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Summary
Souvenir was a promotional album released by Columbia Records in 1977 to test if a live album would be popular and promote Billy's catalog at the time. It was distributed mainly to disc jockeys and fan clubs. A limited picture disc version was also released. The first side of the album featured live performances of four songs from a concert by Billy at the Palmer Auditorium, Connecticut College in 1976. That concert was recorded and released on video as Billy Joel Tonight (see Videos & DVDs) however, two of the songs on Souvenir ("Summer, Highland Falls" and "Souvenir") are not included in the video. The second side of Souvenir featured studio versions of other songs from Billy's early albums. Souvenir is a rare find, and only available on vinyl. The picture disc is even more rare.
The album was a nice introduction to Billy's earlier songs, but did not include anything from Cold Spring Harbor which was released by Paramount, not Columbia. The live versions of "The Ballad of Billy the Kid," "Summer, Highland Falls," "New York State of Mind," and "Souvenir," were excellent, but rarely heard. And the live version of "New York State of Mind" was the only live version of the song ever officially released until 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert. This is not to be confused with the Australian boxed set called "Souvenir: The Ultimate Collection" from 1990 which featured five CDs: Greatest Hits, Volumes I and II (two discs), the Storm Front album, a CD of songs from Live at Yankee Stadium, and a CD of an interview with Billy. See an Australian television advertisement for that boxed set here. |
Audio & Video
Souvenir album
Side One 1. The Ballad Of Billy The Kid - Live 2. Summer, Highland Falls - Live 3. New York State Of Mind - Live 4. Souvenir - Live Side Two
5. The Entertainer 6. I've Loved These Days 7. Captain Jack 8. Los Angelenos 9. Say Goodbye To Hollywood |
This a YouTube playlist of "Souvenir." The first clip is the entire Side One of "Souvenir" featuring live recordings from 1976 (audio only). The remaining clips are studio and live versions of the songs listed on Side Two. All are audio files.
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Interview
Biographies In Contemporary Music (1976). Legendary DJ Allison Steele profiles and interviews Billy Joel soon after Turnstiles was released. This is a radio interview, and I've added photos and videos. Billy discusses the release of the Souvenir album beginning at the 39:37 mark. The album was intended as a way to determine if fans were interested in a live album of his music at the time. |
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Billy Joel Tonight concert (1976).
Live at Connecticut College. Live concert from June 1976 soon after Turnstiles was released in May. This video was released as "Billy Joel Tonight" or "An Evening With Billy Joel." Features ten songs. |
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