2003CC: Billy Joel
- Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 (1973 - 1985) (85): *****
- The Stranger (77): *****
- Greatest Hits Collection: 1974 - 1997 (97): **** 1/2
- The Essential Billy Joel (01): ****
- An Innocent Man (83): *** 1/2
- Piano Man (73): *** 1/2
- Glass Houses (80): *** 1/2
- River of Dreams (93): ***
- The Nylon Curtain (82): ***
- Turnstiles (76): ***
- 52nd Street (78): ***
- Storm Front (89): ** 1/2
- Songs in the Attic (81): ** 1/2
- The Bridge (86): ** 1/2
- Streetlife Serenade (74): **
- Fantasies & Delusions (01): **
- Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 (97): * 1/2
- 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (00): * 1/2
- Cold Spring Harbor (71): *
- KOHUEPT (Live in Leningrad) (87): *
This is a new entry in an up-dated series I'm calling the New Critical Consensus. Several people have requested updates of the older series, and since critical opinions shift, I am revamping the entire system. I am averaging the opinions of several excellent music critics to produce a list of each artist's albums. Rather than using a number system, which was perhaps a bit clunky, I will now be using a five-star system. The albums will be listed in a recommended purchasing order, so new fans will have an idea of where the best place to start buying an artist's work is.
These are not my opinions, although, since I have chosen the critics used (and I'm using many), my taste will perhaps seep through a bit.
Terribly nerdy, I know, but maybe this will help people only now beginning to dabble into certain artists' bodies of work.
Scale:
***** - Masterpiece
**** 1/2 - Classic
**** - Great
*** 1/2 - Good
*** - Above Average
** 1/2 - Average
** - Below Average
* 1/2 - Bad
* - Terrible
1/2 - One of the worst albums ever
Well then. Not only is Piano Man not his only good album, it's not even one of his top five albums. I should probably pick up The Stranger. Thanks!
I'll personally throw in a good word for both of the two top-ranked albums here. The Stranger is a great album, and his first hits collection is also fantastic! If I recall correctly, there is quite a bit of overlap between the two, and that says something about how good The Stranger is...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs