Piano Man

Dear James,

Here's two new discoveries:
1, Type "Old Grey Whistle Test" into youtube and admire the goodies it showers upon you;
2, Billy Joel with a moustache. Any chance we can do an occasional series of performers we don't usually associate with moustaches who at some stage had a moustache? I'm sure you can find one of Phil Collins at the very least. I looked for one of Elton John, but came home empty-upperlipped.

You're a musician James - is it harder to play a harmonica and a piano, or a harmonica and a guitar? I'm tempted to phrase the question as "Is it easier to do a Billy Joel tribute act, or a Bob Dylan tribute act?" In which case, I think I've answered my own question. Speaking of tribute acts, we saw the Will Ferrell film Stepbrothers the other day which includes a lengthy Billy Joel joke. It's not tremendously funny, but then neither is the film, so in context it's tremendously funny. Not a patch on Blades of Glory, of course, but then what is?

Other Billy Joel songs off the Piano Man album I found are Travelin Prayer, possibly the silliest song to ever start an album (and that's coming from a Queen fan), and a wonderfully overfast rendition of Ain't No Crime, one of my favourite Joel songs, if only because he says it's OK to go out and get drunk. In 1973.



Those seeking further Joel-based entertainment might like to check out his 1982 nightschool. I'm going to watch it now, but only because I've already read this superb bilingual blog about life in Buenos Aires. Our 95 readers (!) would be well advised to head there first. There's photos and stuff.

Perfect Day

Our recent talk of covers which were better than the originals and Lou Reed butchering all his songs led me to reluctantly seek out this video. Eleven years on, it still makes my toes curl, but far less than the version which Radio One DJs did. Do you think the producers sat with Lou Reed going "Go on Lou, just sing one line properly. Please?" Do you think Lou Reed was a precursor to Milli Vanilli, and never actually sang any of his songs, which were in fact written and recorded by Brian Epstein? Me too. Still, even the sound of Lou Reed stripping his own classics of any recognisable melody is infinitely preferable to hearing Bono sing anything.

Then we get to play the "Name the People Who Used to be Famous" game.
1. Dunno. Girl from Morcheeba? 2. David Bowie, letting himself down badly. 3. Dunno. Girl from Coors? 4. Elton John, well-suited to this kind of rubbish. 5. Boyz One. Or is it Wetlife? 6. That awful opera singer woman. 7. Token reggae person. 8. Do you think Bono had a stipulation in his contract that he got at least two lines? 9. Is it Pavorotti? I also thought he sang in this? 10. The woman from M People. I'm bored with this game already and want to watch this instead:

Do you remember when we were living in the 1990s and thought it was the best decade ever? How wrong we were. Doesn't this song sound like it was meant to be a joke, like when indie bands cover Baby One More Time? Wouldn't you love to hear M People covering other Small Faces songs. "He's always there, when I need some speeeeeeeeed". "Oh, life, is just a bowl of All Braaaaaaaan!"

Border Song

Dear James,

Holy Moses! Elton John's coming to Buenos Aires on 22 January and I'm in the same quandary as when Queen+bloke came in November. Do I go and stand in a football stadium watching an act I've loved for years doing a poor impression of an act I've loved for years, or do I sit at home grumbling? My main worry with going to see Elton is that most of the set will be the post-1974 dross, with the worthy exception of This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore, which is really Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in disguise. Why is it we can put a man on the moon, but we can't create some kind of concert experience where a hologram video is projected in a small club-type arena of the acts we wished we'd seen in the 70s? Everyone could go in skin-tight flares and yellow wollen sweaters, a fine time would be had by all and the artiste in question need never know. My quandary is compounded by Elton´s support act, the inimitable James Blunt. Going to the gig would imply impeccable timing in order to miss Blunt but catch Elton. What would Moses do?

I like this bluesy version of the song. There are other versions on youtube with playback of the dull choir. This version grooves all over the place like Travolta on Ice, and is all the better for it. I was going to say that Elton looks quite conservatively dressed in this video. Then I noticed that big glittery bow tie jutting into his chin.

A boring musicians' note: notice the similarities between Elton John's and Freddie Mercury's chord sequences on the piano. Lots of use of rails (do we call them rails?) from F upwards, via the indispensable F#dim. I love F#dim. You can go anywhere after F#dim.