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The Stranger was still riding high on the charts when Billy released his jazzy follow-up album 52nd Street in 1978. Lyrically and thematically, Billy continued the themes of suburban and urban angst in pop songs like "My Life" and "Half A Mile Away," and tender ballads like "Honesty" and the lovely "Rosalinda's Eyes." While "Big Shot" and "My Life" became big hits, the album's deep tracks like "Until the Night," "Zanzibar," Stiletto," and "Rosalinda's Eyes," are even more interesting and complex than the singles and give the album its theme, a slice of New York life. Billy ranked with Bruce Springsteen as a chronicler of East Coast urban and suburban life in the 1970s.
Musically, 52nd Street was a departure and expansion from the The Stranger as the album had a harder and more sophisticated jazz influence. Songs like "Zanzibar," "Stiletto," "Rosalinda's Eyes" and "52nd Street" each featured jazzy horns or woodwinds as producer Phil Ramone brought in top jazz and studio musicians of the era such as Freddie Hubbard and Mike Maineri to complement the band. While some critics derided the songs as derivative, others were beginning to realize that Billy's musical knowledge and appreciation were as authentic and limitless as his musical gifts. On 52nd Street you can hear the influences of Mick Jagger ("52nd Street"), Steely Dan ("Zanzibar"), Traffic ("Stiletto") and Ray Charles ("52nd Street"), as well as many jazz artists. |
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One non-jazz track, the epic "Until the Night," is a rock masterpiece. With it slow dramatic build-up to a soulful chorus and Billy handling dual vocals, it is a fitting tribute to The Righteous Brothers and Phil Spector. It would have fit in well on Billy's album An Innocent Man from 1983. Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers would later record "Until The Night" himself; see video. While a critical backlash against Billy began to develop in some circles, even several of Billy's critics acknowledged the grandeur of this song.
Fans and the music industry didn't care about the critics; 52nd Street quickly reached the top of the Billboard charts and stayed on the charts for 76 weeks while Billy won two Grammy Awards: Album of the Year (with Phil Ramone, Producer) and Best Pop Male Vocalist. 52nd Street solidified Billy's status as a premier songwriter and musician. The album closed out an amazing three-year run from 1976 to 1978 in which Billy wrote and recorded all of the songs on Turnstiles, The Stranger, and 52nd Street. Few artists have ever created such a brilliant trilogy of albums in so short a time period. We're gonna have a little soul parade The album's title came from the famous 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan which was known as the city's center of jazz from the 1930s to the early 1960s where Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Eric Dolphy and others played in the city's many jazz clubs. The album cover and other promotional photos featured Billy holding a trumpet which were meant to refer to and pay homage to the jazz history at 52nd Street (the album was recorded at A&R Studios which was located on 52nd Street) and the jazz musicians whom Billy respected. See this article from JazzWax about Billy's knowledge and respect for jazz (article since removed). For a list of Billy Joel's jazz or jazz-influenced songs, go to the "All My Life" page on this site.
Thirty-five years after the release of 52nd Street, Billy played at the New Orleans Jazz Fest to critical acclaim. Read about it here. His performance of "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" from The Stranger, with the New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band joining in during the Dixieland-style bridge, brought down the house. See it here (YouTube video). * * * * *
Before the dawn of the MTV-era, Billy and his band made some fun videos of "Big Shot," "Honesty" and "My Life" (with an intro from "Stiletto") in 1978. These were filmed around 17th Street as well as 52nd Street (studio). Although relatively simple by today's standards, they were a rare treat for fans to view back in the 1970s. Billy's band, which did not have a formal name like Bruce Springsteen's The E Street Band, were dubbed "The Lords of 52nd Street" by producer Phil Ramone. They proudly took to the name and had jackets made with this moniker. Billy is wearing a "Lords" jacket in the photo to the right.
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There are not many audio or video interviews that I could find from this period, though a few can be viewed at the Video & Audio tab, above. One can also listen to the In the Studio interview that Billy Joel did at time 52nd Street was released. Although Billy and DJ Redbeard barely talk about the album, they do have an interesting discussion about a wide range of subjects from baseball to the music industry. The interview has been updated with more recent commentary from Redbeard. And here is a short MTV interview with Billy from 1982 on the success of The Stranger and 52nd Street.
Finally, Billy discusses jazz music and studying with jazz pianist Lenny Tristano on Judy Carmichael's program Jazz Inspired from 2000, click link or use the audio player below. Again, Billy is a true aficionado and student of music of all kinds, and shows it in this interview. Billy would have made a fantastic disc jockey on FM radio. Vertical Divider
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52nd Street Tour Book cover
The Lords of 52nd Street. Columbia publicity photo.
Billy does not play trumpet. It was a "hat tip" to jazz music and musicians. Columbia publicity photo.
Billy in a "Lords of 52nd Street' jacket.
"It's such a clever masquerade..."
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Songs
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1. Big Shot (4:03)
2. Honesty (3:53) 3. My Life (4:44) 4. Zanzibar (5:13) 5. Stiletto (4:42) 6. Rosalinda's Eyes (4:41) 7. Half A Mile Away (4:08) 8. Until The Night (6;35) 9. 52nd Street (2:27) Released October 11, 1978 |
"Rosalinda's Eyes" by PhatPuppy Art Studios. Used with permission.
Spotify
Apple Music
Full Album (and more) - 52nd Street
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Click on song title to go to song page.
1. Big Shot (4:03) 2. Honesty (3:53) 3. My Life (4:44) 4. Zanzibar (5:13) 5. Stiletto (4:42) 6. Rosalinda's Eyes (4:41) 7. Half A Mile Away (4:08) 8. Until The Night (6;35) 9. 52nd Street (2:27) Demo versions of most songs from 52nd Street are at the last third of this playlist.
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Billy Joel: Jazz Music. This is a playlist of jazz or jazz-like songs by Billy Joel, or jazz artists covering Billy's songs. It includes "New York State of Mind," "The Good Life," and "In A Sentimental Mood." It also includes performances by jazz artists such as Diana Krall, Ahmad Jamal, Tony Bennett, Toots Thielemans, Chick Corea, and others covering Billy Joel songs. New Zealand pop/jazz group Twinset does a fun jazzy cover of "Just The Way You Are" as a duet.
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Stream - 52nd Street
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Spotify
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Apple Music
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Interviews & Features - 52nd Street
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Various Appearances.
1. Billy discusses 52nd Street from The Complete Albums collection. 2. Billy Joel on Evening Magazine (1978) 3. Billy Joel profile on WABC (1978) 4. Billy discusses "Big Shot" (1996) 5. Billy discusses how he re-wrote "Movin' Out" and "Honesty" (1992) 6. Havana Jam 79 Trailer (2016) 7. Billy on 52nd Street - SiriusXM (2016) |
Click icon on upper right of video for playlist.
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Billy on Jazz Inspired (2000) Billy is the guest on this radio program hosted by Judy Carmichael. He discusses his love and admiration for jazz music.
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Live Performances - 52nd Street
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Live in Cuba (Havana Jam) (1979) - In 1979, Billy and other musicians from Cuba and the U.S. participated in an historic three-day music festival at the Karl Marx Theater in Havana, Cuba -- Havana Jam '79. Billy's performance, however, was not recorded on video. This video is a re-enactment of Billy's performance of "Big Shot" using footage from the 1979 concert in Houston. See Havana Jam for more info and credits. |
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Live at The Houston Summit (1979) - This is a professional shot video of Billy's concert in Houston from 1979 though the video quality is poor, plus other videos from 1979-1980 including Billy singing the National Anthem at the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals and "Honesty" on French television. Click three-line icon on video for playlist.
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"52nd Street evokes the carnivalesque neon glare of nighttime Manhattan, using painterly strokes of jazz here and there to terrific effect. The characters in Joel's new compositions — a Puerto Rican street punk ("Half a Mile Away"), a social climber ("Big Shot"), a sexual bitch ("Stiletto"), a barfly sports fan ("Zanzibar") and a Cuban guitarist ("Rosalinda's Eyes") — comprise a sidewalk portrait gallery of midtown hustlers and dreamers. The likenesses, though roughly sketched, are accurate and sometimes even tinged with romance ("Rosalinda's Eyes").
-- Rolling Stone (review by Stephen Holden)
"Joel follows his platinum breakthrough The Stranger, still in the top 15 after a year on the chart, with an equally well-designed mix of punchy midtempo tunes and pretty ballads. An all-star cast of backup musicians assists this time out, including Freddie Hubbard, Mike Mainieri, David Spinozza, Steve Khan, Donnie Dacus, Peter Cetera, Ralph MacDonald, Eric Gale, Dave Grusin and the Brecker Brothers. Joel, who shines on piano and vocals, has blossomed into a consummate record craftsman for the hipper half of the mass audience. There is no shortage of singles candidates here, which should continue the string of four Top 40 hits Columbia was able to lift off The Stranger. Best cuts: "Big Shot," "My Life," "Honesty," "52nd Street," "Until The Night."
- Billboard, 1978.
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Tracks
Click on song title to go to song page. 1. Big Shot (4:03) 2. Honesty (3:53) 3. My Life (4:44) 4. Zanzibar (5:13) 5. Stiletto (4:42) 6. Rosalinda's Eyes (4:41) 7. Half A Mile Away (4:08) 8. Until The Night (6;35) 9. 52nd Street (2:27) Basic Information
Released: October 13, 1978 Recorded: July-August 1978, A&R Recording Studios, New York Genre: Pop/Rock/Jazz Length: 40:26 Label: Columbia/Family Productions Producer: Phil Ramone Words and Music by Billy Joel |
Personnel
Billy Joel – piano, vocals Doug Stegmeyer – bass, backing vocals Liberty DeVitto – drums Richie Cannata – saxophones, organ, clarinet Mr. Steve Khan – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals Freddie Hubbard – flugelhorn and trumpet on “Zanzibar” Mike Mainieri – vibes and marimba on “Zanzibar” and “Rosalinda’s Eyes” David Spinozza – acoustic guitar on “Honesty” David Friedman – orchestral chimes and percussion on “Until the Night” Ralph MacDonald – percussion on “Rosalinda’s Eyes” and “Half a Mile Away” |
Eric Gale – electric guitar on “Half a Mile Away” Hugh McCracken – nylon string guitar on “Until the Night” and “Rosalinda’s Eyes” Robert Freedman – horn and string orchestration on “Until the Night” and “Honesty” Dave Grusin – horn orchestration on “Half a Mile Away” David Nadien – concertmaster Phil Ramone - producer, mixing Kathy Kurs - associate producer Carol Peters - associate producer Jim Boyer - engineer, mixing David Martone - assistant engineer Ted Jensen - mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, NY) John Berg - cover design Jim Houghton - photography |
Front Cover
"Rosalinda's Eyes" by PhatPuppy Art Studios. Used with permission. Covers for "Zanzibar," Stiletto," "Half A Mile Away," and "52nd Street" are fictional.
Front Inner Sleeve
Back Inner Sleeve
Back Cover
Back Cover (CD)
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Doug Stegmeyer aka "The Sargeant" and Richie Cannata.
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Doug Stegmeyer, Russell Javors, Billy Joel, Liberty DeVitto, and Richie Cannata.
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Print promo ad for 52nd Street. See LuckyAries4147 page on eBay.
