Piano Man (album)

Updated on Jan 09, 2024

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Released November 9, 1973 Artist Billy Joel Producer Michael Stewart		Length 42:51 Release date 9 November 1973 Label Columbia Records

Recorded September 1973, Devonshire Sound Studios, Los Angeles, California Piano Man (1973) Streetlife Serenade (1974) Genres Rock music, Soft rock, Piano rock, Country rock Similar Billy Joel albums, Rock music albums

Billy joel piano man lyrics in description

Piano Man is the second studio album by the American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on November 9, 1973. Joel's first recording with Columbia Records, Piano Man emerged from legal difficulties with his former label, Family Productions, and became his breakthrough album. However, the Family Productions print logo was used until 1986.

The single "Piano Man", a fictionalized retelling of Joel's experiences with people Joel met as a lounge singer in Los Angeles, peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at #4 on the Adult Contemporary singles chart. "Travelin' Prayer" and "Worse Comes to Worst" peaked at #77 and #80 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively, while the album reached #27 on the Billboard 200. ("Travelin' Prayer" later earned Dolly Parton a Grammy Award nomination when she covered it for her 1999 album The Grass Is Blue.)

Legacy edition

Columbia Records released a 2-disc legacy version of Piano Man in November 2011.

This edition included a slightly truncated live 1972 radio broadcast of early songs that Joel recorded at the Philadelphia radio station WMMR's Sigma Sound Studios. This radio broadcast was extremely important to the success of Joel's music career because, after the show was recorded, the live recording of "Captain Jack" was played by the station and quickly became "the most requested song in the station's history". Once the popularity of this live recording was known, people working for Columbia Records heard the recording and signed Joel to the label. The radio broadcast included three songs ("Long, Long Time", "Josephine" and "Rosalinda") that were never on any of Joel's studio albums.

Track listing

All songs written by Billy Joel.

2011 Legacy Edition bonus disc

Disc 2: Live at Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 15, 1972

"Introduction by Ed Sciaky" – 0:29
"Falling of the Rain" – 2:33
"Intro to Travelin' Prayer" – 0:17
"Travelin' Prayer" – 3:11
"Intro to Billy the Kid" – 0:50
"The Ballad of Billy The Kid" – 5:36
"Intro to She's Got a Way" – 1:03
"She's Got a Way" – 3:08
"Intro to Everybody Loves You Now" – 1:19
"Everybody Loves You Now" – 2:56
"Intro to Nocturne" – 0:59
"Nocturne" – 2:46
"Station ID and Intro to Turn Around" – 1:31
"Turn Around" – 3:26
"Intro to Long, Long Time" – 1:19
"Long, Long Time" – 4:46
"Intro to Captain Jack" – 1:19
"Captain Jack" – 6:56
"Intro to Josephine" – 1:40
"Josephine" – 3:23
"Intro to Rosalinda" – 0:33
"Rosalinda" – 3:03
"Tomorrow Is Today" – 5:11

Personnel

Adapted from the AllMusic credits.

Billy Joel – piano, organs, electric piano, harmonica, vocals

Larry Carlton – guitars

Eric Weissberg – banjo

Billy Armstrong – violin

Richard Bennett – guitars

Rhys Clark – drums (track 10)

Laura Creamer – backing vocals

Mark Creamer – backing vocals

Wilton Felder – bass guitar

Emory Gordy, Jr. – bass guitar

Fred Heilbrun – banjo

Michael Omartian – accordion

Dean Parks – guitars

Susan Steward – backing vocals

Ron Tutt – drums (tracks 1–9)

Pete Ham (uncredited) – lead guitar (track 10)

Live at Sigma Sound Studios, April 15, 1972

Billy Joel – piano, harmonica, vocals

Rhys Clark – drums

Al Hertzberg – acoustic and electric guitars

Larry Russell – bass guitar

Dennis Wilen – producer

Production

Michael Stewart – producer

Ron Malo – engineer

Ted Jensen – remastering

Michael Omartian – arranger

Jimmie Haskell – arrangements (track 5)

Beverly Parker – design

Bill Imhofe – illustration

Songs

1Travelin' Prayer4:17
2Piano Man5:38
3Ain't No Crime3:19

References

Piano Man (album) Wikipedia

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