Billy Joel missed New York. So, after spending years in Los Angeles waiting out a bad record contract, the Long Island native decided to head back East. The journey inspired Joel to write and record his fourth studio album, Turnstiles, which was released May 19, 1976.
Joel is celebrating 50 years of Turnstiles by releasing a four-CD box set available on Dec. 11. The collection features 67 songs, 54 of which were never released commercially.
A Blu-Ray and CD of Billy Joel Tonight, a concert film recorded at Connecticut College in 1976, is also included, as well as Live at The Bottom Line, recorded in New York City on June 10, 1976.
A Dolby Atmos mix of the original Turnstiles album and a 40-page booklet with liner notes by rock journalist David Fricke and John Jackson, Joel’s archive director, round out the collection.
Joel began recording Turnstiles in Colorado with members of Elton John’s band and Chicago producer James Guercio. Joel, however, wasn’t happy with the result. He went to New York, took over production duties and re-recorded it with the musicians who made up his touring band. Joel continued using that lineup on classic albums like 1977’s The Stranger and 1978’s 52nd Street.
Four songs from those early Colorado sessions are included in the box set.
Turnstiles wasn’t initially a hit, stalling at No. 122 on the Billboard 200. But Joel’s soaring popularity in the late ‘70s and throughout the ‘80s helped the album achieve platinum success.
Though it didn’t produce any hit singles, Turnstiles is home to a handful of songs that became Joel classics: “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” “New York State of Mind” and live favorites “Prelude/Angry Young Man” and “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway).”
Joel has been recovering from a brain disorder. But he made a stunning return to the stage Jan. 2 in Wellington, Fla., to sing two songs with a tribute band named…Turnstiles.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/pIbxjv3
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