Published on Jan 24, 2002
A REVIEW IN TWO ACTS
ACT ONE. Scene: Two friends talking.
“Hey! Billy Joel has another Number One CD!”
“Really? Cool! Has he gone back to doing real rock and roll
again like ‘You May Be Right’ or ‘Stiletto’?”
“Um. Well. Not exactly.”
“OK…so it’s more retro stuff like ‘Keeping The Faith’ or
‘River Of Dreams’?”
“Er. No, not exactly either. Listen, if you just let me
ex…”
“I know! It’s more adult pop like ‘All About Soul’ or ‘This Is
The Time’, right? That’s some decent stuff, too, though it’s not as
good as ‘Only The Good Die Young’. How’s that go again? ‘Come on,
Virginia, don’t make me late…'”
“No, no, no! You’re not listening! Can you stop mangling lyrics
long enough to actually listen to it?”
“OK, cool! Put it on, dude!”
(A few moments pass.)
“Dude, what the hell is
that
?”
(Exit all.)
ACT TWO: Reviewer explains what the hell that was.
I have always thought an adequate definition of success would be
to have the money to do whatever you wanted. Certainly Billy Joel
is a great example; after twenty-odd years of massive chart
success, sellout tours, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall
Of Fame, he can now do whatever he wants. And apparently, what he
wanted was to go to Vienna, write solo piano pieces, and have
someone else play them. You go, Billy.
I’ll be honest; I wasn’t sure what to think of this CD (which
was number one on
Billboard‘s classical albums chart, by the way). Vanity
projects are often just that; vanity, something a record label puts
out because the musician in question has enough pull to get them to
do it. But surprise, surprise:
Fantasies And Delusions is elegant, spare, beautiful, and
magnificent. Not since Alan Parsons’ “Fall Of The House Of Usher
Suite” or Yngwie Malmsteen’s
Opus Number One has there been a piece of such classical
brilliance coming from the pen and mind of a rock musician.
This is a great piece of work. Richard Joo’s performance is
spare without being sparse and therefore perfect for Joel’s
compositions, which are simple without being uncomplicated. The
production and engineering on the disc is flawless. Of special note
are Joel’s waltzes and his “Soliloquy (On A Separation)”; the music
breathes with emotion and passion. If there is justice in the
world, the classical music establishment will sit up and take
notice. (Hell, Mozart wrote catchy tunes, too. Nothing says you
can’t do both.)
The answer to “what the hell is
that
“? Brilliance.