Storm Front (album)

Storm Front
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
Genre	Rock
Length	44:34
Label	Columbia
Producer	Mick Jones, Billy Joel
Billy Joel chronology
Концерт (1987)Концерт1987 Storm Front (1989) River of Dreams (1993)River of Dreams1993
Singles from Storm Front
"We Didn't Start the Fire" Released: 1989 "Leningrad" Released: 1989 "I Go to Extremes" Released: 1989 "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" Released: April 1990 "That's Not Her Style" Released: July 1990 "And So It Goes" Released: October 1990

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Deseret News	(Positive)
The Los Angeles Times
The New York Times	(Positive)
People	(Not favorable)
Robert Christgau	B
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.

Track listing

All songs written by Billy Joel.

Side One

1. "That's Not Her Style" – 5:10
2. "We Didn't Start the Fire" – 4:50
3. "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" – 3:44
4. "I Go to Extremes" – 4:23
5. "Shameless" – 4:26

Side Two

1. "Storm Front" – 5:17
2. "Leningrad" – 4:06
3. "State of Grace" – 4:30
4. "When in Rome" – 4:44
5. "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
1990	"We Didn't Start the Fire"	Song of the Year	Nominated
		Record of the Year	Nominated
		Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male	Nominated
1991	Storm Front	Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male	Nominated
	Storm Front (produced by Billy Joel and Mick Jones)	Producer of the Year (Non-Classical)	Nominated

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (1989–90)	Position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart	1
United States Billboard 200	1
Canadian RPM Albums Chart	4
UK Albums Chart	5
German Media Control Albums Chart	5
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart	8
Belgian Albums Chart	9
New Zealand Albums Chart	9
Austrian Albums Chart	10
European Albums Chart	13
Dutch Mega Albums Chart	14
Swiss Albums Chart	30
Finnish Albums Chart	33

Year-end charts

Chart (1989)	Position
Australian Albums Chart	41
UK Albums Chart	73
Chart (1990)	Position
Canadian Albums Chart	29
Dutch Albums Chart	67
German Albums Chart	4
U.S. Billboard Year-end	10

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)	Platinum	70,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)	Gold	25,000
Canada (Music Canada)	2× Platinum	200,000
Germany (BVMI)	Platinum	500,000
Japan (RIAJ)	Platinum	110,000
Netherlands (NVPI)	Gold	50,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)	Gold	7,500
United Kingdom (BPI)	Platinum	300,000
United States (RIAA)	4× Platinum	4,000,000
^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Preceded by Girl You Know It's True by Milli Vanilli	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	ARIA Charts number-one album November 6, 1989 – November 19, 1989	Succeeded by Heart of Stone by Cher