Glass Houses [Remaster] (CD - 1980)

This edition of GLASS HOUSES is an Enhanced CD containing both a full audio program as well as video clips for the songs "Sometimes A Fantasy," "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me" and "All For Leyna."

All tracks have been digitally remastered using 24-bit technology.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

The back-to-back success of The Stranger and 52nd Street may have brought Billy Joel fame and fortune, even a certain amount of self-satisfaction, but it didn't bring him critical respect, and it didn't dull his anger. If anything, being classified as a mainstream rocker -- a soft rocker -- infuriated him, especially since a generation of punks and new wave kids were getting the praise that eluded him. He didn't take this lying down -- he recorded Glass Houses. Comparatively a harder-rocking album than either of its predecessors, with a distinctly bitter edge, Glass Houses still displays the hallmarks of Billy Joel the pop craftsman and Phil Ramone the world-class hitmaker. Even its hardest songs -- the terrifically paranoid "Sometimes a Fantasy," "Sleepin' With the Television On," "Close to the Borderline," the hit "You May Be Right" -- have bold, direct melodies and clean arrangements, ideal for radio play. Instead of turning out to be a fiery rebuttal to his detractors, the album is a remarkable catalog of contemporary pop styles, from McCartney-esque whimsy ("Don't Ask Me Why") and arena rock ("All for Leyna") to soft rock ("C'etait Toi [You Were the One]") and stylish new wave pop ("It's Still Rock and Roll to Me," which ironically is closer to new wave pop than rock). That's not a detriment; that's the album's strength. The Stranger and 52nd Street were fine albums in their own right, but it's nice to hear Joel scale back his showman tendencies and deliver a solid pop/rock record. It may not be punk -- then again, it may be his concept of punk -- but Glass Houses is the closest Joel ever got to a pure rock album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

As one can tell from the cover photo of a blue-jeaned, leather-jacketed Joel getting ready to throw a rock (a pun on the album title), GLASS HOUSES is the album where he attempts to lay waste his reputation as MOR balladeer. He accomplishes this feat by forging a harder, more rocking sound, with the help of guitarists Russell Javors and David Brown. Though such cuts as "You May Be Right" and "All For Leyna" are far more visceral than much of Joel's previous work, this consummate songwriter sacrifices none of the tunefulness and highly developed compositional chops that brought him fame.

On "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me," Joel even reaches back to the roots of the style, celebrating its timelessness despite passing musical trends. The elliptical, McCartneyesque ballad "Don't Ask Me Why" provides a breather. Joel's most memorable tunes here, though, are the ones that pack a bit of kick. The propulsive, hard-edged "Sleeping With the Television On" is an examination of desire and alienation in the modern world, showing that even when he's rocking out, Joel is a man with a lot on his mind. minimize