Rocktrospectiva: The Intense And Succesful "Storm Front" Turns 35

 

Released on 23 October 1989, "Storm Front" was the 11th., studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, the album features the hit "We Didn't Start The Fire" the song peaked at No. 1 notable for being a fast-paced song that cataloged a list of historical events, trends, and cultural icons from 1949 (when Joel was born) until 1989. The album spawned six singles " We Didn't Start The Fire", "Leningrad", "I Go To Extremes", "The Downeaster Alexa", "That's Not Her Style", "And So It Goes" and "Shameless" the first single prompted the album to reach No. 1 on Billboard 200. 

 

It was 1989, and it had been three years since Joel had released a record "The Bridge", it wasn't a hig one but sold reasonably, prompting Joel to play for the first time in the Soviet Union, but then the live album "Kohuept" was a sort of slip, also he was struggling with his manager Frank Weber who betrayed him by stolen millions from him, so Billy decide to sued him. Apparently things got wrong for Joel, but he move forward, and did a big step with "Storm Front". 

 

His comeback was so strong that put three top 40 hits inmediately, the epic "We Didn't Start The Fire" went straight to No. 1 and the video had a heavy rotation on the MTV, but things don't stop there, "I Go To Extremes" about the ups and downs of his life back then reached the No. 6 and "So It Goes" was No. 37, the album had a harder, bluesier edge than The Bridge.

 

This was because Billy worked with a new producer, Mick Jones and replaced some members of his band (Doug Stegmeyer and Russell Javors) with new musicians including bassist Schuyler Deale and talented multi-instrumentalists Crystal Taliefero and Mindy Jostyn (for a brief period on tour, followed by Tommy Byrnes on guitar).  Drummer Liberty DeVitto remained in the band, and guitarist David Brown apparently rejoined to record Storm Front.  These changes helped give Billy and his music a new perspective and sound. 

 

In a perspective way, it was Billy's return to the blue-eyed soul and rock that he used to play with his 60s bands like the The Lost Souls and then The Commandos and The Hassles, track such as "That's Not Her Style", "When In Rome", "I Go To Extremes", & the title-album track "Storm Front" we're clearly a reminiscence of that, and the you have the political and social issues in themes like "Leningrad" & "The Downeaster 'Alexa", and the tender "And So It Goes", but definitely the big one "We Didn't Start The Fire" was something apart, reaching the No. 1 it was something like a white man's rap with the lyrics telling a simply string of notable events and figures from the past four decades, this really caught the attention of many people in schools and universities because the historical facts, something Billy really enjoyed because he told many times that if he wouldn't be a musician then he would be a history teacher. 

Storm Front was not a fully return to Billy Joel's days as a singer-songwriter, many old fans dissapointed about this, but it doesn't matter because in the process Billy earned new ones, maybe the songs wasn't strong enough as in their previous albums but there is something we have to thank Billy, and that's because he always tried to do something different, never repeating the same formula whether was succesful or not. Th album and the single "We Didn't Start The Fire" both reached the No. 1 on the charts in 1989 and earned five Grammy nominations when this achievement meant something.

Storm Front Track List: 

 

1. That's Not Her Style

2. We Didn't Start The Fire

3. The Downeaster 'Alexa

4. I Go To Extremes

5. Shameless

6. Storm Front

7. Leningrad

8. State Of Grace