The back-to-back success of The Stranger and 52nd Street may have brought Billy Joel fame and fortune, even a certain amount of self-satisfaction, but it didn't bring him critical respect, and it didn't dull his anger. If anything, being classified as a mainstream rocker -- a soft rocker -- infuriated him, especially since a generation of punks and new wave kids were getting the praise that eluded him. He didn't take this lying down -- he recorded Glass Houses. Comparatively a harder-rocking album than either of its predecessors, with a distinctly bitter edge, Glass Houses still displays the hallmarks of Billy Joel the pop craftsman and Phil Ramone the world-class hitmaker. Even its hardest songs -- the terrifically paranoid Sometimes a Fantasy, Sleepin' With the Television On, Close to the Borderline, the hit You May Be Right -- have bold, direct melodies and clean arrangements, ideal for radio play. Instead of turning out to be a fiery rebuttal to his detractors, the album is a remarkable catalog of contemporary pop styles, from McCartney-esque whimsy (Don't Ask Me Why) and arena rock (All for Leyna) to soft rock (C'etait Toi [You Were the One]) and stylish new wave pop (It's Still Rock and Roll to Me, which ironically is closer to new wave pop than rock). That's not a detriment; that's the album's strength. The Stranger and 52nd Street were fine albums in their own right, but it's nice to hear Joel scale back his showman tendencies and deliver a solid pop/rock record. It may not be punk -- then again, it may be his concept of punk -- but Glass Houses is the closest Joel ever got to a pure rock album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

1		You May Be Right
2		Sometimes a Fantasy
3		Don't Ask Me Why
4		It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
5		All For Leyna
6		I Don't Want to Be Alone
7		Sleeping With the Televison On
8		C'etait toi (You Were the One)
9		Close to the Borderline
10		Through the Long Night