We Didn't Start the Podcast — A Show About Billy Joel
An album by album re-watch of Billy Joel's career, with snarky and occasionally informed co-hosts Meg Donahue and Adam Ragusea. This 13-episode miniseries starts with reviews of proto-Joel releases from Billy's boyhood band The Hassles and his infamous organ-metal duo Attila, then proceeds through his solo albums of widely varying quality but uniform Joel-ness. Relive the insufferable sincerity of "Piano Man," the poofy-haired smooth sax lines of "The Stranger," the late-80s cocaine sheen of "Storm Front" and all the (mis)steps between. Talk to us and fellow listeners on Twitter using the hashtag #joelhole.
Music 13 rész
13: River of Dreck
62 perc
13. rész
We solemnly read through the 1993 career-suicide note that is Billy Joel's final studio album, "River of Dreams," and usher in the era of OFS (old, fat, sad) Joel. Features: "The River of Dreams," "All About Soul," "No Man's Land" and "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)." #billyjoel #joelhole
12: Storm Frontin'
62 perc
12. rész
Adam loses his patience with Billy Joel's reckless, shallow populism on Joel's high-gloss 1989 hit album, "Storm Front." Features: "We Didn't Start the Fire," "The Downeaster 'Alexa,'" "I Go to Extremes" and "And So It Goes." #billyjoel #joelhole
11: The Bridge to Nowhere
47 perc
11. rész
We delight in hearing Billy Joel try to prove that he's a modern man — an '80s man — with his gloriously dated 1986 album, "The Bridge." Features: "A Matter of Trust," "Baby Grand," "Modern Woman" and "Running on Ice." #billyjoel #joelhole
10: A Weirdly Innocent 34-Year-Old Man
53 perc
10. rész
We are equally charmed and embarrassed by Billy Joel's 1983 post-divorce nostalgia excursion, "An Innocent Man." Featuring: "Uptown Girl," "The Longest Time," "Tell Her About It," "An Innocent Man" and "Keeping the Faith." #billyjoel #joelhole
9: The Nylennon Curtain
64 perc
9. rész
Meg is unimpressed as Billy Joel attempts to prove that he's a Serious Adult with his 1982 opus, "The Nylon Curtain," and he just ends up doing a barely-passable John Lennon impression. Features: "Allentown," "Pressure" and "Goodnight Saigon." #billyjoel #joelhole
8: Glass Egos
46 perc
8. rész
Ever wanted to hear a 30-year-old who looks like a 45-year-old try to rock out like a 15-year-old? Come listen with us to Billy Joel's 1980 ersatz new wave album, "Glass Houses." Features: "You May Be Right," "Sometimes a Fantasy," "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" and "All for Leyna." #billyjoel #joelhole
7: Prop Trumpet Street
42 perc
7. rész
Adam is unimpressed by the "I'm really more of a jazz guy" act on Billy Joel's (weirdly) critically-acclaimed 1978 album, "52nd Street." Features: "Big Shot," "Honesty" and "My Life." #billyjoel #joelhole
6: The Sexy Sax Stranger
53 perc
6. rész
We swallow (some of) our snark as we listen to Billy Joel's indisputably great 1976 magnum opus, "The Stranger." It's poofy-haired '70s Joel at his peak, which is to say it's Joel at his peak. Features: "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," "Just the Way You Are," "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," "Only the Good Die Young" and "She's Always a Woman." #billyjoel #joelhole
5: Burnstiles
46 perc
5. rész
Behold the onset of Classic Period Joel with Billy Joel's 1976 album, "Turnstiles." Having come back to New York to single-handedly save it from destruction, Joel unites with Liberty DeVitto and the boys in the band to produce the first fully-Joel statement of his career. Features: "New York State of Mind," "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)" and "Prelude/Angry Young Man." #billyjoel #joelhole
4: Streetlife Retrograde
43 perc
4. rész
Take a gander at Billy Joel's major label sophomore slump, 1974's "Streetlife Serenade." Rushed into the studio before he had a chance to write much new material, Joel scraped the bottom of the barrel and mostly came up with fingernails full of splinters. Features: "The Entertainer," "Los Angelenos," "Root Beer Rag" and "Streetlife Serenader." #billyjoel #joelhole
3: Piano Boy
39 perc
3. rész
Meg valiantly defends the honor of Billy Joel's 1973 major label debut, "Piano Man," which features Joel's first hit single, "Piano Man," on a loop for 40 minutes. Actually, it turns out there are some other songs too. Features: "Piano Man," "Travelin' Prayer," "You're My Home," "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" and "Captain Jack." #billyjoel #joelhole
2: Cold Spring Creamery
37 perc
2. rész
We listen to Billy Joel's semi-disavowed 1971 debut solo album, "Cold Spring Harbor," which was marred by a mastering error that made him sound even younger and more earnest than he actually was (which is saying something). Features: "She's Got a Way" and "Everybody Loves You Now." #billyjoel #joelhole
1: Joelvenilia
49 perc
1. rész
Come on a whirlwind tour of Billy Joel's three proto-Joel albums: The Hassles' fun-loving self-titled 1967 debut and pretentious 1969 follow-up, "Hour of the Wolf," and the 1970 self-titled debut of Joel's infamous organ-metal duo, Atilla. #billyjoel #joelhole
