Billy Joel has announced a 50th-anniversary edition of Turnstiles, his fourth studio album, featuring 54 previously unreleased tracks. The reissue is due 12/11 on Legacy, according to the report this article draws on.
About the album
Turnstiles came out in May 1976 and included “New York State Of Mind” and “Say Goodbye To Hollywood.” It helped set up Joel’s commercial breakthrough with The Stranger a year later. The album’s name has also been picked up by a Joel cover band, Turnstiles, which recently played shows with Vampire Weekend.
What’s in the box
The set includes four CDs and a Blu-ray. Among its contents is the Billy Joel Tonight concert film, shot at Connecticut College in 1976, along with a live-album version of that performance. It also has another live set recorded at New York’s Bottom Line, plus demos, outtakes and early versions of songs.
One track, “Oklahoma,” will be released for the first time. David Fricke and John Jackson, the Billy Joel Archive Director, wrote the liner notes.
To promote the reissue, Joel shared a full-band demo of “James” and a long behind-the-scenes clip filmed during his trip to record Billy Joel Tonight.
Motorcycle auction and health
Separately, Joel announced a day earlier that he is selling his motorcycles. His Oyster Bay shop, 20th Century Cycles, closed last fall, and Christie’s now has his collection up for auction.
Joel recently had brain surgery. He made his first onstage appearance afterward when he joined the Turnstiles cover band at a Florida show earlier this year. He also discussed his health issues a few weeks ago on his SiriusXM show.
Source: stereogum.com
Image: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden by slgckgc / CC BY 2.0
