40 years ago today (4/24/86), Bruce Hornsby & The Range released their debut album The Way It Is. It sounded quite unlike anything previously out there, as it was piano-driven pop-rock, but not in a 70’s Billy Joel type of way. Hornsby’s playing draws on jazz phrasing, gospel touches, and even a bluegrass sensibility, allowing for improvisation and a roots-oriented platform that was in many ways ahead of its time. Powered by its hit title track, the album went multi-platinum and helped earn the band the Grammy for Best New Artist, with standout cuts like “Mandolin Rain” and “Every Little Kiss” rounding out its success. Let’s watch Hornsby perform to a very 80s audience in Europe- somehow he must have felt a bit out of place….