Top 10 Billy Joel Albums

Photo: “Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden” flickr photo by slgckgc https://flickr.com/photos/slgc/24137203612 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

Can you think of many songwriters who have connected with as broad an audience as Billy Joel? We have always put him in rare company with Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and The Beatles. The Beatles continued to build that audience through their later years, while Paul McCartney created an extraordinary second chapter with Wings and a long solo career. Our personal favorite has always been Elton John, and we have spent plenty of time celebrating his albums too. Still, there is something unusual about the way Billy Joel songs continue to move so easily between generations.

Obviously, not everyone loves the same artists, but Billy Joel covers an enormous amount of ground because he did not simply write great singles. He made entire albums filled with songs that fans still argue about, rediscover, and pass along. Each record has its own personality, from the California years through the New York comeback, the jazz colors of 52nd Street, the harder rock of Glass Houses, and the ambition of The Nylon Curtain. His 2024 single “Turn the Lights Back On” proved he could still surprise listeners, but River of Dreams remains his final studio album of original pop songs. Ranking these records is almost impossible, which is exactly why it is fun. Here are our Top 10 Billy Joel albums.

# 10 – River of Dreams

Released August 10, 1993

Billy Joel’s River of Dreams was released on August 10, 1993, and remains his final studio album built around original pop songs. Danny Kortchmar produced the record with Joel, surrounding him with players including Steve Jordan, T-Bone Wolk, Tommy Byrnes, Jeff Jacobs, and Crystal Taliefero. Christie Brinkley created the striking cover painting, which fits the album’s spiritual and dreamlike atmosphere perfectly. “The River of Dreams” reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, while “All About Soul” and “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” gave the album two more enduring songs. The album and its title track received major Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year recognition. It feels like a fitting closing chapter to the long studio-album run that made Joel one of the defining singer-songwriters of his generation.

CD Track Listings:

“No Man’s Land” – 4:45
“The Great Wall of China” – 5:45
“Blonde Over Blue” – 4:55
“A Minor Variation” – 5:36
“Shades of Grey” – 4:10
“All About Soul” – 5:59
“Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” – 3:34
“The River of Dreams” – 4:05
“Two Thousand Years” – 5:20
“Famous Last Words” – 4:57

# 9 – An Innocent Man

Released August 8, 1983

Billy Joel’s An Innocent Man was his love letter to the music he grew up hearing on New York radio. The record moves through echoes of artists ranging from The Four Seasons to James Brown, but the songs are strong enough to stand on their own rather than feeling like imitations. Phil Ramone produced the album, which reached number four on the Billboard 200 and earned an Album of the Year Grammy nomination. “Tell Her About It” became a number one hit, “Uptown Girl” reached number three, and “The Longest Time” became one of Joel’s most recognizable vocal showcases. The throwback arrangements also gave his longtime band a chance to sound completely different from the harder rock of the previous few records. What began as tribute music became a collection of Billy Joel classics.

CD Track Listings:

“Easy Money” – 4:04
“An Innocent Man” – 5:18
“The Longest Time” – 3:42
“This Night” – 4:17
“Tell Her About It” – 3:52
“Uptown Girl” – 3:18
“Careless Talk” – 3:48
“Christie Lee” – 3:31
“Leave a Tender Moment Alone” – 3:55
“Keeping the Faith” – 4:39

# 8 – Streetlife Serenade

Released October 11, 1974

Billy Joel’s Streetlife Serenade followed Piano Man in 1974 and captured Joel during the final stretch of his California years. Michael Stewart produced the album at Devonshire Sound Studios in North Hollywood, with Joel pushing his piano playing in more adventurous directions. “Root Beer Rag” remains one of the clearest demonstrations of his instrumental chops, while “The Entertainer” became the album’s best-known single and reached the Top 40. We have always loved “The Great Suburban Showdown,” a darkly funny and melancholy song about going home and realizing you no longer quite belong there. The album also contains two instrumentals, “Root Beer Rag” and “The Mexican Connection,” which give the record a character unlike anything else in his catalog. Streetlife Serenade may not be the obvious Billy Joel album for casual fans, but longtime listeners know how many gems are hiding inside it.

CD Track Listings:

“Streetlife Serenader” – 5:17
“Los Angelenos” – 3:41
“The Great Suburban Showdown” – 3:45
“Root Beer Rag” – 2:59
“Roberta” – 4:32
“The Entertainer” – 3:41
“Last of the Big Time Spenders” – 4:37
“Weekend Song” – 3:31
“Souvenir” – 2:00
“The Mexican Connection” – 3:39

# 7 – Storm Front

Released October 17, 1989

Storm Front arrived in 1989 with Billy Joel looking outward at history, politics, relationships, and a changing world shaped by the final years of the Cold War. It was his first studio album produced with Mick Jones of Foreigner, and the harder-edged sound made it noticeably different from the Phil Ramone records that came before it. “We Didn’t Start the Fire” became Joel’s third number one single and introduced a new generation to Billy Joel’s music through its rapid sweep of twentieth-century history. Songs such as “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’,” “I Go to Extremes,” and “And So It Goes” showed how much more the album offered beyond its biggest hit, while Columbia’s aggressive single strategy recalled the way major labels had worked records such as Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A.. The Storm Front era also produced memorable concert moments later chronicled in our Billy Joel coverage. The record reached number one on the Billboard 200 and continued the commercial run that had made Joel one of the biggest artists in the world. We still love the way Storm Front can move from the noise of public history to the quiet heartbreak of “And So It Goes.”

CD Track Listings:

“That’s Not Her Style” – 5:09
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” – 4:49
“The Downeaster ‘Alexa'” – 3:44
“I Go to Extremes” – 4:23
“Shameless” – 4:26
“Storm Front” – 5:17
“Leningrad” – 4:03
“State of Grace” – 4:30
“When in Rome” – 4:50
“And So It Goes” – 3:38

# 6 – Glass Houses

Released March 12, 1980

Glass Houses was Billy Joel’s answer to a musical world suddenly dominated by punk, new wave, and harder guitar-driven rock. Released on March 12, 1980, the album pulled the piano back just enough to let guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards hit with more physical force than on the jazzier 52nd Street. “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” became Joel’s first Billboard Hot 100 number one, while “You May Be Right” and “Don’t Ask Me Why” became major hits of their own. The album spent six weeks at number one and earned Joel the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male. The contrast with the previous record is astonishing, because Joel changed the surface of his sound without losing the songwriting underneath it. Our favorites have always included “Sometimes a Fantasy” and “All for Leyna,” two songs that capture the album’s restless energy perfectly.

CD Track Listings:

“You May Be Right” – 4:15
“Sometimes a Fantasy” – 3:40
“Don’t Ask Me Why” – 2:59
“It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” – 2:55
“All for Leyna” – 4:15
“I Don’t Want to Be Alone” – 3:57
“Sleeping with the Television On” – 2:59
“C’était Toi (You Were the One)” – 3:25
“Close to the Borderline” – 3:47
“Through the Long Night” – 2:43

Read More: Top 10 Billy Joel Love Songs

# 5 – Piano Man

Released November 9, 1973

Piano Man was Billy Joel’s first Columbia Records album and the record that finally gave his career a firm foundation. The title song is now one of the most beloved songs in popular music and probably one of the most dreaded requests for pianists working restaurants and lounges night after night. Yet its enormous popularity can overshadow how strong the rest of the album is, especially “You’re My Home,” “The Ballad of Billy the Kid,” “Worse Comes to Worst,” and “If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You).” The album reached number twenty-seven on the Billboard chart and gave Joel the audience that would grow dramatically over the next several records. We have always had a special attachment to the closing epic “Captain Jack,” even if Joel himself has joked about the song in later interviews, including appearances connected with Howard Stern. More than fifty years later, Piano Man still sounds like the point where Billy Joel’s voice as a songwriter became impossible to ignore.

CD Track Listings:

“Travelin’ Prayer” – 4:16
“Piano Man” – 5:40
“Ain’t No Crime” – 3:20
“You’re My Home” – 3:14
“The Ballad of Billy the Kid” – 5:35
“Worse Comes to Worst” – 3:12
“Stop in Nevada” – 3:40
“If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)” – 3:35
“Somewhere Along the Line” – 3:19
“Captain Jack” – 7:15

Read More: 10 Most Rocking Billy Joel Songs

# 4 – Turnstiles

Released May 19, 1976

Billy Joel’s Turnstiles is the album hardcore Billy Joel fans often name when they want to make the case for an overlooked masterpiece. Released in 1976 after Joel returned to New York, the self-produced record brought his touring band into the studio and gave the songs a more personal, lived-in sound. “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” “Summer, Highland Falls,” “New York State of Mind,” “Prelude/Angry Young Man,” “I’ve Loved These Days,” and “Miami 2017” would be enough to make almost any album memorable. There are only eight tracks, and there is hardly a wasted second among them. The record was not a major commercial hit when it arrived, but its reputation grew as fans recognized how completely it captured Joel’s return home. Turnstiles also set the stage for the enormous breakthrough that would arrive one album later with The Stranger.

CD Track Listings:

“Say Goodbye to Hollywood” – 4:36
“Summer, Highland Falls” – 3:17
“All You Wanna Do Is Dance” – 3:40
“New York State of Mind” – 6:03
“James” – 3:55
“Prelude/Angry Young Man” – 5:17
“I’ve Loved These Days” – 4:33
“Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)” – 5:12

# 3 – 52nd Street

Released October 12, 1978

Billy Joel’s 52nd Street had the impossible job of following The Stranger, and Billy Joel answered the pressure with one of the most sophisticated albums he ever made. Released in 1978, the record leaned into the jazz history associated with Manhattan’s 52nd Street without abandoning the pop songwriting that had made him a star. “Big Shot,” “Honesty,” “My Life,” and “Zanzibar” form an extraordinary opening run, while Freddie Hubbard’s trumpet on “Zanzibar” gives the album a genuine jazz pedigree. The record became Joel’s first number one album and won Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. We still think the playing across this record represents the highest overall level of musicianship on any Billy Joel studio album. Instead of copying The Stranger, Joel and Phil Ramone expanded the sound and made something just as distinctive.

CD Track Listings:

“Big Shot” – 4:03
“Honesty” – 3:53
“My Life” – 4:44
“Zanzibar” – 5:13
“Stiletto” – 4:42
“Rosalinda’s Eyes” – 4:41
“Half a Mile Away” – 4:08
“Until the Night” – 6:36
“52nd Street” – 2:27

Read More: Top 10 Billy Joel Album Covers

# 2 – The Nylon Curtain

Released September 23, 1982

Billy Joel pushed harder for artistic ambition on The Nylon Curtain than on almost any other album in his catalog. The layered production, studio experimentation, and melodic detail invite the Beatles comparisons that have followed the record for decades, while we have always heard some of the same artistic leap that Elton John made on Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. “Allentown,” “Pressure,” and “Goodnight Saigon” gave the record its best-known songs, but the deeper tracks are a huge reason we rank it this high. “Laura,” “She’s Right on Time,” “A Room of Our Own,” “Scandinavian Skies,” and “Where’s the Orchestra?” reveal just how far Joel was willing to push arrangements, subject matter, and structure. The album received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, confirming that its ambition was recognized immediately even though it was less commercially straightforward than some of his surrounding records. For us, The Nylon Curtain is Billy Joel at his most artistic.

CD Track Listings:

“Allentown” – 3:52
“Laura” – 5:05
“Pressure” – 4:41
“Goodnight Saigon” – 7:05
“She’s Right on Time” – 4:14
“A Room of Our Own” – 4:04
“Surprises” – 3:26
“Scandinavian Skies” – 6:00
“Where’s the Orchestra?” – 3:17

# 1 – The Stranger

Released September 29, 1977

The Stranger is still the most obvious choice for number one, and it remains difficult to argue against it as Billy Joel’s greatest album. Released in 1977, it was Joel’s first collaboration with Phil Ramone and the record that elevated him to international superstardom. The Stranger reached number two on the Billboard 200, became Columbia Records’ biggest-selling album of its era, and eventually earned Diamond certification in the United States. “Just the Way You Are” won Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, but the deeper miracle is how many album tracks became standards for later generations. “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” “Vienna,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “She’s Always a Woman,” and our personal favorite “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” are now every bit as central to Joel’s legacy as the original singles. That depth is why The Stranger stands at number one on our Top 10 Billy Joel Albums list.

CD Track Listings: