The Cold Spring Harbor Problem

For the next couple of weekly entries, I will be discussing my opinion on each of Billy Joel's albums.

The Cold Spring Harbor Problem:
This is an album that probably could have been way better, if it was originally produced correctly. Why, however, do the songs on this album get overlooked so much? I'm not saying that each song on here is the greatest thing ever written or that they are some kind of masterpieces, but there are a lot of hidden gems on this album. For example, just listen to "Tomorrow is Today." I often think that this is one of the most overlooked Billy Joel songs. Even with the messed up production, you can hear and tell how great the vocals are. Especially when he sings the section that begins with, "Oh my going to the river." For me, his voice just sounds and feels so powerful here. I would love to hear this song remade today. I think that his voice now would be perfect for this song.

Another often missed song on this album is "Nocturne." Now, I know that this song is just an instrumental piece, however, it just feels so emotional and powerful. It is just so beautiful. For me, I can really wrap my emotions in this piece.

The song "Got to Begin Again" is just another fabulous song off of this album. I really just love the lyrics to this one. The vocals could be a little bit better, but I will attribute that to the poor originally quality.

One of the songs on this album, though, that is not exactly up to par is "You Look So Good to Me." At one time, I kind of actually enjoyed this song. The main problem that I have with this song is the fact that the music sounds so dopey, almost as if helium were put into the music. I also find the lyrics to be a little bit on the lame side. The thing that does save this song, is when Billy Joel's vocals start to shine through. In some spots, you can here the greatness that was exhibited in "Tomorrow is Today." However, there are only a few instances of this. Other spots sound chip-monk or helium like.

The track "Everybody Loves You Now," is one of the tracks on this album that does not have a lot wrong with it. It does not seem to be as effected by the production mess up as other songs. The only thing that this song could really use, is a little more kick to the music. It sometimes feels like it is lacking power. Otherwise, this is a good song.

What exactly is the problem with Cold Spring Harbor? If you look closely at all of the songs, you can find greatness in each of them. The last three songs on this album are probably the best all around.