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NeroVulpes t1_iy5h55s wrote

Elton John

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extacy1375 t1_iy67680 wrote

Wow..I never thought about it before, but....this is the perfect answer!

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PJammas41 t1_iy6bxgf wrote

Man, I wish they’d tour with each other just once!

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mdpaustin t1_iy6qljl wrote

I'll always regret not going to that tour in 94.

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ImMuju t1_iy7xklk wrote

Don’t know if this is sarcastic but they used to tour together. Caught them both live together years ago.

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PJammas41 t1_iy92wsn wrote

Yup - heavy sarcasm. Never missed a show when those 2 came to town together! Apparently Billy would get frustrated because Elton wanted to play the same setlist night after night

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Jwishh t1_iy96f88 wrote

They apparently were both endlessly annoyed with each other lol

Two mad geniuses

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extacy1375 t1_iy6h2ua wrote

Would make Taylor Swift ticket sales look like a bar cover band....LOL

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Ramoncin t1_iy7o6sp wrote

They did in 2002 and there are good sounding bootlegs of the event. Look for Hartford, CT, 08-02-2002 for instance.

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magick_68 t1_iy777j9 wrote

Saw Billy in Wembley a few years ago and next year we'll see Elton. Another point off my bucket list.

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SundaySuperSara t1_iy6qead wrote

If those two are the same then just lump all pop music together. Super easy. You could probably Google it.

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Mot6180 t1_iy5iy4g wrote

Ben Folds has a pretty diverse catalog. Try "Evaporated" or "Selfless, Cold, and Composed" if you haven't heard them already

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bananaz_to_the_moon t1_iy5ovrf wrote

Magic, Lullaby, Still Fighting It, Brick, the list goes on, my friend. Ben Folds writes some powerful stuff while also being able to write fun stuff like Army and Song for the Dumped. haven't listened to that stuff in ages.

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PJammas41 t1_iy66887 wrote

These are all incredible songs that nobody talks about! Ben Folds Live has a hidden Emaline that could fit on this playlist.

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100_magic_rings t1_iy6qbdm wrote

If you like Ben Folds, you might like Andy Shauf or Ben Kweller.

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Ok_Plate_7187 t1_iy5la6v wrote

Maybe Joe Jackson

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dogsledonice t1_iyawf80 wrote

Joe Jackson changes his style on virtually every album, though. Some of them are pretty MOR, others are way more out there.

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DevinBelow t1_iy5j5h8 wrote

Tapestry by Carole King has some piano-led rock and roll songs.

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Heavy_Reality_5633 OP t1_iy5t6pf wrote

I listen to Carole King once and I liked it so I’ll listen to one of her albums

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DevinBelow t1_iy61ozw wrote

Just realizing I was really underselling that album. It's really one of the all time great singer songwriter albums. Definitely check it out.

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djarvis77 t1_iy5mq47 wrote

Tom Waits first 7 albums (all his work during the '70s). My personal favorite of these is Nighthawks at the Diner, it's live. He is not as rock and roll as Billy Joel, but more like the piano man type.

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CacophonicAcetate t1_iy5s5gh wrote

Warren Zevon

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Baidon t1_iy5tl0k wrote

Beat me to it! The songwriting, the piano, the lyricism. Early Zevon is as close as you'll get to Joel.

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CraigCDM828 t1_iy6mju7 wrote

Paul Simon. Depth of lyrics and not afraid to try different musical styles.

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Fuzz_166 t1_iy5u77f wrote

I first read this as "Why are some artists like Billy Joel?" and was ready to come into a completely different conversation.

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rAbBITwILdeBBB t1_iy60qhp wrote

I thought it said, "Who are some artists like Billy Idol?" Until I read your comment.

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DucksVersusWombats t1_iy65h4f wrote

See if you think Regina Spektor, Tori Amos, or Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) qualify.

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Gonzostewie t1_iy5iztr wrote

Try some Todd Rundgren.

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realinvalidname t1_iy7soqi wrote

Interesting, but Todd covers a lot of territory. Perhaps maybe some specific albums here. Something/Anything, obviously, but what else? Early Todd might align with early Billy Joel (Cold Spring Harbor, meet The Ballad of Todd Rundgren), but Todd is more soulful and more experimental, so the OP probably wouldn’t go for something like No World Order or 2nd Wind.

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SweetCosmicPope t1_iy5s0gx wrote

Not really piano-driven, but Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons has a similar musical style (precedes him by about 10 or 15 years).

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Heavy_Reality_5633 OP t1_iy5szwf wrote

Seems interesting I’ll listen

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woundedbearhair t1_iy6g8t2 wrote

Billy Joel grew up listening to artists like Frankie Valli and inspired the dojo-wop style songs…

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jackasspenguin t1_iy6803q wrote

Check out Dr John, Allen Toussaint, Randy Newman

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onelittleworld t1_iy5ritu wrote

Some very good suggestions here, already. Elton John is the obvious comp. I'll add Phil Collins and post-1980 Genesis.

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Heavy_Reality_5633 OP t1_iy5t1xa wrote

I’ve heard good things about Phil Collins

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onelittleworld t1_iy628ue wrote

Against All Odds

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Redwhiteandlu t1_iy6gvlv wrote

Some Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp songs can sound pretty similar at times.

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CraigCDM828 t1_iy6mqol wrote

Mellemcamp is watered-down Billy Joel. Take out the depth of lyrics and the musical creativity and you get the Cougs.

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dogsledonice t1_iyawx8a wrote

Sorry but IMO Mellencamp (after his first few albums) is miles ahead as a songwriter - check out Scarecrow or Big Daddy to start.

Billy Joel, to me, is trite - Just the Way You Are is mansplaining done in song, for example.

0

sixtoe72 t1_iy5ycft wrote

For some names that weren't mentioned yet that are in the storyteller-songwriter genre from the same era, give a listen to John Prine, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart, and Bruce Springsteen.

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bravoromeokilo t1_iy6ndt1 wrote

How we’re leaving Harry Chapin out of this list is a tragedy

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ozzyduzrule t1_iy6yn8z wrote

Probably one of the most overlooked and underrated musicians of all time. RIP. Harry

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ozzyduzrule t1_iy6z5j1 wrote

Don McLean?

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bravoromeokilo t1_iy8h9rv wrote

Him too. And there’s more songs than American Pie in the same way that there’s more songs than Cat’s In The Cradle

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Heavy_Reality_5633 OP t1_iy62nd9 wrote

I’ve heard some of Gordon Lightfoots music so I’m excited to see what the other people you mentioned have

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sixtoe72 t1_iy67rls wrote

If you like Billy's song "You're My Home," it was actually inspired by Lightfoot--Billy was trying to emulate him.

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poul0004 t1_iy5ywe1 wrote

Create a Billy Joel channel on pandora.com while reading about the music genome projexmct

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OdinsDelite t1_iy67vci wrote

Came here to suggest Ben Folds..saw him near the top of the list..my work is done here.

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janiebnl t1_iy94bnv wrote

Current band - Jukebox the Ghost. They're a three-piece - guitar, drums, and keyboard, so it's pretty heavy on the piano. Two members share lead vocals, but Ben's songs tend to be Billy Joel-ish (also shades of ELO and Queen).

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MelodyisDestiny t1_iy5t3bf wrote

Check out Butch Walker! His current album is piano based and a similar style. He has so many great songs

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doubleflush t1_iy62ni6 wrote

do wop joel or 80’s joel ?

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geraldbowman t1_iy64snl wrote

There are no artists “like” Billy Joel. He is an original.

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PJammas41 t1_iy67lia wrote

What type of Billy Joel are you into? Any particular songs or albums? He’s considered great among many reasons because of his versatility so narrowing down can help

Not his music but the coolest story including Paul McCartney https://youtu.be/jg2un-NGlmc

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SLPERAS t1_iy681kq wrote

Leonard Cohen

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tonyk11 t1_iy6e2j6 wrote

Josh Ritter, Joe Pug or Justin Rutledge

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tfurrows t1_iy6ev0o wrote

Check out Romeo's Tune by Steve Forbert.

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coffcat t1_iy6ijl6 wrote

I'd suggest David Gray and Pete Yorn.

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happylakeguy81 t1_iy6irxc wrote

Elton John, Bruce Hornsby, Steve Winwood, Joshua Kadison, Ben Folds, Paul McCartney, Richard Marx

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deadpossumhoarder t1_iy6sdj2 wrote

Literally Billy Joel, lol. How much of his material have you gotten through? He's got a lot of stuff

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ToxicAdamm t1_iy6ua9j wrote

The Underdog by Spoon sounds like a lost Billy Joel hit. Check it it out.

https://youtu.be/q1hZVDLkJDc

The rest of their stuff is more diverse, but that song fits the bill.

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Just_bail t1_iy6ue67 wrote

Van Morrison isn’t exactly the same, but my music apps always create playlists with both of them, so similar enough. I am a huge Van Morrison fan and have been for years but I just recently started really getting into Billy Joel!

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carolpen t1_iy7830q wrote

Elton John and Billy Joel DID tour together and sang a lot of each other's songs. I much prefer Billy Joel

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coronetgemini t1_iy7f67l wrote

I always felt like "it's still rock and roll to me" has a very Elvis Costello sound.

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PuddingActual6641 t1_iy8sx4e wrote

Randy Newman, Todd Rundgren, Tom Waits, Paul McCartney, Warren Zevon, Harry Nilsson

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gtoz1119 t1_iy8zqj9 wrote

Joshua Kadison

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JoetheWalrus2 t1_iy9wrs5 wrote

Gavin Degraw's early stuff. It's not a 1 to 1 match since it's more modern than Billy Joel's stuff, but he cited Billy Joel as an influence and you can hear it.

And I second the suggestion of Carole King!

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mrslotsfloater t1_iy5t1os wrote

Whoever is annoying and pretentious

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