Billy Joel River Of Dreams CD

This edition of RIVER OF DREAMS is an Enhanced CD containing both a full audio program as well as video clips for the songs "No Man's Land," "Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)" and "The River Of Dreams."

Digitally remastered by Ted Jensen (Sterling Sound, New York, New York).

The song "The River Of Dreams" was nominated for a 1994 Grammy Award as "Record Of The Year."

RIVER OF DREAMS was nominated for a 1994 Grammy Award as "Album Of The Year."

Billy Joel's performance of "The River Of Dreams" was nominated for a 1994 Grammy Award as "Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male."

RIVER OF DREAMS finds Billy Joel once again in the familiar territory that he staked out early on in his long and very successful career: well crafted songs, strong vocals sung with conviction, and thoughtful production, built solidly from the ground up. Joel has always been a stylistic chameleon. He can conjure up '50s doowop or a beautiful Beatlesque melody and then suddenly turn on a dime and come at you with a hard-edged, urgently rocking tale about life, love lost and lessons to be learned.

On "River of Dreams" Billy rocks hard, but with a maturity and insight befitting the grey that flecks his beard. Of course just when you think you know where Billy Joel is going he will always surprise you. "Good Night My Angel' is a beautiful lullaby with a strong classical undercurrent that would make Brahms smile. Other key tracks are "All About Soul," the title cut and the reflective ode "2000 Years".

Recorded at The Boathouse at the Island Boatyard, Shelter Island, New York; Cove City Sound Studios, Glen Cove, New York; The Hit Factory, New York.

Personnel: Billy Joel (vocals, piano, Clavinet, Hammond organ, keyboards, synthesizer); Color Me Badd, Crystal Taliefero, Wrecia Ford, Marlon Saunders, B. David Whitworth, Frank Simms, George Simms (vocals); Danny Kortchmar, Leslie West, Mike Tyler, Tommy Byrnes (guitar); Richie Cannata (tenor saxophone); Arno Hecht (baritone saxophone); Laurence Etkin (trumpet); Osvaldo Melindez (trombone); Jeff Jacobs (synthesizer, programming); T.M. Stevens, Chuck Treece, Jeff Lee Johnson, Schuyler Deale, Lonnie Hillyer (bass); Zachary Alford, Liberty DeVitto, Steve Jordan (drums); Jim Saporito, Andy "Funky Drummer" Kravitz (percussion); Philip Ballou, Katreese Barnes, Dennis Collins, Will Downing, Frank Floyd, Diane Garisto, Stephanie James, Devora Johnson, Corliss Stafford, Brenda White-King (background vocals).

Producers: Dan Kortchmar, Billy Joel, Joe Nicolo.

Engineers: Carl Glanville, Joe Nicolo, Phil Nicolo.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.60) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's."
Rolling Stone (8/19/93, p.74) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...finds the singer digging in the dirt of his life with focused urgency....Joel rattles his musical cages with a nastier edge..."
Entertainment Weekly (8/13/93, p.70) - "...a cry from something approaching the depths....the songs rock hard....a popmeister's epiphany, a pensive record that manages to be irresistible..." Rating: A-
Q (9/93, p.86) - "...Billy Joel's `Raging Bull' tendencies feed [RIVER OF DREAMS]....Joel throws words like punches...he's a MOR ball of fire..."
New York Times (Publisher) (8/8/93, p.24) - "...RIVER OF DREAMS is far too driving and exuberant to be called depressing. Yet its musical bluster only partially camouflages a lyrical preoccupation with social decay, mortality and the scary future..."