Billy Joel – Glass Houses (1980) [MFSL 2012] {SACD ISO + FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz}

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.

Tracklist:
01. You May Be Right
02. Sometimes A Fantasy
03. Don’t Ask Me Why
04. It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me
05. All For Leyna
06. I Don’t Want To Be Alone
07. Sleeping With The Television On
08. C’Etait Toi (You Were The One)
09. Close To The Borderline
10. Through The Long Night

Mastered by Rob LoVerde at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Sebastopol, CA.

SACD ISO

BillyJoelGlassHouses1980MFSL2012SACDISO.part1.rar
BillyJoelGlassHouses1980MFSL2012SACDISO.part2.rar

FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz

BillyJoelGlassHouses1980MFSL2012FLAC2488.2.rar