What was the title of Billy Joel's first solo album?

Billy Joel's first solo album was Cold Spring Harbor. Family Productions released the debut studio album on November 1, 1971, after Joel had already performed with the bands The Hassles and Attila.

The album takes its title from Cold Spring Harbor, a hamlet on Long Island near Joel's Hicksville hometown. Its songs included “She's Got a Way” and “Everybody Loves You Now,” which later became better known through live performances and subsequent releases.

Cold Spring Harbor was not an immediate commercial success. A mastering error caused the original record to play at a faster speed than intended, altering the sound and pitch. A remixed, edited, and speed-corrected version appeared through Columbia Records in 1983.

The album is often confused with Piano Man because Piano Man was Joel's first album for Columbia and the record that brought him much wider recognition. Piano Man followed in 1973; Cold Spring Harbor remains his first solo release.