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Billy Joel / Turnstiles 50th Anniversary Edition

Tremendous value reissue, high on content

By Jamie Atkins

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Billy Joel / Turnstiles 50th anniversary

Great value expanded edition • 4CD+Blu-Ray

Billy Joel’s fourth album, 1976’s Turnstiles, will be released as a 4CD+Blu-Ray expanded edition in December.

Turnstiles marked a coming of age for Joel. The native New Yorker had been living in Los Angeles since moving there in 1972 after his debut album, Cold Spring Harbour, flopped. His following two albums Piano Man and Streetlife Serenade were modest hits but established Joel as a writer to watch. When initial sessions for his fourth album with producer Michael Stewart didn’t catch fire, his label Columbia set him up with Chicago’s James William Guerico and a band featuring Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson from Elton John’s backing group.

Halfway through recording, an increasingly homesick Joel abandoned the sessions and returned to New York, where he seized the moment, producing himself and using his touring band. His home city became his muse, informing much loved songs such as ‘New York State Of Mind’, ‘Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)’ and ‘Summer Highland Falls’. The album also included a couple of kiss-offs to his West Coast life, ‘Say Goodbye To Hollywood’ and ‘I’ve Loved These Days’. Turnstiles wasn’t an immediate hit, but a slow burner, and set the scene for his commercial breakthrough, 1977’s The Stranger.

The 50th anniversary edition of Turnstiles will feature 67 audio tracks (54 of which are previously unreleased), a Dolby Atmos Mix of the album and 32 video performances (24 previously unreleased). Considering the most bonuses that fans had previously got on a Turnstiles reissue were three video clips on a 1998 enhanced CD version, this represents a leap forward in Joel archive material. Among the bonus material is a live recording of the previously unreleased ‘Oklahoma’ and a demo of the album’s lead single, ‘James’, which is available to hear now.

Turnstiles – 50th Anniversary Edition breaks down like this:

  • CD1: demos, live recordings and studio outtakes
  • CD2: The original Turnstiles plus previously unreleased alternate versions and a newly released 1976 radio interview
  • CD3: A complete performance at New York City’s Bottom Line, from 10 June 1976, “newly restored from multiple audio sources”
  • CD4: The soundtrack to Billy Joel Tonight
  • Blu-Ray: Newly transferred, edited, restored and mixed Billy Joel Tonight 1977 TV special, plus rehearsal footage, production inserts, rare performances, and rare archival material. Dolby Atmos mix of the original Turnstiles album, mixed by Bradshaw Leigh and mastered by Ted Jensen and Adam Grover at Sterling Sound.

The package also includes a 40-page hardback book featuring previously unseen photographs, archival material and sleevenotes from David Fricke and John Jackson.

Joel has also announced a vinyl reissue of Turnstiles, pressed on ‘subway token gold’ vinyl, which will be available for National Album Day on 17 October.

Fans of this album should be over the moon with so much great content on this 4CD+blu-ray reissue at such a competitive price point. Even the vinyl is offers great value.

Turnstiles – 50th Anniversary Edition is out on 11 December via Sony Legacy.

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Joel, Billy

Turnstiles 50 - subway token gold vinyl LP

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The ‘subway token gold’ vinyl LP

Tracklisting

Turnstiles 50th Anniversary Edition Billy Joel /

    • CD1 – Demos and early versions
      1. All You Wanna Do Is Dance (band demo, February 7, 1975) (2:58)
      2. James (band demo, July 12, 1975) (4:07)
      3. New York State Of Mind (live at The Great American Music Hall, June 12, 1975 – Set 1) (5:44)
      4. All You Wanna Do Is Dance (live at The Great American Music Hall, June 10, 1975 – Set 2) (2:54)
      5. Oklahoma (live at The Great American Music Hall, June 9, 1975 – Set 1) (4:05)
      6. Everybody Has A Dream (live at The Great American Music Hall, June 10, 1975 – Set 2) (5:28)
      7. New York State Of Mind (piano/vocal demo, 1975) (6:09)
      8. I’ve Seen The Lamb Lie Down On Broadway (Miami 2017) (piano/vocal demo, 1975) (4:05)
      9. James (piano/vocal demo, 1975) (3:28)
      10. Oklahoma (piano/vocal demo, 1975) (2:32)
      11. New Ideas (Say Goodbye To Hollywood, Angry Young Man, Brenda And Eddie) (piano/vocal demo, 1975) (2:23)
      12. Say Goodbye To Hollywood (piano /vocal demo with percussion overdub, 1975) (3:51)
      13. These Rhinestone Days (piano/vocal demo, 1975) (3:01) – previously released on My Lives
      14. Prelude/Angry Young Man – take 9 (Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson session, January 19, 1976) (5:47)
      15. I’ve Loved These Days – take 1 (Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson session, January 20, 1976) (4:29)
      16. James – take 3 (Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson session, January 21, 1976) (4:07)
      17. Everybody Has A Dream – take 1 (Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson session, January 21, 1976) (3:12)
      18. Sadness Or Euphoria (Summer, Highland Falls) – take 2 (Doug Stegmeyer, Liberty DeVitto session, January 23, 1976) (3:24)
      19. All You Wanna Do Is Dance – take 2 (Doug Stegmeyer, Liberty DeVitto session, January 23, 1976) (3:12)
      20. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) – take 1 (Doug Stegmeyer, Liberty DeVitto session, January 23, 1976) (4:40)
    • CD2 – Album sessions
      1. Say Goodbye To Hollywood (4:37)
      2. Summer, Highland Falls (3:19)
      3. All You Wanna Do Is Dance (3:45)
      4. New York State Of Mind (6:01)
      5. James (3:56)
      6. Prelude/Angry Young Man (5:16)
      7. I’ve Loved These Days (4:35)
      8. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (5:14)
      9. James (alternate mix with strings; reprise with acoustic guitar, bongos and saxophone) (4:56)
      10. Summer, Highland Falls (alternate acoustic version) (3:29)
      11. Say Goodbye To Hollywood (alternate band take) (4:44)
      12. I’ve Loved These Days (alternate orchestral mix) (4:33)
      13. Conversation with Ed Sciaky, Philadelphia, June 18, 1976 (23:13)
    • CD3 – Live At The Bottom Line New York, Ny – June 10, 1976
      1. Prelude/Angry Young Man (5:13)
      2. Somewhere Along The Line (3:09)
      3. Summer, Highland Falls (3:44)
      4. Piano Man (5:39)
      5. Root Beer Rag (3:10)
      6. James (3:46)
      7. Travelin’ Prayer (5:30)
      8. New York State Of Mind (6:39)
      9. The Entertainer (3:51)
      10. The Ballad Of Billy The Kid (8:30)
      11. I’ve Loved These Days (4:38)
      12. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (5:29)
      13. Captain Jack (7:08)
      14. All You Wanna Do Is Dance (3:30)
      15. Ain’t No Crime (3:08)
      16. Weekend Song (4:18)
      17. Souvenir (1:53)
    • CD4 – Billy Joel Tonight
      1. Prelude/Angry Young Man (5:09)
      2. Somewhere Along The Line (3:01)
      3. Summer, Highland Falls* (3:07)
      4. Piano Man (5:32)
      5. Handball (5:11)
      6. James (3:39)
      7. Travelin’ Prayer (6:53)
      8. New York State Of Mind* (8:21)
      9. The Entertainer (4:19)
      10. You’re My Home (3:21)
      11. Root Beer Rag (3:17)
      12. Roberta (4:01)
      13. The Ballad Of Billy The Kid* (5:22)
      14. I’ve Loved These Days (4:22)
      15. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (5:00)
      16. Captain Jack (6:52)
      17. Souvenir* (2:19)
      Recorded live December 5 & 6, 1976 at Palmer Auditorium, Connecticut College, New London during the live video taping of “Billy Joel Tonight.”

       

    • Blu-Ray
      Billy Joel Tonight, The Concert. Recorded live December 5, 1976 at Palmer Auditorium, Connecticut College, New London
      1. Prelude/Angry Young Man*
      2. Somewhere Along The Line
      3. Summer, Highland Falls
      4. Piano Man*
      5. Handball*
      6. James (includes Still Crazy After All These Years” by Paul Simon)
      7. Travelin’ Prayer (includes “Jungleland” by Bruce Springsteen)
      8. New York State Of Mind*
      9. The Entertainer*
      10. You’re My Home*
      11. Root Beer Rag
      12. Roberta
      13. The Ballad Of Billy The Kid
      14. I’ve Loved These Days
      15. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)*
      16. Captain Jack*
      17. Worse Comes To Worst
      18. Ain’t No Crime
      19. Weekend Song
      20. If I Only Had The Words To Tell You
      21. Souvenir
      Rehearsals and production inserts. Recorded live December 6, 1976 at Palmer Auditorium, Connecticut College, New London
      1. Stop In Nevada (incomplete rehearsal) (includes “Behind Closed Doors” by Kenny O’Dell)
      2. She’s Got A Way
      3. Say Goodbye To Hollywood
      4. Streetlife Serenader
      5. The Great Suburban Showdown
      6. All You Wanna Do Is Dance
      7. I’ve Loved These Days
      8. Honky Tonk Women (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards)
      9. Covers Medley:
        You Are So Beautiful (Billy Preston/Bruce Fisher)
        Born To Run (Bruce Springsteen)
        Hey Mister, That’s Me Up On The Jukebox (James Taylor)
        Tell Me Why (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
        Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
        Bennie And The Jets (Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
      10. Souvenir
      11. Nocturne* (include “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy)
        All performances previously unreleased except where noted (*), included in the original 1977 TV Special Billy Joel Tonight
      Dolby Atmos mix of Turnstiles
      1. Say Goodbye To Hollywood (4:36)
      2. Summer, Highland Falls (3:15)
      3. All You Wanna Do Is Dance (3:40)
      4. New York State Of Mind (5:58)
      5. James (3:53)
      6. Prelude/Angry Young Man (5:17)
      7. I’ve Loved These Days (4:31)
      8. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (5:12)
      Mixed in Dolby Atmos by Bradshaw Leigh
      Mastered by Ted Jensen and Adam Grover at Sterling Sound

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