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Fri, 5 Oct 2001 20:34:19 -0400 |
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Billy Joel, one of our longest-lasting rock artists, has released on Sony
a recording of solo piano music performed by Richard Joo. I do not have
the disc but did listen to all the sound samples provided by CDNOW.
One thing I've often noticed about rock artists is that they tend to lose
their rebellious energy and edge as they get older; that's not a good trend
when it comes to writing rock music. It happened to Lennon, McCartney, Rod
Stewart, and a host of others. Billy Joel also took the same turn in his
music. I had heard for the past few years that Joel was thinking of
writing and releasing a disc of classically oriented music. This new disc
must be the fruition of his efforts in the classical style.
Unfortunately, the disc is a hodge-podge of romanticized ramblings with a
little of Bach's style thrown in for good measure. Much of the music had
me thinking of Liszt and particularly Chopin. There's very little darkness
or edge to Joel's music; it simply harkens back to the Romantic period.
My response is disappointment that Joel thought this disc had something
to offer - it doesn't. If you want Chopin, Liszt, or Bach, you are much
better off going to the real sources instead of to Mr. Joel. He does
display compositional talent and structure, but the inspiration is absent.
Has anyone on the list heard Joel's new recording? I know I can be harsh
when commenting on light and borrowed sounding music. Perhaps there's a
list member who hears something in these pieces of music which I'm missing.
Don Satz
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