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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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DevinBelow t1_iy5j5h8 wrote

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

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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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bananaz_to_the_moon t1_iy5ovrf wrote

Replying to Mot6180 (#745,303)

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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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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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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CokeFanatic t1_iy5s7hr wrote

I mean, there's only one Billy Joel, but maybe you'd also like Hall & Oates, or Steeley Dan, or Supertramp.

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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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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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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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poul0004 t1_iy5ywe1 wrote

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

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mcgrupp79 t1_iy5zbof wrote

Check out Joel Billy. He’s great!

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geraldbowman t1_iy64snl wrote

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

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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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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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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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jackasspenguin t1_iy6803q wrote

Check out Dr John, Allen Toussaint, Randy Newman

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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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Redwhiteandlu t1_iy6gvlv wrote

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

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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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CraigCDM828 t1_iy6mju7 wrote

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

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100_magic_rings t1_iy6q243 wrote

Boz Scaggs

Squeeze

Elvis Costello

Jackson Browne

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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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realinvalidname t1_iy7soqi wrote

Replying to Gonzostewie (#745,314)

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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PuddingActual6641 t1_iy8sx4e wrote

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

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PJammas41 t1_iy92wsn wrote

Replying to ImMuju (#761,264)

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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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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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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dogsledonice t1_iyawx8a wrote

Replying to CraigCDM828 (#753,176)

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.

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