The Nylon Curtain
Billy Joel’s 8th Studio Album
“The Nylon Curtain,” was released in 1982 and is Billy Joel’s eighth studio album. The album had some hits like “Allentown,” “Pressure,” and “Goodnight Saigon.”
This album was very different from older albums as his albums changed from being more songs of life to more understanding and a shift towards social commentary and deep story telling.
This album addresses themes such as the economic decline of Middle America, spotlighting the struggles in post-industrial America in “Allentown,” and portraying the experiences of Vietnam War veterans in “Goodnight Saigon.” The music was turning more complicated but the themes were also changing.
The Album& Production
The album’s production does not disappoint and becomes more deep and evident on vinyl over any other media and even more detailed on a Japan Vinyl. It has that New York Voice That becomes more intertwined with the music than ever before.
It is more intricate in the soundstage with clever construction to suit the point that is being made in large choirs to helicopters to much sharper precise notes.
I have heard that they used digital recording on this album to enhance clarity and fidelity. This theoretically helped for a polished sound which analague recording had certain issues with. This album was produced by one of the best – Phil Ramone .
Due to this collaboration of Billy Joel & Phil Ramone this became a changing album which had ambitious ideas that did work.
The Sound Of The Vinyl
This albums clarity and placement is one of the best stereo examples out there from the 80’s. It is professional in all areas and the sound is true, organic and never overly digital. Personally not my favourite Billy Joel album but it balances story telling and music in a complex yet emotional journey.
His voice sounds terrific from the New Yorker accent to the section of high pronunciation of clarity that Billy Joel has. It is all perfectly arranged.
The Music is set on a beautiful soundstage which is big but every low note and high note and mid section has it’s place and nothing is lost in high treble or to low bass.
The thing that this Album has more than other Billy Joel albums is that you can hear a bit more pain, hurt and anger in his voice that you sort of do not get in other albums and I am not sure if the clarity is slightly different which allowed this to happen as you could feel it before on other pressings but now you can hear it a bit more. It has a bigger depth of feeling and fight in the album.
Another great thing about this album is no two songs sound remotely the same. This allows great variation and show of talent.
One issue I have with the album is it is a complex album so it does not fit into easy listening but it does fit into great music that makes you listen and feel. This is not the album for party night.
The Japan Vinyl
This album is from japan and Japan takes music very seriously so their recordings are more precise and of a higher quality than on any other form of media.
Would This Album Have Been Better If Recorded On Analogue Only
I do not think so. This was an ambitious idea and a change so if it was all analogue you would have had a different album which may have been a little more organic but you may have missed certain structures that made this album this album. This album is like a time piece of experiencing the 80s no matter if you were born before, during or after the 80s. With just analogue recording this album may have not been as distinctive or hard hitting. Certain notes on this album are achieved due to it having this digital section. Also to put this into perspective I love analogue sound.
Would I Recommend This Album To Just Anyone & Not A Billy Joel Fan
If someone said I want to understand sound, soundstage and placement this would be one of the albums I would go to or if you want an album that is the complex section of 80s music.
If you are just starting out in Vinyl and you just want to collect vinyls, this album may not be the one as it is complex and you will understand it when you start to feel vinyl and that normally comes from not impressing someone but by buying albums you love or connect with.
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