'Billy Joel = Worst Ever?'

[Panthera Pardus Nigresco]

http://www.slate.com/id/2209526/

[Mikha'el Ephraim]

Personally I liked him as an artist. But again that is from me, a person who likes quite a diverse range of music. My all time favorite band being Rush. Geddy Lee has a voice you either love or hate, there is no in between! LOL.

[Hans Jaeger]

The guy's really got it in for Billy Joel... but so what?

There are some entertainers I don't like either. But Billy Joel isn't one of them. I like quite a few of his songs.

Then again, I like a couple of Barry Manilow's tunes too! :D

[Snuffy]

... Then again, I like a couple of Barry Manilow's tunes too! :D

And therein lies the whole crux of this article.

Its a matter of personal taste ... and once again someone in the media feels its his right to blow off and try to influence any and all of his readers.

I like a lot of early Billy, but seeing as how my musical tastes have migrated a bit, I haven't heard much from him lately.

:emot-angel:

[bzhyoyo]

"a matter of personal taste".
It sounds all good, and is often said to be simply tolerance, but there is also such a thing as mediocre and great works of art. Of course, it can be hotly debated. But there are truly awful tunes out there, and no matter how much you will trumpet to me that "it all depends on what your tastes are", I'll still think that it's bad, not "I don't like it", just that, bad.

About Billy Joel : well, I can't say I care much for what he does. But obviously the guy who writes up the piece has a personal beef against him (he makes no mystery of it in his article).
And he has every right to write about it. If you don't think what the guy is writing is the Gospel, then you're also entitled to your opinion. Personally, I find it entertaining to read and see people criticize albums, movies and the like. I can't stand these TV shows where the only purpose is to promote what the invited people have to sell. It just really is advertising.

[wilbur whately]

the guy who wrote the article in the beginning tries to point out that there is a difference between good art, and schlock. he compares joel to wyeth.
i would love to be compared to wyeth. ot joel, for that matter. it seems to me that the lynchpin of his theory is this:
if it is acceptable by the masses, it's not art, it's schlock. i disagree. just because i don't like modern art, the kind that looks nothing like what it is supposed to represent doesn't make it art. so where is the standard?
there isn't one. the emperor has no clothes. sure, you can go to paris and have escargot and fancy french wine. you may find it a pleasureable experience. but at the end of a long workday, when you are tired and hungry, you want to sit down to a simple table, with some spagetti or maybe some pot roast.

[Hans Jaeger]

I suppose that we could just as easily say that all modern music is "not art" and the only real art is classical music from the great composers.

There is nothing that makes Billy Joel less of an artist than thousands of other performers.

And have a look at this:


Here is the top 20 and the number of certified units sold:

1. The Beatles: 170 million
2. Garth Brooks: 128 million
3. Elvis Presley: 118.5 million
4. Led Zeppelin: 111.5 million
5. The Eagles: 100 million
6. Billy Joel: 79.5 million
7. Pink Floyd: 74.5 million
8. Barbra Streisand: 71 million
9. Elton John: 69.5 million
10. AC/DC: 69 million
11. George Strait: 67.5 million
12. Aerosmith: 66.5 million
13. The Rolling Stones: 66 million
14. Bruce Springsteen: 63.5 million
15. Madonna: 63.5 million
16. Mariah Carey: 61.5 million
17. Michael Jackson: 60.5 million
18. Metallica: 57 million
19. Van Halen: 56.5 million
20. Whitney Houston: 54 million


Not bad company.

Although I don't personally like a number of these myself, I wouldn't call them "non-artists".

[donp40]

At least the one thing you can say about it, that it is music. Unlike that crap RAP stuff, (that I refer to as ugah, Booga.)

[CybrSlydr]

(that I refer to as ugah, Booga.)

Seriously?...

Wow.

Don't want to call you racist, but you're making it difficult.

[Toastmaker]

Anyone who thinks Billy Joel is the worst has never heard (or seen) BJORK (or Bjerk, or something like that. . .)

[CybrSlydr]

Awwwww... Bjork isn't that bad!

She has some good ones too. :)

Certainly not for everyone - but she has a few. :)

[Hans Jaeger]

Seriously?...Wow.
Don't want to call you racist, but you're making it difficult.

I've been calling it 'rap crap' for years. Ooga Booga doesn't bother me one bit; not all rappers are black. There are plenty enough white idiots, too, that think rap is music.

[CybrSlydr]

Only time I've ever heard someone call it "ooga booga music" is from quite a few older people who have very few good things to say about, "them negros/niggers".

[bzhyoyo]

Anyone who thinks Billy Joel is the worst has never heard (or seen) BJORK (or Bjerk, or something like that. . .)

I don't think Billy Joel is the worst (there are plenty who are worse than him - Elton John comes to my mind) but I've seen Bjork live and it was excellent (not mind-blowing as I had hoped though, but that was because of the venue). She has one of those rare voices that make your skin shiver from the first note she sings. I've only had this power of a voice on me 3 or 4 times (a memorable one was Sinhead O'Connor)
I love her first three solo albums, especially Homogenic. The Score for the movie Dancer in the Dark is also great.

You may not like her music but I defy anyone to claim there is no talent, no risk-taking in creating something completely new and original. She truly has a voice of her own.

I will not convince anybody but I could wax lyrical about her for hours (and I think she's cute).

Otherwise, replace "rap" by "rockn'roll" in a few posts, and you'll travel in time back to the 50s!

[CybrSlydr]

Very well put, bzhyoyo!

[Hans Jaeger]

Only time I've ever heard someone call it "ooga booga music" is from quite a few older people who have very few good things to say about, "them negros/niggers".

Kind of a leap from there to suggesting that someone who uses the term is a racist. It may be a loaded term to you, but I don't think it would make the "A" list.

[Uncleal]

I never saw the performance in question, but 'Billy Joel' made albums in the 70's, anybody who judges his performance as one of an up and coming musican is a blithering asshole, anybody who paid money for ticket to his show, was humming the melodies while he sang.

He was a Genius Songwriter, with a voice, that played a MEAN piano. He hasn't written a NEW tune, since 85

But the public is Hungery for a Performer, who doesn't put one hand on his genitils, while screaming about some hoe he shagged. And they call that Music. And not for nothing: Barry Manilow is played repeatedly at the Guantanimo Prison. The original Torture

[Snuffy]

Here's one for ya'll to wrap yer heads around .. a little Irish treat!

fawOrelje7k

[Uncleal]

Here is the original, unfortunately Janis Joplin Passed on in the early 70's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApfKglyNjyA&feature=related

[CybrSlydr]

Speaking of fun little Irish songs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEC6D0ppYNU

:D

EDIT: Put up the official music video. :) Such a great, powerful guitar in this song!

[bzhyoyo]

that's the Irish singers thread? Cool!

I was there :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=6JmUYF7kHro

Paddy's lament is such a great song!
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=p1YOPfxMhuU

Goosebumps...
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=pqh8dikSoTM
Live on French TV, I wasn't much of a fan before but I fell in love with that song.

[Snuffy]

those were great bzhyoyo. Thanks for sharing. :thumbs up:

[Uncleal]

If in heaven, the angel's do infact have voices, this would be what they sound like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmWRnbxACH0&feature=related

Unfortunately, it's very hard to locate the old recordings. I didn't realize, that that many did survive. And they're featured on U tube


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=favgoOn-U1I

Talk about retaining what you had as you aged . . . . . . !

[Pudro]

Speaking of the Irish and those who have passed and great guitars:

Clicky (embedding diasabled) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ham6vFy8v2I)

Why have one lead guitar when you can have two?