home

The Vinyl Press

  • Features
  • Records
  • Cleaning – Care
  • Editorials
  • Compendia
  • Ephemera
  • Phono
  • About
You are here: Home / Records / Billy Joel- Songs in the Attic

Billy Joel- Songs in the Attic

January 7, 2016 by Bill Hart


IMG_0426

 

Billy Joel was unavoidable in the ‘70s- Piano Man and The Stranger were hugely popular in the era, and many of the tracks were (and remain) soft radio staples. Although Joels’ first album, Cold Spring Harbor, contained some eventual hits as well (“She’s Got a Way”), that album was sonically compromised and did not enjoy the commercial success of his later work.

This album more than makes up for that- a live performance of some songs from “Harbor” album, along with other early, classic Billy Joel tracks performed by Joel’s then-regular touring band and recorded with astounding clarity and punch (and nary a trace of digititis) under the stewardship of the late, great Phil Ramone. I never owned this album until my friend Max not only insisted that I listen to it, but bought me a copy.

It is an impressive listen, with a great roster of songs- the kind of songs that seem to draw people into my listening room from other areas of the house when this record gets played. I can think of a  live few albums that better their studio counterparts, and this may be one of them. Piano is notorious hard to record, even in the best conditions. Here you get the weight of the instrument and the decay of the harmonics; not only that, the instrument doesn’t sound unnaturally large or “zoomed in” because of too-close miking or an overly emphatic mix. The drums, and bass are impressive too- and Joel’s performance, that of the whole ensemble really, seems charged as only happens in a live performance in front of an audience. These guys are pros- the guitar sings, stings and fades with just the right tone and crunch.

IMG_0425

Elliot Scheiner is credited for the remix along with Ramone, and the original pressings on Columbia were mastered by Sterling. Great songs, great performances, excellent recording; one that gets you into “audiophile demo” territory at used bin prices. (There is a recent MoFi re-do that I haven’t heard, but if my experience is any measure, there is so little wrong with the original, standard issue pressings, I’d save your money for another MoFi record). Although I’m not big on schmaltz[1], the song “She’s Got A Way” is worth the price of admission. Recommended.

____________________________________

[1] “Schmaltz” (def): from Yiddish, shmalts, meaning rendered (melted) animal fat; usually chicken fat. Schmaltz is used to make matzo balls.

Figuratively: a work of art that is excessively sentimental, sappy or cheesy.

From the Urban Dictionary

Filed Under: Records

In Brief:

Incoming- Mrs. Henry Keep on Rising

Mrs. Henry Keep on Rising   A 21st century rock opera? Recorded to tape? And mastered at Bernie Grundman’s shop? I’ve started to explore this box (3 LPs, 2 CDs and a substantial book) in more depth and plan on interviewing the producer in an upcoming piece. … [Read More...]

Power to the People-Back Up Generator

    Shortly after the Texas "big freeze" in February 2021, I contacted various vendors of back up generators. Some did not bother to respond, a few came out, ostensibly to give me a quote and I never heard from them again. One vendor did send me a blank form with a very high total price, without completing the cost analysis for running gas lines, electrical wiring and the other things that are "adds" to the cost of the generator itself.  I kicked this around for a while-- given the heat in Central Texas during the summer--110F for days on end, we got constant warnings last summer (2023) to reduce power consumption, lest we suffer rolling blackouts. And then there's the fact that Austin really isn't "built" for freezing temperatures. Black ice with no road crews, downed power lines, and demand that teeters off the edge of power failure catastrophe. I do not want to go into the power grid … [Read More...]

Incoming-Know what I mean?

Cannonball Adderley's "Know what I mean? is a warhorse, to be sure,but one that deserves its reputation. I was prompted to explore a few different pressings as a result of a thread on the Hoffman forum: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/do-you-have-cannonball-adderley-bill-evans-know-what-i-mean-the-best-sounding-vintage-jazz-lp.1175660/  I used to shop these OJCs as bargains back in the day when Tower Records was thriving. They were a solid entry point into some very good sounding jazz--some of it "straight ahead" but well made, taken from analog masters for the most part and did I say cheap? Back in the day, these were bargain records when they were released, and until the more recent surge in prices of older LPs, could be readily found for little money.  The recent Craft reissue cut by Kevin Gray has brought renewed attention to the record. I thought it might be fun to do a … [Read More...]

We’re Back!

We’re Back! Some fresh content for your consideration. Neil Antin did some modest updates to his seminal book on Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records. Neil did not regard these changes as a “new version” so the download is now 3.1 with a “Record of Changes” at the end. I’ve talked to Peter Ulrich, the drummer from Dead Can Dance a few times over the years because I was fascinated by the group. They hit it big in audiophile circles with “Into the Labyrinth” which became a “demo” record with the MoFi release. I got that, but also sought out an original 4AD pressing, and as I delved into their music, bought more original copies- they were not crazy expensive at the time. When Peter told me he was doing a book on the history of his involvement with the band, I was eager to read it. It offers some great insight into a period when this band was inventing new sounds in the post-punk … [Read More...]

Drumming with Dead Can Dance: and Parallel Adventures- Peter Ulrich

  Drumming with Dead Can Dance: and Parallel Adventures Peter Ulrich   I didn’t really get on to Dead Can Dance until “Into the Labyrinth,” their most popular LP that made the audiophile rounds here in the States. 4AD, their label, wasn’t well distributed in the US when the band was first developing, it wasn’t exactly mainstream stuff here, even in the audiophile community. Yet the band had a following, starting in Australia, where Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry had a band and moved to a council flat in London where the two met our narrator, a soon to be jobless publicist for a theatrical/live show venue. Ulrich had the time, interest, musical background, and chops as a drummer to become part of their band. So we get the story of DCD from the outset of their adventures in England, playing local venues and developing a following. The scene was a sort of post-punk, … [Read More...]

Terms of Use ·  Copyright © 2025 The Vinyl Press.com ·  Privacy Policy
A service of Flying Reptile Media Group ·  Contact


Register | Login to Comment | Comments FAQ

Copyright © 2025 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in