Billy Joel: The Nylon Curtain (1982)

If you look at the output from Billy Joel between the years 1971 to 1981 with the most recent release of "Songs in the Attic", things look very impressive indeed.

1971's "Cold Spring Harbor” gave us songs like "She's Got a Way" vindicated in its 1981 single release from "Songs in the Attic" and "Everybody Loves You Now". 1973's "Piano Man" not only gave us the title song but "You're My Home", "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" and "Captain Jack". With "Streetlife Serenade" it was "Los Angelenos" and "The Entertainer", and also "Root Beer Rag". Some of these songs were not singles, but we remember them almost as if they were singles.

1976's "Turnstiles" gave us the evergreen "New York State of Mind", not to mention "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and "Miami 2017", not to mention (again) "Prelude/Angry Young Man" and "I've Loved These Days". I could go on and I will, with "Movin' Out", "Just the Way You Are", "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", "Honesty", "My Life" and "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" to name a couple from the next three albums, "The Stranger", "52nd Street" and "Glass Houses". These last three earned Billy three Grammy Awards, respectively.

Now it was time for the 1982 masterpiece "The Nylon Curtain", oh yes. Uncle Wiki gives us a few choice quotes from Billy, such as "the recording I'm most proud of and the material I'm most proud of”, according to his video for the Complete Albums Collection from 2011. According to that same video, he had spent more time in the studio working on "The Nylon Curtain" than any of his other albums before, in an attempt to create a "sonic masterpiece" (unfortunately there is no information about this interview quote on Wiki.)

Listening to it again, I certainly think it stands as one of his best. The A side at least is rock solid from beginning to end, and that I haven't said the same thing about the B side is probably simply because I haven't heard it as much as the other songs. From what I did hear, it was utterly impressive, a majestic achievement, and also a great example of a musician being inspired by their influences. Simply go back and listen to Beatles albums like "Abbey Road" if you want to see what I mean by this, especially the B side, e.g. "You never give me your money".

Thematically and musically, Billy has written "The Nylon Curtain" in the wake of John Lennon's assassination in 1980. This is also the era of President Ronald Reagan.

Some more choice quotes from the Albums Collection video: "It was during the Reagan years, and the diminishing horizons in America at the time (meant that) all of a sudden you weren’t going to inherit (the kind of life) your old man had." The theme of the album was "an American dilemma, specifically of people born after World War II." Billy "hope(d) the record speaks like someone in that age group, if only just to tie us all together as people, as an entity."

Musicians wise, Richie Cannata from the band had left before recording started, and Billy recorded with bassist Doug Stegmeyer, the drummer Liberty DeVitto and guitarists David Brown and Russell Javors. Eddie Daniels provided saxophone on the last song "Where's the Orchestra?" with Charles McCracken appearing on cello and Dominic Cortese playing the accordion. On the tour Mark Rivera joined to play saxophone and other instruments and has stayed with the band pretty much ever since (thanks Wiki again.) In addition to that, producer Phil Ramone once again joins the helm after several very successful collaborations before this.

Singles wise, three songs were issued throughout 1982 and 1983, including "Pressure", "Allentown" and "Goodnight Saigon". "Pressure" peaked as high as 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 8 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks, while managing 9 on the Canadian Singles Chart and 16 in Australia. By the way, the video directed by Russell Mulcahy is all kinds of brilliance. The follow-up "Allentown" climbed to 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 14 on the US Cash Box Top 100, while dropping somewhat in Australia at 49. Mulcahy returned to direct the music video which was also choreographed by Kenny Ortega. "Goodnight Saigon" the third single managed Number 1 in Belgium and the Netherlands while it fell to 56 in the US Billboard Top 100.

"Scandinavian Skies" also reached 38 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart, spending two weeks in the top 40, even though it wasn’t issued as a single. "Laura", another familiar song from this album, also has the distinction of being the only Billy Joel song on record to contain an "F word". Haha!

Album wise, "The Nylon Curtain" scored as high as Number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 27 on the UK Albums chart. In Australia, it got as high as 4, while managing 7 in Canada, and a whopping Number 1 on the Dutch Albums charts. In addition to all of that, as well as 2 million in sales in the US, it was nominated for a Grammy Album of the Year Award in 1983. The winner was “Toto IV” featuring esteemed classics like "Rosanna" and "Africa".

Of note, this is also one of the first albums to be recorded, mixed and mastered digitally. Let’s have a look at the songs.

"Allentown" --- I add my voice to a whole choir all around the world who have great admiration for this song. I also love the way... Well, I don't want to give it away just yet.

"Laura" --- yes, this is the song that contains the "F word". The lyrics in general certainly grab you. I've returned to this a lot over the years.

"Pressure" --- this is one of my favourite songs on here. I've always loved it, since the first time I heard it at some point back in the 90s on radio. The video is terrifying and brilliant.

"Goodnight Saigon" --- undoubtedly for me this is the best song on here and one of his most moving songs ever. It will stay with you.

"She's Right on Time” --- the emotion and power of "Goodnight Saigon" shifts as we come to the B side, beginning with this song which I think could have been issued as a single. I like this one a lot so far.

"A Room of Our Own" --- this is one of the songs that puts the Beatles in mind for me. I would have used this as the B side of "She's Right on Time" if it was a single.

"Surprises" --- this is another one I would have liked to have heard as a single. It also feels like a song from a soundtrack for a movie or TV show.

"Scandinavian Skies" --- this is the one that makes me think of Beatles the most. It sort of reminds me of "I Am the Walrus" from "The Magical Mystery Tour" soundtrack. It's cool that this charted even though it wasn't a single.

"Where's the Orchestra?" --- I love this for personal reasons that probably have nothing to do with this album, because this was a song I was listening to before the funeral of a friend of mine. I loved it before that but I've loved it more ever since. The reprise of "Allentown" is chilling, also making a wonderful bookend with the beginning of this album.

So that brings us to the end of "The Nylon Curtain". The next album from Billy will go almost completely in the opposite direction and I'm looking forward to it.

Thank you for reading,

Ryan.