简介:
The back-to-back success of The Stranger and 52nd Street may have brought Billy Joel fame and fortune, even a certain amount of self-satisfaction, but it didn't bring him critical respect, and it didn't dull his anger. If anything, being classified as a mainstream rocker -- a soft rocker -- infuriated him, especially since a generation of punks and new wave kids were getting the praise that eluded him. He didn't take this lying down -- he recorded Glass Houses. Comparatively a harder-rocking album than either of its predecessors, with a distinctly bitter edge, Glass Houses still displays the hallmarks of Billy Joel the pop craftsman and Phil Ramone the world-class hitmaker. Even its hardest songs -- the terrifically paranoid &Sometimes a Fantasy,& &Sleepin' With the Television On,& &Close to the Borderline,& the hit &You May Be Right& -- have bold, direct melodies and clean arrangements, ideal for radio play. Instead of turning out to be a fiery rebuttal to his detractors, the album is a remarkable catalog of contemporary pop styles, from McCartney-esque whimsy (&Don't Ask Me Why&) and arena rock (&All for Leyna&) to soft rock (&C'etait Toi [You Were the One]&) and stylish new wave pop (&It's Still Rock and Roll to Me,& which ironically is closer to new wave pop than rock). That's not a detriment; that's the album's strength. The Stranger and 52nd Street were fine albums in their own right, but it's nice to hear Joel scale back his showman tendencies and deliver a solid pop/rock record. It may not be punk -- then again, it may be his concept of punk -- but Glass Houses is the closest Joel ever got to a pure rock album.
曲目:
A1 You May Be Right.dsf
A2 Sometimes A Fantasy.dsf
A3 Don't Ask Me Why.dsf
A4 It's Still Rock And Roll To Me.dsf
A5 All For Leyna.dsf
B1 I Don't Want To Be Alone.dsf
B2 Sleeping With The Television On.dsf
B3 C'Etait Toi (You Were The One).dsf
B4 Close To The Borderline.dsf
B5 Through The Long Night.dsf 试听: