Lamest rock star ever -- I give you Billy Joel

It's largely because BJ is one of the most cynical musical artists ever, all too typical of Boomer perspective. The greasy cynicism that comes through his music just drags you down, has no intention or hope to uplift.

https://www.michigandaily.com/section/arts/why-i-loathe-billy-joel

I think most of you hating on BJ don't know his earlier stuff. His later stuff is all fluff, and I can't stand it either. But up through 52 St., he's a guy writing and playing music and meaning it. Not commercial. It sounds authentic to me. Rock star? Maybe not. "And So It Goes" might be the best love song ever written.

People get way too hung up on genres or classification. Cracks me up when somebody puts a musician in a category/genre into which they don't belong and then claims they suck at that genre, which is usually done for the sole purpose of belittling that performer. It's like saying The Who is the worst country or jazz group ever. To see how irrelevant genre classification is, look no further than the fact that Hank Williams is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Joel still sells out every venue because he's a great live entertainer/musician/personality. But rock star? That's the wrong classification. Musician, songwriter, performer, entertainer, sure, but not the definition of a "rock star." "Rock stars" don't write and record things like Vienna, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Piano Man, Lullaby, or You're My Home but pop stars don't write and record things like Miami 2017 or Big Shot. Joel doesn't really have a clearly-defined genre that all his music would fit into which is one of the things I like about him. Same with somebody like Johnny Cash, who's in both the Country Music and Rock and Roll halls of fame.

As with many musicians, some of his best stuff is music that were album cuts that didn't make it into the mainstream.

Case in point is Songs in the Attic. For his first three albums for Columbia (Turnstiles, Streetlife Serenade and Piano Man), Columbia made him use studio musicians rather than his own band. He was finally allowed to use his own band for The Stranger and he took off from there. However, he was never happy with those first three albums made with studio musicians so once he was a big enough name, he went back recorded selected tracks from those first three albums live and did them the way he wanted to originally, and the difference is dramatic.

You either like somebody's music or you don't. Simple as that. Genre is meaningless.

Gfhhhh wrote:

Tire of this wrote:

Channel 30 on Sirius just replaced David Matthews -- a true mediocrity who does not have a single song I want to hear -- with the lamest rock stare of all time, Billy Joel.

Much as Kiss is a runway as the lamest rock group ever, Billy Joel wins the title as worst rock star ever with no real challengers.

Anyone dispute this?

Married a super model. Stayed relevant for a long time. No. Not the lamest.

Title goes to Huey Lewis. Basically a bar band that got super lucky in the 80s.

Huey Lewis and The News were certainly propped up by Back to the Future.

As far as Billy Joel. The Ballad of Billy The Kid is an underrated song.

You lost all credibility by opening with a dig on DMB.

And now you're not the only one who knows wrote:

I think most of you hating on BJ don't know his earlier stuff. His later stuff is all fluff, and I can't stand it either. But up through 52 St., he's a guy writing and playing music and meaning it. Not commercial. It sounds authentic to me. Rock star? Maybe not. "And So It Goes" might be the best love song ever written.

Agreed, but it wasn't "all" fluff and there was still some good stuff on the later albums. For example, the song you cite, And So It Goes, was on Storm Front, which came out in 1989, eleven years after 52nd Street.

Positive Contribution wrote:

As far as Billy Joel. The Ballad of Billy The Kid is an underrated song.

The live version on Songs in the Attic, not the studio version on Piano Man.

malmo wrote: I dunno, Axl's can sing lower (F1) than than Barry White (F#1). Most experts put him in the top five in vocal range. That's not lame, that's some serious belting.

Heard that years ago but had forgotten. Good reminder. None come to mind offhand but is there a song that showcases that low end?

Elvin wrote:

malmo wrote:

I dunno, Axl's can sing lower (F1) than than Barry White (F#1). Most experts put him in the top five in vocal range. That's not lame, that's some serious belting.

Axl's lameness comes from the fact that he squandered the chance to be great because he couldn't bother to be even a little bit professional. GnR could have been the next Led Zeppelin. Instead, they were just another '80s band, all because they were fronted by a silly little girl who couldn't take the whole thing remotely seriously.

I totally agree

I've seen Billy Joel in concert 2x and he plays for 3-4 hrs with no warm up band. He rocked the Nassau coliseum and Madison square garden. Now he plays to sell outs every concert at Garden. He is a star.

You hit on the head. Love em or hate em. He is a star, who still has a huge following.

Would love explanations for how these aren't good songs

Vienna

And So it Goes

The Ballad of Billy the Kid

Summer Highland Falls

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

Goodnight Saigon

Zat0pek wrote:

malmo wrote: I dunno, Axl's can sing lower (F1) than than Barry White (F#1). Most experts put him in the top five in vocal range. That's not lame, that's some serious belting.

Heard that years ago but had forgotten. Good reminder. None come to mind offhand but is there a song that showcases that low end?

It's layered in with the chorus

[Chorus]

It was a wrong time for you

It was a wrong time for me

It was the wrong time for anyone, but

Looks like I got to see for myself

Droddy & Stinson's Communal Bong wrote:

Elvis Costello is lamer than anyone you can name.

You're onto something here...

sadness or euphoria wrote:

Would love explanations for how these aren't good songs

Vienna

And So it Goes

The Ballad of Billy the Kid

Summer Highland Falls

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

Goodnight Saigon

Those are great songs and I had the pleasure of listening to Billy the Kid and Goodnight Saigon in concert almost 40 years ago- still chilling. I'm glad I got to see him and hope others here take the opportunity before they reserve judgements on his star power. Give me pre 1982 Joel. For me today his music gives me great memories but he's a nostalgic act.

Tire of this wrote:

Channel 30 on Sirius just replaced David Matthews -- a true mediocrity who does not have a single song I want to hear -- with the lamest rock stare of all time, Billy Joel.

Much as Kiss is a runway as the lamest rock group ever, Billy Joel wins the title as worst rock star ever with no real challengers.

Anyone dispute this?

AND...he was married to Christie Brinkley and cheated on her.

What a moran.

Epic loser.

sadness or euphoria wrote:

Would love explanations for how these aren't good songs

Vienna

And So it Goes

The Ballad of Billy the Kid

Summer Highland Falls

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

Goodnight Saigon

and The Stranger

Hurdy Gurdy Man wrote:

billyjoel wrote:

think this is largely uninformed and, well, wrong. he's pop and not rock....

If you are in the R&R HOF, then by definition you are a rock star.

John Lydons take on the R'N'R hall of fame being a piss stain is accurate.

Very well said!