Glass Houses (album)

This album was the third collaboration between Joel and producer Phil Ramone, following The Stranger and 52nd Street and the final such collaboration in association with Home Run.

Opening with the sound of glass shattering, Glass Houses has more of a hard rock feel than Joel's previous albums. The cover shows Joel poised to throw a rock through the two-story window of his real-life waterfront glass house in Cove Neck. On some versions, the back cover shows Joel looking through the hole that the rock made in the glass. This alludes to the adage that "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones".{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/glass-houses-mw0000190390 |title=Glass Houses – Billy Joel |website=AllMusic |access-date=August 25, 2011}}

| rev2 = Blender

| rev2score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine |last=Browne |first=David |author-link=David Browne (journalist) |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/back-catalogue/54566/glass-houses.html |title=Billy Joel: Glass Houses |magazine=Blender |date=May 22, 2007 |access-date=January 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203082955/http://www.blender.com/guide/back-catalogue/54566/glass-houses.html |archive-date=February 3, 2010 |url-status=dead}}

| rev3 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev3score = B−{{cite book |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |chapter=Billy Joel: Glass Houses |chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=5076 |access-date=November 25, 2020 |title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s |title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s |publisher=Pantheon Books |year=1990 |isbn=0-679-73015-X}}

| rev4 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev4score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book |last=Larkin |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Larkin |chapter=Joel, Billy |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |publisher=Omnibus Press |edition=5th concise |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85712-595-8}}

| rev5 = The Great Rock Discography

| rev5score = 6/10{{cite book |last=Strong |first=Martin C. |author-link=Martin C. Strong |chapter=Billy Joel |title=The Great Rock Discography |publisher=Canongate Books |edition=6th |year=2002 |isbn=1-84195-312-1}}

| rev6 = Record Mirror

| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |last=Smith |first=Robin |title=The sound of breaking glass |magazine=Record Mirror |date=March 15, 1980 |page=20}}

| rev7 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev7score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Paul |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |chapter=Billy Joel |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/434 434–35]}}

| rev8 = Smash Hits

| rev8score = 8/10{{cite magazine|last=Cranna|first=Ian|url=https://archive.org/details/smash-hits-1980-04-03/page/n25/mode/2up|title=Billy Joel: Glass Houses|magazine=Smash Hits|volume=2|issue=7|date=April 3–16, 1980|page=31}}

}}

Rolling Stone critic Paul Nelson stated: "Billy Joel writes smooth and cunning melodies, and what many of his defenders say is true: his material's catchy. But then, so's the flu."{{cite magazine |last=Nelson |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Nelson (critic) |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/billyjoel/albums/album/241142/review/5942679/glass_houses |title=Billy Joel: Glass Houses |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=May 1, 1980 |access-date=August 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228143909/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/billyjoel/albums/album/241142/review/5942679/glass_houses |archive-date=February 28, 2008 |url-status=dead}} In Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s (1990), Robert Christgau said: "From the straight-up hubba-hubba of 'You May Be Right' to the Rick Wakeman ostinatos of 'Sometimes a Fantasy' to the McCartneyesque melodicism of 'Don't Ask Me Why' to the what-it-is of 'It's Still Rock and Roll to Me,' it's all rock and roll to him, but to me it's closer to what pop meant before ironists and aesthetes, including yours truly, appropriated the term. Closer than any skinny-tie bands, that's for sure: gregarious, shameless, and above all profitable. Of course, if it doesn't make up in reach what it lacks in edge, ironists and aesthetes needn't notice it's there. And beyond 'Sleeping With the Television On,' I couldn't tell you thing one about side two, which I just played three times."

In 2004, the pop-culture journalist and rock critic Chuck Klosterman praised the album in an essay on Joel titled "Every Dog Must Have His Every Day, Every Drunk Must Have His Drink" from his book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs (the title of the essay refers to a line from the Glass Houses song "Don't Ask Me Why").Klosterman, Chuck. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs Scribner, 2004. Klosterman praised some of the more obscure tracks from the album including "All for Leyna", "I Don't Want to Be Alone", "Sleeping with the Television On" and "Close to the Borderline".

In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote: "It may not be punk – then again, it may be his concept of punk – but Glass Houses is the closest Joel ever got to a pure rock album."

All songs written by Billy Joel.

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = You May Be Right

| length1 = 4:15

| title2 = Sometimes a Fantasy

| length2 = 3:40

| title3 = Don't Ask Me Why

| length3 = 2:59

| title4 = It's Still Rock and Roll to Me

| length4 = 2:57

| title5 = All for Leyna

| length5 = 4:15

| total_length = 18:06

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title6 = I Don't Want to Be Alone

| length6 = 3:57

| title7 = Sleeping with the Television On

| length7 = 3:02

| title8 = C'était Toi (You Were the One)

| length8 = 3:25

| title9 = Close to the Borderline

| length9 = 3:47

| title10 = Through the Long Night

| length10 = 2:43

| total_length = 16:54

}}

Musicians

• Billy Joel – vocals, acoustic piano, electric pianos, synthesizers, accordion, harmonica
• Richie Cannata – organs, saxophones, flute
• David Brown – acoustic and electric guitars (lead)
• Russell Javors – acoustic and electric guitars (rhythm)
• Doug Stegmeyer – bass guitar
• Liberty DeVitto – drums and percussion

Production

• Phil Ramone – producer
• Jim Boyer – engineer
• Bradshaw Leigh – assistant engineer
• Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
• Brian Ruggles – technician
• Steve Cohen – lighting
• Jim Houghton – photography
• Michele Slagter – production assistant
• Jeff Schock – product management

{{Awards table}}

|-

| style="width:35px; text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|1981 || rowspan="2"| Glass Houses || Best Rock Vocal Performance – Male|| {{won}}

|-

| Album of the Year{{cite web|title=GRAMMYs' Best Albums 1980–1989 |url=http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/news/grammys-best-albums-1 |work=grammy.org |access-date=November 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830143245/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/news/grammys-best-albums-1 |archive-date=August 30, 2011 }} || {{nom}}

|-

{{End}}

{{Awards table}}

|-

| style="width:35px; text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|1981 || Glass Houses || Favorite Pop/Rock Album{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1981/amas.htm|title=8th American Music Awards|access-date=November 1, 2011}}|| {{won}}

|-

| Billy Joel (performer) || Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist || {{nom}}

|-

{{End}}

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{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=album|artist=Billy Joel|title=Glass Houses|relyear=1980|award=Platinum|certyear=1980|certref={{cite web|url=https://i.imgur.com/HmFDCnW.jpg?1|title=Kent Music Report No 341 – 5 January 1981 > Platinum and Gold Albums 1980|publisher=Kent Music Report|via=Imgur.com|access-date=January 24, 2020}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Glass Houses|artist=Billy Joel|type=album|relyear=1980|region=Canada|award=Platinum|number=5|salesamount=740,000|salesref={{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1981/BB-1981-01-24.pdf|title=Juno Album, Singles Data|magazine=Billboard|via=World Radio History|page=102|date=January 24, 1981|accessdate=March 2, 2021}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Hong Kong|type=album|artist=Billy Joel|title=Glass Houses|award=Gold|certyear=1983|relyear=1980}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan|nocert=yes|salesamount=317,000|salesref={{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=Oricon Entertainment|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Glass Houses|artist=Billy Joel|type=album|relyear=1980|certyear=1980|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|id=2539-3083-2}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Glass Houses|artist=Billy Joel|type=album|relyear=1980|region=United States|award=Platinum|number=7}}

{{Certification Table Bottom}}

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Billy Joel}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Billy Joel albums

Category:1980 albums

Category:Albums produced by Phil Ramone

Category:Columbia Records albums

Category:Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance

Category:New wave albums by American artists

Category:Hard rock albums by American artists