1993 Billy Joel – River Of Dreams
River Of Dreams is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on August 10, 1993. River of Dreams presented a more serious tone than found in Joel’s previous albums, dealing with issues such as trust and long-lasting love. It was rumored that the themes of trust and betrayal, particularly certain lyrics from the songs “A Minor Variation” and “The Great Wall of China”, stem from Joel’s legal disputes with his former manager and ex-brother-in-law, Frank Weber, who reportedly embezzled millions of dollars from Joel and used dubious accounting practices to cover it up.
As of 2022, River of Dreams is the last rock album Joel has released. The last studio album he released was Fantasies & Delusions in 2001, a classical recording featuring solo piano performed by Hyung-ki “Richard” Joo. Since River of Dreams, Joel has recorded occasional pop/rock singles and continues to play live. The album cover was a painting by Joel’s then-wife, Christie Brinkley.
Tracks
1 No Man’s Land (Billy Joel) 04:50
2 The Great Wall Of China (Billy Joel) 05:49
3 Blonde Over Blue (Billy Joel) 04:57
4 A Minor Variation (Billy Joel) 05:38
5 Shades Of Grey (Billy Joel) 04:13
6 All About Soul (Billy Joel) 06:03
7 Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (Billy Joel) 03:36
8 The River Of Dreams (Billy Joel) 04:09
9 Two Thousand Years (Billy Joel) 05:22
10 Famous Last Words (Billy Joel) 04:54
Biography
Musicians
1 No Man’s Land
| Bass | TM Stevens |
| Drums | Zachary Alford |
| Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
| Guitar | Tommy Byrnes |
| Guitar | Leslie West |
| Clavinet | Billy Joel |
| Hammond Organ | Billy Joel |
| Background Vocals | Frank Simms |
| Background Vocals | George Simms |
| Vocals | Billy Joel |
2 The Great Wall Of China
| Bass | TM Stevens |
| Drums | Zachary Alford |
| Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
| Guitar | Leslie West |
| Organ | Billy Joel |
| Piano | Billy Joel |
| Synthesizer | Jeff Jacobs |
| Percussion | Jim Saporito |
| Background Vocals | Frank Simms |
| Background Vocals | George Simms |
| Vocals | Billy Joel |
3 Blonde Over Blue
| Bass | Lonnie Hillyer |
| Drums | Zachary Alford |
| Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
| Guitar | Tommy Byrnes |
| Synthesizer | Billy Joel |
| Vocals | Billy Joel |
4 A Minor Variation
| Bass | TM Stevens |
| Drums | Zachary Alford |
| Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
| Guitar | Leslie West |
| Clavinet | Billy Joel |
| Hammond Organ | Billy Joel |
| Sax | Richie Cannata |
| Sax | Arno Hecht |
| Trombone | Osvaldo Melindez |
| Trumpet | Larry Etkin |
| Vocals | Billy Joel |
5 Shades Of Grey
| Bass | Schuyler Deale |
| Drums | Liberty DeVitto |
| Guitar | Tommy Byrnes |
| Keyboards | Billy Joel |
| Vocals | Billy Joel |
6 All About Soul
| Bass | TM Stevens |
| Drums | Zachary Alford |
| Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
| Guitar | Tommy Byrnes |
| Hammond Organ | Billy Joel |
| Piano | Billy Joel |
| Choir | Phillip Ballou |
| Choir | Katreese Barnes |
| Choir | Dennis Collins |
| Choir | Will Downing |
| Choir | Frank Floyd |
| Choir | Diana Garisto |
| Choir | Stephanie James |
| Choir | Devora Johnson |
| Choir | Marlon Saunders |
| Choir | Corliss Stafford |
| Choir | Brenda White |
| Vocals | Color Me Badd |
| Vocals | Crystal Taliefero |
| Vocals | Wrecia Ford |
| Vocals | Marlon Saunders |
| Vocals | David Whitworth |
| Vocals | Billy Joel |
7 Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
| Piano | Billy Joel |
| Vocals | Billy Joel |
8 The River Of Dreams
| Bass | Lonnie Hillyer |
| Bass | Chuck Treece |
| Bass | Jeff Lee Johnson |
| Drums | Zachary Alford |
| Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
| Guitar | Mike Tyler |
| Hammond Organ | Billy Joel |
| Piano | Billy Joel |
| Synthesizer | Billy Joel |
| Percussion | Andy Kravitz |
| Background Vocals | Crystal Taliefero |
| Background Vocals | Wrecia Ford |
| Background Vocals | Marlon Saunders |
| Background Vocals | David Whitworth |
| Background Vocals | Frank Simms |
| Background Vocals | George Simms |
| Vocals | Billy Joel |
9 Two Thousand Years
| Bass | TM Stevens |
| Drums | Steve Jordan |
| Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
| Organ | Billy Joel |
| Piano | Billy Joel |
| Vocals | Billy Joel |
10 Famous Last Words
| Bass | TM Stevens |
| Drums | Steve Jordan |
| Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
| Hammond Organ | Billy Joel |
| Piano | Billy Joel |
| Vocals | Billy Joel |
Liner Notes
Producer – Danny Kortchmar (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Producer – Billy Joel (Track 5)
Co-producer – Joe Nicolo (Track 8)
Producer (Additional)- David Thoener (Track 5)
Arranged By (Background Vocals) – Crystal Taliefero (Track 8)
Engineer – Carl Glanville (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Engineer – Joe Nicolo, Phil Nicolo (Track 8)
Engineer (Assistant) – Dirk Grobelny (Track 8)
Conductor (Choir) – Curtis King (Track 6)
Mastered By – Ted Jensen
Mixed By – Niko Bolas (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Mixed By – Joe Nicolo, Phil Nicolo (Track 8)
Mixed By (Additional) – David Thoener (Track 5)
Mixed By (Assistant) – Dirk Grobelny (Track 8)
Orchestrated By – Ira Newborn (Tracks 6, 7)
Recorded By – Niko Bolas
Art Direction – Christopher Austopchuk
Artwork – Jeff Schock
Cover Art – Christie Brinkley
Photography – Glen Erler
Mastered At Sterling Sound
Recorded At The Boathouse
Recorded At Right Coast Recording
Recorded At Cove City Sound Studios
Recorded At The Hit Factory
Phonographic Copyright Sony Music Entertainment Inc
Copyright Sony Music Entertainment Inc