Though overshadowed by the pair that followed this 1976 release, The Stranger and 52nd Street, this is clearly their equal. It marked a transition, the singer-songwriter refining a unique mix of rock edginess and New York sophistication, the latter owing more to the writers of 1950s standards than the pop charts. It enabled Joel to maintain a college radio audience while going beyond it, even though he was never a fully paid-up member of the James Taylor/ Tim Rose school of troubadour.
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