In March of 1990, when I was 27, my long time friend Betsy Matteis told me she had several tickets to Billy Joel's then-current Storm Front concert tour. She had watched (with some bemusement, I think) me become a Joel fan over the years, and three months before she had stood in line at a local Ticketmaster outlet for hours so we could go see the Piano Man perform live at the Miami Arena. At the last minute she could not go, but she arranged it so that two friends of hers would accompany me to Overtown and attend the concert.

Of course, Billy's live performances were never really replicated in the albums they promoted. Rather, they tended to be a mix of the new material being presented and a selection of older songs that audiences can sing along to. (The Billy Joel: Live from Yankee Stadium DVD is very close to the content of the Miami shows, down to the sing-along of "Piano Man.")

Storm Front was one of Joel's last pop music albums -- his last offering of original songs, River of Dreams, would come out in 1993 -- and it is one of his best. Six of the 10 songs in Storm Front were included in his Greatest Hits Volume III album, including "Shameless," "And So It Goes," "Leningrad," "The Downeaster Alexa," and "We Didn't Start The Fire."

"We Didn't Start The Fire" is a guitar based song (a rare such one for keyboardist/pianist Joel) that sums up major events in Billy's first 40 years. It's pretty catchy (but difficult to sing along to without the booklet of lyrics) and has had the unexpected but welcome effect of getting kids to remember historical events. Joel, in the DVD of Greatest Hits III, says that teachers would say to their students to listen to "We Didn't Start The Fire" and write the words down.

"Shameless" is a down-and-dirty tribute to the late Jimi Hendrix, who had insouciance to the max and would even chew gum as he sang. Well, here Joel also sings and chews gum at the same time, to the accompaniment of the guitarists in his band. The lyrics are very Hendrix-like, and "Shameless" is an ode to the power women have over their lovers: "I'm shameless, baby I don't have a prayer...."

"Downeaster Alexa," (the name being inspired by Joel's daughter Alexa Ray) is Billy's earnest attempt at writing a true folk song. With a driving backbeat (provided by drummer Liberty DeVito) reminiscent of Celtic music, it deals with the struggles of the Long Island fishermen. "I was a bayman like my father was before," Joel has his narrator inform us, "Can't make a living as a bayman anymore." The song mixes both defiance and wistfulness for a way of life that is passing.

"Leningrad" is an ode to the end of the Cold War. Its opening piano intro sounds very Russian, and the song itself tells the parallel lives of Viktor, a Soviet "child of war" who lost his father during World War II, and Joel, who was "a Cold War kid born in McCarthy times." It is both a requiem to the many victims of the Cold War and a hymn of hope for reconciliation ("we never knew what friend we had/Until we came to Leningrad") which resonates even 14 years after the song was written.

"I Go To Extremes," a song written especially for drummer DeVito, is really an ode to manic depression. In his remarks about the song on the Volume III DVD, Joel explains that most creative people tend to be manic depressive. Whether this is true or not I can't say, but this song is definitely a rock song. With the pounding drums, the restless keyboard, and the pulsing guitars, "I Go To Extremes" talks about the extreme highs and lows most of us face in life.

"And So It Goes" is perhaps the most melancholic song on this album. Dealing with the theme of star-crossed love ("So I would choose to be with you/That's if the choice were mine to make; But you can make decisions too/And you can have this heart to break"), it talks about the feelings lovers have when they know they are in a relationship they know can't last. It's sweet yet sad, and its stark simplicity simply adds to its power to elicit tears.

From the beginning to the end, each song plays with your soul, bringing it from the verge of tears to the threshold of sheer joy. The somber tones in "Downeaster Alexa" and the spunky beat in "Extremes" are welcome contrasts in this album. By far the best piece, "And So It Goes" probes into the far reaches of the heart, to the places seldom discussed and less frequently revealed. This song of complete submission to true love brings tears to the eyes of anyone who knows what love is. Billy Joel's soft, light tone relates to all of us who have completely submitted to sincere love, and those of us who have "felt the thorns" know why our "eyes are closed." But without a doubt time goes on, and so it goes, and so it goes. This is only one example of emotions stirred by the music and words of "Stormfront."

As Billy Joel's career entered the mid 1980s, much of the momentum he had built in the late 1970s had slowed down. In the late 1970s and 1980s, one could almost count on the release of a Billy Joel album every 12 to 24 months. As Billy began to settle down in his family life with Christie Brinkley, things began to slow down - this was evident after 1983's "An Innocent Man" as Billy would now go on what seemed to be a 36 month cycle for releasing albums. With the slowdown in momentum, many people began to wonder if Billy's best days were behind him. However with the release of his 12th album, "Storm Front" - Billy would prove them wrong. Not only did this album contain some new songs that would join Billy's long list of hits, but it would also produce some more hidden gems.

I look at Billy Joel's career as having three phases. The first phase is what I call "Old Billy Joel". This basically includes all of his material from "Cold Spring Harbor" through "Turnstiles". These are perhaps the strongest days as the piano sound, but they also contain most of Joel's least heard material. The next phase is what I call "Middle Billy Joel". This was his most successful period and covers from "The Stranger" to "Billy Joel Greatest Hits Volume 1 and 2". Joel would go through a transition during this phase - expanding his musical horizons and exploring different avenues. The final phase is the "Later Billy Joel" phase - this covers "The Bridge" to "River of Dreams". In this phase, Billy would start to incorporate some of his older styles of music while not abandoning his desire to continue to explore new avenues. For the most part, on "Storm Front" Billy continues to move forward exploring new avenues - with just touches of reaching back to the past. I think much of this is due to the fact that Billy brings in a new producer - Foreigner's Mick Jones to take over producing duties from long-time producer Phil Ramone. Mick's influence seems give this album more of a Rock edge - probably the strongest Rock edge since "Glass Houses". The nice thing about this is that Mick Jones seems to be able to bring out the best in Billy.

I think there are two themes on this album. 1) Billy draws from historical sources - whether its past or present, he uses this as an inspiration for his music. This is very evident on "We Didn't Start the Fire", but also evident on other tracks; 2) Billy writes some more songs on his personal life - something he has been doing since "An Innocent Man".

"That's Not Her Style": This song has a Rock edge, but on this track we get a bluesy sound from some harmonica. Reading these lyrics carefully - could "her" be none other than Billy's then supermodel wife Christie Brinkley.

"We Didn't Start the Fire": What an original song - a new Billy classic. I still never get tired of this song. This is basically a 20th century history lesson in one song. One of the biggest highway robberies would occur at the Grammys the following year when this song was robbed of Record of the Year by Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings". My words on that choice - 'You have got to be kidding me'. You aren't going to hear any piano in this song, but it isn't needed. It proves how versatile Billy still can be. This song also is highlighted by it's Rock edge and percussion work.

"The Downeaster Alexa": Alexa is Billy's daughter. He basically chose to write a song about the plight of the Long Island Fishermen. Billy incorporates the use of the Fiddle giving this song a powerful melody.

"I Go to Extremes": Possibly a song that describes Billy himself. This is another song with a great Rock edge, but there is some terrific piano by Billy in this one.

"Shameless": I found this one of the weaker tracks. Billy incorporates a Harpsichord in this one, but again this has a Rock edge.

"Storm Front": This song has another bluesy feel - complete with horns. I felt this was probably the weakest track and surprised it got to be the title track. Richard Marx does background vocals and Jones plays guitar.

"Leningrad": This song has some historic overtones, but it also is based on Billy's personal experience in Leningrad when he toured the Soviet Union. Billy uses someone called "Viktor" as a representative resident of Leningrad. Nice "Eastern European style" piano work by Billy Joel reminds us of his old days. Billy goes in a new direction with some light background vocals by a High School chorus.

"State of Grace": This is another song where Billy sings about his relationship with Christie. There is a slight retro-element to this song. Billy shows some great vocal range on this track. Nice background vocals featuring Mick Jones

"When in Rome": This is a very underrated song. Billy sings about the pressures of a dual-career couple and no doubt he is referring to Christie again. This song has a retro element that is evident in the "Tell her About It" styled background vocals. There is also some outstanding sax and horn work.

"And So it Goes": Billy seems to always pick an interesting "last" song for his albums. This song for the most part is Billy and his keyboard. It shows that Billy hasn't abandoned his roots. A slow song - this one is a bit hard to get into, but not bad.

The liner notes do contain all of the lyrics as well as musician and production credits. Perhaps the only knock on "Storm Front" is that there are some weak tracks, but I still think the strong tracks are enough to make this album worthwhile. This is a Billy Joel album I'd still highly recommend.

If I could,I would actually give this album 3 1/2 stars. Four is too many, and three is too few. I call it a guilty pleasure because it is an extremely commercial record, intended to produce a handful of hit singles. But at the same time Storm Front is not entirely unpleasant to listen to.
It opens with two solid rockers; The bombastic "That's Not Her Style" and the quick-paced "We Didn't Start The Fire". The latter of the two became a number one hit with it's incessant hook and rapid-fire lyrics. Listing prominent dates, names and events of Billy Joel's lifetime, the words form a Cold War timeline with a heavy rock beat.
Then comes one of the albums two best songs, "The Downeaster 'Alexa'". On this track Billy sings passionately about the struggles of Long Island's commercial fishermen. The incorporation of violin, accordian and a rowing-like beat gives the song its high seas aura.
The next song is "I Go To Extremes", an up-tempo, hook-driven number that is good fun to listen to.
The ballad "Shameless", which was eventually made into a number one Country hit by Garth Brooks, is one of Billy's most sensual songs. He sings the song like a man truly in love.
"Shameless" is followed by "Storm Front", the albums title track. The song's heavy beat and horn accompaniment give it an almost bluesy feel.
The tone of the album once again becomes quasi-political with "Leningrad". Though slightly schmaltzy, this is a nice song with a good message. It tells the true story of a Russian circus clown Billy befriended during his tour of the Soviet Union, and how that friendship changed Billy's perception of the Cold War.
The next two songs, "State Of Grace" and "When In Rome" are little more than filler, but still enjoyable to hear.
Finally, the album closes with the other of its two best songs; "And So It Goes". It is set apart from the rest of the album by it's lack of flare and heavy instrumentation. The song features only piano and subtle synthesizer accompaniment to Billy's pensive vocals. Originally written in 1983, "And So It Goes" sings about heartbreak with what is perhaps Billy's most poetic set of lyrics.
While Storm Front doesn't quite live up to the standards set by such classic Billy Joel albums as The Stranger and 52nd Street, it is still a good, listener-friendly album.

Storm Front is one of Billy Joel's strongest albums. He touches on all styles of music from ballads to rockers to thought provoking songs and all are first class. The album opens with the kicking ode to his wife, Christie Brinkley, "That's Not Her Style" before moving into the number one, smash hit "We Didn't Start The Fire". The song is a musical history lesson touching on everything from the Cold War to Bernie Goetz to AIDS done in a Dylanesque "Subterranean Homesick Blues" style. "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" is a downbeat number about the plight of fishermen on Mr. Joel's native Long Island. "I Go To Extremes" is the album's poppiest song and his is the definitive version of "Shameless". "Storm Front" is a strong rocker while "Leningrad" is sweet tribute to the friends he made on his tour of the Soviet Union. "State Of Grace" and "When In Rome" are solid, if not somewhat forgettable numbers, but the album closes on a high note with the touching and beautiful "And So It Goes". Storm Front was replete with hits and Mr. Joel was rewarded with his first number album since 1980's Glass Houses.