52nd Street (album)
52nd Street | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 11, 1978 | |||
Recorded | July–August 1978 | |||
Studio | A&R Recording, Inc., 799 7th Avenue at 52nd Street, New York City | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:26 | |||
Label | Family Productions/Columbia | |||
Producer | Phil Ramone | |||
Billy Joel chronology | ||||
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Singles from 52nd Street | ||||
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52nd Street is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on October 11, 1978 by Columbia Records. Presenting itself as the follow-up to his breakthrough studio album, The Stranger, Joel tried to give the new album a fresh sound, hiring various jazz musicians to differentiate it from his previous studio albums.
It was the first of four Joel albums to top the Billboard charts, and it earned him two Grammys. Three songs reached the Top 40 in the United States, contributing to the album's success: "My Life" (number 3), "Big Shot" (number 14), and "Honesty" (number 24). It was similarly well received by critics, earning two Grammy awards for Album of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 22nd Annual Grammy Awards. This Grammy was presented to its producer, Phil Ramone. Upon Ramone's death, 52nd Street's Album of the Year Grammy was passed on to Joel.
The album was among the first commercially released on the compact disc format, reaching store shelves on October 1, 1982, in Japan (it was one of 50 CDs released that day, including The Stranger, but bore the first catalogue number in the sequence, 35DP-1, and so is frequently cited as the first to be released). In keeping with this history, it was also the first release when Sony returned to manufacturing vinyl records in 2018.
The title is a reference to 52nd Street, a popular street location in Midtown Manhattan for jazz musicians, beginning during the Great Depression and continuing through to the 1950s. Joel's label was headquartered within the CBS Building on West 52nd Street at the time of the album's release. The studio where recording took place was also on 52nd Street, one block away from where Joel's label was headquartered.
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Blender | |
Christgau's Record Guide | B− |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
The Great Rock Discography | 7/10 |
Record Mirror | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide |
Reviewing 52nd Street for The Village Voice in 1979, Robert Christgau noted Joel's talent for writing catchy songs and likened him to Elton John, albeit with more "smarm".
Retrospectively, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine praises Joel for expanding stylistically on 1977s The Stranger, describing 52nd Street as "more sophisticated and somewhat jazzy." In 2000, it was voted number 621 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2003, 52nd Street was ranked number 352 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and at 354 on a 2012 revised list.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Billy Joel.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Stiletto" | 4:42 |
2. | "Rosalinda's Eyes" | 4:41 |
3. | "Half a Mile Away" | 4:08 |
4. | "Until the Night" | 6:35 |
5. | "52nd Street" | 2:27 |
Song notes
The song "Rosalinda's Eyes" was inspired by Joel's mother, Rosalind Nyman Joel.
Personnel
- Billy Joel – vocals, acoustic piano, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, Fender Rhodes, synthesizers
- Richie Cannata – organ, saxophones, clarinet
- Steve Khan – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- David Spinozza – acoustic guitar (2)
- David Brown – electric guitar (3)
- Russell Javors – acoustic guitar (3)
- Hugh McCracken – nylon guitar (6, 8)
- Eric Gale – electric guitar (7)
- Doug Stegmeyer – bass, backing vocals
- Liberty DeVitto – drums
- Mike Mainieri – vibraphone and marimba (4, 6)
- Ralph MacDonald – percussion (6, 7)
- David Freidman – orchestral chimes and percussion (8)
- Freddie Hubbard – flugelhorn and trumpet (4)
- George Marge – sopranino recorder (6)
- Robert Freedman – horn and string orchestrations (2, 8)
- Dave Grusin – horn orchestrations (7)
- David Nadien – concertmaster (2, 7, 8)
- Peter Cetera – backing vocals (3)
- Donnie Dacus – backing vocals (3)
- Frank Floyd – backing vocals (7)
- Babi Floyd – backing vocals (7)
- Milt Grayson – backing vocals (7)
- Zack Sanders – backing vocals (7)
- Ray Simpson – backing vocals (7)
Production
- Phil Ramone – producer, mixing
- Kathy Kurs – associate producer
- Carol Peters – associate producer
- Jim Boyer – engineer, mixing
- David Martone – assistant engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, NY)
- John Berg – cover design
- Jim Houghton – photography
Accolades
Grammy Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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1980 | 52nd Street | Album of the Year | Won |
Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male | Won | ||
"Honesty" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
American Music Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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1980 | Billy Joel (performer) | Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist | Nominated |
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) | 2× Platinum | 100,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) | 5× Platinum | 500,000^ |
France (SNEP) | Gold | 100,000* |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) | Gold | 10,000* |
Japan (RIAJ) | Gold | 470,000 |
New Zealand (RMNZ) | Platinum | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) | 7× Platinum | 7,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |