My Favorite CD
I saw Billy Joel’s live (LIVE AT YANKEE STADIUM) at Yankee Stadium in New York in 1990 in a movie theater. It’s great. Recordings are good, but live performance is better. Billy is a natural born entertainer. From the bottom of his heart he wants to entertain the people who come to the concert . The whole his band member are like that. The songs are good, of course, and there is no way they are bad, since they are a parade of hit songs. I’d like to introduce some of Billy’s songs this time, as I’m in the midst of my Billy boom for dozens of times. First, let’s start with this album that I borrowed from my brother’s room when I was in junior high school.
My Life – Billy Joel
This album was the first American music I consciously listened to. It was totally different from the Japanese popular songs I had heard before. It was fashionable, sophisticated, and at the same time, somewhat sharp. I was also shocked by the lyrics, which I read carefully. They were not just “I love you” or “Let’s go on a date. The stories of life was beautifully told. The message, “This is my life, don’t tell me what to do,” stuck with me as a junior high school student, and I think it still rules me to this day. Next up is this song that gets so excited at live performances. Shi-u-ha!
Allentown – Billy Joel
This song is a protest song. But the tune is very pop, and it is an example of how to rock with piano. I remember seeing a live video of the song on Katsuya Kobayashi’s TV show, so I think it might have been his translation,”KABENI KAZATTA SOTSUGYOUSHOUSHO KUSONO YAKUNIMOTACHASHINAI”(“So the graduations hang on the wall. But they never really helped us at all”) hit me during my rebellious years. Billy always stood on the side of the common man, not the establishment, and I think that part of him is the foundation of my thinking. Next up is this very romantic song.
The Longest Time – Billy Joel
This romantic song is composed of only Billy’s voice, except for bass guitar. Really “The greatest miracle of all is that I needed you and you needed me too” always touch my heart emotionally. To my surprise, I can still sing most of Billy’s songs without looking at the lyric cards, even though I don’t speak English well. I have listened these songs so so many times. Next, I’d like to introduce you to this song, which has a wonderful structure and everything.
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant – Billy Joel
The structure of this song is really great. The melodies that come out one after another are really great. The lyrics, which tell a story, are really great. I’m only saying “great”. If I could write a song like this today, I would be willing to end my life today. Last but not least, I’ll leave you with this song.
Piano Man – Billy Joel
Billy’s live show always ends with this song. It was the last song at the Yankee Stadium concert this time, too. For me, this song is perfect. Melancholy, bluesy, and the chorus is a sing-a-long. When I was in junior high school, I bought an album of this song with my meager allowance and I remember listening to it over and over again from about 3:00 or 4:00 pm until midnight, except when I was eating dinner. To me, this song is “The Song”.
As usual, I’ll end with my song. Please listen to the song about my favorite bar, which is “Piano Man” for me. I wanted to make it a lively, boisterous drunken song, so I asked my friends of Banlab to collaborate, so they all added great vocals or instruments one after another, making it a fun song. Here are the brothers and sisters who did it with me!
Mixed by Will Shau (Cebu, Philippines)
K. (away slaying dragons) (Nova Scotia , Canada) : Vocals, Tin Whistle, Box Drum, Piano
𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕 𝙼𝚌𝙼𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚞𝚛 (Texas, USA) : Vocals, Guitars
Tashiro, Ken Ichiro (Kanagawa, Japan) : Fretless Bass
It’s amazing that we could create a song while exchanging data, even though we had never met each other before. I really enjoyed playing with them!
Kaneko’s Song of the Day
The Place / Lyrics: KANEKO Chalin
Materials for tomorrow’s class an engineering professor
tries to write down at edge of the counter
An unsuccessful singer requests an old trumpeter
This is the place
A pilot is hitting on an ad agency woman
Sparkling bogus stories create one night romance
A popular five-years girl smiles so much she seems to run
This is the place
You can drown in the memory trace
Or you can forget about all case
You are here tonight, see their faces
this is the place
The brewer is a small-town girl who loves hard bop
and she always casts magic on hops
No life, with no beer
Everyone comes back here
No life, with no wine
It’s still at nine
Old men are drinking since lunch time and bringing love
And an authentic cuisine from the next Japanese pub
They are about to sing the high school song just like old club
This is the place
You can drown in the memory trace
Or you can forget about all case
You are here tonight, see their faces
this is the place
The sommelier, who are a son of liquor store,
opens a proud bottle of wine, and he drinks first
No life, with no beer
Everyone comes back here
No life, with no wine
It’s still at nine
The brewer is a small-town girl who loves hard bop
and she always casts magic on hops
No life, with no beer
Everyone comes back here
No life, with no wine
It’s still at nine.
