52nd Street

Billy Joel | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• ASIN: B0000025ED
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,814 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flawed & Lovable., February 26, 2004

By 

M. Casarino (Wilmington, DE United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 52nd Street (Audio CD)

Just like the man himself, "52nd Street" is obnoxious and overambitious but thoroughly lovable. After "The Stranger" found Billy flirting with the dark side of AM radio, he went after a streetwise blues & jazz sound with "52nd Street." He found it, sometimes.

But even when he missed and overshot, he created some great, lasting music. "Stiletto" has an irresistible groove and some impressive hellcat piano work, while "Rosalinda's Eyes" and "Half a Mile Away" find him approaching a maturity that carries his angry-young-man themes into a realistic setting. The set's centerpiece, the would-be epic "Zanzibar," is notable for its attempt to shoehorn streetwise romantic cliches into an insanely ambitious arrangement. Featuring trumpet solos by Freddie Hubbard and shifting movements, "Zanzibar" is one of the most entertaining and interesting failures you'll ever want to hear. Which means it isn't a failure at all, but a joyously ridiculous piece of music.

The album's standout, however, is the gorgeously layered "Until the Night." Billy's not the most lovey-dovey fellow, but "Until the Night" is one of the great love songs in history, a tough, unsentimental track that acknowledges how crucial it is to share love when times get difficult. The song aims high and scores even higher - it's a truly transcendent piece of work.

Hey, I'm a Billy Joel fan, so I'm gonna love most of what he does. "52nd Street" might be my favorite album of his. I'm aware that it's not perfect - but heck, who wants to hear a perfect album anyway? For all his forced tough-guy stances, for all his "I'm a white boy singing funky blues" pretense, he hit enough homers with this album to make anyone a true Billy believer.

Oh, and when I was a kid, I assumed verse two of "Zanzibar" really was about baseball.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Joel's Best Studio Album, July 14, 2002

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 52nd Street (Audio CD)

Billy Joel has always been better at producing first rate singles than recording coherent albums. That said, "52nd Street" is (arguably) the best of his original studio albums. Befitting the title, Joel flirts with adding jazz elements to his usual straightforward pop rock approach. The album starts with three ace hit singles, the rocking "Big Shot," the ballad "Honesty," and the teenage liberation anthem "My Life." After that comes the strongest set of album filler material Joel has ever recorded. The jazz influences comes through most strongly on "Zanibar," the title track, and "Stiletto," the latter of which features some of Joel's best ever piano playing. On top of all of that is "Until the Night," one of Joel's most underrated tunes and one of his best ever love songs.

Overall, a strong album from an artist usually more noteworthy for his hit singles.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solid, Cohesive Follow-Up To "The Stranger.", July 28, 2008

By 

Anthony Nasti "Tony" (Staten Island, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 52nd Street (Audio CD)

After over 10 years of struggling to hit it big, Billy Joel suddenly became an overnight sensation with his 1977 release "The Stranger," a timeless pop masterpiece that sold over seven million copies and generated four Top 40 hits as well as won Joel a few Grammys for his mantle. With his star suddenly burning, Joel was quick to come up with a followup to match the unprecedented success of his breakthrough album. The result was "52nd Street," which managed to match its predecessor in terms of sales as well as quality.

The album begins with its three big hit singles. First up is the crunchy in-your-face rocker "Big Shot," a stinging damnation of fame and the arrogance that comes with its first taste. With its bombastic riff and biting Billy vocal, "Big Shot" is an absolutely Joel classic, and remains a thrill in concert.

Next up is the Sinatra-esque ballad "Honesty," in which Billy openly and sincerely expresses his most important value in a relationship. With its passionate vocal and thoughtful lyrics, "Honesty" will get under your skin with its haunting beauty.

Next up is the album's biggest hit of the three, "My Life," a chugging declaration of youthful independence with some of Joel's most intricate keyboard fills and a punchy in your face rhythm underscored by its obnoxious (in a good way) chorus. Another Joel classic that remains a concert highlight.

With the hits out of the way, we dig into the lesser known album cuts, which begin with the zesty jazz opus "Zanzibar." A classic Joel portrayal of New York nightlife, many label this track is overindulgent and pretentious, but I'm of the opposite opinion. While it doesn't match the previous album's epic number ("Scenes From An Italian Restaurant"), "Zanzibar" carries a zest and flavor all its own that makes a landmark Joel track. The horn solo that closes out the track is incredible.

Next comes my favorite non-album track. "Stiletto" starts of with a dark, ominous sax solo before a few finger snaps underscored by a thumping bass line lead into Joel's hellraising piano stacattos, rivaling "Angry Young Man" and "Root Beer Rag" as the prime example of Joel's unbeatable keyboard prowess.

The mood changes once more with the mellow, Latin tanged "Rosalinda's Eyes," a tender love song reminscent of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." It's a great song and one I wish Billy would dust off in concert.

Next comes another New York centered rocker, the thrilling "Half A Mile Away." With is opening horn roars and Billy's gritty vocals, this is one of the album's highlights and one of his best songs.

"Until The Night" is an epic ballad, and one of his all time bests. A big fave among die hard fans, it's a little lengthy, but Billy keeps it fresh and honest, and the result is an honest, passionate love song.

The album's brief title track closes thigns off. It's nice, but easily the most disposable track on the album. Fortunately, with the advent of cd burners and stop buttons, you can easily end the album with "Until The Night" and let it go out on a high note.

"52nd Street" is another pop masteriece by one of the genre's most talented and influential individuals. Buy it immediately if not already owned.