(click for full-size images, front, back
OK, let's set the scene: Denver, Colorado, 1979. A pizza restaurant that can accommodate 1,000 patrons. A 3,000-pipe, four-manual-console theatre organ, replete with percussion instruments. Numerous talented organists, playing a mix of golden oldies and more contemporary pop. Add an amusement midway, silent movies, and employees dressed in animal costumes, and you have the Organ Grinder Pizza experience.
The first Organ Grinder Pizza restaurant was opened in Portland, Oregon, and was in operation from 1973 to 1996. The one in Denver opened in 1979, but only remained open until 1988. Here's a commercial for the Portland restaurant. What a scene!
My favorite thing about this dynamic recording of the song, "My Life," is how it places Billy Joel's song firmly in the pantheon of such iconic American musical compositions as "In the Good Old Summertime" (heard in the commercial), "Tiger Rag," and "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" (both of which appear on various Organ Grinder Pizza records). This is my personal favorite version of any song ever written by Mr. Joel, including those performed by the composer himself. In fact, I feel that if Mr. Joel's entire career existed solely to bring this sprightly theatre-organ rendition of "My Life" into existence, it was well worth it. A perfect match of material, instrument, and arrangement!
Here is a page dedicated to the Portland Organ Grinder theatre organ; and one devoted to the Denver instrument.
Here is a picture of the oversized Oregon organ:
and one of the colossal Colorado console:
I first learned of this record (and downloaded the mp3s and front and back covers), from this post on the Way Out Junk blog (download links no longer active).
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