The Nylon Curtain

Billy Joel (Artist) | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl
• Original Release Date: 1982
• Label: CBS
• ASIN: B000HFWOPW
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #446,224 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Incredible Billy Joel album produced 25 years ago. A must have for any collector!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 for a good album, May 4, 2011

By 

Tnahpellee "Brendan" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Nylon Curtain (Vinyl)

So, in 1982 Billy Joel peered through that Nylon Curtain that separates good music from so-so music. He burst through it like Superman bursting through a wall! We really should have our own gang that goes around making havoc of his life, because he seems to make better music when he's upset.

So Mr. Joel fights in a war (Goodnight Saigon), fights the local gang (Pressure), fights disillusioned Scandanavian fans (Scandanavian Skies), fights the Government (Allentown) and, most terrifying of all, fights his wife, AHH!!! (A room of our own). That last song, by the way, is a fantastic throwback to 'she a woman', the Beatles song from '64.

In fact, Billy Joel was so angry and menacing, even his orchestra ran away! Thus leading him to write a song called 'Where's the orchestra?'. Well can you blame them? They saw he got so mad he started swearing at his girlfriend (Laura) and figured, 'if he swears at her, what will he do to us?' They quivered!

But that orchestra stuck around long enough to deliver 'Scandanavian Skies', a nightmarish string-driven song that would make Sergeant Mystery Tour proud. And versatility, he really covered a lot of ground in nine songs! Like a "diversity de marathon". And the quality... 'She's right on time' is so right on, with eerie chords and harpsichords, and 'Surprises' has that devastating piano riff, you feel kind of scared when it comes on. Admit it, you felt skairrrrd! And if you didn't, well, you knew it was a great, unsettling song.

Worth getting, even if he wanted to give the impression of an average album with a few 'decent-but-not-stellar' lead-off singles.