Turnstiles

"Turnstiles" is an important album in the career of Billy Joel. After the success of "Piano Man", Joel took a step back with "Streetlife Serenade". Joel had to choose his next path carefully. The album opener, "Say Goodbye to Hollywood, is followed by "Summer, Highland Falls", a great tune that unfortunately has never gotten much credit, except maybe with the diehards. After the rather forgettable "All You Wanna Do Is Dance", the classic "New York State of Mind" gets the record back on track. "James", a song Joel wrote about a childhood buddy, and "Prelude/Angry Young Man (which has opened virtually every show on Joel's 2 year-plus tour) are gems. "I've Loved These days" is up next, followed by the album closer, "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway), a science-fiction story describing the destruction of New York City. Overall, a fantastic album. Following the disappointing "Streetlife" and preceding the absolute classic "The Stranger", "Turnstiles" should not be overlooked.

'Turnstiles' was a natural evolution of the Billy Joel persona. This is music that sounds as good in the studio as it would 'live' with only a piano and because the music is so strong a quartet or even a small orchestra is just background mood. There are few artists who make sophisticated music sound so simple. The poetry flows from his singing voice like waterfalls and the piano blends harmonies that are bluesy, jazzy and rock 'n roll. Joel never sounds rehearsed and especially in this album, where the multi-layered harmonies blend beautifully with the diverse rhythms of each song.

TURNSTILES, Billy Joel's fourth album, is one of several major themes. I'll now explore some of them.

First, many of the songs have a traveling theme. Such locations as Miami Beach, Hollywood, and Chinatown are mentioned in "New York State Of Mind", with "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)" citing Broadway, Miami, Norfolk, Queens, the Bronx, Mexico, Brooklyn, Harlem, and 42nd Street, all in one song. The latter song, which closes the album, is sung from the point of view of retired baby-boomers living in Florida.

A second, and even more important theme, present on this CD is the fact that you really can't keep living in the past. The song "I've Loved These Days" has a line "Let's drink a toast to how it's been", yet also says "We'll have to change our dated ways", which indicates that while we can remember what things were like in the past, we have to live in the present. This explains why I gave up food-related functions at my old school in favor of looking good for my favorite actresses, as well as why some of my old schoolmates are trying to put their past behind them by siding with authority figures against me. The same theme runs through the opening cut, "Say Goodbye To Hollywood." Pretty deep stuff for a 27-year-old singer-songwriter.

Overall, TURNSTILES is a record about time and what its passage means, and led to me plastering my wall with gorgeous actresses as a deterrent to attending food-related functions at my old school. Along with the hard-rocking GLASS HOUSES, this is one of Billy Joel's best CDs ever.