Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast

If you’ve gone to one of Billy Joel’s Madison Square Garden residency shows, saw one of his concerts near your hometown, or picked up any of his reissues or box sets over the past decade plus, then you’re familiar with the work of Edward O’Dowd.

Since 2008, the graphic designer and art director has created the iconic logos Billy uses for tour dates, show announcements, and album covers. He’s responsible for the “live” logo where photos of Billy are in the letters of his name as well as tour books and the Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden logo.

On record, he was instrumental in creating the Bridge to Russia cover and design as well as the Stranger and Piano Man box set concepts and designs. Most recently, he designed the booklet that accompanies the Vinyl Collection Volume One and carefully recreated each album’s original artwork and liner notes.

For this episode, we spoke with Edward O’Dowd about how he came to work with Billy. And the stories behind both creating new imagery for Joel’s work and recreating the classics.

O’Dowd tells us about the craft behind his work, the inspiration for the designs, and the state of the music industry in general. The conversation also celebrates the life of the late Jeff Schock, an important figure in Billy’s camp and with whom O’Dowd was close on both personal and professional levels.

Join us, as we dive deep into the man behind Billy Joel’s newest t-shirts, album covers, tour books, and more.

------

Email us: [email protected]

Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:

• Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
  
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod

Support the podcast:

• Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
• Venmo: @MGrosvenor

Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whoever said, “You can’t judge a book by its cover” never had to design the front of a rock and roll album. Before the internet put all the music in the world at everyone’s fingertips, that front cover first served as a siren call to anyone browsing in a record store.

Then, when you sat down and listened to the songs while checking out the artwork and liner notes, that image had to complement and enhance what you were hearing.

The best album covers worked hand-in-hand with the music to bring each fan a full, exuberant, multi-sensory experience. The worst, well, the songs better be great.

Billy Joel was no exception to this rule. And, like the songs underneath them, each album cover was distinctly different from the ones before and after it.

For this episode, we’re diving only skin-deep into 15 of Billy’s albums. This time around, the subject is only their covers: Which ones were great, which ones were so-so, and which were flops.

Join us as we rank the artwork of Billy Joel’s most significant records.

------

Email us: [email protected]

Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:

• Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
  
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod

Support the podcast:

• Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
• Venmo: @MGrosvenor

Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1989 was a high water mark for Billy Joel’s career. He released another chart-topping album, Storm Front, and its number-one hit “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

That single also found a home in history classrooms around the United States - a feat fitting for someone who once aspired to be a teacher.

But the events that preceded its fall release foreshadowed the chorus of the title track from Billy’s 11th studio album. Specifically, the line, “There’s a Storm Front coming.”

The year started quietly, with Billy slowly returning to the limelight in broadcast news features, master classes, and guest spots aimed toward children around his daughter’s age.

But before Storm Front’s release, Billy would discover a betrayal that would shake up his inner circle and could potentially leave him bankrupt.

Join us as we dig deep into the high tides and murky waters of Billy Joel in 1989.

------

Email us: [email protected]

Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:

• Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
  
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
• Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T

Support the podcast:

• Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
• Venmo: @MGrosvenor

Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here at Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast, we’re not just Billy Joel fans. We’re also fans of other podcasts.

Since setting up shop in early 2020, we’ve connected with other podcasters with shows about music. Some of them have had us on as guests, and now we’re happy to return the favor.

For our second roundtable episode, we’re speaking with three podcasters who are also Billy Joel fans. They’re Stephanie Myers from Stephanie & Stephanie Talk Tunes, Bob Nebel of Tales From the Corners, and Brian Colburn of Playlist Wars, and who recently launched his new podcast, My Weekly Mixtape.

Join us as we dig deep not only into the music and our memories of Billy Joel, but also the craft of podcasting.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE EXTENDED ROUNDTABLE CONVERSATION

------

Email us: [email protected]

Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:

• Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
  
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
• Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T

Support the podcast:

• Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
• Venmo: @MGrosvenor

Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before Billy Joel was a household name, and before he was even a solo recording artist or known as a piano player, he released his first album on United Artists Records in 1967.

That album was The Hassles, by the band of the same name. Billy, still a teenager, wasn’t in the spotlight. Rather, he was the organ player who contributed a few original songs and vocals.

For this album episode, we’re reviewing the deluxe re-release from 1992. It contains the entire first album, plus 8 additional bonus tracks of b-sides, demos and alternate takes.

This generous serving of blue-eyed-soul and Long Island rock and roll provides Billy’s first step into the music industry at large. And, it reveals a few germs of the melodic instincts, arrangement styles, and vocal prowess that Billy would cultivate into his signature sound just a few years later.

Join us as we dig deep into The Hassles’ self-titled debut album.

------

Email us: [email protected]

Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media:

• Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/
  
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod
• Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T

Support the podcast:

• Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod
• Venmo: @MGrosvenor

Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing