I may have finished A Year of Billy Joel but my work here is still not done. I still owe this project a few more updates. Things have been very busy but I’m getting closer.
In the meantime, happy birthday Billy Joel. I hope you are well and I hope we see you on the road soon.
If you haven’t read this, check it out. Especially the part where he talks about the post River of Dreams compilations.
Anonymous asked: Are you able to review the song Money or Love, its an unreleased song by Billy
Thanks for asking about this song. “Money or Love” is something that I had on my list of unreleased songs that I planned on covering last year. However when I got to it and listened to the demo version that appears on the My Lives box set I decided to put it aside in favor of some other songs.
I listened to it again today for the first time since last year. It’s got a typically solid Billy Joel melody and the lyrics on that version hint at a much deeper story. Because it’s only a demo I have no idea how it’s final version would have played out musically or if it’s lyrical focus would have shifted. It’s was not uncommon for Billy Joel to drastically re-work material between the demo and completed stage. While I think “Money or Love” is a solid demo with potential to be a very good song but still incomplete in the demo stage.
“I liked Phil instantly after we met. He’s very unpretentious. He’s funny. He’s very warm. We just had this sympatico immediately. And I loved that he loved the band. It was kind of like, “love me, love the band.”
I wasn’t sure what a producer was even capable of before I met Phil. A guy named Michael Stewart did the Piano Man and the Streelight album. He was a Los Angeles guy and was in the Kingston Trio. I guess he was trying to make commercial records and make hits. My approach to recording had nothing to do with making hits. It had to do with having fun. The essence of the music that I loved was that it was fun, even when it was deadly serious. Guys like Bob Dylan and the Beatles doing Sgt. Pepper, they were having fun. I can hear it, even when the subject was serious.”
Watch All Five Parts of The Experts: Billy Joel Vs. Lord Of The Rings Vs. Spice Girls by clicking the link above.
You’ll marvel at the answers each expert gives and be shocked at the questions I get wrong. Watch all 5 parts to see how my Billy Joel expertise holds up against the other experts.
The Experts Part Two, in which I make a tactical error. Can I recover?
The Experts: Billy Joel vs. Lord Of The Rings vs. The Spice Girls Part 1!
The competition is fierce, how do I do with money on the line?
Recently I was invited to put my new found Billy Joel knowledge to use on The Experts a new online game show where experts in different fields face off against each other.
Here’s a preview. You’ll see who I faced off against and how it ended soon.
Sad news for music fans as longtime Billy Joel collaborator, Phil Ramone passed away today. Click the link to read up on his life and work, then go listen to one of the records he worked on.
How I learned to stop worrying if it was cool and started enjoying Billy Joel.
In 2012 I listened to every song Billy Joel has ever released and wrote about it all.
Questions, comments and angry letters can be sent to ayearofbillyjoel@gmail.com.
