1973 Billy Joel – Piano Man
Piano Man is the second studio album by the American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on November 9, 1973. Joel’s first recording with Columbia Records, Piano Man emerged from legal difficulties with his former label, Family Productions, and became his breakthrough album. However, the Family Productions print logo was used until 1986.
The single “Piano Man”, a fictionalized retelling of Joel’s experiences with people Joel met as a lounge singer in Los Angeles, peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at #4 on the Adult Contemporary singles chart. “Travelin’ Prayer” and “Worse Comes to Worst” peaked at numbers 77 and 80 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively, while the album reached number 27 on the Billboard 200. (“Travelin’ Prayer” later earned Dolly Parton a Grammy Award nomination when she covered it for her 1999 album The Grass Is Blue.)
Tracks
1 Travelin’ Prayer (Billy Joel) 4:16
2 Piano Man (Billy Joel) 5:38
3 Ain’t No Crime (Billy Joel) 3:19
4 You’re My Home (Billy Joel) 3:13
5 The Ballad Of Billy The Kid (Billy Joel) 5:42
6 Worse Comes To Worst (Billy Joel) 3:15
7 Stop In Nevada (Billy Joel) 3:55
8 If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You) (Billy Joel) 3:34
9 Somewhere Along The Line (Billy Joel) 3:20
10 Captain Jack (Billy Joel) 7:20
Biography
Musicians
Bass | Emory Gordy |
Bass | Wilton Felder |
Drums | Ron Tutt |
Guitar | Dean Parks |
Guitar | Larry Carlton |
Guitar | Richard Bennett |
Banjo | Eric Weissberg |
Banjo | Fred Heilbrun |
Keyboards | Billy Joel |
Accordion | Michael Omartian |
Fiddle | Billy Armstrong |
Other Musicians
Vocals – Susan Steward & Co, The Creamers
Liner Notes
Producer – Mike Stewart
Arranged By – Michael Omartian
Arranged By – Jimmie Haskell (Track 5)
Engineer – Ron Malo
Design – Beverly Parker
Illustration – Bill Imhoff
Mastered At Artisan Sound Recorders
Mastered At Customatrix
Recorded At Devonshire Studios
Phonographic Copyright CBS Inc