Introduction:-->Billy Joel and Some Lost Gems

"Now I have seen that sad surrender in my lover's eyes.
And I can only stand apart and sympathize.
For we are always what our situations hand us.
It's either sadness or euphoria."
Billy Joel


I sorta dig Billy Joel...especially his earlier work...and am always dismayed when some of my favorite songs never reach the airwaves. Or seldom, anyway. And most greatest hits or best of collections usually get it wrong, too. But that 's another sore subject.

So with that in mind...here are my top twelve early Billy Joel songs that rarely, if ever, receive radio airplay...from 1971 to 1980. Check it out.

1) "Summer, Highland Falls" ---------------- Turnstiles (1976)

"They say that these are not the best of times
But they're the only times I've ever known.
And I believe there is a time for meditation
In cathedrals of our own."

2) "Vienna" -------------------------------- The Stranger (1977)

"You've got your passion, you've got your pride...
but don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true.
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?"

3) "Captain Jack" ------------------------------Piano Man (1973)

"Captain Jack will get you high tonight
And take you to your special island.
Captain Jack will get you by tonight
Just a little push, and you'll be smilin'."

4) "I've Loved These Days" ----------------------Turnstiles (1976)

"We drown our doubts in dry champagne
and soothe our souls with fine cocaine.
I don't know why I even care.
We'll get so high...and get nowhere."

5) "Rosalinda's Eyes" ---------------------- 52nd Street (1978)

"Crazy Latin dancing solo down in Herald Square.
Oh Havana, I've been searching for you everywhere.
And though I'll never be there, I know what I would see there.
I can always find my Cuban skies...in Rosalinda's eyes."

6) "The Entertainer" ---------------Streetlife Serenade (1974)

"I am the entertainer...and I've had to pay my price.
The things I did not know at first...I learned by doin' twice."

7) "All for Leyna" -------------------------Glass Houses (1980)

"I'm failing in school. Losing my friends.
Making my family lose their minds.
I don't want to eat. I don't want to sleep.
I only want Leyna one more time."

8) "New York State Of Mind" ----------------------- Turnstiles (1976)
"Some folks like to get away,
Take a holiday from the neighborhood.
Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood.
But I'm takin' a Greyhound on the Hudson River line.
I'm in a New York state of mind."

9) "You're My Home" ---------------------------Piano Man (1973)

"When you look into my eyes
and you see the crazy gypsy in my soul,
it always comes as a surprise
when I feel my withered roots begin to grow."

10) "Zanzibar" -----------------------------------52nd Street (1978)

"I've got the old man's car. I've got a jazz guitar.
I've got a tab at Zanzibar. Tonight that's where I'll be."

11) "Travelin' Prayer" ---------------------------Piano Man (1973)

"Hey Lord, would ya look out for her tonight.
And make sure that she's gonna be alright.
And things are gonna be alright with me."

12) "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" -----The Stranger (1977)

"Brenda and Eddie had had it already by the summer of '75.
From the high to the low to the end of the show
for the rest of their lives.
They couldn't go back to the greasers.
The best they could do was pick up the pieces.
We always knew they would both find a way to get by."

So...for those who might have missed some of these songs...seek them out.
Billy Joel has never been the toast of critics...but there has always been an ..."on the streets"...kind of flavor about him that's hard to fake.

Sometime, I'll put together a list of Billy Joel gems from his later work.
Turn me on to a number.

Casey
Billy Joel:-->"Summer, Highland Falls" (Turnstiles) (1976)
(Grab It)