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Join lifelong Billy Joel fans, Michael and Jack, as they take deep dives in to Billy’s history, songs, albums, tours, band members and more.
Episodes
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
The first song on an album sets the stage for the record, but what about the closer? Should the last song act as a grand finale, leave you wanting more, or exist somewhere in between?
In this episode, we’re finding out what worked best for Billy Joel. We’re ranking the closing songs on his 12 studio albums, plus the live Songs in the Attic, from our least to most-favorite.
And, this time around, we’re not doing it alone: We’re also including rankings from listeners of the podcast on our discord server.
Join us, as we dig deep into the final grooves on Billy Joel’s records.
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Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com
Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:
- Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
- Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T
Support the podcast:
- Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
- Venmo: @MGrosvenor
Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing
Tuesday Jul 04, 2023
Tuesday Jul 04, 2023
Summer is upon us and this summer, we are entering the season of celebrating Billy Joel's An Innocent Man. In celebration of the album's 40th anniversary, I (Michael) wanted to kick things off with this playlist episode.
I'm celebrating that songs that inspired An Innocent Man. Some are obvious and some are more subtle but these next songs are classics in American popular music and It was a blast stringing them all together in the same sequence of the album.
The playlist:
1. Wilson Pickett - "Stagger Lee" ("Easy Money")
2. The Drifters - "Under The Boardwalk" ("An Innocent Man")
3. The Tymes - "So In Love" ("The Longest Time")
4a. Beethoven - "Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 - Pathetique ("This Night")
4b. Little Anthony and the Imperials "Tears On My Pillow" ("This Night")
5. The Supremes - "You Can't Hurry Love" ("Tell Her About It")
6. The Four Seasons - "Big Girls Don't Cry" ("Uptown Girl")
7. Sam Cooke - "(What A) Wonderful World" ("Careless Talk")
8. Little Richard - "Lucille" ("Christie Lee")
9. Jackie DeShannon - "What The World Needs Now Is Love" ("Leave A Tender Moment Alone")
10. Betty Wright - "Clean Up Woman" ("Keeping The Faith")
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Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com
Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:
- Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
- Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T
Support the podcast:
- Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
- Venmo: @MGrosvenor
Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
Live in Frankfurt is probably the closest BIlly Joel got to being in a Spinal Tap sequel. The show, recorded on June 18, 1994, is just as notable for its mishaps as it is the band’s solid performance.
The show captures the band on the River of Dreams tour, and the full video gives a warts-and-all look at what can go wrong at a concert: We watch as the band struggles through what appears to be stifling heat inside the arena, and navigates the pitfalls of faulty stage mechanics.
Still, the seven-piece ensemble puts on a scorching performance, with plenty of spotlights on the various players and Billy loosening up and getting a little daring by the end of the show.
A truncated version of the concert was released with the My Lives box set in 2005 and as a standalone DVD release titled Live From the River of Dreams in 2007. Since then, the full show has cropped up on YouTube. For this episode, we’re reviewing the entire performance.
Join us, as we dig deep into Billy Joel live in Frankfurt, June 18, 1994.
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Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com
Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:
- Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
- Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T
Support the podcast:
- Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
- Venmo: @MGrosvenor
Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing
Tuesday Jun 06, 2023
Tuesday Jun 06, 2023
Greatest Hits Volume III had a lot to live up to. Volumes one and two documented Billy on a hot streak, releasing hit after hit and album after album. Those compilation records, released in one double package, became an iconic, best-selling release all its own.
By contrast, Greatest Hits Volume III came out a few years after what became Billy’s final pop album. He had been mostly out of the spotlight after the River of Dreams tour, so the new compilation had fewer albums to cover and included three cover songs – no new compositions.
Thanks to those new tracks, Greatest Hits Volume III feels like a glimpse into an alternate path Billy could have taken starting in the late 80s. Those songs, plus a remixed “All About Soul,” would be the last glimpse fans would get of new vocal material for nearly a decade.
Nearly 30 years on, this release feels more like a footnote than a major event like its predecessors. Still, there’s plenty to explore over these 76 minutes. Join us as we dig deep into Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits Volume III.
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Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com
Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:
- Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
- Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T
Support the podcast:
- Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
- Venmo: @MGrosvenor
Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing
Tuesday May 23, 2023
Tuesday May 23, 2023
For over five decades, Billy Joel's illustrious career has produced a wealth of media, capturing his journey as one of the 20th century's most celebrated songwriters.
Enter John Jackson, Billy's full-time archivist, tasked with collecting and organizing artifacts that range from photos and newspaper clippings to studio outtakes and raw video footage.
Some items become part of booklets or box sets, or get released as new official concert recordings. But many others help Jackson – who developed a passion for this work as a teenager – to paint a comprehensive, detailed picture of the man and his music.
Join us as we explore the Billy Joel vault with archivist John Jackson.
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Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com
Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:
- Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
- Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T
Support the podcast:
- Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
- Venmo: @MGrosvenor
Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing
Tuesday May 09, 2023
Tuesday May 09, 2023
Fans and critics alike took Billy Joel’s live shows in 1976 and 1977 as a sign that Turnstiles was going to be his big break. That wasn’t the case, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Starting six weeks before the album’s May 1976 release, the Turnstiles tour was Billy’s most intense schedule to date. It still stacks up against his busiest chart-topping years.
With the Lords of 52nd Street lineup now mostly in place, Billy’s shows quickly blossomed into energetic, barnburning performances. And, over the span of more than 170 shows in 13 months, audiences and even critics took notice.
Today, we can hear how the band came together as a live touring unit through two famous bootlegs and an official release from the beginning and near the end of the tour. Observations in newspaper reviews reveal how the crew and production were coming into their own as well.
The Turnstiles album wasn’t the leap to superstardom that many concert reviewers predicted. That would come by the end of 1977 with the release of The Stranger. But, the hundreds of hours performing and thousands of miles traveled along the way, set the stage for that success.
Join us as we dig deep into the Turnstiles tour of 1976 and 1977.
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Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com
Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:
- Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
- Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T
Support the podcast:
- Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
- Venmo: @MGrosvenor
Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
Billy Joel: The Video Album Volume II is another back and forth across Billy’s discography. The ten selections here vary from promo reels shot in the 1970s, unvarnished black-and-white live footage and barebones soundstage performances in the early 80s, to full-blown stylized and choreographed productions from the peak of the MTV era.
Once again, we’re treated to a revue of how music videos progressed as an art form as MTV changed the way people consumed music and viewed the people who made it.
Billy fans in particular can enjoy up-close-and-personal live footage of songs like “Los Angelenos” and “Everybody Loves You Now,” shot in a small club. And the cuts from Glass Houses also feature the band as they’d perform on stage or in rehearsal.
These vignettes sit alongside the entry for “Uptown Girl,” arguably his most well-known video, along with other highly-dramatized productions for songs like “Allentown” and “The Longest Time.”
Join us as we dig deep into BIlly Joel: The Video Album Volume II.
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Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com
Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:
- Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
- Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T
Support the podcast:
- Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
- Venmo: @MGrosvenor
Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
In late 2021, a hidden gem in Billy Joel's history was released as part of a nine-record Box Set The Vinyl Collection Volume One. The two-LP Live at The Great American Music Hall was recorded in 1975 over several nights in San Francisco. It captured the band in transition before Billy kicked off recording sessions for Turnstiles.
Now, fans can snag a standalone copy on limited-edition, opaque gray-colored vinyl — if they can find it.
The album will be available as part of Record Store Day on April 22, 2023. Limited to 6,700 copies, it’s for sale only at participating independent stores nationwide. But, not all stores will have it in stock.
In this episode, we'll cover everything about Record Store Day and how to increase your chances of getting a copy without paying more later. Then, we’ll do a track-by-track commentary. Finally, we’ll explore the recording's history and significance with Billy's archivist, John Jackson.
Join us as we dig deep into the Record Store Day release of Billy Joel: Live at The Great American Music Hall - 1975.
Check out our unboxing video of Billy Joel: Live at The Great American Music Hall - 1975 HERE.
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Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com
Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:
- Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
- Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T
Support the podcast:
- Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
- Venmo: @MGrosvenor
Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing
Tuesday Mar 28, 2023
Tuesday Mar 28, 2023
Turnstiles is almost an overlooked gem in Billy Joel’s catalog. Released in 1976, the album featured many of the musicians that would go on to define his sound over the next decade of records And, many of the songs became concert classics and fan favorites in the years to come.
At the time, however, it was a commercial flop that was eclipsed by the release of The Stranger in 1977. It wasn’t until nearly half the songs were recast on the live Songs in the Attic album in 1981 that many of these tracks gained more recognition with mainstream audiences.
A listen to Turnstiles now reveals some of BIlly’s most intimate lyrics, memorable melodies, a kaleidoscope of styles, and the energy of a bunch of Long Island musicians hungry for success.
It’s for these reasons that the album itself has become a fan favorite. It’s here that BIlly first fused his knack for melody and singer-songwriter approach with the grit of an East Coast rock band.
His future collaborations with producer Phil Ramone may have helped that mixture find its full potential on subsequent releases. But, there’s still a good amount of charm, spirit, and great songs on this record.
Join us as we dig deep into BIlly Joel’s Turnstiles.
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Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com
Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:
- Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
- Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T
Support the podcast:
- Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
- Venmo: @MGrosvenor
Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
This year, Billy Joel is embarking on his first co-headlining tour since 2009. And, the Glass Houses Podcast was there on opening night.
Billed as “Two Icons, One Night,” the Billy Joel / Stevie Nicks tour kicked off on March 10, 2023 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Prior to the show, fans were curious about the show order, setlists, and whether each artist would make a guest appearance during the other’s performance.
In this episode, we’ll answer all those questions, give our thoughts on the show, and more.
Join us as we dig deep into opening night of Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks’ Two Icons, One Stage tour.
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Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com
Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:
- Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
- Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T
Support the podcast:
- Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
- Venmo: @MGrosvenor
Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing
