Iconic Albums Billy Joel The Nylon Curtain Era (1982)

In 1982, Billy Joel stepped away from the hard-rock swagger of Glass Houses and created one of the most ambitious, personal and sonically adventurous albums of his career.

The Nylon Curtain found Billy looking beyond romance and rock-star success toward the anxieties facing his generation. Industrial decline, unemployment, psychological pressure, broken relationships and the lingering trauma of Vietnam entered his songwriting, while the influence of the Beatles pushed his studio work into increasingly experimental territory.

Iconic Albums: Billy Joel - The Nylon Curtain Era explores the complete story behind this remarkable period, from the aftermath of Glass Houses and Songs in the Attic through the painstaking recording sessions with producer Phil Ramone.

Discover the stories behind:

• "Allentown" and the decline of industrial America

• The emotional turmoil of "Laura"

• The anxiety and MTV-era imagery of "Pressure"

• The creation and meaning of "Goodnight Saigon"

• Billy's serious 1982 motorcycle accident and recovery

• The collapse of his marriage to Elizabeth Weber

• The Beatles-inspired experimentation of "Scandinavian Skies"

• The mysterious finale of "Where's the Orchestra?"

• The album's Grammy nomination for Album of the Year

• The transition from The Nylon Curtain to the joyful nostalgia of An Innocent Man

Across 35 chapters, this book traces Billy Joel at a fascinating creative crossroads: already one of America's biggest stars, yet determined to prove that commercial success did not have to mean artistic repetition.

For fans of Billy Joel, classic rock and the stories behind landmark albums, this is the story of the era in which the Piano Man pulled back The Nylon Curtain.