Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast

Fall of 2024 is upon us! What is typically time for our next playlist installment, we're adjusting the title and format of the series slightly and are happy to announce the Glass Houses Side Quests. Expanding the concept of the playlists, the options are limitless from more music concepts to long form conversations with friends, musicians, and other creatives. For this first inst

There's an often-overlooked part of Billy Joel's rise to fame as a recording artist: His track record as a songwriter for others. Before he was a superstar, Billy's songs were covered by dozens of performers from around the world. The trend arguably peaked in the late 70s with multiple renditions of his now-classic songs New York State of Mind and Just the Way You Are. But, the b

Billy Joel's 10-year monthly residency at Madison Square Garden is now in the past. But its legacy has been preserved for the public to enjoy. In fact, the same can be said for his entire career. In this last installment of our series covering Billy at the Garden, we sit down for a lengthy interview with Steve Cohen. As Billy's lighting director for 50 years, Cohen also produced

The opening strains of Miami 2017 took on a new meaning on July 25, 2024. It was the final show of Billy Joel’s 10-year monthly residency at Madison Square Garden, and the classic opener kicked off the night. Suddenly, the song’s theme about thousands of people hunkering down to hear these songs for maybe the last time felt almost too real. While this certainly wasn’t Billy

Starting in the mid-2000s, BIlly Joel cemented his Madison Square Garden legacy with two unprecedented engagements. The first was a dozen shows spread over 4 months in 2006. The setlists were filled with songs that were rarely, if ever performed live, and The recordings from these dates made up his live album 12 Gardens Live, released later the same year. Then came the residency:

When BIlly Joel plays his final show at Madison Square Garden on July 25, 2024, he’ll be closing out a nearly 50-year run of shows. And, in this episode, we’re diving deep into the first half of that legacy. Starting in December 1978, Billy has played multiple nights at the Garden on all but one album tour. His engagements also included Face to Face shows with Elton John and

Billy Joel’s groundbreaking 100th Madison Square Garden Residency Show was commemorated with an edited version of the concert airing on network television. The special entitled “The 100th: Billy Joel At Madison Square Garden” was broadcast in prime time on April 14, 2024 on CBS. For fans, this was a step up in production from even the official concert clips on YouTube. The

Thanks to a recently-unearthed audience recording, fans can now hear Billy Joel's first performance at the legendary Madison Square Garden. The performance took place on December 14, 1978, more than a decade after Billy first took to a stage as a professional musician. Listening to it in 2024, perhaps the most interesting aspect about Billy headlining one of the world's most reno

In the last installment of our Evolution of a Song series, we explored an older song that sported a studio arrangement that couldn’t be replicated live. The same can be said of "The Ballad Of Billy The Kid," the subject of this episode. While the live version on Songs in the Attic became the definitive one for many fans, the Ballad of Billy the Kid studio recording featured a f

With few exceptions, Billy Joel’s albums were sequenced with two sides in mind. It’s a phenomenon that’s come back to the forefront with the resurgence of vinyl records: The act of listening to half an album, then flipping the platter to hear the rest. It’s a different experience than listening to the songs all the way through on CD or a streaming platform. And, it’s wh