Product description Joel,Billy ~ 2000 Years-Millennium Concert .com Much has been made of Billy Joel's plans to ditch his career as a rock & roller and age gracefully into the supposedly sanguine world of classical music. Maybe it's the right thing to do if, as it seems, he's run out of gas as a pop songwriter. Recent years have seen no new material, only box sets and reissues of his old albums. Now comes the capper, a live album from his Millennium Concert recorded at New York's Madison Square Garden on New Year's Eve. Certainly there's still some mileage left in Joel's catalog, particularly ballads like "Summer Highland Falls" and "I've Loved These Days," and, considering the nexus of the occasion and Joel's career plans, his version of "My Life." And he also turns in sharp performances of signature pieces like "Angry Young Man," "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," and "You May Be Right." But his between-song patter may grow tiresome over repeated listenings. Joel is known to be pretty full of himself, but after hearing him rattle on about high ticket prices and his classical ambitions, you may have had your fill of him, too. --Daniel Durchholz
M**.
Fantastic Album - I bought this CD after listening over and over again on Spotify
Billy Joels' live performances are always a work of art. This is no exception, the energy he delivers in this live performance will not disappoint. I actually bought this CD version after listening to the album over and over on Spotify. I just had to have a hard copy of this album.
V**Y
Listen for fun, and for the basis in Beethoven
I think Billy Joel is great, and I think this concert was great. Beyond that, I wish lovers of classical music who don't like rock would listen carefully to this album, because of all Billy Joel's recordings, this is the one in which he brings out most clearly the roots of his music in Beethoven's music. There are a couple of explicit doodlings of Beethoven, and one or two songs with Beethoven themes, but in many of the songs the influence of Beethoven is structural, rather than in theme or harmony; for example, "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" has a strong structural resemblance to Beethoven's Piano Sonata Opus 110. I think Beethoven would have loved this music; in his last years Beethoven was trying to break out of the mould of European music of his day, especially in the late sonatas and the late string quartets. But of course, Beethoven couldn't imagine as far ahead as rock.It's not surprising that Billy Joel picks up so much from Beethoven and moves on from it; after all, Joel was originally trained as a classical pianist. But it's fascinating to listen for the allusions and what he does with them. It's the clearest example I know of that there really is no division between "classical" and "popular" music. Great music evolves; Beethoven lifted from Bach and created new forms; Billy Joel lifts from Beethoven and creates new forms. So, let the university professors listen to Charles Ives; I'll listen to Billy Joel as well.
L**N
Classic Joel concert, captured well
I have seen Billy Joel three times, the first in 1976 at a small upstate NY college; the latest this past Sunday with Elton John. This recording captures a classic Joel concert, banter and all. The music is played with a fire he only seems to muster in front of a hometown crowd and the banter is what sets a Joel concert apart from those bands that merely replay their songs.Joel has the knack of pulling in the audience and forming a connection through his banter. It gives a glimpse of himself. This past Sunday he used it to explain his writing of classical music and he riffed some of it as well. You'll get that same feeling with this CD.It is not the CD to listen to if you are new to hearing Joel music. Go to Turnstiles, Streetlife Serenade, or Piano Man for that. But to get the true feel of a performer who excels in front of an audience, try this one out!
S**S
WHAT IS WRONG WITH A LIVE RECORDING? THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
after defending live concerts( see) " neil diamonds greatest hits"s" along comes this travesty how the editors that cut good songs out of other albums could leave in billy's ragging on and on about ticket prices and his continues use of the word S**T is beyond me? didnt billy himself want these remarks cut? i guess he did not think of his fans enough, to cut them, in place of it he could have installed a cut of "Piano Man" wich is missing on this album and kept the album the same amount of time
D**R
Love it very much
Big billy Joel fan
R**Z
Ok, but what's the point...
Joel certainly deserves to be in the Rock'n Roll Hall of fame. He definitely used to be a great songwriter...however, it's been 10+ years since his last album of new material.This album is simply a collection of past material except that in general, the singing is far inferior to the originals. Joel used to have an incredible voice, but now I find it rather nasal and annoying. (In particular, his renditions of "River of Dreams" and "New York state of mind" are terrible- and I love the originals.)Just listen to this album... and then listen to Songs from the Attic-his live album from 1981. (There's a lot of overlap.) It's almost like a different singer sang them. Time to retire?
R**A
Favorite for over a decade
if you want Billy Joel and Joel at his best this is the concert to have. Love it and when I hear it I can not believe how many years it has been. great tunes
F**O
Great CD
That it arrived with no problems
L**R
You will wish you had been there
Mr Joel!What a brilliant artist.Normally we star clear of "live" albums but this was a night of dreams.Billy was at his fantastic best and every number is charged with emotion.Trust us.It is special.
P**L
Billy Joel
Thanks for the Billy Joel Live Millenium concert cd - I love it!
T**Y
Five Stars
GOOD PRODUCT
M**R
The Millenium concert
A double disc of all Joel's greatest hits what a way to celebrate letting the millenium in than listening to Joel knocking out all his hits
J**L
Five Stars
great
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