Customer Reviews

River of Dreams / No Man's Land

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

River of Dreams, Billy Joel's last pop rock album, is 10 years old this year. It seemingly closed one chapter of Joel's creative career and opened another as he turned his attention to other musical genres. And even though listeners may have thought that River of Dreams was his farewell to pop, he has never ruled out future offerings, After all. Joel still tours and his record label still sells copies of his classic albums, compilations and Greatest Hits sets, and recently Movin' Out, a Broadway show written around some of his classics ("Good Night, Saigon," "Movin' Out [Anthony's Song])" has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike.

Even if these are Joel's "Famous Last Words" (that being the title of the last track) in the pop arena, River of Dreams is an eclectic mix of styles and themes. The 10 songs reflect a blend of anger at urban blight ("No Man's Land"), the nature of true love ("All About Soul"), parental love ("Lullabye [Goodnight, My Angel]"), and serious explorations of a spiritual nature ("River of Dreams," "Two Thousand Years").

Although the other songs on this album are also good ones ("Blonde Over Blue," "Shades of Grey," and "The Great Wall of China"), I tend to give more play time to the more sentimental compositions. Of these, my favorite is the titular "River of Dreams," with its catchy hooks and Gospel influences. It's reminiscent of the start of his friend Elton John's "Circle of Life," and its Gospel-choir background vocals and almost Biblical turns of phrase ("I was searching for something/something so undefined/that it can only be seen/by the eyes of the blind/in the middle of the night") make this song memorable and thought provoking.

"Lullabye" actually started out as a Grieg-inspired piece for solo piano but morphed into a lovely song for his daughter Alexa Ray. Its lyrics hint at the turmoil in Joel's personal life at the time (he and Christie Brinkley would be divorced within a year of the album's release) and his devotion to his daughter ("I promised I would never leave you/and you should always know/Wherever you may go/no matter where you are/I never will be far away").

"Two Thousand Years" caught my attention for various reasons. I like the interplay between Joel's keyboards (piano and organ) and drummer Steve Jordan. I love the melody (very reflective music tends to grab me) and the lyrics ("Time is relentless/only true love perseveres"). Very few songs in pop can make me sit up and listen attentively, and "Two Thousand Years" is one of these.

This album is not perfect. It is especially not perfect when its individual parts are scrutinized.

However, this may be a case where the whole of the album is greater than the sum of its parts.

In many ways, the album is best understood as not having 10 tracks but rather two movements and each movemt has its own discrete meaning.

Tracks 1-5 are in the first movement. Thus movement has Billy Joel tapping into matters such as:

1) Suburban bitterness in "No Man's Land," ("I see these children with their boredom and their vacant stares/ God help us all if we're to blame for their unanswered prayers)

2) His business manager's theft of Joel's money in "Great Wall of China," ("You take a piece of whatever you touch/Too many pieces mean you're touching too much.")

3) The distance and unattainability of his estranged "blond" wife, Christie Brinkley in "Blond Over Blue" ("But in the darkness, I see her light turned on.")

4) Billy Joel's own mental state in "A Minor Variation," ("Some days I have to give right into the blues...You think I'm crazy/It's such a sad composition/But can you blame me/For what's causing my bad disposition?)

5) His loss of faith at midlife in the world in "Shades of Grey" (These days it's harder to say I know what'I'm fighting for/My faith is falling away/I'm not that sure anymore")

The songs in this "first movement" discuss and explore negative emotions and utilize dissonant sounds to protray a man who has become truly lost in the world. The "cause of his bad disposition" is fully explored here in the first movement and it threatens to consume him.

Then the Second movement begins:

6) In "All About Soul," the listener is presented with something not previously heard on the record - the prominent use of Piano. During the songs of the "first movement" piano was used only once, in "Great Wall of China" but it was not a prominent part of the song here. If the "first movement" could be fairly categorized as the gathering storm, then "All About Soul" represents Billy Joel tying himself to the mast during the worst part of the storm. Though Joel is plagued by the "people who have lost every trace of/human kindness" and that "This life isn't fair" and that "getting tough is not enough," he does learn the answer to what plagues him, Soul. Now, "it's all about soul/It's all about faith and a deeper devotion."

7) "Lullabye" represents the calm after the storm. It represents Billy Joel taking inventory of what remains in his life that is good. And what he finds is his young daughter. And so, he sings her a song and in so doing, sings a song to himself. He answers himself in "No Man's Land" vowing not to be the blame for his own daughter's unanswered prayers, "I promised I would never leave you/ And you should Always Know/ Wherever you may go/No matter where you are/I will never be far away.

8) In learning that it was "All ABout Soul," the listener is then treated to some nice soul quennching gospel music. If in Lullabye we learned that one thing that remained in Joel's life that was good was his daughter, the other thing we learn is that the other thing that remains is his piano. "And I've been searching for something/Taken out of my soul/Something I would never lose/Something somebody stole." "River of Dreams" is a funky soul revival piano-laced fun time. It is the full-fledged return of the "Piano Man" and stands in sharp contrast to the songs in the first movement.

9) In "Two Thousand Years," Billy Joel has reached his new world. Now he must question the direction his life will take. "This is our moment/Here at the crossroads of time/We hope our children carry our dreams down the line/They are the vintage/What kind of life will they live?/Is this a curse or a blessing that we give?"

10) Though it may had been arguable then that Joel was correct in "A Minor Variation" in saying that he had "No way to win when you've already been forgotten," he does not sound bitter in "Famous Last Words" when he says that there's "Nothing left for a dreamer now, only one final serenade."

The "second movement" features piano prominently on every song which stands in sharp contrast to the first movement. The hope of the second movement is juxtaposed by the despair of the first.

Taken individually, there are some songs that are standouts and others that are not. Taken as a whole, all of the songs flow together into one larger song with one larger meaning. Taken together, all the pieces fit and it is this big piece that Billy Joel (who had aspirations to be a history teacher, among other things) puts forth as the lesson of the history of his life. He interprets his legacy. And, most importantly, Joel hopes that the listener has learned something in singing "Ain't that the story of my life."

"Ain't" that indeed.

Alright. If I tell anyone here I'm 14, they'll probably throw their head back and laugh. That's nice. Go ahead and do that. OKAY. Now that everyone knows I am of youthful spirit, I'm going to continue this review. Mainly I'm here to defend the song Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel). About two years ago, my grandmother died, and my dad was assigned the part of making a CD with songs for her funeral. My dad hadn't heard this song in a while, and he was considering it for the CD. He said, Jess come here I've just got to play you this. When I first heard it, I thought it was beautiful. If definetly defined my grandmothers usual spirit as a loving, caring mother (even though Joel sang it from the perspective of a father.) I knew that when everyone heard it, they'd think of my grandma. Ever since her funeral, the song has had a very special place in my heart. One of my friends did a solo ballet dance to it and everyone almost cried. I play piano, so my family and my piano teacher searched wide for the music. I ended up playing it for my recital, and inspired a parent to learn it on guitar. All in all, what I'm trying to say is this song is very influential, and speaks to people in many different ways. It reflects on Joel's career in a very positive way. And even if this CD wasn't the fruit of his career, I'd buy it just to have Lullabye. And BTW- I also like some of Billy Joel's songs that fit into other categories, such as We didn't Start the Fire. If I got that wrong, sorry. Anyway, that's all I've got to say. Thanks for reading :)

Early in his career Billy Joel established himself as an extraordinary blues singer with the incredible album "The Stranger." As his music evolved and he moved ever more toward middle-of-the-road rock, he left behind the intense, emotional songs that exemplified his style. 1993's "River of Dreams" attempts to get back to that earlier style, with mixed results.

The CD begins with "No Man's Land," a song about the ills of not only modern America, but the world. The fast-paced song has a catchy beat and is well performed. However, the lyrics are full of catch phrases about big business, industrialization and turning ourselves into mindless TV zombies. The problem with the lyrics is that Billy Joel has lived a luxurious life and has benefited from all the ills he sings about. Had someone like Dylan or Frank Zappa sang this song it would have been believable. Coming out of Billy Joel's mouth it just seems hypocritical, regardless of how sincere he tries to be.

The next track, "The Great Wall of China," is a blues-flavored rock song about a breakup of friendships. The lyrics are interestingly ambiguous regarding whether the friendship is between friends or a love interest, but there are hints that the song is more about a breakup with a love interest. Billy Joel puts his heart into this song, and given his track record with women, he has experienced the pain.

"Blonde Over Blue" had the potential to be a great song, but falls just short of the mark. Joel's vocal performance is excellent. The lyrics are excellent and emotional. However, the pace of the song is wrong for the lyrics. Sometimes it seems that Joel should linger over certain portions of the lyrics longer than he does, but the music forces him to move on. The song remains quite good, but it could have been incredible.

"A Minor Variation" is a wonderful blues song where the elements all come together. This song represents Billy Joel at his best, very reminiscent of his earliest albums. The singing is sincere and powerful. The pacing of the song and the instruments all work together. This song is one of the strongest on this CD. Yet another song that taps into Billy Joel's heart is "All about Soul." Joel is best when he sings about subjects he has strong feelings about, and he has deep feelings about faith, love and devotion, and this blues ballad is very clear in letting you know that. This song is the longest on this CD, clocking in at a nearly epic six minutes.

Every artist seems to have a song that contrasts their current opinions with those they held when they were younger, and realize they have changed. "Shades of Grey" is yet another entry in this category. The lyrics are sufficiently straight forward; the music is somewhat 60s retro. I would rate the song as good, about average for this CD.

Another emotionally raw song is "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)." The music is simple; generally a piano carries most of the song, with an occasional orchestral seasoning. You can hear Billy Joel singing this song to his little girl, or you to yours. The quiet simplicity of the words, the heartfelt words, all make this song a standout Billy Joel song deserved of being on a "best of" compilation. Think of Billy Joel the way he sang in his early years. I am unable to describe how powerful this simple song is.

I have always considered "The River of Dreams" to be one of Billy Joel's most unique and excellent songs. It did take a little while to grow on me because the combination of soul, spiritual and rock was something to which I am unaccustomed. However, like several other songs on this CD, this track comes across as sincere and filled with emotion. The song describes a person who perhaps has had minimal faith seeking a truth, seeking faith. The lyrics are filled with religious allusions. While the topic of the song is serious, and Joel sings sincerely, there is a certain enthusiasm that pervades the singing, as should be with any song about Christianity.

The topic of the previous song was faith and seeking; "Two Thousand Years" is a much more serious and introspective song. The song looks back over the last two thousand years, and points out that we have made it this far because of our faith, will, love and the gifts of God. The song then focuses on the present and the future. Though the tone starts very somber, the vocals soar and the lyrics hope that all the progress we have made will work hand-in-hand with our faith to make an incredible future. Perhaps the song is slightly cautionary in reminding us that we are little without our faith, and faith is just as important as technology.

The last song is a true last song. A number of artists have closed out their albums with a wrap up song that indicated that the album was over. However, "Famous Last Words" seems more than that. I have read that Billy Joel intended to make this CD his last pop/rock album. Also, Billy Joel was going through personal tribulations during this time. The song thus seems to be closing chapters on his professional and personal life, in addition to being the end of the album. This song is yet another of the very good songs on this CD.

It is fitting that Billy Joel went back to his roots for much of this CD. The emotion and power of "The Stranger" is in many of these songs, making this CD a must-have for Billy Joel fans. Reading between the lines of his personal and professional life, many of the lyrics seem to have double meanings. Just short of being a great album, it is very good and will find a place in your Billy Joel collection.

As a fan of Billy Joel, I immediately expect to like his work. When 'River of Dreams' was released, I was a bit apprehensive due to the bad reviews. I listened to it once, then again and again, absolutely loving it.
The first song, 'No Man's Land', is an edgy number which starts the CD in high gear. The next 3 songs aren't great, but they have their moments. Each contains shades of vintage Billy Joel.
The rest of the CD is where the praise is deserved. 'Shades of Grey' is a reflective piece showing Billy's growth. 'All About Soul' continues this theme. 'Lullabye' is a beautiful song written for his daughter. It is soulful, thoughtful and moving.
The title track is a bouncy, fun song, but introspective in its' own right. I rank it as one of Billy's all-time best. The last 2 songs are just typical Billy. They seem like your average Billy song, which means they are excellent.
The CD seems very connected, almost like a theme album. These may not be classic rock songs, but they are enjoyable and meaningful. This CD never seems to get the respect it deserves, but neither does Billy.

I don't know why some people here are so harsh on this album. It's perfect in my opinion. What's funny is I knew Billy Joel for... well forever but never knew what songs he sang. And then when I listened to his Greatest Hits CD on Amazon I was shocked to learn he was the one who sang "Piano Man", "Honesty", "Uptown Girl", "Just The Way You Are", "We Didn't Start The Fire" and, of course, "River Of Dreams". Those are hits I've known my whole life and I was very fascinated to learn more about him, given that I was born only in the mid-80's (when he was at the peak of his career). Today he's one of my favorite artists and this album is a stand-out in my collection. Give it a try...

It's been nearly 12 years since I first listened to "River Of Dreams" and it is still part of my regular listening rotation.
It never gets old! But I think it is also one of the most importaint albums I have ever heard.

It is not only my favorite album of the 90's but in my top five of all time. I can understand that not everyone, perhaps not even every Billy Joel fan, would agree with me, and some people may not even like the album, after all we all have albums that are special to us for reasons others just don't get, but I happen to think this is the apex of Billy's writting tallents. or any rock artist for that matter.

With the exception of the title track and "All About Soul," there aren't a lot of huge hits here, but that has more to do with radio at the time and Billy Joel being "out of his classic period" (as I have heard his later albums refered to) than anything else. The fact is that every song is expertly aranged and would make a fine radio single, but radio began moving in a different direction then (yet, he still managed 3 singles from this album) And consider this, this (to date) being his last album, Billy Joel never had an album that was not a smash and yielded one or more hit singles, this one included (about 4 million copies sold here in the states alone). That is huge! And it is often overlooked when speaking about Billy Joel's career. He is one of only a handfull of artists to span 3 decades in rock music AND somehow hit EVERY SINGLE TIME. Not one album after he became a superstar flopped. Amazing!

Yes, in the late 70s and early 80s he was turning out hits back to back every year, so much so that about 10 years into his career he had a double album greatest hits collection (I wonder if that isn't some kind of record - that is something I would think only the Beatles and Stones have pulled off). His later career hits coming less frequently, is not due to the fact he began doing lesser work, it's because he stopped pumping out an album every year as he did for the 10 years prior. He began delivering new music every three or four years and every album had just as many hits as his heyday records, but they were now spread out over the years. The hits he did give us were just as good (some better than) as his classics and the albums as a whole were better: tougher, stronger, more grown up, and containing songs with lyrics that, on paper and removed from the music, were pure poetry.

This was where I went from being a fan of Billy Joel's music to being a fan of Billy Joel. Essentialy, I mean, I gained respect for him as a lyricist, a performer and he became an artist who touched me, I could relate to, and I found great advice and wisdom in his words, as opposed to just loving great hits like "Only the Good Die Young" and "Movin' Out." You can find hints of the deeper Billy Joel throughout his career ("The Stranger," and "Nylon Curtain," certainly had more beneath the surface), but it was with "River Of Dreams," and the almost-as-good "Storm Front" where Billy began building whole albums of emotion, subtext and context that were still rockers and maintained the integrity of the sound his fans love.

In "growing," many artists feel they need to go off in some completely different direction and end up alienating those who have been listening forever. Die Hard fans will follow, but many not for long because all of a sudden this is not the person that once moved and inspired you - and radio surely won't embrace a new sound, great an album as the artist may have (look at R.E.M.). Billy Joel though, "grew" almost undercover. The songs still sounded like Billy Joel and he fooled radio with catchy hits like "We didn't Start the Fire," and "The River Of Dreams," but the lyrics and albums as a whole were the works of new artist. Thank God he could still play and sing like Billy Joel.

"River Of Dreams," blew me away. Maybe it was whatever was going on in my life at the time (I was only newly in high school - Nirvana should have been speaking to me at the time as they did most everyone else), maybe I just never was able to see myself in someone's songs before and relate to their pain, joy, doubts and indiference. Everyone has that album in their life and "River Of Dreams" is mine. On this record, Billy Joel says in a 3 minute song things I have always felt, but had no idea how to say. Like a book, the album is a complete work - a begining, a middle and an end. The first 5 songs focus on anger, doubt, betrayl. Then comes the questions and possible solutions (if any) and finally a realization of what matters and a way of finding peace. Every song is awash in imagery (from the "big machines" and multiplexes of "No Man's Land" to the rivers and deserts of the title track to the "apples in the early morn" and chairs being stacked and lights being covered for the end of the season in "Famous Last Words," perhaps the most helpless lyics ever set to a peppy beat, but that has always been Joel's forte`, witness songs like "Movin' Out," "Scenes From An Italian...," and "Allentown" just to name a few)and some of them require only a listen to make you feel better about your own problems (such as the albums biggest standout among many - the angry/blusey "A Minor Variation," one of Joe's best-ever vocal performances).

The casual Billy Joel fan will no doubt disagree with much of this, and I could be over selling it a bit. But I didn't pick the album up and say this is going to be my favorite Billy Joel album and my favorite album of the decade; something about it must be special; as corny as it sounds,the album picked me. Most won't love it on this same level that I do, and I can understand that; but I can't understand how anyone can think the music and lyrics are anything less than outstanding.

If "River Of Dreams" is indeed Billy Joel's last album of new material, it will stand as his finest.

If this is indeed Joel's last original rock album, he has gone out with a bang and not a whimper. Joel investigates and questions 10 disticts attributes of the human condition in this album. My favorite track on the album is the opening No Man's Land (Joel performed this as the first song ever on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" for you trivia buffs). I was quite suprised this isn't a single, because it is a hard hitting investigation into urbanization. "Minor Varation" tells about saddess caused by the little blues in life. "Shades of Gray" is about how difficult it can be to find right from wrong. "All About Soul" is a brilliant love song about that woman that seems to always understand you (it reminds me much of my sweetheart). "Lullabye" was written for Joel's daughter to teach her about coming to grips with human mortality. The title track is a catchy, powerpacked search for spirituality using brilliant metaphors that put great images in your mind. "Two Thousand Years" is one long instropection of mankind since the beginning. And fittingly "Famous Last Words" is about saying goodbye. Everybody will be able to relate to all the songs on this album. Joel takes complex philosophies and simplifies them into music (only to have the listener explore the lyrics deeper). A must have for anyone with a CD player.

All the way back in 1993, Billy Joel released the stunning single "River Of Dreams." With its gospel inflected chorus and snappy pop arrangement, I considered it one of the best singles of the year and was eager to hear the album. Little did we know that Joel was effectively closing the door on his pop career, with only one new song issued in the years since (other than his classical work). But much like "The Nylon Curtain," Joel tackled the recording of "River Of Dreams" from a mature perspective but now also from the vantage point of a family man and father.

That meant that his old brashness was tempered with a mature wisdom. As simplistic as it may seem, "Shades Of Grey" making the claim that "I'm old and tired of war, I hear the other man's words but I'm not that sure anymore" are a universal poem from a man moving through his late 40's. That's not to say he has totally mellowed. His former manager and ex-brother-in-law gets a musical spanking on "Great Wall Of China" (he was accused of embezzling from Joel while serving as his manager).

The main topic, however, remains love. Christie Brinkley was still his wife and the love songs on "River of Dreams" are all directed to her (she designed the cover, as well). His daughter Alexa is the focus of a beautiful "Lullabye," once more showing this to be Billy The Family Man album. His optimism comes through on the last two songs, "2000 Years" and "Famous Last Words," which bluntly stated "It's time to put this book away, ain't that the story of my life?" Who knew that the last verse on the album would be the epithet of his popular music career?

Just the same, as an album of immaculate pop, "River Of Dreams" is an excellent way to close the curtain. I may be hoping for Joel to return to the studio, but this will always have a place on my CD shelf. But one can always hope that Joel may once again feel like he has something new to say.

I've been a Billy Joel fan for as long as I can remember listening to music so perhaps my opinion is a little biased, but in my opinion, this is one of the best albums that he's ever put out.

The first three tracks are classic Billy Joel, with a little more guitar added to the mix. "No Man's Land" is a scathing commentary on modern life, while "Great Wall of China" is a regretful song about a former lover. "Blonde over Blue," a catchy love song, follows and is possibly/presumably about Christy Brinkley. He jazzes up the mix a bit with "A Minor Variation", before going to the most challenging song on the disc in "Shades of Gray." This song presents the reflections of an aging man contemplating the narrow-mindedness and intolerance of his youth. Think there's a message here? "All About Soul" and "Lullabye" are soft, but excellent, and the title track "River of Dreams" is now a classic in its own right.

The entire disc is catchy, with great lyrics and songwriting. It definitely shows a more mature and reflective Billy Joel. Although he's no longer screaming "We Didn't Start the Fire," he proves he's still got plenty if it, just tempered a bit by his experiences over a distinguished career. For now, we can only hope that he meant it when he sings, "There will be other words, some other day" at the end of the last song, but if this is truly his last pop/rock album than he certainly left on a high note.