Remembering When Billy Joel Jazzed up the Follow-up to His Breakthrough Album in 1978

How do you follow up the massive, breakthrough hit album? This concern was even more pronounced in the 70s, when you were expected to come back with the follow-up quickly, even while the big hits from the predecessor were lingering.

For Billy Joel, his answer was to do a little of the same and change it up all at once. That seemingly contradictory notion is at the heart of 52nd Street, the 1978 album that solidified the long-overdue success he’d enjoyed with The Stranger the year before.

The Strength of ‘The Stranger’

Once he hit big, Billy Joel stayed big. He released smash after smash, both in terms of albums and singles, before walking away from recording new pop music after River Of Dreams in 1993. But because of that elongated hot streak, which ran over 15 years, folks tend to forget that Joel had to scrape and claw to get to that point.

Joel’s first four albums featured a song here and there (such as “Captain Jack” or “Piano Man”) that received widespread notice. But he struggled to sustain that success over the course of an entire album. He was perilously close to make-or-break territory when he released The Stranger in 1977.

Needless to say, that album made it, and in the biggest way possible. Producer Phil Ramone proved the right collaborator for Joel, emphasizing the artist’s crowd-pleasing tendencies while also letting him be himself. For his part, Joel wrote a can’t-miss collection of songs and performed them to the hilt. The only issue with The Stranger was that it was going to be an awfully hard act to follow.

‘Street’ of Dreams

Billy Joel always had his ears out for what was going on in the pop and rock music world around him. In the late 70s, the sophisticated, jazz-influenced arrangements of acts like Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers were infiltrating the pop charts. Since Joel was a jazz enthusiast anyway, that kind of stuff was right up his alley.

A good portion of 52nd Street, Joel’s 1978 follow-up to The Stranger, indulges in those sounds. While his regular band can be heard throughout the record, Joel also brought in some of the studio pros and hired guns that were so prevalent at the time to contribute to certain tracks.

Even the title was a hint at his direction. While 52nd Street was the location of the studio where the album was recorded, it also was a traditional hot spot for jazz music in New York City. Joel holds a trumpet on the album cover to truly drive the connection home.

Not Quite All That Jazz

When you listen to 52nd Street, you’ll discern a tale of two records. Its big hits would have felt right at home on The Stranger. There’s the sneering, bombastic rock of “Big Shot”, the sensitive piano balladry of “Honesty”, and the pop introspection of “My Life”. They all fell into line with the smashes from the previous record.

When you dig deeper into the album, Joel’s jazzier explorations come to the fore. “Rosalinda’s Eyes” possesses a marimba-drenched Latin lilt. “Zanzibar” features horns from jazz legend Freddie Hubbard. “Stiletto” segues between Joel’s sassy piano groove and Richie Cannata’s noirish saxophone.

52^nd Street falls just short of Joel’s tier of elite albums because of that somewhat disjointed nature. But it was just what the doctor ordered at the time, allowing him to spread his musical wings while satisfying his suddenly booming fan base all at once.

(Photo by Bobby Bank/Getty Images)