Cold Spring Harbor

by Billy Joel

Overview

A few short months after abandoning the heavy organ-and-drums duo Attila -- partially because their sole record flopped, partially because he stole the drummer's wife -- Billy Joel reinvented himself as a sensitive singer/songwriter. He had shown signs of McCartney-esque songcraft on Hour of the Wolf, the last Hassles album, but his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor, is where these talents blossomed. The record was uneven but very charming, boasting two of his finest songs -- the lovely "She's Got a Way" and the bitterly cynical "Everybody Loves You Now" -- and a score of flawed but nicely crafted songs that illustrated Joel's gift for melody, as well as his pretensions (the mock-gospel in "Tomorrow Is Today," a classical stab entitled "Nocturne"). In its own way, Cold Spring Harbor was a minor gem of the sensitive singer/songwriter era; Joel may have been in his formative stages as a craftsman, but his talents are apparent, and he never made an album as intimate and vulnerable ever again. Ironically, it didn't sound right upon its original release. Through a bizarre mastering error, the tapes were sped up -- legend has it that upon hearing the completed album, he ripped it off the turntable, ran out of the house, and threw it down the street. It wasn't until 1983 that Columbia released a corrected reissue. The speed wasn't the only thing changed -- some songs were edited drastically ("You Can Make Me Free," one of the standouts, was chopped by nearly five minutes) and instruments and backing vocals were stripped away from numerous tracks. It may be a bastardization of the original release, but it's an acceptable one, since these changes only accentuate the intimacy and vulnerability of the recording. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/05/2024
Label:	Sony Legacy
UPC:	0190759391617
Rank:	20528

Tracks

1. She's Got a Way
2. You Can Make Me Free
3. Everybody Loves You Now
4. Why Judy Why
5. Falling of the Rain
6. Turn Around
7. You Look So Good to Me
8. Tomorrow Is Today
9. Nocturne
10. Got to Begin Again

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Billy Joel   Primary Artist,Organ,Piano,Vocals,Harmonica,Keyboards,Harpsichord,Organ (Hammond)
Larry Carlton   Guest Artist
Al Campbell   Keyboards
Sneaky Pete Kleinow   Pedal Steel,Guitar (Steel)
Rhys Clark   Drums
Larry Knechtel   Bass
Don Evans   Guitar
Emory Gordy Jr.   Bass
Denny Seiwell   Drums
Jimmie Haskell   Conductor
Richard Bennett   Guitar
Sneaky Pete   Guitar (Steel)
Joe Osborn   Bass
Artie Ripp   Director,Conductor
Sal DeTroia   Guitar
Michael McGee   Drums
Don Evans & The Initials   Guitar
L.D. Dixon   Piano,Keyboards,Fender Rhodes
Denny Siewell   Drums
Mike McGee   Drums

Technical Credits

Billy Joel   Composer,Producer
Ted Jensen   Remastering,Digital Remastering
John Bradley   Engineer
Jimmie Haskell   Arranger
Michael Stone   Engineer,Second Engineer
Bob Hughes   Engineer
Artie Ripp   Mixing,Editing,Arranger,Engineer,Producer
Larry Elliot   Mixing,Editing,Engineer
Irwin Mazur   Artist Direction,Executive Producer
David Gahr   Photography
Gordon Watanabe   Engineer,Assistant,Assistant Engineer
John Naatjes   Research
Larry Elliott   Mixing,Editing,Engineer
Michiko Suzuki   Liner Notes