Turnstiles＜完全生産限定盤＞

1976年作品 ビリー・ジョエル自らがプロデュースした4thアルバム『Turnstiles』(ニューヨーク物語)を最新リマスター音源でアナログ盤発売

1976年作品。初めてホームタウンであるニューヨークで録音、ビリー自らがプロデュースした4作目となるアルバム。
原題の『Turnstiles』とはNYの地下鉄で見られる回転式の改札口の事。アルバム・ジャケットにも描かれていますが、このNYの地下鉄の改札を通っていく様々な人達の人生模様を描いた作品です。怒れる若者、大都会を抜け出し旅に出ようとしている人、ガリ勉の青年、人生の終りに近づきつつある老人など、一人一人の人間像を描き、ソングライティングはより深さを増しています。実際にLAを離れた彼がオープニングにしたのは「さよならハリウッド」、NYへの愛情や郷愁が詰まった「ニューヨークの想い」などの名曲が並んでいます。ビリー自身最も気に入っているアルバムであり、ファンの間でも名盤の誉れ高き完成度の高いアルバム。
尚、後に「さよならハリウッド」は『ソングス・イン・ジ・アティック』に収録、シングル・カットされましたが、全米17位まで上昇し代表曲の一つになりました。2021年最新リマスター音源でアナログ盤発売。

There's a reason Turnstiles begins with the Spector-esque epic "Say Goodbye to Hollywood." Shortly after Streetlife Serenade, Joel ditched California -- and, by implication, sensitive Californian soft rock from sensitive singer/songwriters -- for his hometown of New York. "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" was a celebration of his move, a repudiation of his past, a fanfare for a new beginning, which is exactly what Turnstiles was. He still was a singer/songwriter -- indeed, "Summer, Highland Falls" was his best ballad to date, possibly his best ever -- but he decided to run with his musical talents, turning the record into a whirlwind tour of pop styles, from Sinatra to Springsteen. There's little question that the cinematic sprawl of Born to Run had an effect on Turnstiles, since it has a similar widescreen feel, even if it clocks in at only eight songs. The key to the record's success is variety, the way the album whips from the bouncy, McCartney-esque "All You Wanna Do Is Dance" to the saloon song "New York State of Mind"; the way the bitterly cynical "Angry Young Man" gives way to the beautiful "I've Loved These Days" and the surrealistic apocalyptic fantasy "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)." No matter how much stylistic ground Joel covers, he's kept on track by his backing group. He fought to have his touring band support him on Turnstiles, going to the lengths of firing his original producer, and it was clearly the right move, since they lend the album a cohesive feel. Turnstiles may not have been a hit, but it remains one of his most accomplished and satisfying records, clearly paving the way to his twin peaks of the late '70s, The Stranger and 52nd Street. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine