Piano Man
The first Columbia album, and the one that gave Joel his signature song.
Billy Joel, 1973
- Released
- 1973
- Label
- Columbia
Piano Man was Joel's first album for Columbia, after Cold Spring Harbor. Sales were modest, but its title song became his signature song and ends nearly every concert. His touring band changed the same year. Guitarist Al Hertzberg was replaced by Don Evans and bassist Larry Russell by Patrick McDonald, who was himself replaced in late 1974 by Doug Stegmeyer. In 1974 Helen Reddy recorded "You're My Home" from the album.
The album closes with "Captain Jack", the song whose live radio performance in Philadelphia in April 1972 helped win Joel his Columbia contract. In November 2011 Piano Man was reissued as a two-disc Legacy edition, with that 1972 WMMR concert as the second disc.
Track listing
- Travelin' Prayer4:10
- Piano Man5:37
- Ain't No Crime3:20
- You're My Home3:14
- The Ballad of Billy the Kid5:35
- Worse Comes to Worst3:28
- Stop in Nevada3:40
- If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)3:35
- Somewhere Along the Line3:17
- Captain Jack6:55
More from Billy Joel
The Stranger (1977), 52nd Street (1978), Glass Houses (1980), An Innocent Man (1983)
Sources
- Billy Joel, Wikipedia
- Billy Joel: 10 of the best, The Guardian (2015-01-07)