(Soft Rock) [LP][24/96] Billy Joel - Piano Man - 1973, FLAC (tracks)

Billy Joel's Piano Man album on Columbia Records remains one of his best ever; and anyone who enjoys good solid rock from the 1970s will enjoy this LP very much. The track set opens with "Travelin' Prayer." Listen for some great drums, fiddle, banjo and piano to create a country flavor for this ballad. Billy's voice is rich and full of masculine warmth--terrific! "Piano Man," the title track for this album, leaves nothing to be desired. It starts with some great harmonica playing; and when Billy Joel comes in "Piano Man" takes off like a jet! Billy sings some portraits of people who come to the bar where he plays piano. Moreover, "Ain't No Crime" is a beautiful, gospel flavored number with a backup chorus that harmonizes to perfection as Billy sings it well!

"The Ballad Of Billy The Kid" gives us a country/western flavored arrangement as Billy sings the story of Billy The Kid and even compares himself to Billy The Kid but in a more positive light. Billy Joel sings "The Ballad Of Billy The Kid" flawlessly. "Worse Comes To Worst" actually has a catchy melody that reflects the optimism Billy's character feels that he'll get by no matter how hard life gets; and this song has a great early 1970s rock and roll beat to it! Listen for some great key changes on "If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You)," too. The album ends strong with the ballad called "Captain Jack." Billy delivers this flawlessly with panache and sensitivity.

Nitty Gritty RCM 1.5
Technics SL-1200MK2 Turntable with KAB Fluid Damping
Ortofon 2M Black cartridge
Pro-Ject Tube Box SE II Preamp
Tascam US-144 external USB 2.0 Audiointerface
Monster Cable interconnects
Bias Peak LE 6 recording software

RCM>TT > Ortofon 2M Blk> Tube Box preamp> Mac Pro Dual Xeon> Peak LE @ 24/96 > manual click removal
analyze (no clipping, no DC Bias offset) > Click Repair 3.02 - 15 Rev X2 > split into individual Tracks > FLAC encoded XLD 20090320

No silence been removed, please burn gapless to match original track layout.