Cold Spring Harbor (album)
Encyclopedia
Cold Spring Harbor was Billy Joel
's first solo album, and was released in 1971
. He had already released several albums as a member of the bands The Hassles
(1966 to 1969) and Attila (1970). Cold Spring Harbor represented Joel's first solo effort.
Artie Ripp, owner of Family Productions and hence the owner of the original master tapes, re-mixed and re-released an updated version of the album in 1983
on Columbia Records
, without any involvement by Billy Joel. Ripp had originally signed the then-unknown 22-year old Joel to a 10-record contract. As a result he was able to continue collecting large royalties on sales of Joel's biggest hit records long after Joel's acrimonious departure from Family Productions, despite Joel's constant efforts to buy back his contract. Shortly after Joel released his tenth album, the last on which Ripp could collect royalties, Ripp re-released Cold Spring Harbor in order to earn more through royalties.
While the 1983 version is at the correct speed, it is stripped of much of the original orchestration by Jimmie Haskell
(most notably on the track "Tomorrow Is Today"). Instead, Ripp added several new drum tracks performed by Mike McGee
, as well as a bit of synthesizers by Al Campbell
, in an attempt to give the record a more updated feel. Furthermore the track "You Can Make Me Free" was truncated by nearly three minutes (removing most of the original tail-end, fadeout jam). The engineer for the re-recording and re-mixing sessions was so unhappy with the results he asked that his name be stricken from the album (Ripp subsequently was given engineering credit).
The album is named after a hamlet of the same name
in the town of Huntington, NY
, a seaside community near Joel's hometown.
The lyrics of the song "Tomorrow Is Today" were derived from a note Joel had written when he tried to commit suicide by drinking furniture polish. He was found by his drummer and taken immediately to a hospital where his stomach was pumped.
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
's first solo album, and was released in 1971
1971 in music
-Events:*February 1 – after months of feuding in the press, Ginger Baker and Elvin Jones hold a "drum battle" at The Lyceum.*February 8 – Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, is premièred at New York's Academy of Music...
. He had already released several albums as a member of the bands The Hassles
The Hassles
The Hassles were a rock group in the 1960s, most notable for recording the first releases to feature Billy Joel. The group released two full-length albums and a number of singles....
(1966 to 1969) and Attila (1970). Cold Spring Harbor represented Joel's first solo effort.
Background
The album was released by Family Productions, but through an error in the album's mastering, the songs were slightly too fast, up one half step, causing Joel's voice to sound unnaturally high. According to a long standing rumor, when Joel first heard the finished product, he "ripped it off the turntable, ran out of the house, and threw [the record] down the street."Artie Ripp, owner of Family Productions and hence the owner of the original master tapes, re-mixed and re-released an updated version of the album in 1983
1971 in music
-Events:*February 1 – after months of feuding in the press, Ginger Baker and Elvin Jones hold a "drum battle" at The Lyceum.*February 8 – Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, is premièred at New York's Academy of Music...
on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, without any involvement by Billy Joel. Ripp had originally signed the then-unknown 22-year old Joel to a 10-record contract. As a result he was able to continue collecting large royalties on sales of Joel's biggest hit records long after Joel's acrimonious departure from Family Productions, despite Joel's constant efforts to buy back his contract. Shortly after Joel released his tenth album, the last on which Ripp could collect royalties, Ripp re-released Cold Spring Harbor in order to earn more through royalties.
While the 1983 version is at the correct speed, it is stripped of much of the original orchestration by Jimmie Haskell
Jimmie Haskell
Jimmie Haskell born Sheridan Pearlman 1936 in Brooklyn, New York is a prolific American composer and arranger for a variety of popular singers and motion pictures.-Biography:...
(most notably on the track "Tomorrow Is Today"). Instead, Ripp added several new drum tracks performed by Mike McGee
Mike McGee
Mike McGee is the gallery director for CSUF Begovich Gallery and acting director for the CSUF Grand Central Art Center. McGee has been professor of the Masters program in Exhibition Design and Museum Studies at CSUF for the past 18 years....
, as well as a bit of synthesizers by Al Campbell
Al Campbell (keyboard player)
Al Campbell is a keyboard player. He was in the 1980s band Kid Lightning. In 1981 Kid Lightning released an album with Gerard McMahon of "Cry Little Sister" fame.Prior to Kid Lightning, Campbell undertook work as a session musician....
, in an attempt to give the record a more updated feel. Furthermore the track "You Can Make Me Free" was truncated by nearly three minutes (removing most of the original tail-end, fadeout jam). The engineer for the re-recording and re-mixing sessions was so unhappy with the results he asked that his name be stricken from the album (Ripp subsequently was given engineering credit).
The album is named after a hamlet of the same name
Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Cold Spring Harbor is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 4,975.Cold Spring Harbor is in the Town of Huntington.-History:...
in the town of Huntington, NY
Huntington, New York
The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...
, a seaside community near Joel's hometown.
The lyrics of the song "Tomorrow Is Today" were derived from a note Joel had written when he tried to commit suicide by drinking furniture polish. He was found by his drummer and taken immediately to a hospital where his stomach was pumped.
Side one
- "She's Got a WayShe's Got a Way"She's Got a Way" is a song by Billy Joel. The original version is on the 1971 album Cold Spring Harbor, while the remade live version was released as a single from the 1981 album Songs in the Attic and peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1982.After its original recording,...
" – 2:49 (2:40 Original LP) - "You Can Make Me Free" – 2:56 (5:40 Original LP)
- "Everybody Loves You Now" – 2:48 (2:40 Original LP)
- "Why Judy Why" – 2:56 (2:46 Original LP)
- "Falling of the Rain" – 2:38 (2:24 Original LP)
Side two
- "Turn Around" – 3:04 (3:20 Original LP)
- "You Look So Good to Me" – 2:27 (2:26 Original LP)
- "Tomorrow Is TodayTomorrow Is Today (song)"Tomorrow Is Today" is a song from Billy Joel's 1971 debut album Cold Spring Harbor. The despondent lyrics express the seemingly immutable repetition of the dreary present. They are based on a suicide note Joel wrote in 1970 when he tried to kill himself by drinking furniture polish....
" – 4:40 (4:47 Original LP) - "Nocturne" – 2:46 (2:37 Original LP)
- "Got to Begin Again" – 2:49 (2:47 Original LP)
Personnel
- Billy Joel - organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, harpsichordHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Richard BennettRichard Bennett (guitarist)Richard Bennett is a touring sideman, session veteran, and record producer. As a touring sideman, he performed with Neil Diamond for 17 years, and Mark Knopfler since 1994. As a session player, he has worked with artists ranging from Billy Joel and Barbra Streisand to Rodney Crowell and Vince Gill...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Rhys ClarkRhys ClarkRhys Edward Clark is an Australian drummer who has played with such artists as Hoyt Axton, Freddy Fender, and most notably Billy Joel, backing him on drums from 1971 to 1975 and also playing on his albums Cold Spring Harbor and Piano Man...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(tracks 1, 3-6, 8-10 Original LP) - Sal De Troia - guitars
- Don Evans - guitar
- Emory Gordy, Jr.Emory Gordy, Jr.Emory Gordy, Jr., born December 25, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia, is an American musician and music producer. Since 1989, he has been married to country music artist Patty Loveless. Gordy was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1992...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Jimmie Haskell - conductor
- Sneaky Pete KleinowSneaky Pete KleinowPeter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist...
- steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use... - Larry KnechtelLarry KnechtelLawrence William "Larry" Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist, best known for his work as a session musician with such artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Partridge Family, The Doors, and Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s...
- bass - Joe OsbornJoe OsbornJoe Osborn is an American bass guitar virtuoso, notable for his work as a session musician in Los Angeles and Nashville during the period from the 1960s through the 1980s. Osborn's work is widely admired by fellow musicians.Osborn began his career working in local clubs, then played on a hit...
- bass - Artie Ripp - conductor
- Denny Seiwell - drums (tracks 2 and 7, Original LP)
- Mike McGee - additional drums on "Everybody Loves You Now" and "Turn Around" (1983 remix)
- Al CampbellAl Campbell (keyboard player)Al Campbell is a keyboard player. He was in the 1980s band Kid Lightning. In 1981 Kid Lightning released an album with Gerard McMahon of "Cry Little Sister" fame.Prior to Kid Lightning, Campbell undertook work as a session musician....
- keyboards on "Turn Around" (1983 remix) - L. D. Dixon - Fender Rhodes piano on "Turn Around" (1983 remix)
Production
- Producer: Artie Ripp
- Executive producer: Irwin Mazur
- Engineers: Larry Elliott, John Bradley, Artie Ripp
- Second engineer: Michael Stone
- Assistant engineer: Gordon Watanabe
- Mixing & Remixing: Artie Ripp
- Original LP Mastered By Bob Huges
- Original CD Mastered By Doug Sax
- CD Remastered by Joseph Palmaccio at Sterling Sound (erroneously Credited to Ted Jensen)
- Editing: Artie Ripp, Larry Elliott
- Director: Artie Ripp
- Arrangers: Jimmie Haskell, Artie Ripp
Charts
| Year (1972) | |
|---|---|
| US The Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
202 |
| Year (1984) | |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums Chart | 44 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
95 |
| US The Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
158 |