Maps of Music

Cold Spring Harbor (1971)

Where the lyrics of Cold Spring Harbor take you, and where it was really made.

The original 1971 LP ran too fast because of a mastering error, which raised Joel's voice; the 1983 reissue corrected the speed.

Key places

Record Plant West, Los Angeles (1971)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The album's original recording was made here in July 1971. The point uses the studio's building coordinates from the candidate list. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Fidelity Studios, Studio City (1971)

Recording site TRS Studios — Ripp and Larry Elliot remixed the album here from July to September 1983. The point is set at the city centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Ultrasonic Recording Studios, Hempstead (1971)

Recording site Ultrasonic Recording Studios — Two tracks were recorded at this studio, according to the release notes. The point is set at the city centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Harbor Road, Cold Spring Harbor (1971)

Album cover Harbor Road — The front cover was photographed on Harbor Road in the hamlet that gave the album its name. The point marks the road, not an exact spot. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Cold Spring Harbor: debut studio album by American recording artist Billy Joel
• Released 1 November 1971 by Family Productions
• The album sold poorly; attention came mainly after Piano Man (1973)
• A mastering error made the original LP play faster than it was recorded
• A 1983 remixed, edited and speed-corrected version was issued by Columbia Records
• Named after the hamlet in Huntington, New York, on Long Island Sound, near Joel's hometown

Background

• Joel's depression and hospitalization the year before shaped the song Tomorrow Is Today
• Artie Ripp owned Family Productions and the original master tapes
• Ripp was responsible for the production error, which cost him his friendship with Joel
• Ripp had signed the 22-year-old Joel to a ten-record contract

Recording

• Original sessions: July 1971 at The Record Plant West, Los Angeles
• Why Judy Why and You Look So Good To Me were recorded at Ultrasonic Recording Studios, Hempstead, New York
• Remix: Ripp and Larry Elliot at Ripp's Fidelity Studios, Studio City, California, July to September 1983
• Session musicians added new rhythm sections to Everybody Loves You Now and Turn Around
• You Can Make Me Free was cut by nearly three minutes, removing most of the fadeout jam
• Bass, drums and orchestration were removed from Tomorrow Is Today
• The remix was released without any involvement from Joel

Cover

• The front cover was photographed at Harbor Road

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born May 9, 1949 in the Bronx, New York City; raised in Hicksville on Long Island.
• Began piano lessons at age four at his mother's insistence.
• Saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show and decided to pursue a music career.
• Played in the Echoes, the Hassles, and Attila before going solo.

Career

• Debut solo album Cold Spring Harbor (1971); signed with Columbia Records in 1972 after a Philadelphia radio broadcast of "Captain Jack".
• Breakthrough with The Stranger (1977), Columbia's best-selling release at that time.
• 52nd Street (1978) won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
• Released 12 self-written studio albums from 1971 to 1993; over 160 million records sold worldwide.
• Performed a long Madison Square Garden residency from 2014 to 2024.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album sold poorly at first; attention came mainly after Piano Man (1973)
• Record World, on the single Tomorrow Is Today, said Joel had a flair for dramatic, lush orchestral sounds
• The original LP shipped at the wrong speed because of a mastering error

Reappraisal

• Live versions of She's Got a Way and Everybody Loves You Now were later released on the 1981 live album Songs in the Attic
• In a 2012 interview with actor Alec Baldwin, Joel said that despite the remix he felt something was wrong with it
• Joel's own view was that the 1983 remixed version still did not sound right

Records

• Billboard Bubbling Under the Top LP's chart: peaked at number 202 in 1972 (original release)
• Columbia re-issued the album in December 1983
• Chart positions listed for the album refer to the reissue
• Reissue charts in 1984: United States number 158, United Kingdom number 95

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Tomorrow Is Today drew on Joel's period of depression and hospitalization the year before
• Joel later compared the unnaturally high voice caused by the speed error to the Bee Gees and Alvin and the Chipmunks
• After a listening party with friends, Joel reacted to the faulty LP with fury and threw it like a frisbee
• Artie Ripp's production error cost him his friendship with Joel
• In a 2012 interview, Joel said the remix still did not sound right to him

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact