dEFROG ON 45 #66: HE’S THE PIANO MAN
Apr. 28th, 2014 10:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
defrogI’ve been neglecting this series. Well, you get what you pay for.
Maybe it’s because I realized that sooner or later, I was going to have to post about Billy Joel.
On the other hand, is there really any shame in that?
Arguably not – after all, Joel was pretty ubiquitous on the radio during my 45-buying days. Like The Eagles, Steve Miller Band, Elton John and ABBA, it was hard not to buy one of his singles sooner or later. And while he might not have been the coolest singer/songwriter in the world to listen to, only a total curmudgeon would claim Joel had no idea how to write a catchy song.
I liked most of them at the time, but I only bought two on 45. One was “Big Shot”. The other was “It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me”.
These days, I like the latter more than the former. For one thing, I like the production on it. And I do like the point Joel is trying to get across – rock is what you make of it, and don’t let anyone tell you what does and doesn’t qualify as “real” rock’n’roll.
As for “Big Shot” … well, let's just say that after awhile I spent more time listening to the B-side, which was an instrumental called “Root Beer Rag”.
Because it’s jaunty. And because I imagined it would be the perfect soundtrack to a comedy car chase. You know, like on The Dukes Of Hazzard or something.
Well, c’mon, I was 13.
Aimed at yr average teen,
This is dF
Maybe it’s because I realized that sooner or later, I was going to have to post about Billy Joel.
On the other hand, is there really any shame in that?
Arguably not – after all, Joel was pretty ubiquitous on the radio during my 45-buying days. Like The Eagles, Steve Miller Band, Elton John and ABBA, it was hard not to buy one of his singles sooner or later. And while he might not have been the coolest singer/songwriter in the world to listen to, only a total curmudgeon would claim Joel had no idea how to write a catchy song.
I liked most of them at the time, but I only bought two on 45. One was “Big Shot”. The other was “It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me”.
These days, I like the latter more than the former. For one thing, I like the production on it. And I do like the point Joel is trying to get across – rock is what you make of it, and don’t let anyone tell you what does and doesn’t qualify as “real” rock’n’roll.
As for “Big Shot” … well, let's just say that after awhile I spent more time listening to the B-side, which was an instrumental called “Root Beer Rag”.
Because it’s jaunty. And because I imagined it would be the perfect soundtrack to a comedy car chase. You know, like on The Dukes Of Hazzard or something.
Well, c’mon, I was 13.
Aimed at yr average teen,
This is dF
