Tomorrow Is Today - Billy Joel Cold Spring Harbor (original pressing) w/orchestra 1971

[TheKingofcube]

billy joel likes him some mustache

[equineiscool]

This is freaking amazing.



[whizpyr]

This a favorite of mine Dino...thanks for all the pops and scratches...brings me home...

[DinoNardelli]

@whizpyr You're very welcome!

[mmabjj4evz]

such a sad song. such an amazing writer.

[44t56]

I think it's lovely that he took the words from his 1970 suicide note, and wrote this song. He's beyond remarkable. A true icon.

[PTLover647]

Coming from someone who's attempted suicide, I can honestly say this is one of the most touching pieces of music I've ever heard.

[RyanK1020]

this is so good ive been obsessed with this song

[cluedo1]

@RyanK1020 Same here. I've been listening to this nonstop for the last few weeks. It's my favourite song now.

[GoreFilms]

This was Billys suicide note that he later turned into a song...crazy how something so sad can be turned into something so beautiful.

[yotess11]

I love this is pressed from the LP. I still love listening to all my old LPs knowing where each scratch came from. They are time capsules.

[yotess11]

I love this is pressed from the LP.

[tomchs1989]

Such a nice song!!! My favorite off the Cold Spring Harbor album. Thanks to eBay, I found and now proudly own the 1971 first pressing of this album, which is way better than the 1983 rerelease. :o)

[poonisman]

is it bad if i like this song more than second wind? lol

[NYYANKS24LMC]

He managed to turn his own suicide note into a beautiful song... now that's talent.

[MegaMacTV]

I personally don't think it sounds too drastically different. Poor Billy shouldn't have got so upset, it still sounds wonderful!

[Moody86Blues]

Honored to be the 10,000th hit! Amazing song! Thanks for posting.

[Kritsten]

Philip Cohen has done a pitch corrected version of the original recording which is great.

[sleepyduo37]

@Kritsten You know I've listened to that one and some tracks are right, but the rest don't sound too hot. Too slow or too fast.

[kategal8]

i love this album, and I feel lost as well

[Daniizle]

I loove this.

[SaturnTrack]

Personally, I think this is Billy's most touching song. I wish he had kept the orchestra on the 1983 Remastered version, along with the drums on "Everybody Loves You Now"

Thanks for uploading. I own the original Cold Spring Harbor album on vinyl, but I haven't had the chance to listen to it.

[TheRiseagainstfan]

crazy to think the lyrics to this song are his suicide note

[incognitovu]

I am happy that this is available for posterity and curiosity-sake. I find that the mangling of the mastering and the resulting grief adds a whole new dimension when listening to this imperfect version.

[rusty1491]

Notice how the intro sounds like 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. Similar to the 'Let It Be' intro.

[rocknrollroy2007]

I recently scored an original copy of Cold Spring Harbor on Family Productions. I am aware of a speed-corrected version on Columbia, but have not heard it. I like the mix of the original version.

[Sweepingreaper4]

It's almost funny that even in a suicide note, Billy could write amazing music.

[ryan13knapp]

haha the production company really butchered that one. too fast, too high, still billy!

[purpleshamrock17]

very beautiful song yet it is unsettling to know that the words are from his suicide note. Thank God his drummer found him and rushed him to the hospital!

[TheSaguaro22]

@purpleshamrock17 i never thought about that-a world without Billy Joel-WOW-sound depressing

[dormanbenton]

WOW the guy who mastered this really did a mess on the music. However, we wouldn't have Piano Man if it were not for his slip-up. Billy Joel hid out at a piano bar until his contract was up. This was my first time going through the "Cold Spring Harbor" tracks. Ohhh, they suck technically. Good songs though! That is why it's hard listening to them. "Songs in the Attic" helped!

[superAJ71]

If you listen to both the '71 & '83 versions, it's clear that the mastering speed wasn't the only issue Joel had with this album. In fact, I find some of the revised version to be a bit flatter than concert pitch. And this particular song, dare I say, is about 50 cents sharper on the '83 version. He obviously didn't like the orchestral arrangement here, however, when you remove it from the track, the piano playing sounds too rigid, almost quantized; not a true solo piano performance.

[superAJ71]

Additionally, a lot of the vocal tracks were mixed terribly, which might also have contributed to the "chipmunk" effect. And as far as some of the replaced drum tracks, I don't know if he was still working with John Small at the time, but we all know about the extra-musical issues going on there.I admit though, the original drumming on "Everybody Loves You Now" was a bit dinky for the song.

[DinoNardelli]

Agreed. I believe he was frustrated with the mixing as well as the mastering. If you liten to Turn Around, the steel guitar is just over-bearing.

All in all, I actually prefer this orchestral version of Tomorrow is Today. Maybe it's because I spent so many yrs listening to the '83 version and this seems 'newer'. But, with the orchestral arrangements, the song seems to 'build up' more

Incidentally, the string arrangement was done by Jimmie Haskell who went on to bigger things later on.

[matureleader7]

best songwriter EVER

[MsNYstateofMind]

Oh how I wish he'd go back to writing. He is truly beyond gifted.

[airbag97]

amazing. no words.

[Ant1238]

I have the cassette tape of Cold Spring Harbor, the only difference I noticed is the drums and orchestra. Maybe I'm just used to my version, but all this instrumentation really takes away from the song's impact...

[trknox]

Thanks--Impressive.  Much better than the CD!

[sztpjrdl]

Thanks for posting this. This is worlds better than the poor remastering on The Harbor Sessions.

[govikesfromfl]

I have this album and although it is a great album ( actually one of my favorites from Billy Joel ) my album was one of those that they screwed up the vocals when recording. A lot of the songs do sound like a chipmunk singing. It really pisses me off. He is one of the best. Great song.

[acoronab]

I read they sped up the recording. In the analog days if you sped up a recording you'd also pitch them up...

[OriginalRitz]

oh my god this is incredible!

i have to get my hands on an original pressing of CSH!!

thanks for posting this!

[jferkfjkj]

after hearing this version, i don't want to bother listening to the CD version

[SamusLink27]

I've now heard three different studio versions of this song.

Which one is from which CD? Also, can you get the original 1971 Cold Spring Harbor on CD, as well as the 1980 re-release on CD? Or can you only get one or the other? It's confusing trying to follow all of it.

[DinoNardelli]

The CD is the 1983 remastered version which in the case of this song, contains only voice and piano. There's another CD called Harbor Sessions which included the orchestra and other instruments but was slowed down way too much and sounds terrible. you cannot get the original mix on a CD. this is why I recorded it off the record and placed it here. thanks

[Japan01GK]

WOW this is like 100,000X better than the CD version!!!!

[wendellgee1985]

I couldn't care less what shape the record is in ... it's so much better than that crappy CD. Thanks for posting.

[eswnr]

The only track on the original LP that sounds particularly "chipmunk"-y is "She's Got a Way". Everything else, he just sounds young.

[Abacab1982]

This version completely kicks the crap out of the 1983 re-release version... holy crap! What a video, thank you so much!