Glass Houses (album)
Glass Houses | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 12, 1980 | |||
Studio | A & R, New York City | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 35:06 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Phil Ramone | |||
Billy Joel chronology | ||||
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Back cover (some versions) | ||||
Singles from Glass Houses | ||||
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Glass Houses is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter
Background
This album was the third collaboration between Joel and producer Phil Ramone, following The Stranger and 52nd Street and the final such collaboration in association with Home Run.
Opening with the sound of glass shattering, Glass Houses has more of a hard rock feel than Joel's previous albums. The cover shows Joel poised to throw a rock through the two-story window of his real-life waterfront glass house in Cove Neck. On some versions, the back cover shows Joel looking through the hole that the rock made in the glass. This alludes to the adage that "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones".[citation needed]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
The Great Rock Discography | 6/10[12] |
Record Mirror | [13] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [14] |
Smash Hits | 8/10[15] |
In 2004, the pop-culture journalist and rock critic Chuck Klosterman praised the album in an essay on Joel titled "Every Dog Must Have His Every Day, Every Drunk Must Have His Drink" from his book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs (the title of the essay refers to a line from the Glass Houses song "Don't Ask Me Why").[17] In particular, Klosterman praised some of the more obscure tracks from the album including "All for Leyna", "I Don't Want to Be Alone", "Sleeping with the Television On" and "Close to the Borderline."[17]
In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote: "It may not be punk – then again, it may be his concept of punk – but Glass Houses is the closest Joel ever got to a pure rock album."[4]
Track listing
All songs written by Billy Joel.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "You May Be Right" | 4:15 |
2. | "Sometimes a Fantasy" | 3:40 |
3. | "Don't Ask Me Why" | 2:59 |
4. | "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" | 2:57 |
5. | "All for Leyna" | 4:15 |
Total length: | 18:06 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
6. | "I Don't Want to Be Alone" | 3:57 |
7. | "Sleeping with the Television On" | 3:02 |
8. | "C'était Toi (You Were the One)" | 3:25 |
9. | "Close to the Borderline" | 3:47 |
10. | "Through the Long Night" | 2:43 |
Total length: | 16:54 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Billy Joel – vocals, acoustic piano, electric pianos, synthesizers, accordion, harmonica
- Richie Cannata – organs, saxophones, flute
- David Brown – acoustic and electric guitars (lead)
- Russell Javors – acoustic and electric guitars (rhythm)
- Doug Stegmeyer – bass guitar
- Liberty DeVitto – drums and percussion
Production
- Phil Ramone – producer
- Jim Boyer – engineer
- Bradshaw Leigh – assistant engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
- Brian Ruggles – technician
- Steve Cohen – lighting
- Jim Houghton – photography
- Michele Slagter – production assistant
- Jeff Schock – product management
Accolades
Grammy Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1981 |
Glass Houses | Best Rock Vocal Performance – Male[7] | Won |
Album of the Year[18] | Nominated |
American Music Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | Glass Houses | Favorite Pop/Rock Album[19] | Won |
Billy Joel (performer) | Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist[19] | Nominated |
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[45] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[47] | 5× Platinum | 740,000[46] |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[48] | Gold | 10,000* |
Japan | — | 317,000[49] |
United Kingdom (BPI)[50] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[51] | 7× Platinum | 7,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Johnson, Brent (May 9, 2012). "Brent Johnson's Lost Songs: 'All For Leyna' by Billy Joel". The Pop Break. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0472034703.
- ^ "The Bridge by Billy Joel album review | Classic Rock Review". June 14, 2011.
It was also Joel's first album during the 1980's to not be focused on a single, overriding concept. 1980's Glass Houses was punk/new wave..
- ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Glass Houses – Billy Joel". AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ^ "Billy Joel – Glass Houses | Shop the Billy Joel Official Store". billyjoel.shop.musictoday.com. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
- ^ a b "Billboard.com – Year End Charts – Year-end Albums – The Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
- ^ a b "Past Winners Search". grammy.com. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- Allmusic. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- ^ Browne, David (May 22, 2007). "Billy Joel: Glass Houses". Blender. Archived from the original on February 3, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
- ^ Smith, Robin (March 15, 1980). "The sound of breaking glass". Record Mirror. p. 20.
- ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Cranna, Ian (April 3–16, 1980). "Billy Joel: Glass Houses". Smash Hits. Vol. 2, no. 7. p. 31.
- ^ Nelson, Paul (May 1, 1980). "Billy Joel: Glass Houses". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ^ a b Klosterman, Chuck. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs Scribner, 2004.
- ^ "GRAMMYs' Best Albums 1980–1989". grammy.org. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ a b "8th American Music Awards". Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "austriancharts.at Billy Joel - Glass Houses". Hung Medien (in German). Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ Library and Archives Canada. Archived December 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved November 1, 2011
- MegaCharts. Archived from the originalon December 7, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on September 10, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Tonlist Top 40". DV. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ "Yamachan Land (Archives of the Japanese record charts) – Albums Chart Daijiten – Billy Joel" (in Japanese). December 30, 2007. Archived from the original on June 19, 2007. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com Billy Joel – Glass Houses". Hung Medien, norwegiancharts.com. VG-lista. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com Billy Joel - Glass Houses". Hung Medien, swedishcharts.com (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Billy Joel – Glass Houses – hitparade.ch". Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company – Billy Joel – Glass Houses". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "allmusic ((( Glass Houses > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Album Search: Billy Joel" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved November 1, 2011.[dead link]
- ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
- ^ "Austriancharts.st – Jahreshitparade 1980" (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on November 9, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1980". RPM. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1980 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on January 9, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
- ^ "Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1980" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 1980". Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "The Top 20 Albums of Vår 1980". Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums of 1981". RPM. December 26, 1981. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
- ^ "Top Pop Albums of 1981". Billboard. December 31, 1981. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
- ^ "Kent Music Report No 341 – 5 January 1981 > Platinum and Gold Albums 1980". Kent Music Report. Retrieved January 24, 2020 – via Imgur.com.
- ^ "Juno Album, Singles Data" (PDF). Billboard. January 24, 1981. p. 102. Retrieved March 2, 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Billy Joel – Glass Houses". Music Canada.
- ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1983". IFPI Hong Kong.
- ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "British album certifications – Billy Joel – Glass Houses". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – Billy Joel – Glass Houses". Recording Industry Association of America.