The Essential Billy Joel

Amazon.com
Early in his career, Billy Joel seemed cynical about fame, even as that distrust bore strange fruit: mainstream superstardom (thanks to "Just the Way You Are," "Honesty," and "My Life") and multiple Grammy awards, as well as the critic's-whipping-boy status that went with them. Maybe it was that restlessness--or undiluted cynicism--that inspired left turns into roots and nostalgia (the spunky "It's Still Rock & Roll to Me," "You May Be Right," "Uptown Girl," and "The Longest Time") as his career peaked. Perhaps not surprisingly, not long after Joel's songs seemed to find their most satisfying balance of angst and mature reflection on songs like "Storm Front" and "River of Dreams," he threatened to bolt the pop music business altogether. The 2001 recordings of "Waltz No. 1" and "Invention in C Minor" that round out this set are the unlikely products of Joel's commitment to classical music. Billy Joel remains both a true, if oft-lambasted, American pop icon and that rarest of animals: a bonafide crowd-pleaser with a serious case of 'tude. Both are well chronicled here. --Jerry McCulley

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The Essential Billy Joel

Average customer rating: Joel on a Roll A strong selection of Billy Joel's best MARVELOUS COLLECTION!!! A great compilation very much like the three Greatest Hits discs Joe's Review

The Essential Billy Joel Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Box Sets at 30% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classic Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Elton John - Greatest Hits 1970-2002 The Essential Bruce Springsteen The Essential Neil Diamond Billy Joel - Greatest Hits Vol. 3 12 Gardens Live ASIN: B00005OSX8 Release Date: 2001-10-02

Tracks:

1. Piano Man
2. You're My Home
3. Captain Jack
4. The Entertainer
5. Say Goodbye To Hollywood
6. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
7. New York State Of Mind
8. She's Always A Woman
9. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
10. Only The Good Die Young
11. Just The Way You Are
12. Honesty
13. My Life
14. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
15. You May Be Right
16. Don't Ask Me Why
17. She's Got A Way
18. Allentown

Tracks:

1. Goodnight Saigon
2. An Innocent Man
3. Uptown Girl
4. The Longest Time
5. Tell Her About It
6. Leave A Tender Moment Alone
7. A Matter Of Trust
8. Baby Grand (duet with Ray Charles)
9. I Go To Extremes
10. We Didn't Start The Fire
11. Leningrad
12. The Downeaster "Alexa"
13. And So It Goes
14. The River Of Dreams
15. All About Soul (Remix)
16. Lullbye (Goodnight My Angel)
17. Waltz No. 1 (Nunley's Carousel) *
18. Invention In C Minor*

Amazon.com

Early in his career, Billy Joel seemed cynical about fame, even as that distrust bore strange fruit: mainstream superstardom (thanks to "Just the Way You Are," "Honesty," and "My Life") and multiple Grammy awards, as well as the critic's-whipping-boy status that went with them. Maybe it was that restlessness--or undiluted cynicism--that inspired left turns into roots and nostalgia (the spunky "It's Still Rock & Roll to Me," "You May Be Right," "Uptown Girl," and "The Longest Time") as his career peaked. Perhaps not surprisingly, not long after Joel's songs seemed to find their most satisfying balance of angst and mature reflection on songs like "Storm Front" and "River of Dreams," he threatened to bolt the pop music business altogether. The 2001 recordings of "Waltz No. 1" and "Invention in C Minor" that round out this set are the unlikely products of Joel's commitment to classical music. Billy Joel remains both a true, if oft-lambasted, American pop icon and that rarest of animals: a bonafide crowd-pleaser with a serious case of 'tude. Both are well chronicled here. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Joel on a Roll.......2007-07-09

This 2-disc set is a very good overview of Billy Joel's music over the years. There's about 2.5 hours of music on the 2 discs, so definitely getting money's worth. All the songs you've heard on the radio are here, plus a bunch of lesser knowns. I note that Disc 2 contains 2 excellent lesser knowns: Lenningrad and Downeaster Alexa.

A strong selection of Billy Joel's best.......2007-06-16

With as many "best ofs" as Billy Joel has, calling this "Essential" is a grossly deceptive marketing ploy. While the name alone might raise your hackles, the music most certainly should not. On these two discs, you can follow the growth of Billy Joel as he evolves from angry young Piano Man to the classical composer of "Essential's" final selection.

The troubadour that composed the slice of life "Piano Man" was a troubled wayfarer with an attitude. His peers were trying to cope with the ennui of everyday life ("Captain Jack") and his early romanticism ("New York State of Mind") began to show fruit. But he was a rapid changer, and by the time "The Stranger" hit the charts, his melodic sense had sharpened to the point where he began having hits ("Just The Way You Are," "Moving Out"). That commercial success also came with a critical drubbing...he was often accused of being a lightweight. By the time the 80's rolled around, this name calling and the emergence of New Wave caused Billy to lash out with energy on "Glass Houses," declaring "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" and hitting number one. It was also about now that he changed the course of his career from Piano Man to Arena Rocker.

But Billy had bigger musical ideas. His Beatle-esque concept album "The Nylon Curtain" portrayed the once angry young man as a more pensive baby boomer casting a jaded eye on the Reagan Era. It also contains one of the best songs Billy has ever written, "Goodnight Saigon." He followed that by looking even further back, with the youthfully nostalgic and love-fests on "An Innocent Man." The Four Seasons tribute in "Uptown Girl" made Billy more popular than ever, and effectively bookmarked a chapter in his ongoing evolution.

A more mature Billy Joel continued with such albums as "Storm Front" and "The Bridge," which gave the history lesson as pop-tune "We Didn't Start The Fire," then the wonderfully mature "River of Dreams." His love for Christy Brinkley and his daughter Alexa came through on "Lullaby," but Billy also claimed that he had gone as far as he could with pop-music and was turning his sights to the classical "Fantasies & Delusions, Op. 1-10." While probably only fanatic would really be all that interested in those two songs presented here, they are from the last full album Billy Joel issued.

The strong points on all these songs remain their melodicism, Billy has always shared the same melodic sense as Paul McCartney (an obvious hero). What weakens the set is the omissions: where are "Pressure," "Big Shot," "You're Only Human/Second Wind" or "Keeping The Faith," to name a few. Also, a few obscurities might have spiced things up a bit, like "Why Should I Worry" from Oliver And Company: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack." Nevertheless, "The Essential Billy Joel" will fill a quick fix if you don't have many of Billy's 13 studio albums, and will certainly argue strongly that Joel's critics have been off-base all along.

MARVELOUS COLLECTION!!!.......2007-05-06

This is the pure Billy Joel; I was always waiting for a collection like this; every song in my favourite song, all of this album is perfect, for me is teh most complete compilation of Billy Joel's songs, from the mystic PIANO MAN, the finest song HONESTY, the great ballads JUST THE WAY YOU ARE, SHE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN and INNOCENT MAN, great rhythms like ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG, DON'T ASK ME WHY, RIVER OF DREAMS and MY LIFE, fast rockers like WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE, GO TO THE EXTREME, humanitarian songs like GOODNIGHT SAIGON, and lullabyes like AND SO IT GOES and GOODNIGHT MY ANGEL; also it has two instrumental piano compositions whom are very brillant... the work of a GENIUS!!!

A great compilation very much like the three Greatest Hits discs.......2007-04-04

First,three volumes of GREATEST HITS material,and now this essential compilation covering Billy Joel's career,spanning exactly three decades,at the time of this release. However,the last two tracks on disc two are instrumental classical pieces which were recorded following Joel's semi-retirement from pop/rock music. The other tracks that Joel's fans know and love were all previously released. Some of them never made it to the GREATEST HITS compilations,one of them being LEAVE A TENDER MOMENT ALONE from 1983's AN INNOCENT MAN. As for SAY GOODBYE TO HOLLYWOOD,a fan will wonder before purchasing this item,if the track is the TURNSTILES studio version or the live version from SONGS IN THE ATTIC. I would buy this item just for the classical tracks. Anyway,it's an excellent compilation.

Joe's Review.......2007-01-05

I really enjoyed this CD and made it a part of my collection. I then went back and bought a second copy for my son who is a big BJ fan.

Average customer rating:

The Essential Pop Sampler Billy Joel , Frank Sinatra , Willie Nelson , Tony Bennett , Earth Wind & Fire , Santana , Miles Davis , Luther Vandross , Simon & Garfunkel , and Johnny Cash Manufacturer: Pop ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B0009Y9KOO

Product Description

Includes: Piano Man, Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night in The Week), On The Road Again, The Best Is Yet To Come, That's The Way of The World, Samba Pa' Ti, So What, Here and Now, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Ring Of Fire

Average customer rating:

Essential Billy Joel various Manufacturer: Pocketsongs ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B000PHUVPC

Product Description

Title: All About Soul; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 1; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: And So It Goes; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 2; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Big Shot; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 3; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Famous Last Words; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 4; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Hey Girl; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 5; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Honesty; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 6; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Innocent Man, An; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 7; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: It's Still Rock & Roll To Me; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 8; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Just The Way You Are; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 9; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Keeping The Faith; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 10; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Leave A Tender Moment Alone; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 11; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Longest Time, The; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 12; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel); Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 13; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Matter Of Trust, A; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 14; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Minor Variation, A; Artist: Joel, Billy; Track: 15; Disc: PSJT206-1| Title: Preview; Artist: Song Title; Track: Song Made Popular by; Disc: Track #| Title: Disc #; Artist: New York State Of Mind; Track: Joel, Billy; Disc: 1| Title: PSJT206-2; Artist: Only The Good Die Young; Track: Joel, Billy; Disc: 2| Title: PSJT206-2; Artist: Piano Man; Track: Joel, Billy; Disc: 3| Title: PSJT206-2; Artist: River Of Dreams, The; Track: Joel, Billy; Disc: 4| Title: PSJT206-2; Artist: Rosalinda's Eyes; Track: Joel, Billy; Disc: 5| Title: PSJT206-2; Artist: Say Goodbye To Hollywood; Track: Joel, Billy; Disc: 6| Title: PSJT206-2; Artist: She's Always A Woman To Me; Track: Joel, Billy; Disc: 7| Title: PSJT206-2; Artist: Stiletto; Track: Joel, Billy; Disc: 8| Title: PSJT206-2; Artist: Stranger, The; Track: Joel, Billy; Disc: 9| Title: PSJT206-2; Artist: Tell Her About It; Track: Joel, Billy; Disc: 10| Title: PSJT206-2; Artist: To Make You Feel My Love; Tra

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