Storm Front (album)
Storm Front | ||||
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Studio album by Billy Joel | ||||
Released | October 17, 1989 | |||
Recorded | The Hit Factory Times Square Studio, New York, NY Right Track Recording, New York, NY The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver, British Columbia The Power Station, New York, NY Spring-Summer, 1988-1989 |
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Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 44:34 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Mick Jones, Billy Joel | |||
Billy Joel chronology | ||||
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Singles from Storm Front | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Deseret News | (Positive)[2] |
The Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The New York Times | (Positive)[4] |
People | (Not favorable)[5] |
Robert Christgau | B [6] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Storm Front is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on October 17, 1989. It features one of Joel's three #1 hits, "We Didn't Start the Fire", a fast-paced song that cataloged a list of historical events, trends, and cultural icons from after World War II (when Joel was born) until 1989, and "Leningrad", a story-song about a friendship between an American and a Russian during the final years of the Cold War.
"I Go to Extremes", a song describing the ups and downs of his emotional life, placed at #6. Other songs that placed in the top 100 were "And So It Goes" (#37), "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" (#57), and "That's Not Her Style" (#77). The cover depicts a storm warning flag.
Contents
Track listing
All songs written by Billy Joel.
Side One
- "That's Not Her Style" – 5:10
- "We Didn't Start the Fire" – 4:50
- "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" – 3:44
- "I Go to Extremes" – 4:23
- "Shameless" – 4:26
Side Two
- "Storm Front" – 5:17
- "Leningrad" – 4:06
- "State of Grace" – 4:30
- "When in Rome" – 4:44
- "And So It Goes" – 3:38
Cover versions
- In 1991, Garth Brooks recorded "Shameless" on his album Ropin' the Wind. Brooks' cover version was also released as a single and reached the top of the U.S. country charts, and also entered the UK Singles Chart.
- Paul Anka covered "I Go to Extremes" on his 2007 album Classic Songs, My Way.
- Jennifer Warnes covered "And So It Goes" for her 2001 album The Well.
Production
- Produced by Billy Joel and Mick Jones
- Mixed by Tom Lord-Alge and Jay Healy
- Engineered by Dana Becker, Tim Crich, Jay Healy, Suzanne Hollander, Joe Pirrera and Gary Solomon
- Mastered by Ted Jensen
Band personnel
Storm Front marked a radical change in Joel's backing band. Since his last studio album (The Bridge), both Russell Javors and Doug Stegmeyer, long-time members of Joel's band, were discharged from their respective duties as rhythm guitarist and bass guitarist. Javors was replaced with Joey Hunting for the record and by Tommy Byrnes on tour while Stegmeyer was replaced by Schuyler Deale. Band regulars Liberty DeVitto, David Brown and Mark Rivera were retained. Joel also hired the percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Crystal Taliefero beginning with this album.
- Billy Joel: vocals, acoustic piano, clavinet, accordion, Hammond organ, harpsichord, synthesizers, percussion
- Liberty DeVitto: drums, percussion
- David Brown: lead guitar, Midi guitar solo on Storm Front
- Joey Hunting: rhythm guitar
- Crystal Taliefero: percussion
- Schuyler Deale: bass guitar
- Jeff Jacobs: synthesizers, horn arrangements
Additional personnel
- Don Brooks: harmonica
- Mick Jones: guitar on "Storm Front", guitar solo on "State of Grace"
- John Mahoney: keyboards, keyboard programming
- Sammy Merendino: electronic percussion
- Kevin Jones: keyboard programming
- Doug Kleeger: sounds effects
- Dominic Cortese: accordion
- Itzhak Perlman: violin on "The Downeaster 'Alexa'"
- Lenny Pickett: saxophone
- Andrew Love, Wayne Jackson: The Memphis Horns
- Bill Zampino: choral arrangement
- Chuck Arnold: choral leader
- Arif Mardin: orchestral arrangement
- Background vocals: Billy Joel, Mick Jones, Richard Marx on "Storm Front" and "That's Not Her Style", Crystal Taliefero, Jeff Jacobs, Patricia Darcy-Jones, Frank Floyd, Brian Ruggles, Joe Lynn Turner, Ian Lloyd, Brenda White King, Curtis King
Accolades
Grammy Awards
Year | Recipient/Nominated work | Award | Result |
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1990 | "We Didn't Start the Fire" | Song of the Year[8] | Nominated |
Record of the Year[8] | Nominated | ||
Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male[8] | Nominated | ||
1991 | Storm Front | Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male[9] | Nominated |
Storm Front (produced by Billy Joel and Mick Jones) | Producer of the Year (Non-Classical)[10] | Nominated |
Charts
Peak positions |
Year-end charts
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Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
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Australia (ARIA)[30] | Platinum | 70,000 |
Austria (IFPI Austria)[31] | Gold | 25,000 |
Canada (Music Canada)[32] | 2× Platinum | 200,000 |
Germany (BVMI)[33] | Platinum | 500,000 |
Japan (RIAJ)[34] | Platinum | 110,000[35][36] |
Netherlands (NVPI)[37] | Gold | 50,000[38] |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[39] | Gold | 7,500 |
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] | Platinum | 300,000 |
United States (RIAA)[41] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000 |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
Preceded by | Billboard 200 number-one album December 16–22, 1989 |
Succeeded by Girl You Know It's True by Milli Vanilli |
Preceded by
Warragul by John Williamson
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ARIA Charts number-one album November 6, 1989 – November 19, 1989 |
Succeeded by Heart of Stone by Cher |
References
- ↑ Storm Front at AllMusic
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- ↑ Christgau, Robert. Consumer Guide Reviews: Billy Joel. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
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- ↑ Allmusic - Storm Front > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
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- ↑ http://books.google.co.uk/books?lr=&rview=1&id=bSQEAAAAMBAJ&q=billy+joel#v=snippet&q=billy%20joel&f=false
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ http://books.google.ca/books?id=bCgEAAAAMBAJ&lr=&rview=1%7Ctitle=Hits of the World - Eurochart|work=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|date=17 March 1990
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.Note: User needs to enter "Billy Joel" in the "Artiest" field and click below "zoek" button.
- ↑ THE FIELD id (chart number) MUST BE PROVIDED for NEW ZEALAND CERTIFICATION.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Storm Front in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- Cite certification used with missing parameters
- Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters
- Certification Table Entry usages for Australia
- Certification Table Entry usages for Austria
- Certification Table Entry usages for Canada
- Certification Table Entry usages for Germany
- Certification Table Entry usages for Japan
- Certification Table Entry usages for Netherlands
- Certification Table Entry usages for New Zealand
- Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom
- Certification Table Entry usages for United States
- Billy Joel albums
- 1989 albums
- Albums produced by Mick Jones (Foreigner)
- Columbia Records albums
- English-language albums