Songs in the Attic | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | September 14, 1981 | |||
Recorded | June–July 1980 during Glass Houses tour | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 48:00 | |||
Label | Family Productions/Columbia | |||
Producer | Phil Ramone | |||
Billy Joel chronology | ||||
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Billy Joel live chronology | ||||
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Singles from Songs in the Attic | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Rolling Stone | [3] |
Rolling Stone Album Guide, 3rd Edition | [4] |
Songs in the Attic is the first live album by Billy Joel, released in 1981.
At the time of its release, it was the first widely available appearance of music from his first album, Cold Spring Harbor, released in 1971.
History
In the liner notes, Joel writes that Songs in the Attic introduced his earlier work to fans who had come to know his work after The Stranger. In that earlier work, most of the instruments were played by session musicians while Joel himself sang and played piano, keyboards, and harmonica. But by the late 1970s, Joel had a fairly consistent touring/recording band and wanted to showcase his songs as played by his band.
The single-releases included: "Say Goodbye to Hollywood", which peaked at #17 on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100; and "She's Got a Way", which reached #23 on the same chart; and "You're My Home". In Japan, "Los Angelenos" was also available in 1981.[5]
A series of promotional music videos were filmed. Though the concert filming may have been staged for the occasion, the audio versions are nonetheless different from the live recordings featuring on the live album. A total of five promo videos were filmed: four of them recorded at Sparks Saloon in Huntington, NY, and one in a recording studio. At least two of them were not released as worldwide official singles.[6] "Everybody Loves You Now" (not a single) directed by Steve Cohen (live at Sparks); "You're My Home" directed by Steve Cohen (live at Sparks); "Los Angelenos" (not a single, though a Japanese 7" vinyl was in existence) directed by Steve Cohen (live at Sparks); "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" directed by Steve Cohen (live at Sparks); "She's Got a Way" live in a studio, also a different version from the live album.[5]
Track listing
All songs written by Billy Joel.
No. | Title | Performance | Length |
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1. | "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)" | June 24, 1980, at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY | 5:05 |
2. | "Summer, Highland Falls" | July 23, 1980, at The Bayou, Washington, D.C. | 3:03 |
3. | "Streetlife Serenader" | July 20, 1980, at St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN | 5:17 |
4. | "Los Angelenos" | July 10, 1980, at Toad's Place, New Haven, CT | 3:48 |
5. | "She's Got a Way" | June 1980 at Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA | 3:00 |
6. | "Everybody Loves You Now" | July 23, 1980, at The Bayou, Washington, D.C. | 3:08 |
Total length: | 23:21 |
No. | Title | Performance | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" | July 14, 1980, at Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, WI | 4:25 |
2. | "Captain Jack" | July 5, 1980, at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA | 7:16 |
3. | "You're My Home" | July 23, 1980, at the Bayou, Washington, D.C. | 3:07 |
4. | "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" | June 24, 1980, at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY | 5:28 |
5. | "I've Loved These Days" | July 16, 1980, at The Horizon, Chicago, IL | 4:35 |
Total length: | 24:51 |
Personnel
- Billy Joel – vocals, pianos, synthesizer, harmonica
- David Brown – electric guitar (lead), acoustic guitar (lead)
- Richie Cannata – saxophones, flute, organ
- Liberty DeVitto – drums, percussion
- Russell Javors – electric guitar (rhythm), acoustic guitar (rhythm)
- Doug Stegmeyer – bass guitar
- Technical
- Phil Ramone - producer
- Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC - mastering
- James Boyer - Recording Engineer
- Bradshaw Leigh - Recording Engineer
- Larry Franke - Recording Engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications/Sales
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References
- ↑ "Great Rock Discography". p. 436.
- ↑ Songs in the Attic at AllMusic
- ↑ White, Timothy (November 12, 1981). "Songs In The Attic". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly, eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 370. ISBN 0679737294.
- 1 2 "Blogger".
- ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Billy Joel - Everybody Loves You Now (Live at Sparks, 1981)". YouTube.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 156. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 35, No. 16". RPM. 1981-11-14. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
- 1 2 Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ↑ "charts.nz - Billy Joel - Songs in the Attic". charts.nz. Recording Industry Association of New Zea Land. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
- ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Billy Joel - Songs in the Attic". Hung Medien, norwegiancharts.com. VG-lista. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
- ↑ "swedishcharts.com Billy Joel - Songs in the Attic". Hung Medien, swedishcharts.com (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
- ↑ "Billy Joel > Artist > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
- ↑ "allmusic ((( Songs in the Attic > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
- ↑ "Album Search: Billy Joel - Songs in the Attic" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums of 1981". RPM. 1981-12-26. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
- ↑ "Billboard.BIZ: Top Pop Albums of 1982". billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2014-04-25.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Billy Joel – Songs in the Attic". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 25 July 2012.