Piano Man (Billy Joel album)

Piano Man is the second studio album by American recording artist Billy Joel, released on November 9, 1973, by Columbia Records. The album emerged from legal difficulties with Joel's former label, Family Productions, and ultimately became his first breakthrough album.

For the greatest hits album, see Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel.
Piano Man
Studio album by
Billy Joel
ReleasedNovember 9, 1973 (1973-11-09)[1]
RecordedSeptember 1973
StudioDevonshire Sound Studios, Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length42:51
LabelFamily Productions/Columbia
ProducerMichael Stewart
Billy Joel chronology
Cold Spring Harbor
(1971)		 Piano Man
(1973)		 Streetlife Serenade
(1974)
Singles from Piano Man
  1. "Piano Man" / "You're My Home"
    Released: November 2, 1973
  2. "Worse Comes to Worst"
    Released: 1974
  3. "Travelin' Prayer"
    Released: 1974
  4. "The Ballad of Billy the Kid"
    Released: April 1974
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Christgau's Record GuideC[4]
CreemD+[5]
Disc[6]
Rolling Stonepositive[7]

The title track, a fictionalized retelling of Joel's experiences with people he met as a lounge singer in Los Angeles, peaked at No. 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary singles chart. "Travelin' Prayer" and "Worse Comes to Worst" peaked at No. 77 and 80 on the Hot 100, respectively, while the album itself peaked at No. 27 on the US Billboard 200. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in 1975, but Joel received only $8000 in royalties (US$43,508 in 2022 dollars[8]).[9]

Legacy edition

Columbia Records released a two-disc legacy version of Piano Man in November 2011.[10]

This edition included a slightly truncated live 1972 Philadelphia 93.3 WMMR FM radio broadcast of early songs that Joel performed and recorded at the Philadelphia-based Sigma Sound Studios. This radio broadcast was extremely important to the success of Joel's music career because, after the show was recorded, the live recording of "Captain Jack" was played by the station and quickly became "the most requested song in the station's history". Once the popularity of this live recording was known, people working for Columbia Records heard the recording and signed Joel to the label.[11] The radio broadcast included three songs ("Long, Long Time"; "Josephine"; and "Rosalinda") that were never on any of Joel's studio albums.

Track listing

Original release

All songs written by Billy Joel.

Side One
No.TitleLength
1."Travelin' Prayer"4:16
2."Piano Man"5:37
3."Ain't No Crime"3:20
4."You're My Home"3:14
5."The Ballad of Billy the Kid"5:35
Side Two
No.TitleLength
6."Worse Comes to Worst"3:28
7."Stop in Nevada"3:40
8."If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)"3:35
9."Somewhere Along the Line"3:17
10."Captain Jack"7:15
Total length:42:51

2011 Legacy Edition bonus disc

Disc 2: Live at Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 15, 1972

  1. "Introduction by Ed Sciaky" – 0:29
  2. "Falling of the Rain" – 2:33
  3. "Intro to Travelin' Prayer" – 0:17
  4. "Travelin' Prayer" – 3:11
  5. "Intro to Billy the Kid" – 0:50
  6. "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" – 5:36
  7. "Intro to She's Got a Way" – 1:03
  8. "She's Got a Way" – 3:08
  9. "Intro to Everybody Loves You Now" – 1:19
  10. "Everybody Loves You Now" – 2:56
  11. "Intro to Nocturne" – 0:59
  12. "Nocturne" – 2:46
  13. "Station ID and Intro to Turn Around" – 1:31
  14. "Turn Around" – 3:26
  15. "Intro to Long, Long Time" – 1:19
  16. "Long, Long Time" – 4:46
  17. "Intro to Captain Jack" – 1:19
  18. "Captain Jack" – 6:56
  19. "Intro to Josephine" – 1:40
  20. "Josephine" – 3:23
  21. "Intro to Rosalinda" – 0:33
  22. "Rosalinda" – 3:03
  23. "Tomorrow Is Today" – 5:11

Personnel

Adapted from the AllMusic credits.[12]

Live at Sigma Sound Studios, April 15, 1972

  • Billy Joel – piano, harmonica, vocals
  • Al Hertzberg – acoustic and electric guitars
  • Larry Russell – bass guitar
  • Rhys Clark – drums
  • Dennis Wilen – producer

Production

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[12]
The Guardian[13]
Ultimate Classic Rock[14]

Rolling Stone mused that Piano Man "represents a new seriousness and flexibility" for Joel, comparing it to the stylings of Elton John.[7] Reviewing the album, Billboard stated that it shows that Joel has a "fine shot at establishing himself as consistent quality AM artist with large scale songs and dynamic performing range.[15]

Charts and certifications

References
  1. "Billy Joel/Piano Man/". Sony. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  2. "Piano Man by Billy Joel – Classic Rock Review".
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Piano Man". AllMusic. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  4. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 27, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. Christgau, Robert (March 1974). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem. Retrieved March 3, 2012 – via robertchristgau.com.
  6. Rosemary, Horide (10 May 1975). "Billy Joel – Piano Man" (PDF). Disc. Sutton: IPC Specialist and Professional Press Ltd. p. 20. ISSN 0308-1168. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023 – via World Radio History.
  7. Breschard, Jack (March 14, 1974). "Billy Joel Piano Man > Album Review". Rolling Stone. No. 156. Archived from the original on November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
  8. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  9. Bielen, Ken (2011). The Words and Music of Billy Joel. ABC-CLIO. pp. 29–30, 116. ISBN 9780313380167.
  10. "Shop the Billy Joel Official Store". Archived from the original on 2011-09-25. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
  11. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: billyjoelVEVO (18 October 2011). "Billy Joel – Billy Joel on PIANO MAN – from THE COMPLETE ALBUMS COLLECTION" – via YouTube.
  12. "Piano Man – Billy Joel | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  13. Hann, Michael (January 5, 2012). "Billy Joel: Piano Man (Legacy Edition) – review". The Guardian. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  14. Thimou, Theodore (December 5, 2011). "Billy Joel, 'Piano Man' (Legacy Edition) – Album Review". ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  15. "Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. November 17, 1973. p. 60. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  16. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 156. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 21, No. 9". RPM. April 13, 1974. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  18. "allmusic ((( Streetlife Serenade > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  19. "The Official Charts Company – Billy Joel – Piano Man". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  20. "ビリー・ジョエル-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" [Highest position and charting weeks for Piano Man: Legacy Edition by Billy Joel]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  21. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 24, 2013". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  22. "Ultratop.be – Billy Joel – Piano Man" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  23. Official IFPI Charts Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 50/2020 at the Wayback Machine (archived 21 December 2020)
  24. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 428. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  25. "Cash Box Newspaper" (PDF). Cash Box. May 20, 1978. p. 20. Retrieved November 13, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  26. "Canadian album certifications – Billy Joel – Piano Man". Music Canada. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  27. "American album certifications – Billy Joel – Piano Man". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
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