The Nylon Curtain
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| The Nylon Curtain | |||||
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| Studio album by Billy Joel | |||||
| Released | September 23, 1982 | ||||
| Recorded | Spring, 1982, A & R Recording and Media Sound Studios, New York, NY | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 41:57 | ||||
| Label | Columbia | ||||
| Producer | Phil Ramone | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Billy Joel chronology | |||||
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The Nylon Curtain is the 8th album by Billy Joel. It was released by CBS in 1982 (see 1982 in music) and produced by Phil Ramone.
"The Nylon Curtain" was the seventh best selling album of 1982, with two million sales in the United States alone. It was one of the first albums to be digitally recorded, mixed and mastered.
The album is perhaps best known for bringing global attention to the plight of Allentown, Pennsylvania. In the song "Allentown," the lead track, Joel sings of the city's resoluteness amidst the demise of industry in this eastern Pennsylvania city. "Allentown" reached #17 on the 1982 Billboard Hot 100 and was one of the most played radio songs of the early 1980s.
The album is among the most ambitious of Joel's albums. It is unusual for Joel's work in its direct homage to and influence of the music of The Beatles and John Lennon (in particular "Laura," "Surprises," "Scandinavian Skies," and "Where's the Orchestra").
[edit] Track listing
All songs by Billy Joel.
- "Allentown" – 3:52
- "Laura" – 5:05
- "Pressure" – 4:40
- "Goodnight Saigon" – 6:30
- "She's Right on Time" – 4:14
- "A Room of Our Own" – 4:04
- "Surprises" – 3:26
- "Scandinavian Skies" – 6:00
- "Where's the Orchestra?" – 3:15
[edit] Personnel
- Billy Joel – vocals, piano, synthesizer, hammond organ, melodica
- David Brown – electric guitar (lead), acoustic guitar (lead)
- Dominic Cortese – accordion on "Where's the Orchestra?"
- Liberty DeVitto – drums, percussion
- Eddie Daniels – saxophone and clarinet on "Where's the Orchestra?"
- Russell Javors – electric guitar (rhythm), acoustic guitar (rhythm)
- Dave Grusin – string and horn arrangement
- Charles McCracken – cello on "Where's the Orchestra?"
- Rob Mounsey – synthesizer on "Scandinavian Skies"
- David Nadien – concertmaster on all except "Laura" and "Scandinavian Skies"
- Doug Stegmeyer – bass
- "String Fever" – strings on "Laura" and "Scandinavian Skies"
- Bill Zampino – field snare on "Goodnight Saigon"
[edit] Charts
| Country | Charts | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak position | Weeks | Certification | ||
| Japan | 3 | 29 | Platinum | 357,146 |
| United States | 7 | 35 | 2x Platinum | |
| Norway | 9 | 12 | ||
| Austria | 20 | 4[1] | ||
| United Kingdom | 27 | 8 | ||
| Sweden | 31 | 2 | ||
