Storm Front (album)

Storm Front
Studio album by Billy Joel
Released	October 23, 1989
Recorded	1988–1989
Studio	Hit Factory, New York City Right Track, New York City The Warehouse, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Power Station, New York City
Genre	Art rock[1] arena rock[2] hard rock[3] new wave[3]
Length	44:34
Label	Columbia
Producer	Billy Joel, Mick Jones
Billy Joel chronology
Концерт (1987) Storm Front (1989) Souvenir (1990)
Singles from Storm Front
"We Didn't Start the Fire" Released: September 1989[4] "Leningrad" Released: December 1989 (UK)[5] "I Go to Extremes" Released: January 1990 "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" Released: May 1990 "That's Not Her Style" Released: July 1990[6] "And So It Goes" Released: October 1990 "Shameless" Released: January 1991[7]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Deseret News	(Positive)[9]
Los Angeles Times	[10]
New Musical Express	5/10[11]
The New York Times	(Positive)[1]
People	(Not favorable)[12]
Rolling Stone	[13]
The Village Voice	B[14]

Storm Front is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on October 23, 1989.^[15] It was Joel's third album to reach No. 1 in the U.S. and features "We Didn't Start the Fire", a fast-paced song that cataloged a list of historical events, trends, and cultural icons from 1949 (when Joel was born) until 1989.

"I Go to Extremes", a song describing the ups and downs of his emotional life, placed at No. 6. Other songs that placed in the top 100 were "And So It Goes" (No. 37), "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" (No. 57), and "That's Not Her Style" (No. 77). The album was also nominated for five Grammy Awards.^[16] The album's cover depicts the maritime storm warning flag indicating wind forces 10–12, the highest intensity on the Beaufort scale. Joel has stated in recent Sirius XM segments that he was inspired by Peter Gabriel's 1986 track "Sledgehammer" for the "driving rhythm section" when he was writing the title track.

Notable cover versions

• In 1991, Garth Brooks recorded "Shameless" on his album Ropin' the Wind. Brooks' cover version was also released as a single and reached the top of the US country charts, and also entered the UK Singles Chart.

Track listing

All songs written by Billy Joel.

Side one

1. "That's Not Her Style" – 5:10
2. "We Didn't Start the Fire" – 4:50
3. "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" – 3:44
4. "I Go to Extremes" – 4:23
5. "Shameless" – 4:26

Side two

6. "Storm Front" – 5:17
7. "Leningrad" – 4:06
8. "State of Grace" – 4:30
9. "When in Rome" – 4:44
10. "And So It Goes" – 3:38

Personnel

Storm Front marked a radical change in Joel's backing band. Since his last studio album (The Bridge), both Russell Javors and Doug Stegmeyer, long-time members of Joel's band, were discharged from their respective duties as rhythm guitarist and bass guitarist. Javors was replaced with Joey Hunting for the record and by Tommy Byrnes on tour while Stegmeyer was replaced by Schuyler Deale. Band regulars Liberty DeVitto, David Brown and Mark Rivera were retained. Joel also hired the percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Crystal Taliefero beginning with this album.

• Billy Joel – vocals, acoustic piano (1, 4, 7, 8, 10), clavinet (2, 3, 6), percussion (2), accordion (3), Hammond organ (4, 6, 9), harpsichord (5), organ (8), synthesizers (10)
• Jeff Jacobs – synthesizers (1–9), backing vocals (1), horn arrangements (6)
• David Brown – lead guitar (1–9), MIDI guitar solo (6)
• Joey Hunting – rhythm guitar (2)
• Schuyler Deale – bass guitar (1–9)
• Liberty DeVitto – drums (1–9), percussion (2)
• Crystal Taliefero – backing vocals (1, 2, 5, 6, 9), percussion (2)

Additional musicians

• Don Brooks – harmonica (1)
• Kevin Jones – keyboard programming (2)
• John Mahoney – keyboards (2), keyboard programming (7)
• Doug Kleeger – sounds effects (2), arrangements (2)
• Sammy Merendino – electronic percussion (2)
• Dominic Cortese – accordion (3, 7)
• Itzhak Perlman – violin (3)
• Lenny Pickett – saxophone (6, 9)
• The Memphis Horns (6):
  • Andrew Love – saxophone
  • Wayne Jackson – trombone, trumpet
• Arif Mardin – orchestral arrangement (7)
• Frank Floyd – backing vocals (1, 5, 6)
• Mick Jones – backing vocals (1, 4, 8), guitar (6), guitar solo (8)
• Patricia Darcy Jones – backing vocals (1, 5, 6, 9)
• Richard Marx – backing vocals (1, 6)
• Brian Ruggles – backing vocals (1)
• Ian Lloyd – backing vocals (4, 8)
• Joe Lynn Turner – backing vocals (4, 8)
• Chuck Arnold – backing vocals (7), choral leader (7)
• Hicksville High School Chorus – backing vocals (7)
• Bill Zampino – choral arrangement (7)
• Brenda White King – backing vocals (9)
• Curtis King – backing vocals (9)

Production

• Produced by Billy Joel and Mick Jones
• Mixed by Tom Lord-Alge (tracks 1–3) and Jay Healy (tracks 3–10).
• Engineered by Jay Healy
• Assistant engineers – Dana Becker, Tim Crich, David Dorn, Suzanne Hollander, Joe Pirrera and Gary Solomon.
• Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
• Art direction – Chris Austopchuk
• Back photo – Timothy White
• Front photo – Frank Ockenfels

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1990	"We Didn't Start the Fire"	Song of the Year[16]	Nominated
		Record of the Year[16]	Nominated
		Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male[16]	Nominated
1991	Storm Front	Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male[17]	Nominated
	Storm Front (produced by Billy Joel and Mick Jones)	Producer of the Year (Non-Classical)[18]	Nominated

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1989–1990) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 1 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[20] 10 Belgian Albums (BEA)[21] 9 Canadian Albums (RPM)[22] 4 Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[23] 14 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[24] 33 German Albums (Media Control)[25] 5 Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)[26] 9 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[27] 8 New Zealand Albums (RIANZ)[28] 9 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 30 UK Albums (OCC)[30] 5 US Billboard 200[31] 1 Zimbabwean Albums (ZIMA)[32] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1989) Position Australian Albums Chart[33] 41 UK Albums Chart[34] 73 Chart (1990) Position Canadian Albums Chart[35] 29 Dutch Albums Chart[36] 67 German Albums Chart[37] 4 US Billboard Year-end[38] 10

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[39]	2× Platinum	140,000^^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[40]	Gold	25,000^*
Canada (Music Canada)[41]	2× Platinum	200,000^^
Germany (BVMI)[42]	Platinum	500,000^^
Japan (RIAJ)[45]	Platinum	110,000[43][44]
Netherlands (NVPI)[46]	Gold	50,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[47]	Gold	7,500^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48]	Platinum	300,000^^
United States (RIAA)[49]	4× Platinum	4,000,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Holden, Stephen (October 29, 1989). "HOME ENTERTAINMENT/RECORDINGS: RECENT RELEASES". The New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
2. Breihan, Tom (August 27, 2021). "The Number Ones: Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire". Stereogum. Retrieved December 1, 2023. [Storm Front is a] blaring, synthed-out, personality-free take on late-'80s arena-rock...
3. Smith, Troy L. (November 10, 2022). "Every No. 1 album of the 1980s ranked from worst to best". Cleveland.com. Retrieved December 13, 2024. On Storm Front, Joel falls into the trap of trying too hard. The album goes for a hard rock meets new wave...
4. "New Singles". Music Week. September 16, 1989. p. 36.
5. "Leningrad".
6. "Billy Joel singles".
7. "Great Rock Discography". p. 437.
8. Storm Front at AllMusic
9. Boren, Ray (January 19, 1989). "'STORM FRONT' BRINGS OUT THE POPULIST IN JOEL". Deseret News. Deseret News. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
10. Boehm, Mike (December 3, 1989). "Imitative Billy Joel Still Seeking Respectability : BILLY JOEL "Storm Front."". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
11. Williams, Simon (November 18, 1989). "LP - Long Play". New Musical Express. p. 34.
12. Hiltbrand, David; Novak, Ralph; Abrahams, Andrew; Small, Michael (November 20, 1989). "Picks and Pans Review: Storm Front". People. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
13. John McAlley (November 30, 1989). "Music Reviews : Storm Front by Billy Joel". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008.
14. Christgau, Robert (December 26, 1989). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
15. "BPI".
16. "Here's list of nominees from all 77 categories". Deseret News. January 12, 1990. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
17. Cromelin, Richard / Hunt Dennis (January 11, 1991). "Grammys—Round 1 : Pop music: Phil Collins' 8 nominations lead the pack and Quincy Jones sets a record with his 74th nod. The winners will be revealed on Feb. 20". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
18. Cromelin, Richard / Hunt Dennis (January 11, 1991). "Grammys—Round 1 : Pop music: Phil Collins' 8 nominations lead the pack and Quincy Jones sets a record with his 74th nod. The winners will be revealed on Feb. 20". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
19. "australian-charts.com Billy Joel – Storm Front". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
20. "Billy Joel – Storm Front – austriancharts.at". Retrieved August 19, 2011.
21. "Billboard". December 28, 1989.
22. "RPM100 Albums". RPM. Vol. 51, no. 14. February 17, 1990. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
23. "dutchcharts.nl Billy Joel – Storm Front". dutchcharts.nl. MegaCharts. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
24. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
25. "Album Search: Billy Joel" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved August 8, 2011.^{[dead link‍]}
26. "Tonlist Top 40". DV. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
27. ビリー・ジョエル-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック "Highest position and charting weeks of Storm Front by Billy Joel". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved August 29, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
28. "charts.nz – Billy Joel – Storm Front". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
29. "Billy Joel – Storm Front – hitparade.ch". Retrieved August 8, 2011.
30. "The Official Charts Company – Billy Joel – An Innocent Man". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
31. Allmusic – Storm Front > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
32. * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
33. "End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Albums 1989". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
34. "UK best albums 1989". Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
35. "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1990". RPM. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
36. "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". Retrieved August 29, 2011.
37. "End Of Year Charts – Top 5 Albums 1990". Retrieved August 29, 2011.
38. "Billboard rates the top hits for 1990". Deseret News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
39. "Australian Top 50 Albums Chart (weekly chart)". ARIA Charts. April 8, 1990.
40. "Austrian album certifications – Billy Joel – Storm Front" (in German). IFPI Austria.
41. "Canadian album certifications – Billy Joel – Storm Front". Music Canada.
42. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Billy Joel; 'Storm Front')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
43. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
44. "a-ビリー・ジョエル" [Yamachan Land (Japanese Chart Archives) – Albums Chart Daijiten – Billy Joel] (in Japanese). Original Confidence. December 30, 2007. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
45. "Japanese album certifications – ビリー・ジョエル – STORM FRONT" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1993年1月 on the drop-down menu
46. "Dutch album certifications – Billy Joel – Stormfront" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Stormfront in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1990 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
47. "New Zealand album certifications – Billy Joel – Storm Front". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
48. "British album certifications – Billy Joel – Storm Front". British Phonographic Industry.
49. "American album certifications – Billy Joel – Storm Front". Recording Industry Association of America.