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 Mr. Joel Live Oct 12, 2009
I alrady owned Konzert from his earlier days. The 12 Gardens album shows his ability to put up a terrific show after so many years. Not many artists can say that.
The songs sound crisp enough, which is ok for me since I like live recordings for not being picture perfect. If I wanted that I'd listen to Pink Floyd more....
So very well recommended for music fans in general, and Joel fans in particular....
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
4 1/2 stars. Billy Joel in top form on his best-ever live album Feb 21, 2009
Any and all fans of Billy Joel, diehard and casual alike, should take note of this fine live album. It is two and a half hours of excellent, committed performances, selected from twelve concerts held at Madison Square Garden in 2005.
There are ten musicians on stage, but nothing sounds opulent or cluttered (although I could have done without the synthetic sounding and sometimes too-prominent keyboard, especially those God-awful solos on "Angry Young Man" and "The Entertainer"). Some of the performances captured on "The Millenium Concert" may have seemed a bit tired, but on "12 Gardens" Billy Joel seems committed and even happy to be playing and singing these old songs again. His vocals are almost always strong and focused, unlike some live performances where you can all but hear the singer thinking "do I really have to sing this one for the 2.000th time?"
Disc one is 75 minutes, and the numerous highlights include "Don't Ask Me Why", "Allentown", a coolly swinging rendition of "My Life", a sharp "The Entertainer" (just wait for the keyboard intro to be over), and energetic versions of the grandiose "Miami 2017" and "The Great Wall of China".
The sound is excellent all the way through, and disc two is even better than disc one (and two minutes longer): A seven-minute "Goodnight Saigon". "An Innocent Man", pure, smooth 60s doo-wop. The powerful "Downeaster Alexa", one of Billy Joel's best lyrics. A tough, punchy "You May Be Right". "Piano Man", gritty harmonica and the crowd singing half the song. Oh, and don't worry, "It's Still Rock n' Roll To Me" is here, only it is "hidden" somewhere on disc two, an unlisted bonus track. And it sounds great, by the way.
I'm really not a huge Billy Joel fan, he is a little bit too "pop" for that, but these strong, well-chosen performances really showcase what kind of chops he has, and what an impressive catalogue of songs he has to choose from. Hardcore fans would perhaps have liked to hear a few more obscure and rarely played songs and a few less Billboard hits, and those who only know the hit singles may complain that they aren't all here. But "12 Gardens" is actually pretty hard to fault, and I can't imagine fans of Mr Joel being disappointed. This is a great live album, Joel's finest offering for many many years.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Billy's live and I like it Sep 07, 2008
I saw him back in the eighties and enjoyed him then. This concert sounds better. I love the fact that Nylon Curtain in well represented, That is my favorite album (CD) ROOM OF OUR OWN,lAURA AND ALLENTOWN sound fresh as ever. Italian Rest. is the bomb for Billy. All good stuff. Hes real, no BS.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Excellent live recording. What about a dvd version? Jul 11, 2008
This is an excellent live recording of Billy Joel's hit songs as well as lesser known gems such as Miami 2017 and Zanzibar. My only concern is why a DVD version of that concert hasn't been released?
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Highest rating possible for this CD Apr 06, 2008
First off, it's Billy Joel sounding and playing as great as he ever did. It's a live CD so you get chills up and down your spine as you listen to these songs and hear the crowd go crazy and sing along to every note. I especially love live CDs in which you can hear the crowd in the background.
This is an amazing 32!!! songs for the price of $11.97. Is there a better deal around?
It's a compilation of all his greatest hits over his illustrious legendary career. If you are new to Billy Joel, get this CD to hear all of his favorites. And if you are a long time fan, of course you will know all these songs inside and out, but still it's worth the money to have all the songs on one CD and you get the live crowd feel.
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