Billy Joel A Matter Of Trust : The Bridge To Russia

You would be hard pressed to find a lot of people who don’t know Billy Joel and his influence on the world of music.  But just in case you happen to be one of the three people on the planet who doesn’t know about Billy Joel and his legendary trip to Russia back in 1987 you now have the chance to catch up on some serious music history.

A Matter of Trust: The Bridge To Russia is a 2 CD, DVD that documents the epic show behind the iron curtain.  Included in this release are 11 previously unreleased tunes that will keep fans of the New York star rocking for hours.  Many people might not realize the cultural and world wide significance of Joel’s performance.  Relations between the US and Russia weren’t great.  The Russian people seemed to be longing for a little bit of Western rock and roll and Billy Joel seemed to be the guy to deliver the rock message to the masses.

If you have seen any clips from the show it wasn’t some over the top rock star prancing and preening all over the stage.  Joel ran through his massive hits and it was clear he was certainly enjoying himself.  The crowd was in a frenzy and the band was raging.  For those of you too young to remember Billy Joel was one of the biggest stars in the world at that time.  Not that his star has faded much since 1987 but he was a HUGE star at the time of the Russian performance.  He had a way of connecting with his audience in a way that many rock stars would never be able to pull off.  He was more like your buddy from school or the cool guy down the block vs being a massive world wide rock star.  Many of his songs were about working class people and people who were struggling…something that the Russian people clearly connected with.

You can watch clips from A Matter of Trust: The Bride To Russia below and see for yourself.  Its worth the time to watch regardless of if you are long time fan of Billy Joel or if this is your first time hearing any of his songs.  You certainly won’t be disappointed.

Here is the track listing:

Disc: 1
1. Odoya
2. Prelude/Angry Young Man
3. Honesty
4. The Ballad of Billy the Kid – previously unreleased
5. She’s Always A Woman – previously unreleased
6. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant – previously unreleased
7. Goodnight Saigon
8. Stiletto
9. Big Man On Mulberry Street
10. Baby Grand
11. What’s Your Name – previously unreleased
12. The Longest Time – previously unreleased
13. An Innocent Man

Disc: 2
1. Pressure – previously unreleased
2. Allentown
3. A Matter Of Trust
4. Only The Good Die Young
5. It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me – previously unreleased
6. Sometimes A Fantasy
7. You May Be Right – previously unreleased
8. Uptown Girl
9. Big Shot
10. Back In The U.S.S.R.
11. The Times They Are A Changin’
12. She Loves You – previously unreleased Russian concerts rehearsal recording
13. New York State Of Mind – previously unreleased
14. Piano Man – previously unreleased

Source: Blog.siriusxm.com and Something Else Reviews

About Dave Abrams

Dave has been eating, living, and breathing music since before he could talk. This makes Dave perfect for his role here at Guitar News Daily.