Attila (5) – Attila

Saw this record in my local record store yesterday, I was surprised when it said "Early 1970 Billy Joel". I couldn't believe what it said, I couldn't tell which one was Joel. Later I found he was the one with the moustache. I didn't buy it yesterday because I thought I should do some research on this album. I have always grown up with Joel's music. He may not be one of my favorite artists, but I think most of his hits are really good when I hear them on the radio. I discovered that this has been called the "Worst album of all time". I knew I had to hear it. The album features Joel on Organ/vocals and Jon Small on drums. I had never heard Joel play an organ (He is after all the Piano man) so I didn't really know what to expect. I am a really big fan of organ driven music like stuff made by Keith Emerson, Jon Lord, Al Kooper, Gregg Allman and so many more. I really enjoy this album, he's a really good Hammond player. He's probably not the first one by a very early pioneer of running a Hammond into an amp. Anyways I heard it was Billy Joel's 75 birthday today so I decided to buy it. I really enjoy the album, don't listen to the people who say it's terrible. Most Billy Joel fan will not like this release. I enjoy this along with his other stuff, but this is like Billy Joel in another dimension. Please enjoy this album and get it if you can!

If anybody else made this, I'm sure it wouldn't get nearly as much hate. It's Billy Joel doing some decent prog/heavy psych, with killer organ playing and drumming, what's not to like?

Knowing this is Billy Joel, it sounds like a poser band to me. It's quite obvious Billy Joel was better as a rootsy rock and roller songsmith in the late 70's/80's.

OMG! Billy Joel made a stoner/prog' rock album in 1970. Listening to it now I think I am getting a 'contact high'. This is wild! I like it.

Interesting record. It's pretty fun, but relentlessly in your face. No musical dynamics. The few moments of contrast stand out. The playing is crazy good, but the songs are a mess. Reminds me more than a little of Jack White's solo work. His vocals are similar to Rory Gallagher. Interesting record. Pretty wild.

Stil: "Heavy Metal" - naja...
Aber sicher ein schönes Album

Are you, like me, like heavy organ-driven heavy rock? Groups like Deep Purple, Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep, early Birth Control, etc. Here's a completely outrageous American take on it, and you won't believe who is behind this: Billy Joel. Yep, future pop hitmaking sensation! If you, like me, can't stand Joel and all those hits he inflicted us in the '70s and '80s, you won't believe how completely different Attila is! No "Piano Man" or "River of Dreams" here, or even piano, for that matter, just unbridled hard rock, with the most off-the-wall fuzz organ you'll ever hear. Songs like "Wonder Woman", "California Flash", "Revenge is Sweet" and so on are examples, no signs of the hits he'll be pounding out. No guitar, just Joel and his fuzzed organ, and Jon Small on drums, Small was previously a member of the Hassles, just as Joel himself. Jon Small's drumming tends to be on the jazzy side, and it really works well. "California Flash" shows a more humorous side, while "Amplifier Fire" is the most over-the-top instrumental piece with psychedelic overtones and fuzz organ that puts even heavy metal guitar to shame! "Holy Moses" shows lots of heavy riffs demonstrating that it can be as easily done on organ as guitar. But warning: not everyone will like this album. Some call it the worst album ever made. I can't agree on that, but then I'm not a Billy Joel fan. Then again, I really think he was parodying that British organ-driven hard rock sound, and I love what he does here. It's also a trip that I come across something like this involving an artist I detest doing something like this! The best way to get this is on the cheap so you don't feel ripped off if you don't like it.

Oh yeah, it needs to be pointed out that Billy Joel himself hates this album, probably more the reason for me to like it. When the album bombed big time, he thought about taking his life, but instead retooled his musical direction, into that pop commercial singer/songwriter vein that served him so well. It's been said that Billy Joel himself goes around various record stores to buy up copies of the Attila album and destroy them. Not sure if that's true or not, but I wouldn't doubt it. The original LP on Epic doesn't show up too often, so even if Joel visits the Long Island and New York City record stores to find copies of Attila to destroy, he might not find too many, which he should rest easy (although the Attila album had been reissued back in the 1980s, and tons of those Attila releases combined with The Hassles material show up, including on cassette).