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The legendary singer-songwriter Billy Joel channels John Lennon on this musically ambitious and socially poignant baby boomer-themed set. Mobile Fidelity broadens the expanse of the orchestral arrangements, the sweep of melodic breadth, and the microdynamic reach.
This multi-platinum 1982 album includes "Allentown", "Laura", "Pressure", and "Goodnight Saigon".
Having triumphantly asserted himself as a take-no-mess singer-songwriter on 1980s hard-rocking Glass Houses, Billy Joel continues to push his creative impulses on The Nylon Curtain, a fascinating song cycle that pays tribute to John Lennon and stands as the most ambitious project of his career. Enriched by sweeping orchestral arrangements and socially conscious lyrics, the 1982 set addresses unemployment, war, and realities of the Reagan era with exacting precision. Insightful and clever, the albums Baby Boomer-themed narratives continue to resonate.
A requisite piece of Mobile Fidelitys Billy Joel catalog restoration series, The Nylon Curtain is mastered from the original master tapes and pressed on 180g LP at RTI. The myriad nuances amidst Phil Ramones crisp production assume greater tonality, texture, and detail. This album is now an audiophile-caliber favorite, with transparency, clarity, and microdynamics enhancing the poignant connection between Joels expressiveness and the listeners emotions. The Nylon Curtain is now an even more personal experience, a brilliant distillation of sadness, loss, hope, and anger.
Harnessing concerns, obsessions, reflections, and feelings that consumed a majority of the Baby Boomer generation near the beginning of the Reagan Era, Joel delves into job loss (Allentown), wartime fallout (Goodbye Saigon), and, of course, romantic longing (Shes Right on Time). Rather than take a long-view perspective, Joel gets up and close to the issues, infusing the fare with a mix of sadness, frustration, cautious optimism, and moodiness that he wears on his sleeve. Joels melodies, too, ricochet with unmistakably personal sentiment, as he constructs arrangements in tribute to Lennon, whose ghost arises on pieces like Scandinavian Skies and Laura.
Pop culture author Chuck Klosterman addresses the Beatles link and The Nylon Curtains timeless appeal in Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, writing: Laura and Wheres the Orchestra really are as good as whats on The White Album. This is because the first song says things so directly that its words shouldnt make sense to anyone else (and yet they do), while the latter is so metaphorically vague that anybody should be able to understand what hes implying.
But relate and understand audiences do: The Nylon Curtain remains a pop marvel, introspective juggernaut, and now, courtesy of Mobile Fidelity, a sonic landmark. Joels anguish, regrets, sorrow, and worries transcend both tastes and time. Somewhat underappreciated upon its original release, the 55-minute effort is now regarded as a conceptual masterpiece.
Features:
Numbered, Limited Edition
45rpm Speed Edition
2LP Set
Production and Mastering by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Specially Plated and Pressed on 180 grams of High Definition Vinyl
Pressed at RTI
Special Static Free - Dust Free Inner Sleeve
Heavy Duty Protective Packaging
Mastered from the Original Master Tapes
Selections:
LP 1 - Side 1:
1. Allentown
2. Laura
LP 1 - Side 2:
1. Pressure
2. Goodnight Saigon
LP 2 - Side 3:
1. She's Right On Time
2. A Room Of Our Own
3. Surprises
LP 2 - Side 4:
1. Scandinavian Skies
2. Where's the Orchestra
