Streetlife Serenade

by Billy Joel

Overview

Billy Joel hit a bit of a slump with Streetlife Serenade, his third album. Stylistically, it was a reiteration of its predecessor's Tumbleweed Connection obsessions, spiked with, of all things, Rockford Files synthesizers and ragtimes pulled from The Sting. That isn't a facetious reference, either -- it's no coincidence that the record's single and best song, "The Entertainer," shares a title with the Scott Joplin rag that provided The Sting with a main theme. Joel is attempting a grand Americana lyrical vision, stretching from the Wild West through the Depression to "Los Angelenos" and "The Great Suburban Showdown." It doesn't work, not only because of his shortcomings as a writer, but because he didn't have the time to pull it all together. There are no less than two instrumentals, and even if "Root Beer Rag" (yet another sign of The Sting's influence) is admittedly enjoyable, they're undeniably fillers, as is much of the second side. Since he has skills, he's able to turn out a few winners -- "Roberta," a love song in the vein of Cold Spring Harbor, the mournful "Streetlife Serenader," and the stomping "Los Angelenos" -- but it was the astonishingly bitter "The Entertainer," where he not only disparages his own role but is filled with venom over "Piano Man" being released in a single edit, that made the subtext clear: he'd had enough with California, enough with the music industry, enough with being a sensitive singer-songwriter. It was time for Billy to say goodbye to Hollywood and head back home to New York. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/05/2024
Label:	Sony Legacy
UPC:	0190759391815

Tracks

1. Streetlife Serenader
2. Los Angelenos
3. The Great Suburban Showdown
4. Root Beer Rag
5. Roberta
6. The Entertainer
7. Last of the Big Time Spenders
8. Weekend Song
9. Souvenir
10. The Mexican Connection

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Billy Joel   Primary Artist,Moog Synthesizer,Vocals,Harmonica,Keyboards
Larry Knechtel   Bass
Don Evans   Guitar
Emory Gordy Jr.   Bass
Ron Tutt   Drums
Richard Bennett   Guitar
Michael Stewart   Guitar
Raj Rathor   Guitar
Wilton Felder   Bass,Keyboards
William Smith   Organ
Art Munson   Guitar
Joe Clayton   Congas,Conductor
Richard Rodney Bennett   Guitar
William D. "Smitty" Smith   Organ,Keyboards
Tom Whitehorse   Banjo,Pedal Steel,Guitar (Steel)
Al Hertzberg   Guitar
Mike Deasy Sr.   Guitar
Don Evans & The Initials   Guitar
Gary Dalton   Guitar
Mike Deasey   Guitar

Technical Credits

Ron Malo   Engineer
Michael Stewart   Arranger,Producer
Billy Joel   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Ron Coro   Design,Art Direction
Brian Hagiwara   Cover Painting
Peter Cunningham   Photography
John Naatjes   Tape Research
Jim Marshall   Photography
Ted Jensen   Digital Remastering