Today, we know Glass Houses as one of Billy Joel’s biggest albums. The 1980 release became his third-consecutive album to quickly go platinum. It kept the band playing some of the biggest venues in the world, and features a handful of songs that are still  live staples.

At the time, however, it was a drastic departure from Billy’s previous hit records. He’d shed much of the classical and jazz influences that marked The Stranger and 52nd Street. The scaled-back arrangements reflected then-modern New Wave and Power Pop with a more stripped-down and guitar-driven approach. 

It was the first time in arguably a decade that Billy made a conscious effort to create an album based on the popular music of the time. As a result, more critics were lukewarm, and even hostile, to the songs. 

Over time, the record cemented its status as a seminal release. After all, it’s the one we named this podcast after. Now, we’re finally giving it an official listen-through. 

Join us as we drop the needle on Billy Joel’s 1980 album Glass Houses.

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Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Glass Houses Media, LLC

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