Video Retrospectives

In 1987, Billy Joel and his band embarked on an unprecedented tour of the Soviet Union. And, when the original documentary “A Matter of Trust” came out, fans got a behind-the-scenes look at what turned out to be a controversial career move. At the time, the country was still under Communist rule, shrouded in secrecy, […]

Billy Joel: The Video Album Volume II is another back and forth across Billy’s discography. The ten selections here vary from promo reels shot in the 1970s, unvarnished black-and-white live footage and barebones soundstage performances in the early 80s, to full-blown stylized and choreographed productions from the peak of the MTV era.  Once again, we’re

Years before Billy Joel started doing master classes, and long before MTV stopped showing music videos, there was Night School.  Broadcast in late 1982, Night School was a half-hour show on MTV where Billy fielded questions from an audience of young fans. Fresh off the success of The Nylon Curtain, he tells stories, gives some

Billy Joel may not be the first artist that comes to mind when you think of MTV. But, he was making music videos before the landmark cable channel got its start in 1981.  A close look at those videos reveals the progression of the medium as it became more popular, more stylized, and more important

In the mid 80s, Billy Joel penned the lyric “After 1986 what else could be n ew?” If you were to judge that based on his 1989 hit “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” you’d think he meant it. But a closer look at that video and the others from the Storm Front album suggest otherwise.

In 1993, Billy Joel began work on what would become his final pop studio album, River of Dreams. What began with he and his live band tracking in a makeshift studio in a boathouse on the east end of Long Island, ended with a new producer, new musicians, and a new direction. Michael & Jack