Billy Joel

[A Lark Ascending]

Costello and Springsteen are people who have songs I've really admired played by others; but I've never connected with their own music. Just don't like Costello's voice; and there's a tinny organ sound on the Springsteen discs I've heard that drives me nuts.

But if June Tabor, Robert Wyatt and Emmylou Harris can rave about them, well there must be something there that I'm missing.

Never got on with Elton John, apart from 'Your Song' which I think is wonderful. Had it on a single c. 1971.

[JETman]

Part of the problem for me with most of these pop artists is the overall poor production value inherent in their albums. A bigger problem for me is their tendency to use clearly mediocre musicians on these recordings. That being said, I believe that Elton had a great little band during the first half of the 70s.

As far as Springsteen goes, BLECH!

To those who dismiss or "don't get" Bruce Springsteen, I recommend listening to The Wild, The Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle. It's all there, and it's all good (actually great, imo).

Not gonna go so far as to completely agree with you, but I will say that one of Bruce's mistakes was ditching the drummer on that album for (un)mighty Max.

[crisp]

Never got on with Elton John, apart from 'Your Song' which I think is wonderful. Had it on a single c. 1971.

"If I were a sculptor. But then again, no" Taupin's career should have been over after writing that line, although even more clunky is: "I'd buy a big house where we both can live." It's like a four-year-old child has written it. Nice tune, though.

[A Lark Ascending]

Never got on with Elton John, apart from 'Your Song' which I think is wonderful. Had it on a single c. 1971.

"If I were a sculptor. But then again, no" Taupin's career should have been over after writing that line, although even more clunky is: "I'd buy a big house where we both can live." It's like a four-year-old child has written it. Nice tune, though.

Well, if we eliminated all the popular songs with daft lyrics, we'd not be left with much! The tune is good, I like the whole performance and the romantic sentiment was perfect for a 15 year old at the time and can still give a nice fuzzy feeling.

I believe it got overexposed in a film a few years back ('Moulin Rouge?') but I missed all of that. Recall hearing it sung in a folk club to just simple guitar by a chap called Derek Brimstone and it transferred perfectly there.

Now, 'Rocket Man'.....

[Quincy]

"If I were a sculptor. But then again, no" Taupin's career should have been over after writing that line

That line cracks me up every time (not that I hear the song much anymore.) I just take it as someone quickly realizing how difficult & messy it is to be a sculptor since you get bloody knuckles and broken nails. Far easier to make potions in a travelling show.

[7/4]

To those who dismiss or "don't get" Bruce Springsteen, I recommend listening to The Wild, The Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle. It's all there, and it's all good (actually great, imo).

I've lived in NJ my whole life. I never "got" Springsteen or Joel. I had enough of them about 1975.

[Steve Reynolds]

guys like Billy Joel are the reason I love great music.

thank jah for the message boards so I connected with people who like music that isn't the worst of the worst

and Billy Joel is as bad as it gets - nothing more than glorified commercial jingles

[Dave James]

I never had much time for the "troubadour" element of '70's rock. Maybe if Elton John had stopped after Tumbleweed Connection, he might have been more palatable, but, obviously, he didn't. Come Down In Time is the only song of his that I ever warmed to at all. To use a golf analogy, if you drive for show and putt for dough, John is the greatest driver in history. So far over the top, he was and is laughable. Pretty much no time for Billy Joel either, although to his credit, he never showed up in giant sunglasses and hi-heeled shoes. I'm OK with Mellancamp...there's something that resonates when I hear songs like Cherry Bomb or Pink Houses. He just seems more grounded and genuine than many of his contemporaries. I never even came close to "getting" Springsteen. I thought he was nothing more than ginned up; mostly created by the press and a gullible public that was looking for the new Dylan. Lastly, and this may be a shock to some, I've never even heard an Elvis Costello song. But, then again, I've never seen an episode of Bonanza.

[John L]

Never got on with Elton John, apart from 'Your Song' which I think is wonderful. Had it on a single c. 1971.

Yes, "Your Song" is probably my favorite Elton John composition. I especially like Billy Paul's version of it.

[crisp]

Never got on with Elton John, apart from 'Your Song' which I think is wonderful. Had it on a single c. 1971.

"If I were a sculptor. But then again, no" Taupin's career should have been over after writing that line, although even more clunky is: "I'd buy a big house where we both can live." It's like a four-year-old child has written it. Nice tune, though.

Well, if we eliminated all the popular songs with daft lyrics, we'd not be left with much! The tune is good, I like the whole performance and the romantic sentiment was perfect for a 15 year old at the time and can still give a nice fuzzy feeling.

Well, I did say I liked the tune. Sure, the world is filled with bad song lyrics, but they are usually by the composer; Taupin just writes the lyrics, and he has zero abilities in that area. Elton John could easily come up with his own gobbledegook and double his royalties (not that he needs the money).

And its the utter laziness of that line that I dislike. It does nothing to take the song forward. Might as well not be there.

Rocket Man, I agree, is almost a compendium of nonsensical thoughts. Bernie Taupin is, as I say, a lucky, lucky man.

[.:.impossible]

Mellencamp makes me think immediately of Bryan Adams. Is it time to throw his name into the Billy Joel > Bruce Springsteen > John Cougar Mellencamp } Elton John thread? Or was it already dead?

[Alexander]

To those who dismiss or "don't get" Bruce Springsteen, I recommend listening to The Wild, The Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle. It's all there, and it's all good (actually great, imo).

That was the album that turned me on to him, actually...

I find Elvis Costello somewhat annoying - he doesn't have any real vocal abilities (IMHO), although I like the fact that he has a taste for good American standards.

I once saw him performing on tv, playing a beautiful vintage Gibson L5 jazz guitar - he was literally banging on it with lots of distortion - painful for me to watch.

Costello's nickname in the studio is "The Little Hands of Concrete" because he abuses his guitars so...

I disagree completely with the people slagging Bernie Taupin's lyrics. Listen to the "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" album and a song like "Bitter Fingers." Love Taupin's lyrics. They work organically with Elton's melodies, to the point where you can't really tell if the words or the tune came first...