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Recording engineer Brad Leigh touched nearly every song Billy recorded as part of his work restoring and remixing music for the HBO Max documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes."

We're rounding out our coverage of the doc with our thoughts on Part Two, our conversation with Brad, and more details from archivist John Jackson and production designer Steve Cohen about the upcoming Live at Sparks release in 2026.

Music courtesy of Sony Music.

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It took nearly five years to find and restore all the archival footage and audio in the five hour HBO documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes." 

John Jackson, the director of Billy Joel's archive, talks about tracking down footage, solving mysteries,  restoring damaged film reels, and his part in compiling the 10-hour "And So It Goes" companion album.

Music courtesy of Sony Music.

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Steve Cohen brought 50 years of experience working with Billy Joel to his role as an executive producer on the HBO documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes."

Steve talks about getting the often-private Billy to let filmmakers Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin tell the full story of his life and music.

He also teases a new archival release that's been on fans' wishlists for years, and draws the connection between Frank Sinatra and his team's unprecedented 10-hour companion album to the film.

Images Courtesy of HBO and Myrna Suarez

Music courtesy of Sony Music.

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

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To celebrate the release of the HBO documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” we’re going behind the scenes with directors Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin. 

We’re also getting behind the keyboards with Billy Joel fans who reacted in real time to Part One of the film starting when it officially dropped at 8pm EST on Friday, July 18, 2025. 

And, coinciding with the release, we’re also reviewing the latest album and streaming sales numbers and gold and platinum certifications for Billy’s songs and albums. 

There’s much more to come in our cover of Part Two. But for now, join us as we dig deep into Part One of “Billy Joel: And So It Goes.” 

Images & documentary clips Courtesy of HBO.

Music courtesy of Sony Music.

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

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Billy Joel's biggest fans know Jon Small as the drummer for The Hassles and Attila, the bands the two played in as teenagers and young adults in Long Island. 

Some may even recognize Small's further contributions to Billy's career as the director or producer of virtually all Billy's music videos and concert movies.

But, his behind-the-camera impact on popular music goes far beyond just one artist. 

As one of the first music video directors and producers of the MTV era, Small helped define the format with landmark videos and live concert recordings for everyone from the Beach Boys to Aerosmith and Run DMC to Shania Twain and Kenny Chesney. 

In June of 2025, Small spoke with Glass Houses on the eve of the Hassles’ induction into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. 

We published the first part of that conversation two episodes ago. Now, we're revisiting the rest of our fascinating, freewheeling fireside chat as Jon chronicled his almost accidental foray into music videos, and stories behind some of the biggest videos of the MTV era and beyond .

In July of 2025, Jon Small was honored by the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame when the Hall inducted the Hassles. 

A staple of the greater New York music scene in the late 60s, the group is best known today for featuring a teenage Billy Joel. 

Jon Small was the drummer, and he amd Billy went on to form the short-lived Attila before Billy launched his solo career.  

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“Last Play At Shea” promised to tell the story of Billy Joel’s historic back-to-back 2008 concerts at the iconic Long Island baseball stadium. But it’s not long into the running time that the story becomes much larger than one of music’s biggest stars performing at one of the country’s most legendary venues. 

After quickly establishing how Billy’s shows will be the last performances at Shea Stadium, the 2010 documentary explains just why it’s so significant. As a companion to the concert film “Live at Shea Stadium,” “Last Play at Shea” explores the stadium’s origin, cultural significance, and historic moment. 

It also tells the concurrent story of Billy’s journey from a kid on Long Island to regional teenage rock and roll royalty, and the often rocky road that led to his current status as one of the 21st century’s most recognized songwriters. 

Join us as we dig deep into the stories, history, and highlights of Shea Stadium and Billy Joel.

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It’s been a busy month in the Billy Joel world – and Michael and Jack were there for it. 

June kicked off with the premier of the “Billy Joel: And So It Goes” documentary at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. As the first event for this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, the red carpet features A-list celebrities like Tom Hanks and Robert De Niro along with many familiar faces and names for Billy fans. 

Next, Billy’s team also announced new vinyl releases. And, later in the month, Billy’s pre-solo Long Island band The Hassles will be inducted into the Long Island Music &  Entertainment Hall of Fame. 

This episode features a roundup of all these events with some special guests. 

First up, Jon Small, drummer for The Hassles, longtime Billy Joel production team member, and celebrated music video director, talks about The Hassles’ Hall of Fame induction and tells some great stories from the band’s heyday. 

Following that is a roundup of the Glass Houses coverage of the Beacon Theatre red carpet including some interview clips. 

Lastly, a recap of the team’s time in New York, as told by the hosts and Jeff Fisher, Jenni Nordaby, and Alexis Parente, who were also along for the visit. 

Join us as we dive deep into celebrity moments, world premiers, industry afterparties, renowned recording studios, fireside stories, and more.

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A 1972 Billy Joel performance doesn’t sound like the concerts he’s been performing over the last 50 years. Instead, two live recordings from that year reveal an artist still finding his way – even if a few key elements were already in place. 

That year, Billy opened for Taj Mahal at the Boarding House in San Francisco on January 22. Then, he played the ill-fated and mostly-forgotten Mar Y Sol Pop Festival in Puerto Rico on April 2. The lineup is his first core live band: Al Hertzberg on guitar, Rhys Clark on drums, and Larry Russell on bass. 

Despite releasing his first solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, at the end of 1971, these shows barely acknowledge those recordings. Instead, he showcases two songs that would end up on his next record and go on to become fan favorites and concert staples. And, his first foray into an international festival foreshadowed his future engagements in Cuba and the USSR. 

In just a few months, Billy’s performance with this group and a similar setlist at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia would be the stepping stone to his now-classic Piano Man album. But for now, these two concert recordings show a young solo artist fighting to find his identity and forge his own path in the music world.

Audio courtesy of Activer Music.

- Billy Joel - Live At The Boarding House, San Francisco (January 22, 1972)

- Billy Joel - Live At Mar y Sol Pop Festival, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico ( April 2, 1972)

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1992 wasn’t a prolific year for Billy, nestled between the end of one of his longest tours supporting a monster hit album and releasing his final pop album the next year. 

But, his decisions here would determine the next phase of his career. Throughout the year, he spent just as much time looking to the past as he did preparing for his future. 

It was the year Billy began working on River Of Dreams while various record companies released his work from the late 60s with The Hassles and Attila. His only new releases were a trio of songs for movie soundtracks, each written before he became a musician, as Paul Simon inducted him into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 

These and other events, releases, and milestones found Billy spending 1992 stuck somewhere between an elder statesman of music and a brash kid still playing rock and roll.

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Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:

Support the podcast:

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

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