A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia

Billy Joel

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A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia Review

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

As Mikhail Gorbachev's Glasnost warmed relations between the East and West, Billy Joel was invited to be the first American rocker to perform in the Soviet Union. In the throes of his supporting tour for 1986's The Bridge, Joel jumped at the chance and performed three shows apiece in Moscow and Leningrad, along with an acoustic show in Tbilisi, in the summer of 1987. This tour was documented on the rush-released 1987 live album Kohuept but the 2014 set A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia goes deep, expanding the original double LP/single CD to a double-disc 27-track set, adding 12 unreleased cuts (including a version of the Beatles' "She Loves You" taken from rehearsals), plus a DVD containing video of the full concert and the documentary film A Matter of Trust. This movie, helmed by Emmy winner Jim Brown, does an admirable job of placing Billy's Russian tour in historical context and is often more interesting than the album it supports. The 1987 concert, whether in its original Kohuept incarnation or this expanded double-disc edition, does capture a well-oiled band at its stadium-pleasing best and the set list -- anchored with the classics, featuring three songs from The Bridge, hard rockers tailored for an arena, covers of Beatles and Dylan, plus a doo wop interlude -- is satisfying but the performance is just a shade too polite, a problem that could either lie at the feet of a band eager to not offend or an audience not feeding back appropriate energy. The music is pleasant but lacks spark, leaving the movie as the true document of the excitement that greeted Billy Joel when he toured the U.S.S.R. in 1987.

Track Listing - Disc 1

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Odoya Traditional	Billy Joel	01:16	Spotify Amazon
2	Prelude/Angry Young Man Billy Joel	Billy Joel	05:33	Spotify Amazon
3	Honesty Billy Joel	Billy Joel	05:15	Spotify Amazon
4	The Ballad of Billy the Kid Billy Joel	Billy Joel	05:32	Spotify Amazon
5	She's Always a Woman Billy Joel	Billy Joel	03:35	Spotify Amazon
6	Scenes from an Italian Restaurant Billy Joel	Billy Joel	08:20	Spotify Amazon
7	Goodnight Saigon Billy Joel	Billy Joel	06:38	Spotify Amazon
8	Stiletto Billy Joel	Billy Joel	05:10	Spotify Amazon
9	Big Man on Mulberry Street Billy Joel	Billy Joel	07:29	Spotify Amazon
10	Baby Grand Billy Joel	Billy Joel	06:14	Spotify Amazon
11	What's Your Name Claude Johnson	Billy Joel	02:17	Spotify Amazon
12	The Longest Time Billy Joel	Billy Joel	05:10	Spotify Amazon
13	An Innocent Man Billy Joel	Billy Joel	06:03	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Pressure Billy Joel	Billy Joel	05:23	Spotify Amazon
2	Allentown Billy Joel	Billy Joel	03:52	Spotify Amazon
3	A Matter of Trust Billy Joel	Billy Joel	05:09	Spotify Amazon
4	Only the Good Die Young Billy Joel	Billy Joel	03:32	Spotify Amazon
5	It's Still Rock and Roll to Me Billy Joel	Billy Joel	03:59	Spotify Amazon
6	Sometimes a Fantasy Billy Joel	Billy Joel	03:38	Spotify Amazon
7	You May Be Right Billy Joel	Billy Joel	05:35	Spotify Amazon
8	Uptown Girl Billy Joel	Billy Joel	03:08	Spotify Amazon
9	Big Shot Billy Joel	Billy Joel	04:52	Spotify Amazon
10	Back in the U.S.S.R. John Lennon / Paul McCartney	Billy Joel	02:54	Spotify Amazon
11	The Times They Are A-Changin' Bob Dylan	Billy Joel	02:38	Spotify Amazon
12	She Loves You [Russian Concerts Rehearsal Recording] John Lennon / Paul McCartney	Billy Joel	02:23	Spotify Amazon
13	New York State of Mind [Russian Concerts Rehearsal Recording] Billy Joel	Billy Joel	06:22	Spotify Amazon
14	Piano Man Billy Joel	Billy Joel	04:25	Spotify Amazon

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