Editing Billy Joel (section)

===1974–1977: ''Streetlife Serenade'' and ''Turnstiles''===
In 1974, Joel recorded his second Columbia album in Los Angeles, ''[[Streetlife Serenade]]''. His manager at the time was Jon Troy, an old friend from New York's [[Bedford-Stuyvesant]] neighborhood; Troy was soon replaced by Joel's wife Elizabeth.<ref>{{cite web |author=Chesher Cat |url=http://everybodyishotisdead.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_archive.html |title=Everybody I Shot is Dead |publisher=everybodyishotisdead.blogspot.com |access-date=August 19, 2011 |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708034606/http://everybodyishotisdead.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_archive.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Streetlife Serenade'' contains references to [[suburbia]] and the [[inner city]]. It is perhaps best known for "[[The Entertainer (Billy Joel song)|The Entertainer]]", a No. 34 hit in the U.S. Upset that "Piano Man" had been significantly cut for radio play, Joel wrote "The Entertainer" as a sarcastic response: "If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit, so they cut it down to 3:05." Although ''Streetlife Serenade'' was viewed unfavorably by critics,<ref>{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: J|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=J&bk=70|access-date=February 27, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|archive-date=May 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525101409/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=J&bk=70|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=December 5, 1974 |issue=175 |first=Stephen |last=Holden |author-link=Stephen Holden |title=Billy Joel ''Streetlife Serenade'' > Album Review |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/streetlife-serenade-19741205 |url-status=live |access-date=November 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503104018/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/billyjoel/albums/album/200781/review/5942638/streetlife_serenade |archive-date=May 3, 2008 }}</ref> it contains the notable songs "Los Angelenos" and "[[Root Beer Rag]]", an [[instrumental]] that was a staple of his live set in the 1970s.

In late 1975, Joel played piano and organ on several tracks on [[Bo Diddley]]'s ''The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll'' all-star album.

Disenchanted with Los Angeles, Joel returned to New York City in 1975 and recorded ''[[Turnstiles (album)|Turnstiles]]'' (1976), the first album he recorded with the [[Billy Joel Band|musicians with whom he toured]]. Produced by [[James William Guercio]] (then [[Chicago (band)|Chicago]]'s producer), ''Turnstiles'' was first recorded at [[Caribou Ranch]] with members of [[Elton John]]'s band. Dissatisfied with the result, Joel re-recorded the songs and produced the album himself.

"[[Say Goodbye to Hollywood]]" was a minor hit, covered by [[Ronnie Spector]] and [[Nigel Olsson]]. In a 2008 radio interview, Joel said that he no longer performs the song because singing it in its high original key "shreds" his [[vocal cords]]; however, he did finally play it live for the first time since 1982 when he sang it at the [[Hollywood Bowl]] in May 2014. Although never released as a single, "[[New York State of Mind]]" became one of Joel's best-known songs; [[Barbra Streisand]] recorded a cover and [[Tony Bennett]] performed it as a duet with Joel on ''[[Playing with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues]]''. Other notable songs from the album include "[[Summer, Highland Falls]]"; "[[Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)]]" and "[[Prelude/Angry Young Man]]", a concert mainstay.