Billy Joel/NY, USA 1977

Billy Joel rose to become the darling of the era in 1977 with the huge hit of “THE STRANGER”. Introducing the best soundboard album where you can enjoy the full show. This work includes “December 11, 1977 Uniondale Performance”. This is a stereo soundboard recording. This show has been known for its FM broadcasts for a long time, and its air check is a classic that has produced many previous episodes. Furthermore, a part of it was included in the bonus CD of the 30th anniversary edition “THE STRANGER”. This work is the highest peak of such a classic sound board. It is a complete version that is different from the FM broadcast and official version that was discovered in 2004. Before we get into the details, let’s talk about the show’s position. Let’s look back at the 1977 schedule, which was the breakthrough.・February 16th – April 7th: North America #1 (21 performances) ・April 20th – May 21st: North America #2 (22 performances) ・June 2nd – 4th: North America #3 (3 Performances) ・August 10th: Tempe performance [“The Stranger” released on September 29th] ・September 28th – December 11th: North America #4 (32 performances) ←★Here★　This is Billy Joel in 1977. Although they tour throughout the year, it was only after September that their album “Stranger” and single “Just the Way You Are” became hits. The so-called “THE STRANGER TOUR” is only “North America #4”, and the Uniondale performance of this work was a local triumphant concert on the final day. This work recorded at such a show is a superb soundboard that is clearer and has an enhanced stereo feel than the conventional air check board. As mentioned earlier, it is actually included in the official edition, so the recording and mix are perfect. In fact, the 30th anniversary edition of “THE STRANGER” only included 5 songs, but it can be made official as it is… no, it is a masterpiece that should be released even now. What is depicted with such semi-official sound is the ultimate full show centered around the famous album “THE STRANGER”. Actually, the 30th anniversary edition of “THE STRANGER” comes with not only a live CD of the Uniondale performance (containing 5 songs), but also a CD of 12 songs from Carnegie Hall (North America #3), but the total of both is However, this work is much longer. Let’s compare and organize them here. Piano Man (5 songs) / Somewhere Along The Line (★) / Piano Man (★) / Travelin’ Prayer (★) / The Ballad Of Billy The Kid / Captain Jack Street Life Serenade (3 songs) / The Entertainer / Root Beer Rag (★) / Souvenir New York Story (6 songs) / Summer, Highland Falls / Prelude / Angry Young Man / New York State Of Mind / I’ve Loved These Days / Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) / Say Goodbye To Hollywood Stranger (8 songs), The Stranger (★) / Scenes from an Italian Restaurant / Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (★) / Just the Way You Are / Vienna / She’s Always a Woman (★) / Only the Good Die Young (★)／Get It Right The First Time Others (2 songs)・Still Crazy After All These Years (★)／Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (★) *Note: “★” indicates “THE A song that can’t be heard on the 30th anniversary bonus live CD of “STRANGER”. …and it looks like this. Not only are all the songs from “THE STRANGER” except “Everybody Has a Dream” played, but also “TURNSTILES” is all except “All You Wanna Do Is Dance” and “James”. Furthermore, half of them are from “PIANO MAN”…so almost all the famous songs that fans want are covered. In addition, Paul Simon’s cover “Still Crazy After All These Years” and the Christmas song “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” are also shown. Moreover, the performance that creates such an ultimate set is also intense. Perhaps because it was their triumphant return performance on the last day of the tour, they seemed to have no worries about tomorrow, and their vocals were in top condition, giving no hint of tour fatigue. It’s typical of Billy to suddenly start with “The Stranger”, and that whistling you hear live gives you goosebumps. There are arrangements unique to this tour, such as “Movin’ Out” with a keyboard and saxophone intro, the tight “Just The Way You Are” without a second saxophone solo, and “Only The Good Die Young” with a drum intro. You can listen to it here. Furthermore, the funky encore performance in which jazz/fusion guitarist Steve Kahn also participated is also worth listening to. That is a super masterpiece that is equal to or better than “THE STRANGER” itself. A superb soundboard album that is nothing but a cultural heritage. Live at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, USA 11th December 1977 STEREO SBD Disc 1(58:37) 1. The Mexican Connection (opening tape) 2. The Stranger 3. Somewhere Along The Line 4. Summer, Highland Falls 5. Piano Man 6. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant 7. Travelin’ Prayer 8. Movin’ Out 9. Still Crazy After All These Years 10. Just The Way You Are 11. Prelude / Angry Young Man 12. New York State Of Mind Disc 2(60:07) 1. The Entertainer 2. Vienna 3. Root Beer Rag 4. She’s Always A Woman 5. I’ve Loved These Days 6. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) 7. The Ballad Of Billy The Kid 8. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 9. Captain Jack 10. Say Goodbye To Hollywood 11. Only The Good Die Young 12. Get It Right The First Time 13. Souvenir Billy Joel – Piano, Vocals David Brown – Guitar Russell Javors – Guitar, Vocals Richie Cannata – Saxophone, Keyboards Doug Stegmeyer – Bass Liberty DeVitto – Drums STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING