A matter of trust : The bridge to Russia

"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".

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"BJ was at the top of his game during this period; An Innocent Man was a big hit in `83, and whilst follow-up The Bridge did not achieve such huge commercial success, artistically it was no stinker, with Ray Charles, Steve Winwood and Cyndi Lauper appearing for the defense. Looking at the concert DVD, Joel's performance levels are still on a par with the Innocent Man tour, and mighty impressive. The band is tight and there's a distinctive sense of the camaraderie of a gang enjoying a new audience together".

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