Songs in the Attic


Songs in the Attic is the first live album by Billy Joel, released in 1981.
At the time of its release, it was the first widely available appearance of music from his first album, Cold Spring Harbor, released in 1971.
In the liner notes, Joel writes that Songs in the Attic introduced his earlier work to fans who had come to know his work after The Stranger. In that earlier work, most of the instruments were played by session musicians while Joel himself sang and played piano, keyboards, and harmonica. But by the late 1970s, Joel had a fairly consistent touring/recording band and wanted to showcase his songs as played by his band.
The single-releases included: "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and "She's Got a Way", which made the top 25, and "You're My Home". In Japan, "Los Angelenos" was also available in 1981.
A series of promotional music videos were filmed. Though the concert filming may have been staged for the occasion, the audio versions are nonetheless different from the live recordings featuring on the live album. A total of five promo videos were filmed: four of them recorded at Sparks and one in a recording studio. At least two of them were not released as worldwide official singles.
"Everybody Loves You Now" directed by Steve Cohen ;
"You're My Home" directed by Steve Cohen ;
"Los Angelenos" directed by Steve Cohen ;
"Say Goodbye to Hollywood" directed by Steve Cohen ;
"She's Got a Way" live in a studio, also a different version from the live album.

Track listing

All songs written by Billy Joel.
;Side one
  1. "Miami 2017 " – 5:05
  2. *Performed June 24, 1980 at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
  3. "Summer, Highland Falls" – 3:03
  4. *Performed July 23, 1980 at the Bayou, Washington, D.C.
  5. "Streetlife Serenader" – 5:17
  6. *Performed July 20, 1980 at St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN
  7. "Los Angelenos" – 3:48
  8. *Performed July 10, 1980 at Toad's Place, New Haven, CT
  9. "She's Got a Way" – 3:00
  10. *Performed June 1980 at Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
  11. "Everybody Loves You Now" - 3:08
  12. *Performed July 23, 1980 at the Bayou, Washington, D.C.
;Side two
  2. "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" – 4:25
  3. *Performed July 14, 1980 at Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, WI
  4. "Captain Jack" – 7:16
  5. *Performed July 5, 1980 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  6. "You're My Home" – 3:07
  7. *Performed July 23, 1980 at the Bayou, Washington, D.C.
  8. "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" – 5:28
  9. *Performed June 24, 1980 at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
  10. "I've Loved These Days" – 4:35
  11. *Performed July 16, 1980 at The Horizon, Chicago, IL

    Personnel

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications/Sales