Billy Joel, U2
BILLY JOEL
Right from the get-go, classically-trained New Yorker Billy Joel seemed distrustful of mainstream success, which was unfortunate since superstardom found him very quickly.
Songs like "Just The Way You Are", "Honesty" and "My Life" – not to mention a shed-load of Grammy awards – propelled Joel into the spotlight and made him one of the hottest singer-songwriters of the late 70s and early 80s. It also meant critical respect was a long time arriving.
Never one to rest on his considerable laurels, he tore up his own remarkable blueprint and made dizzying swerves into roots and nostalgia. The world was unfazed. Songs like "It's Still Rock & Roll To Me", "Uptown Girl", "You May Be Right" and "The Longest Time" only continued his triumphant march into fame's upper stratosphere.
His career couldn't remain at such an exalted peak, and nor would he have wanted it to. His songwriting, on tracks like "Storm Front" and "River Of Dreams", had been steadily maturing in the cask. Pop had made way for something more reflective, even melancholic. At this point, Billy seemed ready to leave the whole business behind.
Billy Joel is that rare thing: a genuine crowd-pleaser who's written some of the best songs of the last 25 years, but also a songwriter who's never been afraid to follow his muse… wherever it takes him.
U2
After what seems like a lifetime, U2 are finally returning to Australia. But good things are always worth the wait.
Don't believe us? Check out these tracks and albums. They're a reminder that, from the very beginning, U2 were able to tap into a thrillingly wide-screen, larger-than-life sound.
From Boy's "I Will Follow" through two decades of windswept chest-thumpers, all the way to "Vertigo" from How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, U2 have always written their choruses across the sky with laser beams.
So to celebrate what's sure to be a triumphant tour, here's a selection of U2's essential tracks – some famous, some not so famous, all great.
Right from the get-go, classically-trained New Yorker Billy Joel seemed distrustful of mainstream success, which was unfortunate since superstardom found him very quickly.
Songs like "Just The Way You Are", "Honesty" and "My Life" – not to mention a shed-load of Grammy awards – propelled Joel into the spotlight and made him one of the hottest singer-songwriters of the late 70s and early 80s. It also meant critical respect was a long time arriving.
Never one to rest on his considerable laurels, he tore up his own remarkable blueprint and made dizzying swerves into roots and nostalgia. The world was unfazed. Songs like "It's Still Rock & Roll To Me", "Uptown Girl", "You May Be Right" and "The Longest Time" only continued his triumphant march into fame's upper stratosphere.
His career couldn't remain at such an exalted peak, and nor would he have wanted it to. His songwriting, on tracks like "Storm Front" and "River Of Dreams", had been steadily maturing in the cask. Pop had made way for something more reflective, even melancholic. At this point, Billy seemed ready to leave the whole business behind.
Billy Joel is that rare thing: a genuine crowd-pleaser who's written some of the best songs of the last 25 years, but also a songwriter who's never been afraid to follow his muse… wherever it takes him.
U2
After what seems like a lifetime, U2 are finally returning to Australia. But good things are always worth the wait.
Don't believe us? Check out these tracks and albums. They're a reminder that, from the very beginning, U2 were able to tap into a thrillingly wide-screen, larger-than-life sound.
From Boy's "I Will Follow" through two decades of windswept chest-thumpers, all the way to "Vertigo" from How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, U2 have always written their choruses across the sky with laser beams.
So to celebrate what's sure to be a triumphant tour, here's a selection of U2's essential tracks – some famous, some not so famous, all great.
posted by nick at 11:39 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home