The Bridge＜完全生産限定盤＞

レイ・チャールズなど豪華ゲストを迎え、ビリー・ジョエルが珠玉の名演を聴かせる1986年作品『The Bridge』(ザ・ブリッジ) を最新リマスター音源でアナログ盤発売

1986年作品。'85年に発表した初のベスト作『ビリー・ザ・ベスト』で一つの区切りを付けたビリーが、また新たなる表現の極みへ向かって歩み始めた1枚。今作で大いに話題を呼んだのが、豪華なゲスト陣。中でもビリーの幼い頃からの憧れであり一緒に演奏する事が夢であった、レイ・チャールズ。ブルージーな競演曲「ベイビー・グランド」では、二人のエンターテイナーが楽しみながら熱唱し本領を発揮している。又、シンディ・ローパーとの競作でデュエットしている「コード・オブ・サイレンス」、スティーヴ・ウィンウッドのハモンド・オルガンと絡む「ゲッティング・クローサー」などゲストとコラボレーションによる新境地が印象的なアルバムとなった。2023年最新リマスター音源でアナログ盤発売。

Riding high on the blockbuster An Innocent Man and with a new jet-setting bride at his side, Billy Joel took full advantage of the high life, as is clear from The Bridge, an album that unwittingly celebrates the excesses of the Reagan years. While he hasn't quite settled into middle age, Joel is ready to take advantage of his wealth and status, recruiting a hero (Ray Charles) and a new wave kid (Cyndi Lauper) for duets, turning to Sting for inspiration ("Running on Ice"), fronting a big band ("Big Man on Mulberry Street"), writing a song for a movie ("Modern Woman"), and picking up the guitar ("A Matter of Trust"), just for the hell of it. You could say that it's eclectic, but it's scattershot, because it's just Joel showing off his musical skills. He's done this before, to great effect on Turnstiles, but this is all about hubris and, as such, it sounds exactly like its time. From its processed, distorted guitars to its hollow synthesizers, The Bridge sounds dated and it's his most uneven since Streetlife Serenade. Even on the hits, he sounds as if he's stretching -- "This Is the Time" is labored compared to "Just the Way You Are" (not to mention considerably more vulgar); "A Matter of Trust" never hits upon a solid riff like "Sometimes a Fantasy"; "Modern Woman" is catchy but fluffy; "Baby Grand" is weighed down by Joel's vocal affectations. In context of the album, they're fairly enjoyable, but they hint at the dry spell that was just around the corner. Nevertheless, Joel still has enough panache and is riding on so much exuberance that The Bridge remains an entertaining listen, especially if it's viewed as a Reagan-era artifact. It just doesn't compare to what came before. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine