy hasn't had a Billboard topper since 1993's "River of Dreams," and Joel has only released one song with lyrics in the last five years ("All My Life," penned for current wife, 26 year-old, Katie Lee).

But, Joel doesn't need a new #1, he dished out more punchy-pop hits in '70s and '80s than Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson combined.

Joel has so many mega-songs that pretty much everything he played at last night's sold-out show at the Saddledome was recognizable .

Unless you've been living under a rock, it's impossible to go through life without learning the lyrics to at least one or two Billy Joel tunes.

So when the "Piano Man" prompted the crowd to sing along, no-one needed to hum their way through.

The 56 year-old arrived on stage behind a black grand piano, wearing jeans and a suit jacket, a little tubbier, a little balder than when he was in his prime - but still has entertaining as ever.

He's got a dry sense of humor, with an on-stage intensity that keeps audience eyes glued to his every move. Will he freak out and knock the piano over because the lighting is not quite right? Would he yell at one of his roadies or band members on stage?

Joel is known for his cantankerous personality, but he's not above poking fun at himself.

"I'm Billy Joel's dad - Billy's warming up backstage. He just sent me out here to get things going," joked Joel.

Backed by a seven-piece band, Joel was seated mid-stage behind the piano for the majority of the evening.

"Thanks for buying those seats, I really need the money. I have insane car insurance," he said, kidding around about his infamous DUI incident.

Prime seats to last night's concert were more than $100.

Joel opened with "My Life," before moving on to hits such as "Vienna" ("The Stranger," 1977), and "Zanzibar" ("52nd Street," 1978).

It's no mystery why Joel has enjoyed such longevity. He's a slick performer who commands a large arena with the same charm and intimate banter he would a tiny piano bar - joking with the crowd and telling stories between tunes.

He even launched into a rendition of Gordon Lightfoot's "Alberta Bound," much to the pleasure of the adoring crowd of Baby Boomers and 30-somethings.

While last night's two-hour concert started with a bang, midway through, the show began to make one feel as though one were stuck in an elevator or dentist's waiting room - much of Joel's repertoire is easy listening, smooth jazz - but sitting through a few sleepers is worth the wait when you've paid to see the "Piano Man" play classics "Uptown Girl" and "Only The Good Die Young."


"Billy Joel, A 'Dinosaur' In Demand"
It's Been Years Since He Had A Pop Hit, But The 'Piano Man' Still Packs Them In

By: Jim Harrington
(November 8th, 2007)

Billy Joel's stats are impressive.

He's sold some 80 million records in the United States, which makes him the sixth bestselling artist in the country, right behind the Eagles and a notch above Pink Floyd.

That, however, won't stop him from hearing the question: "What have you done for us lately?"

The 58 year-old legend certainly hasn't been writing new pop songs. After dominating the airwaves in the '70s, '80s and early '90s with smash upon smash, Joel has been decidedly quiet in recent years. He hasn't released a new pop album since 1993's "River of Dreams," a disc that hit #1 on the Billboard charts, and has instead focused his attention on composing instrumental works.

He has remained active on the road, having toured for the better part of a decade on a co-bill with fellow piano man Elton John. In 2006, he finally ventured out on his first solo tour of the United States in years.

That outing proved so popular that Joel is staging a second trek, which hits the Oracle Arena in Oakland on Saturday.

Recently, Joel took the time to discuss the new tour and other subjects during a phone interview from his home on Long Island, NY.

Question: You've been inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. Which one means the most to you?

Answer: Probably, the songwriter. I'm from Long Island, so that was a lay-down. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? You know, rock and roll - that's what I do. But songwriting is the hardest part of the job, so that's probably the one I appreciate the most.

Question: After touring with Elton John for so many years, why did you finally decide to mount your own solo trek?

Answer: We were touring with Elton for about 10 years.... I got to do his songs, he got to do my songs, we got do our songs together, he got to play with my band, I got to play with his band - there were whole different combinations of things.

But after 10 years, we were pretty much doing a stock greatest hits show. Elton was the opening act on the tour, he went on first. So, we'd be sitting backstage and Elton would be playing hit after hit after hit. We'd be sitting there saying, "Oh, my God, we have to follow this?" Well, if you try to go up there and do album tracks or obscurities, the crowd is going to go to the bathroom. So, we were doing greatest hits for 10 years, and that got a little old.

Question: What can fans expect from these set-lists?

Answer: You have to have a balance. The majority of the audience is there to hear the songs that it's familiar with, which are the hits. But, on the other hand, if that's all we played then we'd get bored.... So, when it was time to consider going on our own, we thought, "Well, this is a good opportunity for us to dig back into the archives and do album tracks and songs we like to do - songs that weren't hits."

Question: People obviously liked it. Last year's tour was a big hit.

Answer: A lot of people came. We didn't really know what kind of business we were going to do. We just figured we'd give it a shot, but the demand was there. That's why we are going out again, there seems to be a demand for us dinosaurs. We are kind of running the business these days, which is a sad statement on popular music, I guess.

Question: You recently released your first new pop single in more than a decade - "All My Life." How did it feel to get back in the singles game after all these years away?


Answer: I didn't intend to put that out as a single. I wrote it for my wife, as a gift, from me to her.

Columbia wanted to put it out as a single, and I said, "Well there's not even an album and this is never going to get airplay - it's like a Tony Bennett song."

Question: Still, could "All My Life" represent the tip of the iceberg in terms of a new batch of pop songs?

Answer: Nah. It was a one-off. It was meant to be a personal gift to my wife. Hey, look, if all of a sudden I decide to write a bunch of songs I'm not going to stop myself. But I have no plans to do that.

I don't want to say that my ability to write has dried up, because I've been writing all along - I write instrumental music these days. But I don't feel compelled to record it, to have it performed. It's for my own edification.


"Billy Joel: 'Piano Man' Connects With Heart & Soul"
By: Patrick MacDonald
(November 9th, 2007)

After 10 years on the road with Elton John, on a lucrative "two-fer" superstar tour that emphasized the hits, Billy Joel is back to being a pure "Piano Man," playing and singing what he wants, how he wants. At 58, he's an artist comfortable in his own skin, performing songs that mean something to him, backed by a versatile, top-notch, seven-piece band.

At his sold-out concert Thursday night at the Key Arena, he featured blue-collar, working-class anthems like "The Downeaster Alexa," about Nantucket Island fishermen, and "Allentown," a stark portrait of unemployed American steelworkers; lively excursions into exotic rhythms, like the horn-driven "Zanzibar" and the intense instrumental, "Root Beer Rag"; and rich, atmospheric ballads like "New York State of Mind" and "She's Always A Woman." He rocked with "The River of Dreams," "You May Be Right," "Keeping The Faith" and "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me."

He showed that is voice is better than ever by hitting the dramatic high notes in "An Innocent Man," as well as the many moods of the epic "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," one of the encore songs.

His piano playing was powerful and precise, and more impressive than ever, especially in a bravura performance of "The Entertainer, " as well as the stomping "Big Shot" and the romping "Only The Good Die Young." And, of course, he had to close with his signature "Piano Man," although the most moving moment came when the audience sang a verse a cappella, which seemed to sum up what he means to them, and vice versa.

Joel played a big grand piano that was on a turntable, except when it disappeared below the stage when he sang standing at the mic, sometimes playing guitar. For "Piano Man," he strapped on a neck brace to also play harmonica.

As Joel has done in almost every show he's ever played here, going back to the old Fresh Aire tavern on Broadway in 1972 (he remarked about playing "on old Broadway" here a long time ago), he played a tribute to hometown hero Jimi Hendrix. He and the band didn't fool around with "Purple Haze," giving it an all-out, full-blown, guitar-driven treatment. They also had fun with another classic cover, AC/DC's "Highway To Hell," with a raw lead vocal by a hefty roadie identified only as "Chainsaw."

A keyboard-cam showed Joel's fast fingering close-up throughout the show, on several giant video screens that captured not only the stage action but also the happy, dancing crowd.


"Billy Joel"
(November 9th, 2007)

One of the most popular American singer/songwriters to emerge in latter half of the 1970s, pianist and vocalist Billy Joel found success with a mix of catchy, Beatlesque melodies, Tin Pan Alley influences and a storytelling style that owed a debt to both Bob Dylan and East Coast contemporary Bruce Springsteen. Joel got an early start in music as a Long Island youth, learning piano as a child and playing on recording session for producer George "Shadow" Morton - including the Shangri-Las' huge hit "The Leader of The Pack" - while still in his teens.

Joel would run through a number of bands and musical styles before trying the sensitive singer/songwriter approach in the early '70s. He would score some chart success with tunes like "Piano Man" and "New York State of Mind," but the pianist's big breakthrough came in 1977 with "The Stranger" and its string of hits: the Grammy-winning "Just the Way You Are," "She's Always a Woman," and "Only The Good Die Young." His huge follow-up album "52nd Street" would affirm Joel's status as a major artist, while subsequent releases "Glass Houses" and "An Innocent Man" would keep the singer at the top of the charts well into the 1980s.

Though he would face personal and professional setbacks over the decades since the height of his popularity - including his high-profile split with model wife Christie Brinkley, lawsuits with former managers, a stint in rehab for alcoholism and a string of car crashes - Joel has maintained his reputation as a gifted songwriter and powerhouse live performer.


"Billy Joel Keeps All Ages Rockin'"
Near-Capacity Crowd Roars For The 'Piano Man'

By: Gene Stout
(November 9th, 2007)

Several generations of fans cheered, clapped, stomped their feet and sang along to Billy Joel's 2.5 hour rock party Thursday night at Key Arena.

There's no doubt about it. People still love the "Piano Man." And some of those cheering the loudest weren't even alive during his heyday in the late '70s and early '80s.

Seated at his piano, Joel rose from beneath the stage during the instrumental intro while the near-capacity crowd roared. Mostly bald and sporting a gray goatee, the New York singer and pianist wasted no time, launching immediately into a piano-pounding version of "Prelude/Angry Young Man," followed by a boisterous "My Life."

The large, circular stage included a catwalk at the rear, with a rope railing resembling that in a boxing ring. Throughout the show, Joel's piano rotated like the Space Needle restaurant so that he faced the front and sides of KeyArena and even the rear, where several hundred concertgoers watched from behind the stage.

"I don't know what the 'up' side is to looking at my face," he quipped, adding later, "That's it for special effects. The piano goes this way, the piano goes that way. I'm just trying to keep the ticket prices down."

Joel needed no special effects. His pedal-to-the-metal playing style guaranteed a wildly entertaining arena show.

When Joel reminded fans of a previous show at the Tacoma Dome, they booed. Joel said he was much happier with the sound at Key Arena, but for the first half of the show the sound was somewhat muddy, nearly obliterating the lyrics to "Allentown," his moving anthem about hard times in the steel industry.

Dressed in his trademark blue jeans, a dark sport jacket and black pullover, Joel was surrounded by a superb eight-piece band, including three horn players. Standouts included trumpeter Carl Fischer, percussionist Crystal Talifero, and keyboardist Dave Rosenthal.

Joel reminded the audience that "(Seattle) had the blues" when he first performed here in the early '70s during the ruinous Boeing bust, a time so different from today's unrelenting boom cycle. This anecdote introduced the song "Everybody Loves You Now," from his 1971 debut album, "Cold Spring Harbor."

In "The Entertainer," among his most poignant songs, Joel sang about the downside of a professional performing career: "I may have won your hearts/But I know the game, you'll forget my name/And I won't be here in another year/If I don't stay on the charts."

Joel followed "The Entertainer" with two more melancholy songs, "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" and "Allentown," before picking up the pace with the horn-laden "Zanzibar," the first to feature three horn players. Joel slowed it down again with "New York State of Mind" and its wistful, wee-hours-of-the-morning vibe.

"Root Beer Rag" offered a jaunty change of pace before "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," which brought concertgoers rushing to the stage.

The sound improved noticeably for "An Innocent Man," which Joel sang from the front of the stage. Bassist Andy Cicon backed Joel on "Don't Ask Me Why." The signature "She's Always A Woman" prompted an audience singalong. "Keeping the Faith" and "The River of Dreams," with its thunderous African-style rhythms, were greeted with loud hand claps.

Joel surprised the crowd by singing and playing guitar on a Jimi Hendrix classic, "Purple Haze," then blew them away with a raucous version of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell," featuring a burly stagehand named "Chainsaw" on vocals.

The energy continued unabated with "We Didn't Start The Fire," "Big Shot," "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" and "You May Be Right," which closed the set.

Joel slapped outstretched hands in front of the stage while hundreds of others in the audience held up their lighted cell phones. He returned to the piano for the classic "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," then launched into "Only The Good Die Young" with a stage towel over his head. Half the band played at the front edge of the stage, bringing fans to their feet.

Joel looked as if he would end the show there, but teased fans by walked back and forth between the piano and the exits. Depending on which way he turned, concertgoers yelled "Boo!" or "Yeah!" in unison to express their desire for at least one more song.

Joel obliged by returning to the piano (and harmonica) for a powerful "Piano Man," his signature tune.


"Concert Review: Billy Joel Hits Right Keys For Fans"
'Piano Man' Delivers In Oakland

By: Jim Harrington
(November 11th, 2007)

Billy Joel has more than 30 Top 40 hit singles to his credit. None of those smashes, however, turned out to be the one that evoked the wildest response from the capacity crowd at the "Piano Man"'s concert on Saturday night in Oakland.

In fact, it wasn't a Joel tune at all and the star of the evening didn't even handle the vocals on it. He simply played rhythm guitar and turned the microphone over to his guitar tech Ricky "Chainsaw" LaPointe, who proceeded to belt out a Bon Scott-worthy version of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell." The result nearly brought the house down.

That says a lot about Mr. Joel. While some stars can't bear to lose the spotlight for a single moment, this 58 year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is perfectly comfortable letting his guitar tech basically steal the show.

That's because Joel's primary concern, it seems, is to show fans a good time. He's also interested in having fun himself. On this current tour - his second solo trek in two years, after spending the better part of a decade working the road with Elton John - Joel is accomplishing both of those feats.

At Oracle Arena, Joel delivered a wonderfully good 2-hour-plus show that balanced his fan-friendly hits with lesser-known tracks that he says helps to keep him motivated to perform. The mix was slanted heavily to the sing-along classics - tunes like "We Didn't Start The Fire," "An Innocent Man" and "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" - but there were enough relative obscurities to keep things interesting, both for the Billy Joel aficionado and, apparently, the star himself.

Wearing his usual attire of blue jeans and a sports coat over a simple T-shirt, Joel was in fine voice as he opened the show with two straight crowd-pleasers, "Prelude/Angry Young Man" and "My Life," and then headed back to his 1971 debut, "Cold Spring Harbor," for a nice take on "Everybody Loves You Now."

He was also in fine spirits and full of jokes - mostly ones told at his own expense.

"By the way, I'm Billy's dad," quipped the balding, round-faced entertainer, who barely resembles the kid pictured on his early albums. "Billy couldn't make it tonight."

While his looks have changed, Joel's uncanny ability to entertain a crowd hasn't budged an inch over the years. He proved that as he led his seven-piece band through killer versions of the hits "Allentown" and "The Entertainer" as well as the more-obscure album cuts "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" and "Zanzibar."

Working a circular stage placed at one end of the arena, without the usual security-patrolled barricade separating the star from the crowd, Joel went out of his way to make people believe that Oakland was an important stop on the tour schedule. He performed bits of several Bay Area-related tunes, including Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit," Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" and the golden oldie "San Francisco (Open Your Golden Gates)."

Nine songs into the set, Joel stopped trying to entertain himself (and us) with lesser-known tracks and set forth down the greatest-hits road. That translated to big renditions of "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," "An Innocent Man" and "The River of Dreams," which served to properly prep the crowd for the surprisingly great (cowbell-rockin') cover of "Highway To Hell."

From that highlight, which is surely what concert-goers are still talking about today, Joel proceeded to serve up a combination of hits that was even more powerful than what Muhammad Ali could dish out in his prime.

He closed the main set with the upbeat foursome of "We Didn't Start The Fire," "Big Shot, "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" and "You May Be Right," and then returned for an encore of "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," "Only The Good Die Young," "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" and, of course, "Piano Man."

The audience - indeed, "a pretty good crowd for a Saturday" - sang along to "Piano Man" as if it was the single most important song in existence. The lyrics to the tune include a request, "Son, can you play me a memory?" Yet, in this case, Joel did more than just play a memory - he created a new one for these fans to cherish.


"Billy Joel, The Prime 'Piano Man'"
By: Leslie Katz
(November 12th, 2007)

Billy Joel may be in a "New York State of Mind," but he had the heart of the Bay Area on Saturday at the Oracle Arena.

"Isn't this the Oakland Coliseum?" he joked to the capacity, surprisingly multigenerational crowd on his first solo local appearance in years.

Throughout the show, he sprinkled in fun musical San Francisco references, including the famed "open your Golden Gate" theme, the Scott McKenzie song, Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" and, of course, a beautiful Tony Bennett-like version of "I Left My Heart In San Francisco."

Having been on the road for a decade with fellow 1970s hit maker Elton John, Joel's new show features more than his many hits - although they're nicely represented, too.

The hefty two-hour, 20-minute concert covered the span of the 58 year-old Grammy winner's career, seemingly missing only two big hits: "Uptown Girl" and "Just The Way You Are."

Ingeniously paced for utmost impact, the show started off with Joel's trademark piano sound in "Prelude/Angry Young Man," then kicked into "My Life."

Some of the lesser-known tunes were toward the beginning. Joel introduced "Everybody Loves You Now" from his first album "Cold Spring Harbor" and "The Entertainer, " from "Streetlight Serenade."

The show hit a high with the saxophone-saturated , moody "New York State of Mind"; Joel's band sounded monumental.

Joel, who in recent years has been composing instrumental music rather than pop selections, really showed off his virtuosity on "Root Beer Rag," which, accompanied by a little light show, didn't seem out of place.

On "An Innocent Man," he moved away from the piano. "Don't Ask Me Why," "She's Always A Woman," "Keeping The Faith" and 1993's "The River of Dreams" followed.

The final, rockin' portion of the show began with a weird, oddly crowd-pleasing version of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" sung by a roadie with the band.

Thankfully, Joel came back to lead, dancing pretty well for a middle-aged guy (early in the show, he joshed, "I'm really Billy's dad; Billy couldn't make it tonight") around the mike stand, with "We Didn't Start The Fire," "Big Shot," "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me," and "You May Be Right."

The encore featured a majestic version of "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant"; he closed with his signature "Piano Man," during which the happily sated audience sang along, in fine form.


"Potential Billy Joel House Buyer Wants Second Look"
(November 14th, 2007)

A venture capitalist wants a second viewing of a Billy Joel's Centre Island estate after seeing the posh compound on Saturday, said broker Shawn Elliott.

"The views were ridiculous," said the owner of Shawn Elliott Luxury Homes & Estates, based in Woodbury. "He couldn't believe the views."

The singer wants his Middlesea estate to bring in $32.5 million, down from $37.5 million when he first put it on the market in September 2006.

The 14 acres cover a guest house, a beach house and the big house - and that's why the house hunter wants a second look, probably this month.

"It's a lot to take in in one visit," Elliott said.

The broker was mum on the guy's identity but said he brings foreign investors into deals in this country.

With housing prices going down and the dollar falling in value, Europeans with euros to spare have been searching for bargains here in the same way US residents go to Mexico for inexpensive vacations and properties.

The foreign angle is being touted by Elliott as he tries to convince Billy Joel's people that he can represent Middlesea and find a buyer. Recently, he and Joel's representatives had a sitdown talk, now that the property is off the listings of Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty.

"I have a lot of European contacts with the way the euro is," the businessman said. "I'm playing that card. That's what I bring to the table."


"Return of The 'Piano Man'"
Billy Joel Will Perform Hits & 'Obscurities' In Salt Lake City Concert

By: Pat Reavy
(November 23rd, 2007)

Billy Joel is an American music icon. The piano playing singer/songwriter has sold 150 million albums worldwide, has won numerous Grammys, has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

Joel's "Greatest Hits: Volume I & II" double album is the fifth best seller of all time. His songs are playlist staples of radio stations across the nation with such classics as "My Life," "Piano Man," "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me," "You May Be Right," "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" and "Only The Good Die Young."

With that kind of critical and commercial success, some may think Joel would want to keep the momentum going. But the laid-back, dry-witted Joel, who uses the same self-deprecating humor during interviews that he demonstrates onstage, told the Deseret Morning News that it's probably time for someone else to be the rock star.

"I do have a love for songs, but I may not be the guy to do them," Joel said by phone during a tour stop in California. "I'm not so much interested in me singing it. I'm quite aware of my physical limitations...my hair is gone, I don't look like a rock star. I'm kind of tired of Billy Joel's voice, too. I've had my day in the sun."

Joel said he's much more interested right now in composing instrumentals, such as his 2001 album "Fantasies & Delusions." If he were to write rock songs again, Joel said he would prefer to do it for unknown artists trying to get their feet wet in the music world.

Joel hasn't written an entire album of new pop/rock material since 1993's "River of Dreams." But, of course, with his resume, he doesn't need to.

The 58 year-old Long Island native remains a huge concert draw. This is partly because his music and lyrics still resonate with fans and with the same youthfulness they had in the 1970s and '80s. And partly because - despite how Joel commonly pokes fun at his age and his looks ("I should be heard and not seen; bring your sunglasses or blinders") - his voice has aged like a fine wine.

For the past several years, Joel has teamed up with Elton John for the ongoing, highly successful "Face 2 Face" Tour. But in 2005, Joel decided it was time to hit the road again by himself. Next week will mark the Piano Man's first solo trip to Salt Lake City since 1999. "We hadn't toured on our own for quite a long time. We put our toe in the water a year-and-a-half ago, and there seemed to be a demand for tickets."

The tours with John became greatest-hits shows, each artist knowing that if he didn't bring his A game to the floor, he risked being overshadowed by his legendary counterpart. Now, back on the road on his own, Joel has the chance to dust off a few of his deeper tracks, such as "Zanzibar," from the "52nd Street" album. "We haven't done 'Zanzibar' for years. When (the band) first starts the song, most people are like, 'What the hell song is that?' But by the time it ends everyone is on their feet."

Joel has also been giving audiences a chance to vote during concerts by show of hands for rarities to play. On this tour, Joel has dug back into his earliest albums - including "Streetlife Serenade," "Turnstiles" and even his first album, "Cold Spring Harbor."

But he also knows most fans are paying the big bucks to hear the hits. "The problem with doing too many obscurities is there are too many bathroom breaks. You can't have an overpreponderance of obscurities."

Because of that, there are still plenty of the hits from "Glass Houses," "The Stranger" and "Storm Front" on the current tour. But for the crowd to get the most out of the concert experience, Joel encourages people to get involved.

"I don't know how much people are aware how much a part of the show the audience is. I think the audience is 50 percent of the show. They may not know it. It's feeding off the energy between the band and audience. It's back and forth and back and forth."


"Singing With 'Piano Man'"
By: Scott Lewis
(November 23rd, 2007)

Billy Joel isn't cool, though he'd be the first person to point this out. And that doesn't mean a lot of us don't have his records squirreled away or that we can't sing every word to "Piano Man," "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" and "Just The Way You Are," which won Grammys for Song of The Year and Record of The Year in 1978. His "52nd Street" album won album of the year in 1979.

But Joel has never been able to catch a break. As a welterweight boxer, he had his nose broken. His early bands were popular attractions but commercial flops. An album by the guitar-less duo Attila was deemed one of the worst records of 1970 (but somehow sounds brilliant today). And then there's "We Didn't Start The Fire," considered by some to be the worst song in history.

Joel has battled depression and may be one of the few folks who's tried to kill himself by drinking furniture polish. He's survived car crashes and weathered failed marriages, notably to supermodel Christie Brinkley.

Yet we shouldn't forget why we have those dusty albums and why we sing-along when Joel comes on the radio. We should be kind enough to remember that not only is he human like the rest of us, he's one of the great contemporary American songwriters, even if he's never been rock star cool.


"Royal Treatment Bonded Billy Joel To Allentown"
By: Len Righi
(November 25th, 2007)

On November 28th, 1973, when Billy Joel arrived in the Lehigh Valley to perform here for the first time, he was a piano-playing singer-songwriter scuffling to establish himself. His first album, 1971's "Cold Spring Harbor," had been largely ignored, and the follow-up, "Piano Man," had just been released. He was the opener for acts like the Beach Boys and the Doobie Brothers and most nights, he was lucky to get 30 minutes of stage time and a modicum of attention from audiences primed for sun-dappled pop or long-hair West Coast guitar rock.

However, from the moment he walked into WSAN-AM in Whitehall Township, hours before his area debut at Northampton's Roxy Theater, he was treated like the major star he would become before the decade ended.

That Roxy gig - organized by a young Allentown disc jockey named Denny Somach - was something Joel never forgot. Along with the five Lehigh Valley shows that followed over the next four years - all but one put together by promoter Dave Sestak of Bethlehem - based Media Five Entertainment - it helped create a bond between Joel and local residents that continues to this day.

Joel's familiarity with the area undoubtedly inspired the naming of one of his best-known songs, "Allentown," which was released 25 years ago this week.

"He was so excited to be here," recalls Somach, a radio and TV producer and rock historian, of that Roxy show. "He had no idea what he was in for."

In 1973, Somach worked at WSAN, an "underground" station where the DJs picked the music they played and helped produce concerts at the Roxy featuring many of those artists.

"I made up a special poster with a picture of him, which he saw when he came into the station lobby," says Somach. "It said: WSAN Presents The 'Piano Man' In Concert at The Roxy Theater. Two shows, 7:00pm & 10:00pm He was like, 'Oh, wow."'

Somach interviewed Joel on his afternoon radio show - "he told the story about working in LA at the piano bar" - and after his shift ended, drove him to the Roxy. During the trip, Somach says Joel's attitude was "Oh, this is so different. Everywhere else, nobody's paying any attention to me. This is exciting."

Somach remembers that he took "a back route" to Northampton, where during the 20-minute drive they passed "a lot of factories with smokestacks. Billy thought that [area] was Allentown, maybe even Bethlehem Steel, because of the smokestacks. It was all Allentown as far as he was concerned." (This could help explain some of the lyrical discrepancies in "Allentown.")

For Somach, meeting Joel, one of his favorite artists, was "the ultimate." He had become an instant fan two years before, when, as a Moravian College freshman, he was "blown away" by Joel's half-hour performance at a music industry convention for college broadcasters in New York City.

"It was him at the piano backed by a four-piece band," remembers Somach, who over two nights had seen Loggins & Messina, Tanya Tucker, The Hello People with Todd Rundgren, Randy Burns and the Sky Dog Band and Jake and the Family Jewels.

"Billy closed with 'Captain Jack,' which didn't come out until 'Piano Man,' and he got an encore. But 'She's Got A Way,' the opener on 'Cold Spring Harbor,' that's the one that got to me.

When Somach began working at WSAN part-time on weekends, he started playing "Cold Spring Harbor." "Other jocks got into it," he says. "I had to buy another copy."


Roxy Theater

In early 1972, as WSAN began preparations to begin its Roxy concerts series, Somach tried to book Joel. "I was told by an agent at his publicity firm that he was going to LA, that he doesn't want to do anything," says Somach. "'Cold Spring Harbor' was selling in Allentown because we were the only area of the country that was playing it. [The agent] couldn't believe it. He told me, 'Nobody has called for this guy."'

The record disappeared, and Joel went underground in LA. But WSAN continued to play "Cold Spring Harbor."

In June or July of 1973, the agent called Somach to report that Joel had resurfaced, was opening for the Beach Boys and the Doobie Brothers, and that he had a day off - November 28th, 1973 - to play at the Roxy.

"When I said I want [Joel] to headline, the agent said, 'Oh, that's a first. Let me package him with this other guy, Henry Gross,' who had a hit with 'Shannon' at the time," says Somach.

"I told [the agent] that we get a dollar [a ticket], and that there are two shows and 500 seats. …[Joel] agreed to [be paid] $500. But he wanted a grand piano. I said, 'Why?' No one had ever asked for one before. They were content with the upright at the theater. So we had to go get a baby grand.…

"Tickets sold-out in a matter of hours. People in the area knew every song on those first two albums."

According to Somach, Joel was amazed at what he saw outside the Roxy, where people were lined up around the block for both shows. "And when we let the people in - it wasn't assigned seating - and he saw people scrambling for a seat, he said, 'I can't believe this!' After I introduced him, and people started screaming out songs, he said, 'I can't believe you people know these songs! How do you people know these songs?"'

Not used to being a headliner, Joel ran out of material after 30 minutes. So he filled time improvising on two hits of the day, Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful," and chatting up the crowd.

A year later, Somach again tried to book Joel, but was outbid by Sestak, who had access to bigger venues.

Ironically, Sestak first heard Joel's music listening to WSAN. He didn't attend either of the Roxy shows, but says, "I heard about the reaction. The airplay and the live show equalled an incredible buzz in the music community in the Lehigh Valley."


Northampton County Area Community College

Sestak first booked Joel on February 10th, 1974, at Northampton County Area Community College in Bethlehem Township. "We paid him $1,800. Tickets were $2.50 in advance and $3.50 at the door. We sold-out all 2,300 seats."

One of Joel's contract requirements was a nine-foot grand, which Sestak had trucked in from Reading. The show was further complicated by the gas rationing in effect at the time. "Billy Joel and his band were traveling in vans, coming in from Pittsburgh, and all the stations were closed by law because it was a Sunday," recalls Sestak. "The booking agent said, 'You gotta get us a gas station to open so we can get out of Bethlehem.' My business partner, John Eisenhard, knew the owner of a station in Easton and finagled him to illegally pump gas on Sunday after dark."

Joel was pleased with the show because, for the first time, in addition to his flat guarantee, he earned a percentage of the door. "When my partner was giving him the extra money at settlement, he didn't know what was going on," says Sestak.

Eisenhard also made Joel happy by supplying him with Manhattans, mixing the bourbon, vermouth and bitters in the gym's locker room and then bringing them on stage.


Agricultural Hall

The next area gig followed the release of Joel's "Streetlife Serenade," album and required a bigger venue. And on November 17th, 1974, Joel played at Agricultural Hall (now the Agri-Plex) in Allentown.

"This time he wanted $5,000," says Sestak. "Four thousand people would be a sell-out. Tickets were $5 in advance and $6 at the door. We told people to bring a blanket, because the floor and walls were concrete."

Before this show, Joel got his biggest taste of Allentown. He walked along Hamilton Street, stopping with his band for Chinese food and doing a 20-minute interview at the TV-2 Service Electric studios.

"Everyone on the staff of TV-2 was ecstatic he was there," says Sestak. "This was a big deal for Billy, too, signing autographs and taking pictures. This is the first time he was in center city, as far as I know."

Joel drew 3,500 people and was brought back for so many encores that he had to repeat "Root Beer Rag." But he so disliked Ag Hall's ergonomics that he refused to play there again.


Muhlenberg College

So next time, on March 6th, 1975, Sestak booked him at Muhlenberg College's Memorial Hall, which had 4,200 seats.

"In some cities, he was playing 500 to 1,000-seat halls," says Sestak. "But here he is playing in a field house. The show sold-out in advance, and he did five encores."

The triumphant mood carried over to the after-party at Bill Daniels Rock Palace. "He was definitely in the mood to celebrate," says Sestak. "Billy was cordial. He liked to drink. He liked to tell stories."

Sestak booked Joel again at Muhlenberg following the release of "Turnstiles" in 1976. Because of his burgeoning reputation, "now he's getting $11,500," says Sestak. "Although the ticket price is the same, we had to reduce the number of seats to 4,000, and now it's 'An Evening With Billy Joel."'

The December 11th, 1976, show sold-out in advance. "Billy is really happy," says Sestak. "At the sound check, he does an Elton John song, and all of sudden he starts singing, 'Well we're living here in Allentown, and they're closing all the factories down...'

"I wondered if he changed the lyric for every town he played, and never thought anything about it afterward. Who would know it was part of a song that several years later would be the first track on his 'The Nylon Curtain' record?"

According to Sestak, at a post-show news conference Joel said how much he loved playing in Allentown and that he was thinking of doing a live record and perhaps recording it in Allentown. "We were all smiling," Sestak says. "Then 'The Stranger' came out and took him to a whole other place."


Lehigh University's Grace Hall

Before Joel became an arena attraction, he played one final time in the area - at Lehigh University's Grace Hall in Bethlehem. "They wanted him so badly, they promoted him in a 3,000-seater for astronomical money," says Sestak. "It could have been $25,000 or more. It was major money."

Sestak attended that show, and visited Joel's dressing room afterward. "I popped my head in and said hello," says Sestak. "It was a hit-and-run thing. That was it."


Stabler Arena

With Joel rocketing to superstar status in the late '70s and early '80s, Sestak realized he had no chance of booking him. But late in the summer of 1982, he was at the Jersey shore on business and heard "Allentown" being played on Wildwood station WZXL-FM. "I couldn't believe it. It had the exact same chorus I heard Billy sing six years earlier at Memorial Hall."

"Now," thought Sestak, "there's a reason we can get him back to Allentown to play."

Sestak went to WZZO-FM music director Bruce Bond and convinced him to start a petition drive asking Joel to play in Allentown. (More than 10,000 people eventually signed it.) Sestak then started calling newspapers to boost the drive.

When Joel's fall tour was announced, there was no Allentown date. However, the song's lyrics were drawing some negative reaction (Bob Pearce and his daughter Joanne eventually wrote "We Love Allentown," which was premiered by The Allentown Band at West Park as a sort of rebuttal). That prompted Philadelphia TV reporter Sheila Allen to come to Allentown to interview Mayor Joseph Daddona. Her report was picked up by network affiliates. Then AP and UPI did a story, and the controversy over "Allentown" spread to Europe.

Sestak had been collecting news clippings and sending them to Joel's publicist, Elaine Shock, who apparently passed them on to Joel. The musician was so affected by them, that one night in October after a rehearsal, he called WZZO and spoke with program director Tom Kelly for more than an hour to clear the air - and to say he wanted to play Allentown right after Christmas.

So, on December 27th, 1982, Joel performed for 6,300 people at Lehigh University's Stabler Arena. "Everyone was there," says Sestak wistfully. "Billy Joel finally played 'Allentown' - in Bethlehem."


"Music Review: Billy Joel's Past Pleasures"
By: Barry Johnson
(November 25th, 2007)

Billy Joel isn't trying to keep up with the Joneses - or the White Stripes or the Hives or the Shins or whatever other band is drawing the latest critical gushes. He doesn't have to. He's Billy Joel.

His show at the Rose Garden on Saturday night made that clear. Joel played for just more than two hours, drawing on songs from a career that started in the early '70s and produced Top Ten hits in the '70s, '80s, and '90s. As his recording career cooled, he became a popular touring figure. There was no opening act Saturday, which made sense: The crowd was obviously there to see Joel and no one else.

Joel's performance was more workman-like and crafted than inspired or brilliant, but his experience and work ethic go a long way. He remains limber on the piano, though his voice, especially on higher notes, sometimes showed strain. He's amassed a considerable catalog of hits over his long career, but he was wise enough to toss in a few of his lesser-known songs, too, and his piano work was more engaging than his guitar work.

His songs have never been so much about transcending an age as about fixing a point in time, preserving whatever era he was writing or singing in. There are obvious advantages to this approach: When he put out new work, it often seemed to capture a current cultural mood. And his music linked listeners in the memory of shared experiences, of times or events gone by.

But there are drawbacks, as well. Joel has written some good, enduring songs, many of which he played Saturday night - "We Didn't Start The Fire" and "New York State of Mind," say - but they tend not be the kind that yield added revelation with every visit. Repeated listenings of his music are about marking a time past - nostalgia, really, about a kind of remembrance without necessarily gaining new insight.
There's nothing wrong with that; it's human nature, after all, and our memories shape who we are. Who hasn't listened to a song and remembered, say, a wedding, or a birthday party, or a graduation, or even just a summer day? But there's nothing particularly challenging in it, either. There's nothing to push us into a different awareness of who we are or of what art can achieve. The striving that marks the best art, of any kind, is largely absent in Joel's work. And that makes it hard to think of him as a great artist, however entertaining he might be - and, in fact, is.

Still, the man hasn't had a better than three-decade career without learning a few things, and if this wasn't a life-altering show, it was still enjoyable. Between songs on a huge set-list that included "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," "Only The Good Die Young," "An Innocent Man," and "The River of Dreams," he was charming and self-deprecating, joking about his baldness (with a possible double entendre) and driving record; he was touring, he said, because he needed the money. "I have ridiculous car insurance premiums." Joel has totaled enough cars to make keeping track of his wrecks difficult.

He even poked fun at his own aging. "Billy will be out in a little while. I'm Billy's dad," he told the crowd. Pop music is generally unkind to its aging stars - especially women - but a lucky few manage to reach iconic status, where a few more wrinkles or a bit less hair stops mattering.

Joel's a particularly human presence on stage to anyone who's aware of his troubled past; he's struggled with depression and alcohol abuse, and has had other problems, as well. He doesn't pretend to the perfection that the music industry assumes audiences want in their stars.

He played coy with the audience, as well, teasing out more applause and adoration during his encore. Before the last song, he danced back and forth from the piano, as if considering whether or not to return. As soon as he sat down and put on a harmonica, however, the crowd knew that he was at last going to play the song that's most defined Joel's public persona as a musician: "Piano Man," with its narrative of a bar pianist playing to sad, lonely drunks. This was, truly, no surprise; there was no way Joel was going to leave without singing his signature song.

But the act - down to squeezing every drop of applause from the audience - was the mark of a veteran, someone sure enough of himself to play with the crowd without losing control. And if it wasn't brilliance, it was, on Saturday, more than enough for a crowd eager to lose itself in him and his music.


"Billy Concert Review: Billy Joel at Taco Bell Arena Made For A Fun Night"
By: Michael Deeds
(November 27th, 2007)

Somewhere, someone thinks Billy Joel's Boise concert was a dud. That person works in the music industry and is holding a calculator.

For fans at Taco Bell Arena, Joel's first and probably last visit was well worth braving a brisk Monday evening on campus.

If Joel's ego was bruised by the fact he drew nowhere near as many Idahoans to Boise State's arena as his flamboyant pal Elton John did - twice - the less-popular pop legend wasn't letting on. "I want to thank you for buying those seats. I really need the money now!" Joel hollered up to the smattering of cheapskates (like this reporter) who had purchased $27 nose-bleeders in the balcony. Like the mezzanine below, it was mostly vacant. Taco Bell Arena says about 7,000 fans were there. It felt like less.

Undeterred, Joel poked fun all night. At his baldness. His age. Madonna. Elton. The 110-minute concert had an informal flair, as if Joel wasn't the sixth best-selling recording artist in the United States, but some uber-talented wise-ass killing it on piano at your holiday party.

It was fun. Big, bright stage lights swung widely as Joel and an enthusiastic, seven-piece band knocked out memorable hits that filled the room with rich sound.

The odd absence of large video screens was conspicuous. (Video was shown on the four-sided, center-court scoreboard high above, which looked about the size of the plasma TV in your family room.) But through binoculars – or just seeing him bounce on his stool – Joel appeared energized performing hits such as fan favorite "My Life" (with a Christmas season intro) or even wedding staple "Just The Way You Are." Joel also sneaked in album highlights such as "Zanzibar," a Steely Dan-like track from 1978, and the challenging instrumental "Root Beer Rag," which was like seeing Scott Joplin wired up on Barry Bonds' vitamin regimen. Joel can flat-out play.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get to Idaho," Joel, 58, said. "Frankly, I was a lot better when I was younger."

That was Joel's biggest joke. As his piano rotated slowly on stage, Joel's singing and key-zinging were both impressive and expressive. But he wasn’t too much of a rock star to let the spotlight meander. While Joel hammed it up on electric guitar, his longtime roadie, "Chainsaw," stomped back and forth, all muscle and gut, singing AC/DC's "Highway To Hell." This began the standing, no-piano portion of the show. Joel sneered his way through "Big Shot," striking a hip-hop pose and donning a cap sideways. Then he strutted through "It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me." Joel was, like, rocking - say, more than Eddie Money but not quite as hard as Billy Squier - even if his mike-stand twirling was even more ridiculous than that comparison.

If you took the time to look, eyes-closed smiles hid in dark corners of the arena during the two-song encore. "Only The Good Die Young" was a sax-powered party, but "Piano Man" was the tune that would allow everyone to wander back into the cold feeling good. Singing along, the crowd threatened to drown Joel out.

Playing the song's classic harmonica and piano melodies, he looked content in his role, even if the "Piano Man" will always be a more diverse musician and songwriter than he's often credited with being. Of course, he's also a former amateur boxer from Long Island, which may explain the last words out of his mouth: "Don't take any shit from anybody!" Joel said and walked off stage.


"Billy Joel Closes On Second Sagaponack Property"
By: Ellen Yan
(November 29th, 2007)

Billy Joel's officially a neighbor of himself.

He has closed on his latest beachfront house, a one-acre, Sagaponack property located right next door to the $16.75 million five-bedroom surprise he snagged in June for wife, Katie Lee.

One of several celebs with a constant eye out for Long Island real estate, Joel paid a little over $11.6 million for his latest home, which has three bedrooms and two baths.

He got $2.3 million knocked off his new home and in June negotiated a $2 million markdown on his first Sagaponack home, which used to belong to "Jaws" actor Roy Scheider.

For the last few months, a few Hamptons real estate veterans have been wondering if even the luxury market out there has been slowing down like on the rest of Long Island.

Usually, buying and selling activity is seasonal, with spring and summer strong and the end of year quieter, but the housing boom fudged those lines, with bidding wars and deals much of the year.

"Last couple of years, there has been no season," said Paul Brennan, regional director of the Hamptons for Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate. "It's been full court press all year round. Prior to that, the market has always been seasonal."

Like other investors and average house hunters, the rich may also be looking for the market to hit bottom before spending.

A 30-year veteran of the business, Brennan's not sure if the Hamptons luxury market is really at the start of a slowdown trend or if it's a return to the seasonal cycle.

"People are looking, but they are not writing checks," he said. "The looking has slowed down and the interest level has waned somewhat. People in that category, although they have the money, they have to look at their investments."


"Up-And-Comer Voices New Billy Joel Song"
By: Jeff Vrabel
(November 30th, 2007)

Billy Joel has broken his self-imposed retirement from pop for the second time in a year, but he'd almost rather you didn't know that.

The second new Joel-penned single since his last pop album, 1993's "River of Dreams," is called "Christmas In Fallujah" and hits iTunes December 4th, 2007.

There are two major differences between it and the classics that have made him one of the best-selling artists of all time. First, there's no piano on it, and second, there's barely any Billy Joel on it, either.

Instead, for what Joel says is a first, he's written a song for another singer, a 21 year-old Long Island native named Cass Dillon.

Joel is uncomfortable even with the idea of attaching himself too closely to the song. "I was hesitant to even talk to anyone about writing it, because I'm a little bit leery of overshadowing what it is," he said.

What it is is a sweeping, mid-tempo rocker much harder and louder than anything in Joel's recent history (if ever), told from the point of view of a soldier in the sands for whom the holiday has little import. "We came with the crusaders to save the holy land/It's Christmas in Fallujah/and no one gives a damn," Dillon sings.

Joel wanted to keep a low profile about his involvement because, he said, "Billy Joel comes with a lot of baggage, a lot of preconceptions about what Billy Joel is, and for as many people who like the stuff that I've done, there are plenty who don't like it, and that's fair enough, that's life. But I don't want that to get in the way of the song - which is one of the reasons I stopped writing songs altogether. I kind of got tired of Billy Joel's voice, and Billy Joel's image, and all the stuff that comes with it."


Letters From The Troops

Joel said that part of his inspiration for "Fallujah" was letters he had received from service personnel overseas, and part was simply his observations of the realities of war.

"It was a combination of a lot of things," he said from a recent tour stop in Salt Lake City. "Constant exposure to the footage of what's going on over in Iraq, the mail from servicemen and an awareness of how long this (war) has been going on for." (Proceeds from the song will go to Homes For Our Troops, an organization that provides specially adapted homes for wounded veterans.)

The song came to him quickly, Joel said, as did the realization that he wasn't the guy to record it. "I thought someone with a young voice should be singing this, someone just starting out in life," he said. "Plus, you know, I'm 58 years-old. My voice isn't the voice I was thinking of when I was writing; I was thinking of a soldier, someone of that age."

Enter Dillon, a young singer/songwriter who'd spent a few years under the wing of Tommy Byrnes, Joel's longtime musical director. Dillon left college two years ago to pursue a musical career, and has spent the intervening years on the coffee-shops-and-bars circuit. Byrnes had played Joel several of Dillon's songs, and when it came time to find a singer for "Fallujah," Joel said, Dillon "popped right into my head."

For Dillon, the task was not a small one. "On the one hand, I'm trying to stay level," he said. "But on the other hand, I'm like, 'This is my shot, my opportunity."'

The recording session came together quickly at Hyde Studios in San Francisco during a break in the Joel tour on - of all days - Veterans Day. The track features Joel's band (and the singer on backing vocals). The quick turnaround presented some challenges. For a tune that was recorded and ready for release over about 72 hours, iTunes was the only option.

"I guess ultimately, because it's the Christmas season, I'm hoping that the people over there are aware that we care about them," Joel said of the song's year-end release. "I would hate to have these people think that they've been forgotten."

iTunes also will release Dillon's debut EP, "A Good Thing Never Dies," on December 4th, 2007. (He has a full-length album in the can that he hopes to release next year.) There are plans for Dillon to join Joel during a few early-December stops, where he'll perform "Fallujah" and stick around for "Goodnight Saigon."

Those two songs are something like close cousins - not just because of their shared subject of war, but because of the focus on the cost of wars to the people fighting them.

"That's how I've always tried to write - to avoid making grand political statements," Joel said. "I'm not a big fan of rhetoric or dogma. My interest is in the human condition, rather than trying to get up on a soapbox and give my political views. It's always more effective to write as a human being."


"Billy Joel's New Song, Protegé"
By: Roger Friedman
(November 30th, 2007)

Billy Joel has written a new song, but he's not recording. Instead, he's given it to new up-and-coming 21 year-old Long Island performer Cass Dillon. Mr. Dillon's version of "Christmas In Fallujah" will debut on iTunes on December 4th, 2007.

Net proceeds from "Christmas In Fallujah" will be donated to Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit organization that builds specially adapted homes for service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with severe disabilities. Joel is an avid supporter of Homes for Our Troops. (HomesForOurTroops.org).

In a release I got late Thursday night, Joel said: "I didn't feel I was the person to sing this song. I thought it should be somebody young, about a soldier's age. I wanted to help somebody else's career. I've had plenty of hits. I've had plenty of airplay. I've had my time in the sun. I think it's time for somebody else, maybe, to benefit from my own experience."

That's great and very generous. But, Billy, we wouldn't mind a new album from you, buddy. The last one was in 1993.


"Fans Fine With Funding Billy Joel's Retirement"
By: Tim Shellberg
(November 30th, 2007)

In today's "classic is king" day and age, it's no surprise Billy Joel can still pack tens of thousands in arenas the size of Hoffman Estates' Sears Centre.

At any moment, his songs can be heard on classic rock, adult contemporary, and easy listening radio stations throughout the country. Original albums such as 1973's "Piano Man" and 1977's "The Stranger" have all sold, at the very least, a million copies and still hold up after three decades or more, and his two-disc 1985 best-of is still one of the Top 10 biggest sellers of all time.

Additionally, Joel's Broadway turn with the hugely successful "Movin' Out" earlier this decade cemented his place in pop culture, although at that point, it really wasn't necessary.

All this, and nary a pop album of original material released in nearly 15 years.

Since releasing what has been his final set of new songs, 1993's "River of Dreams," and tossing off a sole new song, "All My Life," earlier this year, Joel's lone original return to the record racks was 2001's classical and instrumental "Fantasies & Delusions." Even then, Joel let someone else's fingers tickle the ivories, but that didn't stop "Fantasies & Delusions" from topping Billboard's classical album chart upon its release.

Subsequent hits compilations, "My Lives," a multi-disc overview chock full of B-Sides and alternate takes released in 2005, and an in-concert disc, "12 Gardens Live" a year later, have kept Joel a record-rack regular for generations old and new as well as catalog favorites, which will surely be reissued, remastered and repackaged as time and technology advance. He also has fared well in his post-active recording career on stage; be it on his own or with Britain's premier "Piano Man," Elton John.

Yet John is only one of a handful of '70s songwriters who continue to release quality (albeit moderate selling) work at this stage, which usually includes many concert-goers' desires for the artist to stick with the hits. That his occasional stagemate Joel has, save for a sole song, stopped writing and recording new pop material doesn't necessarily say his well has run dry, but perhaps that he's said all he has to say.

And over 12 albums and a nearly quarter-century recording career, he's certainly said plenty.

At press time, limited tickets remain available for Joel's Saturday show at Sears Centre.