The Soviet Union of 1988 was like a ripe fruit, ready to be plucked into the basket of democratic reform. Premier Gorbachev was tossing off the shreds of hard-line communism and introducing his policies of glasnost and perestroika. Reform and democracy was in the air, and could be felt in the winds of Moscow. Due to the increased level of openness with the western nations, American culture began to penetrate the iron curtain into Russia.

Billy Joel took the stage in Leningrad and Moscow in a tour of Russia in the late 80's. The result was KOHUEPT, a live album released against Billy's wishes. The public was delighted, finally a live album was released that delivered live performances of Billy's songs that were recorded from THE STRANGER, to THE BRIDGE. Billy's fans now had live recordings of the songs Bill had been performing in recent years.

KOHUEPT is not as good of an album as SONGS IN THE ATTIC, Bill's other live album. This is the case partially because KOHEUPT was recorded abruptly and unknowingly over one night, and consequently has no sense of refinement. SONGS IN THE ATTIC had one whole year of planning. KOHEUPT is really no different than hearing any other Joel concert live, it is just a regular taped live concert. The Russian translations add uniqueness and intrest to the album. It is, on the whole, an excellent, enjoyable live album.

The first Joel song is a powerful performance of "Angry Young Man". He then slows down with a solo piano/vocal of "Honesty", and goes into "Goodnight Saigon". He cruises along with Jazzy and somewhat improvised performances of "Stiletto", "Big man on Mulberry street", and "Baby Grand"

The beef of the concert begins with a haunting and drawn out version of "An Innocent Man", and a moving "Allentown". Bill then gets the crowd riled up with the rocking "A Matter of Trust", "Only the Good die young", and a brilliant "Sometimes a Fantasy", with a fantastic guitar riff at the end. Bill finishes off with "Uptown Girl", which noticeably changes tempo throught the performance, and a tired, weak, lifeless performance of "Big Shot". To add social relevance and meaning to his concert, he ends with the Beatle's "Back in the U.S.S.R", and Bob Dylan's "The times they are a Changin." The Soviets react well to his concert, and enthusiastically respond to Bill's performance. The Russians clearly accepted American music, and the Iron curtain was ripped once more. It was clearly only a matter of time until the Soviet Union fell.

KOHUEPT is one of Joel's lesser recordings, but a must have for any Joel collecter. Joel proves his skill as an execllent on-stage performer, and he delivers. If you are a new Joel fan, do not buy this album first, buy a compilation of his greatest hits instead.

Billy Joel's tour of the former Soviet Union was truly historic since he was one of the very first American artists to be allowed to perform in the former USSR. This disc very nicely brings us the highlights of Billy's tour and we get some great tracks to prove that it was very successful!

The track set begins with a Russian piece called "Odoya;" and after that we hear the musical prelude to Billy's concerts. Billy sounds great on "Honesty;" this classic tune about a man who wants his one true love features great piano by Billy. Billy also sings it quite passionately and the crowd loves every minute of it! "Stiletto" makes the crowd go wild; and the horn solo at the very beginning gets it just right! The drums, percussion, guitar and piano carry the melody and Billy sings this with great sensitivity--great! I think you'll enjoy this live track of "Stiletto" very much.

"Big Man On Mulberry Street" really rocks as Billy cries out to make this even more passionate. Billy never misses a note and the drums and chorus enhance "Big Man On Mulberry Street" even more! Listen for some great jamming on "Big Man On Mulberry Street," too. In addition, "Baby Grand" gets the royal treatment from Billy Joel as he delivers this number with panache and sensitivity. The crowd hangs on his every word; Billy's rapport with his audience is excellent. Good percussion and drums, too.

The mood and tempo pick up considerably for a rocking "Only The Good Die Young;" Billy does this to perfection with some really great guitar! "Uptown Girl" features a nice chorus to backup Billy's vocals; and they harmonize very well. The energy is perhaps at his zenith when Billy plays the predictable but wonderful "Back In The U.S.S.R." "Back In The U.S.S.R." features good vocal backup, great drums and percussion, awesome electric guitar as Billy wails this out while playing piano. Excellent!

The last track on this CD sends the message that Billy recognizes the former Soviet Union was beginning to undergo major social changes; we get the Bob Dylan standard "The Times They Are A Changin'." Billy does this flawlessly after telling his audience that he believes the U.S.S.R. under Gorbachev was similar to the social changing times in America during the 1960s.

The liner notes include some great color photos taken of Billy and his band during his U.S.S.R. tour--great!

Billy Joel does indeed display his ability to perform as a socially conscious musician on this album. I wish it were a more complete version of perhaps a single concert; maybe in the future we will get that. All in all, this is still a phenomenal live Billy Joel CD; and I highly recommend it for rock and pop fans everywhere.

Enjoy!

By 1987, Billy Joel was a certified rock superstar who was known the world over, even in The Soviet Union. It was at this time Billy decided to head out to Mother Russia and introduce the citizens to American rock and roll, which for many years was outlawed as Western propaganda. The tour proved to be a major success (aside from an onstage tantrum caused by a lighting error), and Billy felt it would be proper to release an album to commemorate his historic performance.

The resulting album was "Kohuept," Russian for "In Concert." Is it the definitive souvenir of this historic event. Not quite. Some performances lack more energy than others, and anyone who's seen actual footage from the concert knows that songs like "The Longest Time," "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me," and "You May Be Right" were all performed and could've been added to perhaps extened it to two discs and perhaps make it a more worthy and complete snapshot of the tour.

Still, what we are left with is a decent fifteen tracks, most of which are solid performances. Billy for the most part is in good spirits and is generally on target, though on some songs he seems a bit bored and uninvolved. His band also occasionally from a lack of spark, save for the ever charismatic Liberty De Vito, who smacks the skin as if it was same scared sacrament meant to appease God.

The show opens with the Russian traditional "Odoya" before seguing with what has since become Billy's traditional opener, "Angry Young Man." The version here is very powerful and packs a whallop, deviating from its original reggae rhythm and done more in a straight rock style.

Next comes a decidedly bland piano only version of "Honesty." Billy's singing is indifferent and the song as a whole lacks something without the band. Fortunately, things pick up a bit with a heartfelt reading of "Goodnight Saigon."

Things really heat up with an electrifying "Stiletto" that beats the studio version by a long shot. This is what I wish the whole album was. Mark River's saxophone playing is fierce and prominent, Liberty beats the skins until there's nothing but shrapnel left, and Billy is absolutely on the attack, his keyboard playing ferocious and his singing passionate and engaged.

I've never been a big fan of "Big Man On Mulberry Street," and this version is no exception. It goes on far too long and becomes agitating after awhile. "Baby Grand" doesn't work well without Ray Charles, who managed to make it into a more meaningful song than it really is. Billy sings it nicely, but the song's charm and appeal is gone without Ray.

"An Innocent Man" follows and is a given a very powerful and soulful rendition, the only problem being that it sort of drags in the beginning, plus eve at this stage Billy has trouble hitting the high notes, which are left to Pete Hewlett.

"Allentown" is next, and Billy equates the song's story to the Russians' struggle and hope for things to improve. It's given a spirited, punchy rendition, and provides one of the better moments on the recording. "A Matter Of Trust" is tougher sounding than the studio version, though it plods a bit and lacks the excitement of the studio version as well as the later version from "12 Gardens Live."

Things start to kick into high gear with a zesty "Only The Good Die Young," which gets a great reaction out of the fairly reserved crowd. Then, out of nowhere, comes the undisputed highlight of the album as Billy and the gang launch into a turbo charged "Sometimes A Fantasy." Like a rush of adrenaline, the song hits you like a bolt of energy. The version here is fast, furious and a pure thrill to listen to. Billy and the band sound absolutely ferocious. It is an unbelievable performance that one has to hear to believe.

A solid "Uptown Girl" follows, and is greeted nicely, though there seems to be times when it goes off tempo. "Big Shot" kind of drags, this version lack any excitement and is way too slow. Fortunately, Billy manages to whip the crowd back into a frenzy for a fantastic cover of "Back In The U.S.S.R." and finishes on a high note with "The Times They Are A Changin'."

Overall, while not as good as "Songs In The Attic" or 2006's "12 Gardens Live," it's an overall solid live compilation of a historic occurence in rock and roll.

FOR THOSE OF US THAT PREFER LIVE MUSIC TO STUDIO,BILLY JOEL'S PERFORMANCE ON THIS CD IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHY. THE POWER AND EMOTION THAT SHOW THROUGH EACH SONG COULD ONLY BE CAPTURED LIVE. NOT IN THE CONFINEMENT OF A LIFELESS RECORDING STUDIO.

Kohuept is culled from Billy Joel's historic tour of the former Soviet Union. The album has a great energy and is practically dripping with feelings of Glasnosting. Mr. Joel performs a nice array of material, eschewing such obvious numbers as "Just The Way You Are" and "It's Still Rock 'N' Roll To Me" for lesser known songs like the excellent "Stiletto" and the tender "Honesty". He does a nice job on the obligatory "Back In The USSR" and sings "The Times They Are-A-Changin'" with real feeling. Mr. Joel is a first-rate live performer and Kohuept is a nice document of his skills as well as the famous tour.