Streetlife Serenade

Streetlife Serenade
Studio album by Billy Joel
Released	October 11, 1974
Recorded	1974, Devonshire Sound, North Hollywood, CA
Genre	Rock
Length	37:41
Label	Family Productions/Columbia
Producer	Michael Stewart
Billy Joel chronology
Piano Man (1973) Streetlife Serenade (1974) Turnstiles (1976)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	(C)
Rolling Stone	(Not Rated)

Streetlife Serenade is Billy Joel's third album, and his second with Columbia Records.

Streetlife Serenade was released in 1974 (see 1974 in music), after the hit songs "Piano Man" and "Captain Jack" from the album Piano Man. The album did not enjoy the financial success of its predecessor, and marked the beginning of Joel's frosty relationship with music critics and the music industry in general. In the song "The Entertainer", Joel mocks the callousness of executives who care little about a musician's artistry or even feelings (even references the fact that many radio stations at the time would only play a severely radio edited version of "Piano Man"):

"I am the entertainer, I've come to do my show/You've heard my latest record spin on the radio/Ah, it took me years to write it, they were the best years of my life/It was a beautiful song but it ran too long/If you're gonna have a hit you gotta make it fit/So they cut it down to 3:05"

"The Entertainer" reached #34 on the US Singles Chart.

The album contains two songs that featured in many of Joel's live shows. He would regularly open the program with "The Mexican Connection" (One of the album's two instrumentals; "Root Beer Rag" was the other) and finish with the short piano-only (and encore ready) ballad "Souvenir."

Track listing

All songs by Billy Joel.

1. "Streetlife Serenader" – 5:17
2. "Los Angelenos" – 3:41
3. "The Great Suburban Showdown" – 3:44
4. "Root Beer Rag" (Instrumental) – 2:59
5. "Roberta" – 4:32
6. "The Entertainer" – 3:48
7. "Last of the Big Time Spenders" – 4:34
8. "Weekend Song" – 3:29
9. "Souvenir" – 2:00
10. "The Mexican Connection" (Instrumental) – 3:37

Personnel

• Billy Joel – harmonica, keyboards, Vocals, Moog synthesizer
• Richard Bennett – guitar
• Joe Clayton – conductor, conga
• Gary Dalton – guitar
• Mike Deasey – guitar
• Don Evans – guitar
• Wilton Felder – bass, keyboards
• Emory Gordy, Jr. – bass
• Al Hertzberg – guitar
• Larry Knechtel – bass
• Art Munson – guitar
• Raj Rathor – guitar
• William Smith – organ
• Michael Stewart– guitar
• Ronnie Tutt – drums
• Tom Whitehorse – banjo, pedal steel

Production

• Producer: Michael Stewart
• Engineer: Ron Malo
• Digital remastering: Joseph M. Palmaccio. Erroneously credited to Ted Jensen
• Arrangers: Michael Stewart, Billy Joel
• Tape research: John Naatjes
• Art direction: Ron Coro
• Design: Ron Coro
• Photography: Peter Cunningham, Jim Marshall

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1974	US Billboard Pop Albums	35

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1975	"The Entertainer"	Pop Singles	34