I wish Billy Joel could hear this analysis, Fil.

@carolcarol3938

3 ай бұрын

Hear this and put out the un-altered version.

@elizabethmiller7291

3 ай бұрын

You think he can't hear his un-natural voice on the released version? He must be okay with it. Which is just sad ... very, very sad when the music lover and consumer cares more about this stuff than the (classic) artist. I would have expected much better from an artist like Billy Joel.

@RealGriz

2 ай бұрын

Maybe link it to his daughter on IG?

@tomholm4456

22 күн бұрын

@@RealGriz ooh, maybe?

Its really sad to realise that there are great vocal performances happening in recording studios every day, and the only people who will ever get to hear them are the producers and sound engineers who will then do their best to suck the life and soul out of them.

@NicholasAndre1

3 ай бұрын

Engineers pouring their heart and soul to create an amazing recording and then weeping in pain when the producer forces them to blow the hell out of hit with processing.

Billy Joel’s live performance is what makes him such a legend, as he is a storyteller and the studio version does a disservice to his storytelling

@SteveSingerFowkes

3 ай бұрын

He was dissatisfied with the production of his first 4 albums , that's why he released songs in the attic - all recorded live One of my fav Billy albums

@Constantijn09

3 ай бұрын

@@SteveSingerFowkes Song in the Attic is an absolute gem

@carlosanvito

3 ай бұрын

The human voice conveys emotion. Pitch correction strips out the emotion, turning a singer-songwriting storyteller into a Teflon-coated narrator. The live version is pure Billy Joel. Not sure who the corrected version is; could be anyone. Very sad.

@davidrizzardi975

3 ай бұрын

studio version is just fine

@MashaT22

3 ай бұрын

@@SteveSingerFowkesI was going to say the same thing. I’d like to add that I do enjoy the studio albums . . . but Billy is most at home during live performances, which adds an extra special emotional element. I was lucky enough to attend one of the 12 Gardens Live shows on one of the two nights they recorded for the live albums and video concert. I actually enjoy those songs more than the original recordings because there’s just that element of Billy putting his whole heart into the songs and feeding off the audience. If you go listen to each of those songs vs the original recordings, it’s tough to disagree that the live performances aren’t better. I also find it interesting that Billy downtuned this Grammy’s performance, as Fil mentioned. Billy can sing in C like the original recording without any issue - I’ve heard him sing many songs in C at live shows that have been posted online, so I don’t think it’s an issue of his not being able to hit or hold the notes. I keep wondering if that was a logistical or creative choice and what was behind the decision. He’s done that before in the past, of course, and I find it curious. Why wouldn’t he just record it in a lower key and just record it live without all vocal tweaks? I think that’s why he doesn’t like hearing his own voice on recorded studio albums - they are missing the expression that he adds live. If I ever ran into Billy in NYC, that’s the question I’d be curious to ask about. It’s a beautiful song no matter how you slice it, even with gentle pitch correction.

I started listening to Gordon Lightfoot in the late 1960's. I heard him in concert about 2 years before he died. One might say his voice was gone. But I heard something different, something magical that only comes with age and with time, with experience and with living a rich, long life. It was a voice with years of memories,, adventures, successes and failures, loves gained and lost. It was real and it was beautiful. Some things need to be left honest and real. Billy Joel is one of those. I loved the live performance. Thanks.

@user-xv3bl4xl6t

3 ай бұрын

I loved your comment and its testament to the richness of experience. ❤

@ericdeer5887

3 ай бұрын

John Prine was the same way. He was never a “perfect” singer, but after his cancer surgeries there was something deeper, wiser, maybe “real”, about his voice that made his old songs new again.

@douglaso6428

3 ай бұрын

I had a similar experience listening to Burt Bacharach at a live concert. His voice was almost gone, but the feeling that came through was magnificent!

@macgrad1

3 ай бұрын

We saw Lightfoot live at University of Windsor 🇨🇦 when my husband was a student. It was such a wonderful experience. Also, whenever I see the ‘Black Day in July’ video, I get teary every time. Even when he was young, Lightfoot’s emotions came through and touched one’s heart, but I agree, he aged well.

@krollpeter

3 ай бұрын

Same applies for Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchel. Under normal circumstances everyone would complain about their voice being gone. But man, does that feel good when Joni Mitchell sings life now ....

Tampering with this wonderful live performance is like trying to improve the Mona Lisa with crayons.

A weird aspect is the studio version sounds much younger, like Billy in the 80s. The grammy performance sounds like an older man, which actually fits the theme of the song with a deeper, gruffer, and more bluesy voice. Respect for Billy saw him live a few years ago and obviously their are compromises he makes such as leaning on his backing singers for some hard parts (hey that's why you hire Mike DelGuidice) but he still sings the hell out of his songs and puts on a great show.

@LadySlippers

3 ай бұрын

Great observation! This is a song of regret and pleading which is also why the lower tone works better (and explains the trend of going slightly sharp). Producers need to stop sabotaging human emotions while singing.

@Adam-yf3ss

3 ай бұрын

Studio version sounds like an AI clone of Billy's 80s voice.

@LSwick-ss6nm

3 ай бұрын

If you see the official video you'll see why they have done this. It uses AI to de-age him and then slowly age him through the song until we get to today's Billy.

@granthardy7339

3 ай бұрын

@@LSwick-ss6nm I'm amazed how many people have missed this point.

@anngulliver5964

2 ай бұрын

He could be just saving his voice. In the studio he won't be using his voice that intensely like he does for a few hours

Billy Joel is Honest(y)! "Honesty is such a lonely word Everyone is so untrue Honesty is hardly ever heard"

@fredbloggs6080

3 ай бұрын

In acting, honesty is the most important thing. Once you learn to fake that, you've got it made --George Burns

@Claus-dx2qy

3 ай бұрын

@@fredbloggs6080 Billy Joel and his piano always turn out uniquely magic.

@fredbloggs6080

3 ай бұрын

@@Claus-dx2qy Could this be the magic at last? It could be magic.

@Claus-dx2qy

3 ай бұрын

@@fredbloggs6080 Billy is already an Immortal!

@fredbloggs6080

3 ай бұрын

@@Claus-dx2qy He become a member of the Norwegian black metal band?

Billy and Tracy Chapman saved the Grammys. True talent needs no augmentation. Fil...goosebumps for sure. Thank you for this!

The live version brought tears to my eyes. So much emotion in his voice. When you can hear the emotion/ expression, it is like you are being invited into the same perspective he holds

@ladadog3977

3 ай бұрын

I wonder if this was about Christi. In this live version, his voice is congruent with his age. In the recording, it is strangely youthful.

The live performance is so much better ! Nowadays everything as to be perfect, without emotions and fake. Billy is a real performer, he doesn't editing.

Billy's voice may have aged, but man... he is such a master still. Goosebumps, yes, absolutely!

@trekkiejunk

3 ай бұрын

Louis Armstrong sounded old, even when he wasn't. It was so flawed, and that's what made it a perfect instrument. Can you imagine if someone went back and pitch corrected Satchmo's recordings? It would lose everything.

@anngulliver5964

2 ай бұрын

Age is a privilege and a good thing for the voice. Why is there so much ageism towards musicians? Actors can be in drama, films and theatre and you don't hear their age being used against them like singers when many improve their technique with age. Nobody says bad against Anthony Hopkins or Judy Dench.

Billy is an amazing live performer. He is a true storyteller.

It really feels like they were trying to make Billy sound 40 years younger in the recorded version. But they didn’t need to. The magic in this song is a 75 year old Billy Joel singing it!

Could you imagine the pitch correcting on Joe Cocker's live performances 😂😂😂

@tabularasa0606

3 ай бұрын

Or pitch correcting Lou Reed...

@lizlawley6680

3 ай бұрын

Does not compute.. Does not compute.. Beeeeeeeeeeep🔥🌋 Sorry, can't find an emoji for an exploding machine.

@stevetournay6103

3 ай бұрын

Oh that would be ghastly...

I believe that everyone is missing the gift that the video gives us! Not only do we see Billy sing at the different stages of his life, but if you listen, he also sings at each stage the way he sang then! Listen to 70’s Billy on the video, and you’ll hear him once again - just as he sang back in the 70s! Yes, it’s AI, but it’s fantastic how they put it together… The video with his different looks, but the music as well in those different times! Listen to the video again with this in mind, and tell me it’s not genius!

@lionellines6351

2 ай бұрын

Yes! I noticed that when I first saw the video. I had almost been convinced that the pitch correction had simply meddled with the song, but you reminded me that it can’t have because they were trying for a different idea with the studio recording.

@markkjacobson

Ай бұрын

It's an artistic choice to recreate the different periods with the technology. He does sound like older Billy by the last verse and chorus. AI is with us and artists will be using it in different ways. For me it works as a piece of art. That's what recordings are. Ever since the Beatles and The Beach Boys, the studio and the technology became a tool of creation. Live performances are always more dynamic. The two performances serve different purposes.

@cathyshaw-kalloo237

26 күн бұрын

rhaleymusic Yes!! This is the very first instance I've seen that uses A.I. to a truly artistic purpose. AFAIC that's what A.I. is *for*. and I agree .... the video concept is genius. I love it - even with the correction - for the art that it is. And for the gift of seeing and hearing Billy as I remember him throughout all the years I've loved him. yeah, it's totally different than the live Grammy performance - which blew my doors off, for all the reasons Fil points out here,- but even so, the more I hear it the more I love it.

Good grief…. you’d have to be the best music teacher I’ve come across. Your work is exceptional

He was on Howard Stern's show on Feb. 14, and he even said "if you need auto tune, you are in the wrong business". The man, born in the Bronx, has talent up the wazoo, a fantastic set of pipes and the brains and the balls on how to use it! There is a concert video of him in front of the Colliseum which is great, like all his shows are, but the version of New York state of mind is just...spectacular, like him and Ray Charles combined into one performer! I grew up with Billys music but had drifted away from it, but his latest tune just elbowed me and reminded me that he is still here and he is still great!

@howtodoitdude1662

2 ай бұрын

He also said he doesn’t use autotune because he doesn’t need it!

Billy Joel is amazing. His "breakup" with pop music was very sad, but I'm glad he came back for a visit. Billy has the kind of microtonal vocal control you can't get out of a piano which is how he compliments it so well, and I think it comes from his early years of playing old, out of tune pianos and learning to play and sing around the notes. That microtonal control is a big part of what's missing from modern over-produced music, a lot of the emotion lives there, otherwise you may as well just listen to electronic instrumental music which is essentially what we've been doing.

Went to a concert at the Berkley indoor theater. Great sound quality in that theater. Billy Joel was opening for a popular, better known CA band called Pablo Cruz. Billy started with "seen the lights go out on Broadway". The theater was pitch black and the curtains were drawn. Suddenly a synthesizer started producing such a low low frequency sound that you felt it before you heard it and it slowly climbed in frequency until it was high-pitched note. Suddenly the curtains flew open, the lights went on and the band hit it. When the song was over there was a stunned silence for about five seconds as people just looked at each other in their seats, momentarily unable to comprehend what they had heard/experienced. The place then erupted into a standing, cheering ovation. Every song Billy and the boys played received a standing ovation. I felt sorry for Pablo Cruz. Half the audience left when Billy was done. Never seen anything like it.

@perdiddlepanskew8018

3 ай бұрын

And Pablo Cruz was amazing. The two would be so different- like 2 separate concerts. Wow! I saw him in about 1982. Incredible show.

@SuziQ.

3 ай бұрын

I would have thought that Billy Joel was a bigger name than Pablo Cruz. I can’t remember even one of their songs. Billy Joel was never my cup of tea, but I can name many of his songs. Speaking of people leaving venues en mass before the main act, I saw that happen twice recently, and both were after Breaking Benjamin finished their set, once before Alice In Chains, and last summer, before Disturbed. I had decent seats for both shows, but got to move closer when so many of BB’s fans left.

@danabuch324

3 ай бұрын

@@SuziQ. At that time Pablo Cruz had a couple of hits one being "zero to sixty in five" and were on kind of a roll. Not many people knew of Billy Joel, yet. A couple of years later he was selling out coliseums and I saw him at the Oakland coliseum. Great show but terrible sound compared to the Berkley indoor theater.

@SuziQ.

3 ай бұрын

@@danabuch324 , The LA Coliseum has horrible acoustics, too. I prefer smaller venues that were built for good sound. I don’t remember that Pablo Cruz song, but if I remember correctly, they were popular when I first got into metal. LA had a metal radio station, and several rock stations. I don’t think I would have heard any of their songs.

@hnc52

3 ай бұрын

That's a great story. There is a similar story about Anne Murray headlining a concert in Central Park in1972. Opening for her was a young guy who had just released his first album... Bruce Springsteen. I have seen Bruce 20+ times and yes, I saw Anne Murray twice. Her version of this story is really funny. (Yes, more than 1/2 of the audience left by Anne's second song).

Maybe a generation used to pitch correction doesn't notice or mind the loss of emotion, but for those of us who are used to having an emotional connection with a song (even if it's a negative emotion) the lack of it diminishes the enjoyment. The first time I heard Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" I stopped whatever it was I was doing because the emotion she put into that performance demanded complete attention. Note to producers. I hadn't purchased any new music in years, but I not only immediately bought the album that song was on, but her previous album as well. Because she sounded amazing and yes, real. Turned out that "Rolling in the Deep" wasn't a fluke either, as she sounds real on her other songs as well. If more artists and producers understood this and bucked this trend...I'd probably be buying a lot more music.

I’ve seen Billy live-40 years ago-and seen him and Elton live, together, maybe 35 years ago and the “corrected” Billy has had his SOUL removed. The line “unable to change” is what the “geniuses” have done to him.

"Look What They've Done to My Song!" Are you old enough to have heard that song?😁

@lizlawley6680

3 ай бұрын

Melanie, God rest her soul, was a wise lady with foresight. She nailed it with that song.

@rubberface1424

3 ай бұрын

Ma!

I grew up on long island..🇺🇲 And actually coming from the same town as billy ,he was very big there. This is a great analysis. In the live performance you can hear the emotion. Like you mentioned, this is 25 years after his last release. On the studio version , I think they tried to inflect the voice of his youth in this song. And apply it to youthful images of billy In the video. I recently saw a interview with billy. And it seems the lyrics have a double meaning. Turning the lights back on in a relationship.. But can also be turning the lights back on To creating new music. And that's what in my opinion makes him one of the greatest song writers..🤔🤗👍🎼🎶🎙🎹🎵

@anngulliver5964

2 ай бұрын

I hope that he keeps on releasing new music until he passes 😢

I even get the impression that in the video they made his voice younger to match the pictures of his younger self.

@lionellines6351

2 ай бұрын

You know, I think you’re on to something!

I love Billy Joel - he really feels what he is singing no matter how many times he has sung it. He has kept it real all these years and it's wonderful.

That drift up is absolutely part of his charm. That float has so much emotion in it... Iused to get yelled at for using my harmony notes in songs instead of my lead but It just felt "Right" ....Singer know thyself

So great watching you fight the fight for good, raw talent without technology and greed layered over it. Thank you!

I saw him a few years ago. I wasn’t expecting much frankly. Man did he blow me away. Every musician on stage was amazing. Between songs he would just riff on Bach and the Beatles. Amazing performer live 👏👏👏

@gelchert

3 ай бұрын

I especially love how he’ll start playing a completely different song (anything from “A Hard Day’s Night” to “Tush”) during the break in “River of Dreams,” only to finish “River” after that. (To say nothing of his other famous Grammys performance from 30 years ago, when he used that same break to troll the network for cutting to commercials in the middle of Frank Sinatra’s speech.)

Watching the music video, I felt that the pitch correction in the beginning was to make him sound like he sounded when he was younger. I got that impression, so for me, it was effective. I felt like as the song advanced, it sounded more like he's sounded since the latter part of the 80s.

Thanks for this analysis - one of the greatest singer songwriters of all time. Why don't the music producers understand that it's the personality and real emotion of the artist that makes us love them so much?

@davemsn1

3 ай бұрын

They do, and that's why there are so many Live album releases. We want the pristine studio albums to appreciate for their sonic purity, but we love the live performances to capture the artists' vulnerability and raw emotion. Each is important to us as fans and ultimately, it's why we go to concerts.

Billy Joel is an amazing live performer. I was blessed to see him about 15 years ago, and up pretty close, row 10. I felt like I could touch the piano. He pours every ounce of energy he has into his performance. I cannot believe that I've been listening him since the mid '70'si. It doesn't seem real. They should release it as true voice. An older voice is not a bad voice. Do not mess with a masterpiece.

As a Billy Joel fan since the 70's, this studio recording reminded me of Billy's voice back in the day, and assumed that was the intention. The official video seems to support this. He was a much better singer back then, as everyone is, and i think it was the right choice. You want the elderly Billy singing the song? There's plenty of performances of that, but at least there's one recording of Billy in his prime singing this great song.

@joolzb17471

6 күн бұрын

I’m not sure you get that emotion in a 70/80’s Billy singing this song as it’s a song of an older man looking back. I can see what they’ve done but they’ve stripped out the colour from his voice that comes through age.

I went to see Billy live in Birmingham in the early 90 s. Brilliant experience.

The studio version is like a radio news reader reading out the news; cold, distant, disconnected and emotionless. The live version is like Billy Joel has invited us to join in the experience he has had in his life. The ups and downs. The regrets and the hope. No prize for guessing which version I like more.

@carolcarol3938

3 ай бұрын

How sad.

thanks fil, billy joel really live and unedited, a true joy to listen to

Of you watch the Warren Fu video you can see why it has been done. To make each verse fit with the era. When modern Billy comes back toward the end, the voice is back! The video is a piece of art in itself. You need to see the video to understand the meaning of the piece of work. It is an evolution. The lyric, the song and the video need experiencing together.

@ScottieInspired

3 ай бұрын

Just seen the video and completely agree. The video and the recreation of the vocals are part of the whole art, and I'm pretty sure we do get the current Billy vocals when he is on screen, stood out at the very end.

My reaction when I first heard this song on the radio was, this is a really great song, so well written. I would love to hear Billy Joel sing it. So glad to have the Grammy performance so we actually get to hear Billy Joel sing it.

@Terri_MacKay

3 ай бұрын

"I'd love to hear Billy Joel Sing it." Ouch!! 😬

@seanscanlon9067

3 ай бұрын

There is a video on here from MSG where he sings it for the first time at one of his concerts.

Ok ok I nominate Fil as producer of B.J's next single!

The artist needs you as their coach to save them from themselves.

Thank you for saying unadulterated communication through music. That is exactly what it is.

@dianecourtney2724

3 ай бұрын

I agree 😊

@glamgal7106

3 ай бұрын

Amen to that!

Love this live performance from Billy Joel! Yes, we get the "feel", the emotion.

The official video leads one to think that it's an old song but it really was just released the 1st of this month. It keeps making me cry. I'm 57 years old but still.

@graycat5959

13 күн бұрын

Exactly. I said it in a separate comment, then saw yours. I like the video because I feel like I’m watching him through the years. With some of the clips, it’s an emotional flash back. But I do like his real voice now. Keep going, Billy !

I agree with the person who requested it. This actually is better than the studio version! What an an outstanding, heartfelt performance. Just... WOW! 😲

I've said this before: Billy Joel is unique in that he manages to capture that special something "magic in a bottle" live performance that is so hard for most performers. There are fans who consider some of his live versions as the "standard" rather than the studio versions. I don't really know any other artist like that. It's pretty obvious that Joel has always had a problem with producers. Blame Wexler for this, he's firmly in the camp of being a "modern producer". Which means he breaks out the pitch correction tools even when not needed. But Blame Joel too, because he let it happen.

The power of being made him sound like he did when he was 25 and I was about 20 then

What an astonishing difference with no pitch correction or any other monkey business in editing! Thanks for doing this analysis. This is organic…. this is real. And this type of raw live performance is all but gone now. Pitch correction steals the soul from music. I’ve never been a huge Billy Joel fan, but this was incredible. Great analysis. Well done.

@RonWesterbeek

3 ай бұрын

Great observations Fil, pointing out that honest compassionate art of emotional expression can't be pitch-corrected. When applied anyway the magic truth becomes a lie. ROCK !

@matafiyd

3 ай бұрын

Your loss

His 74 year old natural voice! The fact that he’s still playing MSG twice a month is astonishing! You should watch the performance from the Garden the following week! It’s probably the best version yet! Great video and analysis.👍🏻

So happy to have Billy's voice back in pop music.

@TheNiteinjail

3 ай бұрын

"Give me the live version all day..." 👍

Billy's Voice has Matured for the Better.

I have to say, Fil, that this may have been one of your very best Wings of Pegasus reactions, not only because of your thoughtful analysis of both Billy's LIVE & studio performances, but because you address, with such love & heartfelt conviction, this very real issue that is now plaguing the music industry.

@wingsofpegasus

3 ай бұрын

Thanks!

I love the grittiness and emotion of the live version, perhaps not all notes are “technically” perfect but I felt the sentiment so much more than the studio version. Literally brought tears to my eyes.

In my opinion, the corrected voice in the video sounds much like 1980's Billy Joel around the time of Glass Houses album

Youre right, Losing expression is correct unfortunatrly with A.I.

I remember seeing Billy Joel back in the 1990s at Madison Square Garden. He was so good. I still remember it.

I love live performances so much. To see the artist into their own performance is so satisfying.

He’s an incredible talent. He plays REAL MUSIC. What a great idea.

I've always liked Billy Joel because when he performs, he makes me think of his "Piano Man" start, when he was playing in bars. The live version of this one is the way he would sing it in a bar.

I have never heard this song and instantly got goosebumps. That is all I needed to know it was authentic.

@dondecaire6534

8 күн бұрын

Been a huge fan of Billy Joel for decades and his voice has aged but in the best way possible. His energy is still there but it is more focused and controlled. Such an exceptional talent and it shines through in his live performances.

@dondecaire6534

8 күн бұрын

I was actually devaststed when you played the corrected version , so soulesss. They ruined such a great performance.

Billy Joel's live concerts were always more expressive than the records. He becomes more like a blues singer live. I love this new song.

Billie Eilish also sang What Was I Made For live. accompanied just by her brother Finneas at the Grammys. It was extremely emotional and won song of the year. She is one of the few artists who doesn’t use pitch correction, even the studio release of this song wasn’t pitch corrected. For those who haven’t seen Barbie, it’s the story of a toy who leaves her perfect world to become a human being in the real world. This is a beautifully written song for an amazing, emotional movie. It’s absolutely nothing like I thought it would be.

Great big huge Billy Joel fan here. And now I shall go back and listen to all his old songs again, more carefully, and hope that this was not always a thing.

Joel has one of the best voices in popular music, so they meddle with it(?!)

You sold it for me started on the word “romantic”. It sounded like what romantic means on the live version with the breathy, wistful tone of his voice._

In September I saw Billy Joel at the garden New York City. A friend of mine is good friends with him. She kept telling me you got to go see him you gotta go see it now!!! I’ve seen Billy three time once in the 70s and twice in the 80s. He’s phenomenal. But when I went to see him last September I forgot the breath of his work it was truly staggering and he gave it all in that performance as he always does. His band has always been phenomenal

Brother, I would absolutely love to sit and buy you a brew and just talk music. Your perspective is the most unique I've seen. This song is an absolute work of art, and this performance is so emotional, so expressive...I had tears the first time I heard this. I am already working on this song. I hope I have the chance to play it at some point. But this is the most complete analysis of tonality that I've seen. I"ve been to many concerts where songs have been taking down a step or two...most recent was the Genesis 'The Last Domino!' tour where most of their songs were taken down 2-4 steps because Phil Collins simply couldn't hit the notes he used to. I also recently saw Night Ranger, who only took ONE song down a half-step, much to my amazement. I was a little startled when I heard Billy took this song down a full step from the studio version already. But you explanation makes COMPLETE sense. I've been blessed/cursed with perfect pitch so identifying the notes are easy, but seeing the physical representation of the notes with your illustration was just FASCINATING. THank you for this. If you ever find yourself in Wisconsin, the drinks are on me.

This is a fascinating analysis. Such a world of difference. Fil, thanks for showing us the stark contrasts. Billy Joel’ s voice’s is so unique . It’s his real voice that we have always loved. He’s a wonderful story teller. We needed your comments on artistry!

Billy Joel's is one of those giiants of music. Not many can compare to him, or his music and lyrics. Honesty, You're my Home and Vienna are amazing examples of his immensity. The studio recording is simple cold.

Billy Joel has come back stronger than ever with his first new song in decades. Kudos to him.

As a long time Billy Joel. I totally recognize the voice on the official release! The recorded version sounds much more like his voice from the 70s and 80s. The corrected track gave Billy the ability to release a track with a voice he used to be able to pull off. Also, gotta remember the Billy gave the thumbs up on the release.

Excellent analysis!! Agree with you completely. I hope Billy Joel watches this and knows how much we want to hear HIM singing!

On the assumption the official studio recording and official music video vocals are one and the same, criticism of the studio version against the live performance at the Grammys is unfounded. On the music video, not only do the AI enhanced versions of younger Billy progress to the Billy of today but his voice also progresses from younger to older. I'm not imagining this. When I first heard the song, I cried. I've been a Billy Joel fan since his start in the early 70's, so I'm very well aware of how he sounded back then. The first thing I thought at the start of the song was "OMG! His voice hasn't aged at all!"....until I watched the entire video through to the end where you hear his voice as it is today - more mature but still, unmistakably, Billy.

The studio version is so vanilla, while the concert recording is like a brownie sundae drizzled with hot fudge and caramel with sprinkles of coconut and pecans.

The corrected version took the soul right out of his performance.

This is Fil's best demonstration yet of the evils of pitch manipulation. It should be brought to the attention of all producers and vocalists.

Billy Joel is just that good.

I sadly only listened to the studio version and my impression was that it was fine and then never bothered to listen to this. This is incredible. The story of his emotional pain and the pain he caused is just gone from the studio version.

Billy Joel still sounds great live. Thank you for sharing this insight.

Billy has still got it. Awesome to hear this.

You are spot on Phil. We can only hope they’ll issue a live recording from his tour to hear the Billy we love

When I heard the studio version, it sounded like at one part he was singing the new tune over the piano part of "Always a Woman to Me."

Some people have picked up on an important factor that you're completely missing regarding the official recording, and that is that in the accompanying video, Billy Joel has been cgi'd to look like his younger selves, aging as the song progresses, and the vocals have been corrected to match the visuals. Hearing current Billy Joel's voice coming out of the mouth of 1970s Billy Joel would break the illusion. It's clearly intentional, and I in no way believe they were trying to "fix" his voice. Based on his known feelings about autotune (along with the fiasco of the screwed up master of his very first album), I can't imagine that the "corrections" were done without his knowledge or approval.

One of the greatest songwriters of all time.

It's brilliant because it's raw. He is THE Piano Man.

When do record producers cross the line into criminal behaviour?

Billy says he has never used auto tune and if you have to use it you are in the wrong business. ⭐️🇦🇺

Saw some clips from a recent appearance on Howard Stern, his voice sounded great.

i love this older wiser billy joel. thank you for this.

With the pitch correcting it seems they were trying to make Billy Joel sound more like he did when he was younger, but what they actually achieved was to somehow make him sound more like Robbie Williams.

Billy said on Howard Stern he doesn't and would never use "Autotune"..... but your right the corrected version is pitch corrected. good job thanks

I have seen him live 4 times, over the last 40 years, and he's sounded fantastic every single time. His is a voice that expresses emotion and feeling. It's always been that way. And, considering he's 74 years old, his voice has lasted incredibly well.

I hope the pitch correctors leave Billy's work alone. Especially his "Last Play At Shea." What a fantastic concert that was.

My impression of this live version is that I hear some of the honesty and and expressivness that you get with Leonard Cohen's later music. Even some of the "darkness" for lack of a better word. Not to compare them as artists and I really haven't been following Billy Joel's music for the last two decades. Also in regard to the ascending and movement in the individual notes beeing sung, it reminds me of your videos on Dean Martin & Sinatra and why their singing seems to hold a special magic that is missing from many contemporary recordings!

Pitch correcting is akin to plastic surgery. And it seems like producers watch the music with their eyes rather than use their ears to hear what a true human voice sounds like.

@slbarbieri1725

3 ай бұрын

Great analogy!

He is such a good performer! I’ve seen him in the 70’s, 80’s and want to see him again! He is the Entertainer!🎹🩷

In 1981, Billy released an album titled Songs In The Attic. It showcased live versions of songs from albums released prior to his breakout album, The Stranger. The energy level from the live performances was so much greater in the live versions than in the original studio recordings.

You describe so well the relationship between band and performer.

I am extremely hard of hearing, and I often wondered why I did not lije certain songs/singers. After listening to Fil for so long, I now know it all has to do with pitch correction and how songs are mixed. Thank you, Fil, for all you've taught us. 😊

As a lifelong Billy fan, I can say with some certainty that they made the album cut to sound like he did 40 years ago. (And it does). The problem is that they didn’t embrace Billy’s voice the way that it does now. Billy live - It’s the reason why my favorite album from him is ‘songs in the attic’. His best album and it’s all live.

@CrochetNewsNetwork

3 ай бұрын

EXACTLY

I love both versions

As you say... They should just listen, if something pops out and sounds off, correct that single note.... Everything that sounds good should be just left good 😢