OT - What makes me hate Billy Joel?

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by BlackJack

Only two words needed to disprove your theory: bon jovi

Haha!! Bon jovi is a good example of the theory not being true. However, I did say, "Usually".

[Alf]

I was at a Rolling Stones concert in the mid 90s in Paris and we had 2 first parts. First one was a realtively unknown canadian rock/country style guy. The guy was listened and even applaused.

Then the second first part was Bon Jovi and boy, that was so, well embarrassing, that everybody sat down and turnded their back at the scene (with massive boos too). Was fun to be there

Oh, and the effin old Rolling Stones can really "move" a crowd (even for non fans like me).

[Alf]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

I'm with you on the dislike for the Beatles, I seem like Beatles covers more than I do the Beatles versions.

Thing is, the Beatles invented the concept of the band as we all know it now and that was 50 years ago (half a century, yes).

All covers are doing is only changing the "arrangements" part of the songs, the melody is usually the original one and that's the thing that works. Gotta give them credits for those brilliant melodies.

[Buccaneer]

Oh I give them lots of credit, I just don't like listening to them or the other bands on the above mentioned list.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Alf

Thing is, the Beatles invented the concept of the band as we all know it now and that was 50 years ago (half a century, yes).

All covers are doing is only changing the "arrangements" part of the songs, the melody is usually the original one and that's the thing that works. Gotta give them credits for those brilliant melodies.

I've had this same argument. I respect the Beatles a ton, and realize they must have been groundbreaking when they came out, but as someone who's heard bands and entire genres that were ripping off and sometimes improving on the better parts of their songs for 20 years before I was even born the original songs just don't do a ton for me.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Since I'm mostly about 70/80s music, guess I don't like 60s music that much.

That's it, you're officially not invited to any of my band's shows.



(I'm in a '60s cover band)

[stevew]

Phil Collins is great with the exception of Susssudio.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

That's it, you're officially not invited to any of my band's shows.



(I'm in a '60s cover band)

Yeah, I know you are and have followed your news about it. It is a broad generalization because there is no such thing as 60s (or 70s or 80s) music - lots of styles overlapping. My favorite band of all time (Pink Floyd) started in the 60s and while they were influenced by 60s psych rock, I don't know what x0s cover band you would put them in. At least the Beatles can fit neatly into one decade.

[QuikSand]

Mrs Q is out enjoying a Billy Joel concert tonight. I chose kid duty.

[sterlingice]

So now we find the real reason for the thread: marital disagreement

SI

[EagleFan]

We know he's a closet fan. When no one is around he whistles Piano Man.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

We know he's a closet fan. When no one is around he whistles Piano Man.

He don't care what you say anymore 'cause it's his life.

[Abe Sargent]

I think River of Dreams is an awesome song.

[Abe Sargent]

I just counted. I have 26 songs in my iTunes by good oj BJ .

I like him. He's not amazing, He's not the best artist in my life, and if I were to list my favorite artists of all time, I doubt he makes my top 40 list, but he's solid. His music is in a bunch of different genres - which I respect, because it's not boring. The topics differ, some are on real life (Goodnight Saigon, Allentown ) and not as many are about the obvious love/romance songs that are the bane of modern music. He's talented as all get out. He's fine by me.

I just listened to River fo Dreams again to disprove the thread.

[BishopMVP]

Bill Mahoney on Twitter: "In a Long Island Assembly race, the incumbent's being attacked for not working hard enough to honor Billy Joel https://t.co/t7BDV2DxV5"

[rockboy70]

Don't they mean he was attack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack'd

[Groundhog]

My random Billy Joel story: My high school basketball coach, an American who moved out to Australia probably in the early-to-mid 80s, was really good buddies with Billy Joel in high school, and every time he tours Australia Billy would go over to his house for dinner.

Can't stand his music, but I've always thought that was pretty cool.

[Suicane75]

There's a song on Glass Houses either called Lena or Doing It All For Lena. When I was in 2nd grade we had this little record area with a small carpet where you could go and listen to a record with the headphones on if you were done your work early. We had Quiet Riot, Billy Joel and some others I don't remember. I only listened to that Lena song a couple of times but there was a girl in our class named Lena, and I somehow thought that she and I would get married. She moved before the year was even done. I don't think I've ever listened to that song since then. The chorus still gets stuck in my head, some 30+ years later though.

[booradley]

One of the newer guys at work - a millennial - swears that Billy Joel is the greatest artist of all time. So, The Legend shall live on for another generation at least.

[QuikSand]

No.

[cuervo72]

Yeah, just wait until he gets his Nobel.

[timmae]

I think of QS every time I hit station 18 on Sirius. I have yet to stop and listen to anything mind you but still better than Babs.

[Butter]

Better question: Why do you have Channel 18 pre-programmed? I have nuked it... from orbit.

[timmae]

It is not pre programmed but also not hidden. I did enjoy yacht rock every once in a while. I was damn near 100% when playing "yacht rock or not yacht rock" on cross country drives!

[Butter]

OK, I'll own up to listening to some Yacht Rock channel this summer also.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Yeah, just wait until he gets his Nobel.

[Scarecrow]

Originally Posted by Butter

OK, I'll own up to listening to some Yacht Rock channel this summer also.

"Yacht Rock Radio - Don't disturb the smooth"
"Yacht Rock Radio - If the boat is rockin, we're probably having sex"
"Yacht Rock Radio - Have another Mai Tai"
"The seas maybe choppy, but it's smooth in here"


Yeah, I just put that voice back in your head...

(it's on internet channel 311, or so I've heard)

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Scarecrow

"Yacht Rock Radio - Don't disturb the smooth"
"Yacht Rock Radio - If the boat is rockin, we're probably having sex"
"Yacht Rock Radio - Have another Mai Tai"
"The seas maybe choppy, but it's smooth in here"


Yeah, I just put that voice back in your head...

(it's on internet channel 311, or so I've heard)

Yacht rock you say?

[stevew]

What is Yacht rock? I imagine Dobie Gray's "Drift Away"?

[britrock88]

Mellow Steely Dan... Blue-eyed soul... Boz... so on.

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Yacht rock you say?

This is amazing, btw.

[QuikSand]

Billy Joel, the Donald Trump of Pop Music – Tablet Magazine

[CrimsonFox]

This is a fun read.

http://www.vulture.com/2015/02/compl...gs-ranked.html

[Draft Dodger]

Quik,
my kid went to see Billy Joel last night at Fenway (not really his bag, went with his GFs family).

He happened to be outside when Joel arrived. Sadly, he did not heckle him (and actually had a good time)

[Ksyrup]

Apologies if this has been mentioned in this thread already, but if you really need a reason to hate Billy Joel any more than you might already, I highly recommend the documentary Hired Gun, about session musicians. Actually, I highly recommend it in its own right because it's a great watch, but the anecdotes about how horribly Billy Joel treated the 3 guys who helped make his music so popular in the early days are particularly interesting. Great example of session musicians being the behind-the-scenes engine for a lot of big acts and how quickly they get discarded like trash at the drop of a hat.

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Apologies if this has been mentioned in this thread already, but if you really need a reason to hate Billy Joel any more than you might already, I highly recommend the documentary Hired Gun, about session musicians. Actually, I highly recommend it in its own right because it's a great watch, but the anecdotes about how horribly Billy Joel treated the 3 guys who helped make his music so popular in the early days are particularly interesting. Great example of session musicians being the behind-the-scenes engine for a lot of big acts and how quickly they get discarded like trash at the drop of a hat.

thanks for the recommendation! Sounds like my kinda thing!

I do remember those guys!

The Genesis drummer Chester Thompson is probably on it being salty about never being asked to be in the band

[weegeebored]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Apologies if this has been mentioned in this thread already, but if you really need a reason to hate Billy Joel any more than you might already, I highly recommend the documentary Hired Gun, about session musicians. Actually, I highly recommend it in its own right because it's a great watch, but the anecdotes about how horribly Billy Joel treated the 3 guys who helped make his music so popular in the early days are particularly interesting. Great example of session musicians being the behind-the-scenes engine for a lot of big acts and how quickly they get discarded like trash at the drop of a hat.

Thanks for the Hired Gun mention. I heard about it last year on SiriusXM and just plain forgot. Speaking as a hack musician it was a really good watch.

And more on topic, I don't know how Billy Joel falls into the Rock category. Pop yes, but rock? I like maybe three or four of his songs and they are possibly iconic in their own right. Maybe. (And no, Piano Man is not one of them. Ugh. Much like BJ, possibly the most overrated popular song ever.) Big Shot, Just the Way You Are, Uptown Girl, Movin' Out...these are rock songs? A decent lyricist, but he's no rock musician.

[stevew]

Uptown Girl ruined my basic bitch dinner at Applebee’s tonight. Sadly Applebee’s is one of the best restaurants in my town.

[cartman]

Billy Joel is playing the concert during the Formula 1 weekend in Austin this year.

[QuikSand]

What I Would Be Thinking About If I Were Billy Joel Driving Toward a Holiday Party Where I Knew There Was Going to Be a Piano - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency

[flere-imsaho]

This thread is old enough to vote.

[NobodyHere]

My coworker is listening to Katy Perry and I don't like it.

[Ksyrup]

Line up the jokes...

Billy Joel Wishes He Could Take Back a Fourth of His Songs

A few interesting tidbits in here. I didn't realize he hadn't put out an album of new material since River of Dreams (30 years ago!) and that he had lost his motivation/inspiration for writing new songs. I don't know if that realization came after he was sued for allegedly stealing the River of Dreams song, although as I recall, that suit went nowhere. But maybe he realized he had lost whatever songwriting skills he had and decided to hang it up. Also, he says he refuses to do the farewell cashgrab tours. Which... is a lot more than can be said for some other acts.

[QuikSand]

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Line up the jokes...
Also, he says he refuses to do the farewell cashgrab tours. Which... is a lot more than can be said for some other acts.

Wait! No he doesn't! He's doing one now!
And he keeps pairing himself with others so he doesn't have to work as hard. Right now it's with ....Stevie Nicks
He's a big fat liar

[Ksyrup]

Is he billing it as a farewell? He didn't say he wasnt touring, just that he's not promising it's the last time you'll see him and then doing another world tour next year.

[weegeebored]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

I love this saying as much as I hate Billy Joel.

[SackAttack]

I first started listening to his music in, like, '99/'00. Basically, went off to college, discovered genres that weren't "country," and he was one of a number of '70s & '80s acts for whom I discovered an appreciation.

But it wasn't until I stumbled on the Billy Joel Channel on Sirius XM that I came around to the realization that his lyrics really are some of the most pretentious bullshit in the business.

Doesn't matter to me, really. I like the tunes, I jam to 'em when I hear 'em.

But hearing essentially nothing BUT for two weeks, eventually I started actually listening to the lyrics and...well, pretentious bullshit.

Pretentious bullshit I enjoy, but pretentious bullshit.

[cartman]

sack, I don't know why you go to extremes

[Ksyrup]

Keep it to yourself, it's his life.