It is said that struggle makes the best art, and that is hard to argue. A battle against impossibilities, internal and external challenges, all while retaining the ability to remain motivated, has broken many individuals’ will. Fortunately for Billy Joel, he turned his frustrations into one of the most successful music careers in the 1970s and 1980s.
A story of a working-class guy out of Hicksville, Long Island, Joel had an innate sense for songwriting, and when you put him in front of a piano, magic almost always ensued. First debuting in 1971 with the album Cold Spring Harbor, it would turn out to be a false start, particularly because of a mastering error that sped up the recording, making Joel sound unnaturally high. An absolute nightmare for any musician, he bounced back nicely in 1973 with the successful album Piano Man (featuring the epic title track), 1974’s Streetlife Serenade (including favorites like “The Entertainer”), and 1976’s Turnstiles (which featured “New York State of Mind”). All robust records that peaked in the charts; it would not be until 1977’s The Stranger (which featured a string of hits) that he would earn his rightful place as an international star.
A turning point for the singer-songwriter, 1978’s 52nd Street became another hit, as did 1980’s Glass Houses, leading him into the new decade still connecting in a big way with audiences. Remaining prolific, his eighth album, The Nylon Curtain, arrived in September 1982, and it was arguably one of his most ambitious yet. Sonically flawless (with the award-winning Phil Ramone handling the production), it reached Number 7 on the Billboard Album Charts, went platinum by December 1982 (before reaching double platinum in 1994), and earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year in 1983. A testament to Joel’s yearning to pour himself into his songs and continue to grow, much of his emotion was on display in live performances.
Famously known as an outstanding performer with his longtime band of Drummer Liberty DeVitto, Bassist Doug Stegmeyer, and Guitarist David Brown, the tour in support of The Nylon Curtain kicked off almost immediately after the album’s release, and was one of the ages. Taking place from late October to the end of December 1982, it stopped in many locations across the USA, but perhaps none more exciting than at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. A show that took place on just four days after Christmas on the unusually warm winter’s night of December 29, 1982, a sold-out crowd shuffled into the home of defending Stanley Cup Champions, the New York Islanders, to rock out with Billy Joel.
A performance in front of Billy Joel’s beloved home crowd on Long Island, the night of music was recorded for an HBO special, released on the cable network in July 1983 under the title Live From Long Island, before arriving on VHS shortly thereafter. Full of energy, this show will go down as one of Joel’s best, but the irony is that, besides the concert film, it was never released in any audio format. However, in 2023, this changed when it arrived as part of an 11-LP deluxe vinyl box set called The Vinyl Collection Vol. 2, to many excited fans. At this point, still available but probably hard to come by since it was a limited-edition release, now in 2025, on Black Friday Record Store Day (November 29, 2025), there is a unique opportunity to pick it up as a standalone 3-LP set from Legacy Records.
Hitting record stores just in time for the holiday season, the three-LP is a near-flawless audio documentation of a set that Joel fans will adore time and time again. As mentioned, at the end of The Nylon Curtain Tour, it includes some of the album’s most beloved tracks like “Allentown” and “Pressure,” as well as the heart-tugging “Goodnight Saigon,” and the beautiful “Scandinavian Skies.” Joining these, there was also a balanced offering of other Joel favorites, including “My Life,” “Piano Man,” and stunning renditions of “She’s Always A Woman,” and “Just The Way You Are.” However, you cannot overlook the seldom-heard live sleeper hit “Sometimes A Fantasy” as well.
Altogether, it is a massive set list filled with personality, lively performances, and so much more. Split into three records for this standalone release, the 2022 mix by Producer Brian Ruggles is pristine, making the listening experience that much more enjoyable. A recommended live album for Billy Joel fans and vinyl collectors alike, Cryptic Rock gives the 2025 Black Friday Eclsuive release of Live From Long Island 5 out of 5 stars.
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