DU Album of the Day: "Streetlife Serenade" Billy Joel

[gratuitous]

Billy Joel had just experienced the white hot center of the entertainment universe with his album "Piano Man" when he dropped "Streetlife Serenade" in 1974. An often-overlooked album in his oeuvre (indeed, before checking into it, I thought it preceded "Piano Man&quot , Joel touches on themes that he would develop over the next decade, including the duplicity of working in the music industry in "The Entertainer," and the album's (almost) title cut.

There's gold in them thar tracks, as Joel contemplates the emptiness of modern life and a hankering for something else ("Weekend Song" and "The Great Suburban Showdown&quot , ideas he would work and re-work in years and songs to come. One of the pleasant surprises on the album is the instrumental "Root Beer Rag," as well as the short and sweet "Souvenir," a song that would serve as the title track for a demo release of concert tracks from the University of Connecticut in 1977.

Curiously, after the monster hit "Piano Man," "Streetlife Seranade" didn't have any commercial singles, which may account for its slighting. But the album has stood the test of time.

1. Streetlife Serenader
2. Los Angelenos
3. The Great Suburban Showdown
4. Root Beer Rag
5. Roberta
6. The Entertainer
7. Last of the Big Time Spenders
8. Weekend Song
9. Souvenir
10. The Mexican Connection

[LynneSin]

1. Wow I don't have that one yet

but should be in my collection - plenty of great songs on the list!