Billy Joel | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Although Billy Joel never was a critics favorite, the pianist emerged as one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the latter half of the 70s. Joels music consistently demonstrates an affection for Beatlesque hooks and a flair for Tin Pan Alley and Broadway melodies. His fusion of two distinct eras made him a superstar in the late 70s and 80s, as he racked an impressive string of multi-platinum albums and hit singles. Born in the Bronx, Joel was raised in the Long Island suburb of Hicksville, where he learned to play piano as a child. As he approached his adolescence, Joel started to rebel, joining teenage street gangs and boxing as welterweight. He fought a total of 22 fights as a teenager, and during one of the fights, he broke his nose. For the early years of his adolescence, he divided his time between studying piano and fighting. Upon seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, Joel decided to pursue a full-time musical career and set about finding a local Long Island band to join. Eventually, he found the Echoes, a group that specialized in British Invasion covers. The Echoes became a popular New York attraction, convincing him to quit high school to become a professional musician. While still a member of the Echoes, Joel began playing recording sessions in 1965, when he was just 16 years old. Joel played piano on several recordings George "Shadow" Morton produced -- including the Shangri-Las "Leader of the Pack" -- as well as several records released through Kama Sutra Productions. During this time, the Echoes started to play numerous late-night shows. Later in 1965, the Echoes changed their name twice -- once to the Emeralds and finally to the Lost Souls. For two years, he played sessions and performed with the Lost Souls. In 1967, he left the band to join the Hassles, a local Long Island rock & roll band that had signed a contract with United Artists Records. Over the next year and a half, the Hassles released two albums and four singles, all of which failed commercially. In 1969, the Hassles broke up. Joel and the bands drummer, Jon Small, formed an organ-and-drums duo called Attila. In Attila, Joel played his organ through a variety of effects pedals, creating a heavy psychedelic hard rock album completely without guitars. On the cover of the bands eponymous album, both Joel and Small were dressed as barbarians; in an interview on the back of the album, Joel claimed to forget the name of his previous band and stated that he only "sweated" two things -- perfecting his sound and the war in Southeast Asia. Epic released Attila early in 1970 and it was an immediate bomb and the duo broke up. While the group was still together, Joel began a romance with Smalls wife, Elizabeth; she would eventually leave the drummer to marry the pianist. After Attilas embarrassing failure, Joel wrote rock criticism for a magazine called Changes and played on commercial jingles, including a Chubby Checker spot for Bachman Pretzels. However, Joel entered a severe bout of depression, culminating with him drinking a bottle of furniture polish in an attempt to end his life. Following his failed suicide attempt, Joel checked himself into Meadowbrook Hospital, where he received psychiatric treatment for depression. Joel returned to playing music in 1971, signing a deal with Family Productions. Under the terms of the contract, Joel signed to the label for life; the pianist was unaware of the clause at the time, but it would come back to haunt him -- Family Productions received royalties from every album Joel sold until the late 80s. Joel refashioned himself as a sensitive singer/songwriter for his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor, which was released in November of 1971. Due to an error in the mastering of the album, Cold Spring Harbor was released a couple of tape speeds too fast; the album remained in that bastardized form until 1984. Following the release of the album, Joel went on a small live tour, during which he would frequently delve into standup comedy. The tour received good reviews but Joel remained unhappy with the quality of his performance and, especially, the quality of the album. Furthermore, he lost a manager during this time and Family Productions was experiencing legal and financial difficulties, which prevented him from recording an immediate follow-up. Early in 1972, he moved out to Los Angeles with his girlfriend Elizabeth. Joel adopted the name Bill Martin and spent half a year playing lounge piano at the Executive Room. Toward the end of the year, he began touring, playing various nightclubs across the country. At the beginning of 1973, Joel married Elizabeth Weber and she enrolled at UCLAs Graduate School of Management. Around the same time, a radio station began playing a live version of "Captain Jack" that was recorded at a Philadelphia radio broadcast. Soon, record companies were eagerly seeking to sign the pianist, and he eventually signed with Columbia Records. In order for Joel to sign with Columbia, the major label had to agree to pay Family Productions 25 cents for each album sold, plus display the Family and Remus logos on each record Joel released. By the end of 1973, Billy Joels first album for Columbia Records, Piano Man, had been released. The record slowly worked its way up the charts, peaking at number 27 in the spring of 1974. The title track -- culled from experiences he had while singing at the Executive Room -- became a Top 40 hit single. At the end of the summer, Joel assembled a touring band and undertook a national tour, opening for acts like the J. Geils Band and the Doobie Brothers. By the end of 1974, he had released his second album, Streetlife Serenade, which reached number 35 early in 1975. After its success, Joel signed a contract with James William Guercio and Larry Fitzgeralds management company, Caribou, and moved from California to New York. Through songs like "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and "New York State of Mind," Joel celebrated the move on his 1976 album, Turnstiles. The sessions for Turnstiles were long and filled with tension, culminating with Joel firing the albums original producer, Guercio, and producing the album himself. Once he fired Guercio, Joel also left Caribou, and hired his wife as his new manager. Turnstiles stalled on the charts, only reaching number 122. Joels next album would prove to be the make-or-break point for his career, and the resulting album, The Stranger, catapulted him into superstardom. The Stranger was released in the fall of 1977. By the end of the year, it peaked at number two and had gone platinum, and within the course of a year, it would spawn the Top 40 singles "Just the Way You Are" (which would win the 1978 Grammy for Record of the Year and Song of the Year), "Movin Out (Anthonys Song)," "Shes Always a Woman," and "Only the Good Die Young." Over the next two decades, the album would sell over seven million copies. Joel followed The Stranger with 52nd Street, which was released in the fall of 1978. 52nd Street spent eight weeks at number one in the U.S., selling over two million copies within the first month of its release. The album spawned the hit singles "My Life," "Big Shot," and "Honesty," and won the 1979 Grammy award for Album of the Year. Although he had become a genuine star, critics had not looked kindly upon Joels music, and the pianist became a vocal opponent of rock criticism in the late 70s. In one incident, he denounced Los Angeles Herald Examiner critic Ken Tucker on-stage and then, as a form of protest, tore up the critics reviews. In the spring of 1980, Joel released Glass Houses, theoretically a harder-edged album that was a response to the punk and new wave movement. Glass Houses reached number one in America, where it stayed for six weeks; the album spawned the Top 40 singles "You May Be Right" (number seven), "Its Still RocknRoll to Me" (number one), "Dont Ask Me Why" (number 19), and "Sometimes a Fantasy" (number 36) and won the 1980 Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male. In the fall of 1981, Joel released Songs in the Attic, a live album that concentrated on material written and recorded before he became a star in 1977. The albums "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and "Shes Got a Way" became Top 40 hits. Songs in the Attic bought Joel some time as he was completing an album he had designed as his bid to be taken seriously as a composer. Before the album was finished, he suffered a serious motorcycle accident in the spring of 1982. He broke his wrist in the accident -- it would take major surgery to repair the wound. In July of 1982, Joel divorced his wife, Elizabeth. His new album, The Nylon Curtain, was finally released in the fall. A concept album about baby boomers and their experiences, the album was a commercial disappointment, only selling a million copies, but it did earn him some of his better reviews, as well as spawning the Top 20 hits "Pressure" and "Allentown." Joel quickly followed the album in 1983 with the oldies pastiche An Innocent Man. An Innocent Man restored Joel to his multi-platinum status, eventually selling over seven million copies and spawning the hit singles "Uptown Girl" (number three), "Tell Her About It" (number one), "An Innocent Man" (number ten), and "Keeping the Faith" (number 18). Several of the songs on the album were about model Christie Brinkley, who was engaged to Joel by the time the album was released. During 1983 and 1984, Joel became one of the first 70s stars to embrace MTV and music videos, shooting a number of clips for the album that were aired frequently on the network. Brinkley and Joel were married in the spring of 1985. Joel released a double-album compilation, Greatest Hits, Vols. 1-2 in the summer of 1985. Two new songs -- the Top Ten "Youre Only Human (Second Wind)" and the Top 40 "The Night Is Still Young" -- were added to the hits collection; the album itself peaked at number six and would eventually sell over ten million copies. In the summer of 1986, Joel returned with the Top Ten single "Modern Woman," which was taken from the soundtrack of Ruthless People. "Modern Woman" was also a teaser from his new album, The Bridge, which was released in August. The Bridge was another success for Joel, peaking at number seven, selling over two million copies, and spawning the Top 40 hits "A Matter of Trust" (number ten) and "This Is the Time" (number 18), as well as "Big Man on Mulberry Street," which was used as the basis for an episode of the popular Bruce Willis/Cybill Shepherd television series Moonlighting. In the spring of 1987, Joel embarked on a major tour of the U.S.S.R., during which he had an on-stage temper tantrum and shoved a piano off the stage. His Leningrad concert was recorded and released in the fall of 1987 as the live double album Kohuept, which means concert in Russian. Joel was quiet for much of 1988, only appearing as the voice of Dodger in the Walt Disney animated feature Oliver and Company. Joel fired his longtime manager and former brother-in-law Frank Weber in August of 1989, after an audit revealed that there were major discrepancies in Webers accounting. Following Webers dismissal, Joel sued Weber for 90 million dollars, claiming fraud and breach of fiduciary duty. Immediately after filing suit, Joel was hospitalized with kidney stones. All of this turmoil didnt prevent the release of his 12th studio album, Storm Front, in the fall of 1989. It was preceded by the single "We Didnt Start the Fire," whose lyrics were just a string of historical facts. The single became a huge hit, reaching number one and inspiring history students across America. Storm Front marked a significant change for Joel -- he fired his band, keeping only Liberty DeVito, and ceased his relationship with producer Phil Ramone, hiring Mick Jones of Foreigner to produce the album. Storm Front was another hit for Joel, reaching number one in the U.S. and selling over three million albums. During 1990, Joel undertook a major U.S. tour, which ran well into 1991. In January, the court awarded Joel two million dollars in a partial judgment against Frank Weber, and in April, the court dismissed a 30 million dollar countersuit. At the end of the year, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences honored Joel with a Grammy Living Legend award; that same year, Quincy Jones, Johnny Cash, and Aretha Franklin were also given the honor. Following the Storm Front world tour, Joel spent the next few years quietly. In 1991, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Fairfield University in Connecticut. In the summer of 1992, Joel filed a 90 million dollar lawsuit charging his former lawyer Allen Grubman of fraud, breach of contract, and malpractice; in October of 1993, the two parties settled their differences out of court. Joel returned in the summer of 1993 with River of Dreams, which entered the charts at number one and spawned the Top Ten title track. Following the River of Dreams tour, Joel divorced Christie Brinkley. In 1996, he gave a series of lectures at a variety of American colleges. He performed at the 1999 New Years Eve Party in Times Square, and 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert, a live album of this concert, was released early the following year. His next studio record, Fantasies & Delusions, arrived in 2001 and was his first album of his own classical compositions. A year later, Twyla Tharp choreographed and directed Movin Out, a Broadway musical based on Joels music. A new venture as a childrens author began in 2004 with the release of his first book, Goodnight, My Angel: A Lullaby. The 54-year-old Joel married the 23-year-old Katie Lee that same year and was making tabloid headlines again in March of 2005 when he checked into the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment of alcohol abuse. He checked out in April, and in November his four-CD/one-DVD career retrospective My Lives was released. Live in Madison Square Garden NYC and the accompanying 12 Gardens Live arrived in 2006. In 2007, Joel released his first original composition since River of Dreams -- a ballad called "All My Life." He quickly followed it with "Christmas in Fallujah," a tune he wrote but did not sing; it was performed by Cass Dillon. After this brief burst of activity Joel returned to touring regularly, his most notable performance being the closing shows at the legendary Shea Stadium in July 2008. These two concerts were recorded and released as DVDs and CDs in the spring of 2011. On the heels of this live album came word that Joel was penning a memoir, but the book was quickly scrapped after the announcement. Over the next couple of years, Joel transitioned toward performing in public frequently and, along with it, started to give more interviews. In 2013, he toured the United Kingdom and then performed at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn for his first New York solo headlining gig in five years. It wouldnt be his last: he soon announced that hed have a regular residency at Madison Square Garden, performing 21 concerts in 2014 alone with an option to play there indefinitely. In addition to his New York shows, Joel also toured elsewhere in the U.S. He promoted these shows and the release of A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia -- an expanded version of his 1987 live album Kohuept, containing two CDs of live performances from that Russian tour in addition to a documentary about the whole endeavor -- with a number of interviews, highlighted by a live "town hall" radio show with Howard Stern. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 36 Title: Cold Spring Harbor Released: 1971 Tracks: 10 Duration: 30:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Shes Got a Way (02:52) 2 You Can Make Me Free (02:58) 3 Everybody Loves You Now (02:49) 4 Why Judy Why (02:56) 5 Falling of the Rain (02:39) 6 Turn Around (03:07) 7 You Look So Good to Me (02:27) 8 Tomorrow Is Today (04:42) 9 Nocturne (02:49) 10 Got to Begin Again (02:49) |
| Cold Spring Harbor : Allmusic album Review : A few short months after abandoning the heavy organ-and-drums duo Attila -- partially because their sole record flopped, partially because he stole the drummers wife -- Billy Joel reinvented himself as a sensitive singer/songwriter. He had shown signs of McCartney-esque songcraft on Hour of the Wolf, the last Hassles album, but his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor, is where these talents blossomed. The record was uneven but very charming, boasting two of his finest songs -- the lovely "Shes Got a Way" and the bitterly cynical "Everybody Loves You Now" -- and a score of flawed but nicely crafted songs that illustrated Joels gift for melody, as well as his pretensions (the mock-gospel in "Tomorrow Is Today," a classical stab entitled "Nocturne"). In its own way, Cold Spring Harbor was a minor gem of the sensitive singer/songwriter era; Joel may have been in his formative stages as a craftsman, but his talents are apparent, and he never made an album as intimate and vulnerable ever again. Ironically, it didnt sound right upon its original release. Through a bizarre mastering error, the tapes were sped up -- legend has it that upon hearing the completed album, he ripped it off the turntable, ran out of the house, and threw it down the street. It wasnt until 1983 that Columbia released a corrected reissue. The speed wasnt the only thing changed -- some songs were edited drastically ("You Can Make Me Free," one of the standouts, was chopped by nearly five minutes) and instruments and backing vocals were stripped away from numerous tracks. It may be a bastardization of the original release, but its an acceptable one, since these changes only accentuate the intimacy and vulnerability of the recording. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 36 Title: Piano Man Released: 1973-11 Tracks: 10 Duration: 43:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Travelin’ Prayer (04:16) 2 Piano Man (05:38) 3 Ain’t No Crime (03:19) 4 You’re My Home (03:13) 5 The Ballad of Billy the Kid (05:45) 6 Worse Comes to Worst (03:15) 7 Stop in Nevada (03:55) 8 If I Only Had the Words (to Tell You) (03:34) 9 Somewhere Along the Line (03:20) 10 Captain Jack (07:17) |
| Piano Man : Allmusic album Review : Embittered by legal disputes with his label and an endless tour to support a debut that was dead in the water, Billy Joel hunkered down in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles, spending six months as a lounge singer at a club. He didnt abandon his dreams -- he continued to write songs, including "Piano Man," a fictionalized account of his weeks as a lounge singer. Through a combination of touring and constant hustling, he landed a contract with Columbia and recorded his second album in 1973. Clearly inspired by Elton Johns Tumbleweed Connection, not only musically but lyrically, as well as James Taylor, Joel expands the vision and sound of Cold Spring Harbor, abandoning introspective numbers (apart from "Youre My Home," a love letter to his wife) for character sketches and epics. Even the title track, a breakthrough hit based on his weeks as a saloon singer, focuses on the colorful patrons, not the singer. If his narratives are occasionally awkward or incomplete, he compensates with music that gives the songs a sweeping sense of purpose -- they feel complete, thanks to his indelible melodies and savvy stylistic repurposing. He may have borrowed his basic blueprint from Tumbleweed Connection, particularly with its Western imagery and bluesy gospel flourishes, but he makes it his own, largely due to his melodic flair, which is in greater evidence than on Cold Spring Harbor. Piano Man is where he suggests his potential as a musical craftsman. He may have weaknesses as a lyricist -- such mishaps as the "instant pleasuredome" line in "Youre My Home" illustrate that he doesnt have an ear for words -- but Piano Man makes it clear that his skills as a melodicist can dazzle. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 36 Title: Streetlife Serenade Released: 1974-10 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Streetlife Serenader (05:19) 2 Los Angelenos (03:42) 3 The Great Suburban Showdown (03:46) 4 Root Beer Rag (03:03) 5 Roberta (04:33) 6 The Entertainer (03:40) 7 Last of the Big Time Spenders (04:35) 8 Weekend Song (03:31) 9 Souvenir (02:00) 10 The Mexican Connection (03:36) |
| Streetlife Serenade : Allmusic album Review : Piano Man gave Billy Joel his long-desired big hit, but it also somewhat threw him for a loop. He had been driven on Piano Man, determined to deliver an album that established him as both a serious artist and a commercial contender. Having achieved at least one of those goals (critics never gave Joel much credit), he had to release another album quickly if he wanted to keep his profile high, which he did. The problem is, Joel had put all of his best songs on Piano Man, leaving him with a shortage of material. Furthermore, promotional duties ate up his time, leaving him little to write new songs. As a result, Streetlife Serenade, the crucial third album, was a bit of a slump. Stylistically, it was a reiteration of its predecessors Tumbleweed Connection obsessions, spiked with, of all things, Rockford Files synthesizers and ragtime pulled from The Sting. That isnt a facetious reference, either -- its no coincidence that the records single and best song, "The Entertainer," shares a title with the Scott Joplin rag that provided The Sting with a main theme. Joel is attempting a grand Americana lyrical vision, stretching from the Wild West through the Depression to "Los Angelenos" and "The Great Suburban Showdown." It doesnt work, not only because of his shortcomings as a writer, but because he didnt have the time to pull it all together. There are no less than two instrumentals, and even if "Root Beer Rag" (yet another sign of The Stings influence) is admittedly enjoyable, theyre undeniably fillers, as is much of the second side. Since he has skills, hes able to turn out a few winners -- "Roberta," a love song in the vein of Cold Spring Harbor, the mournful "Streetlife Serenader," and the stomping "Los Angelenos" -- but it was the astonishingly bitter "The Entertainer," where he not only disparages his own role, but is filled with venom over "Piano Man" being released in a single edit, that made the subtext clear: hed had enough with California, enough with the music industry, enough with being a sensitive singer/songwriter. It was time for Billy to say goodbye to Hollywood and head back home to New York. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 36 Title: Turnstiles Released: 1976-05 Tracks: 8 Duration: 36:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Say Goodbye to Hollywood (04:36) 2 Summer, Highland Falls (03:15) 3 All You Wanna Do Is Dance (03:40) 4 New York State of Mind (06:02) 5 James (03:54) 6 Prelude / Angry Young Man (05:15) 7 Ive Loved These Days (04:31) 8 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) (05:14) |
| Turnstiles : Allmusic album Review : Theres a reason Turnstiles begins with the Spector-esque epic "Say Goodbye to Hollywood." Shortly after Streetlife Serenade, Joel ditched California -- and, by implication, sensitive Californian soft rock from sensitive singer/songwriters -- for his hometown of New York. "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" was a celebration of his move, a repudiation of his past, a fanfare for a new beginning, which is exactly what Turnstiles was. He still was a singer/songwriter -- indeed, "Summer, Highland Falls" was his best ballad to date, possibly his best ever -- but he decided to run with his musical talents, turning the record into a whirlwind tour of pop styles, from Sinatra to Springsteen. Theres little question that the cinematic sprawl of Born to Run had an effect on Turnstiles, since it has a similar widescreen feel, even if it clocks in at only eight songs. The key to the records success is variety, the way the album whips from the bouncy, McCartney-esque "All You Wanna Do Is Dance" to the saloon song "New York State of Mind"; the way the bitterly cynical "Angry Young Man" gives way to the beautiful "Ive Loved These Days" and the surrealistic apocalyptic fantasy "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)." No matter how much stylistic ground Joel covers, hes kept on track by his backing group. He fought to have his touring band support him on Turnstiles, going to the lengths of firing his original producer, and it was clearly the right move, since they lend the album a cohesive feel. Turnstiles may not have been a hit, but it remains one of his most accomplished and satisfying records, clearly paving the way to his twin peaks of the late 70s, The Stranger and 52nd Street. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 36 Title: The Stranger Released: 1977-09 Tracks: 9 Duration: 42:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (03:30) 2 The Stranger (05:10) 3 Just the Way You Are (04:51) 4 Scenes From an Italian Restaurant (07:36) 5 Vienna (03:34) 6 Only the Good Die Young (03:55) 7 She’s Always a Woman (03:21) 8 Get It Right the First Time (03:57) 9 Everybody Has a Dream / [The Stranger (reprise)] (06:37) |
| The Stranger : Allmusic album Review : Billy Joel teamed with Phil Ramone, a famed engineer who had just scored his first producing hits with Art Garfunkels Breakaway and Paul Simons Still Crazy After All These Years for The Stranger, his follow-up to Turnstiles. Joel still favored big, sweeping melodies, but Ramone convinced him to streamline his arrangements and clean up the production. The results arent necessarily revelatory, since he covered so much ground on Turnstiles, but the commercialism of The Stranger is a bit of a surprise. None of his ballads have been as sweet or slick as "Just the Way You Are"; he never had created a rocker as bouncy or infectious as "Only the Good Die Young"; and the glossy production of "Shes Always a Woman" disguises its latent misogynist streak. Joel balanced such radio-ready material with a series of New York vignettes, seemingly inspired by Springsteens working-class fables and clearly intended to be the artistic centerpieces of the album. They do provide The Stranger with the feel of a concept album, yet there is no true thematic connection between the pieces, and his lyrics are often vague or mean-spirited. His lyrical shortcomings are overshadowed by his musical strengths. Even if his melodies sound more Broadway than Beatles -- the epic suite "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" feels like a show-stopping closer -- theres no denying that the melodies of each song on The Stranger are memorable, so much so that they strengthen the weaker portions of the album. Joel rarely wrote a set of songs better than those on The Stranger, nor did he often deliver an album as consistently listenable. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 36 Title: 52nd Street Released: 1978-10-13 Tracks: 9 Duration: 40:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Big Shot (04:03) 2 Honesty (03:52) 3 My Life (04:44) 4 Zanzibar (05:12) 5 Stiletto (04:41) 6 Rosalinda’s Eyes (04:41) 7 Half a Mile Away (04:08) 8 Until the Night (06:36) 9 52nd Street (02:26) |
| 52nd Street : Allmusic album Review : Once The Stranger became a hit, Billy Joel quickly re-entered the studio with producer Phil Ramone to record the follow-up, 52nd Street. Instead of breaking from the sound of The Stranger, Joel chose to expand it, making it more sophisticated and somewhat jazzy. Often, his moves sounded as if they were responses to Steely Dan -- indeed, his phrasing and melody for "Zanzibar" is a direct homage to Donald Fagen circa The Royal Scam, and it also boasts a solo from jazz great Freddie Hubbard à la Steely Dan -- but since Joel is a working-class populist, not an elitist college boy, he never shies away from big gestures and melodies. Consequently, 52nd Street unintentionally embellishes the Broadway overtones of its predecessor, not only on a centerpiece like "Stiletto," but when hes rocking out on "Big Shot." That isnt necessarily bad, since Joels strong suit turns out to be showmanship -- he dazzles with his melodic skills and his enthusiastic performances. He also knows how to make a record. Song for song, 52nd Street might not be as strong as The Stranger, but there are no weak songs -- indeed, "Honesty," "My Life," "Until the Night," and the three mentioned above are among his best -- and they all flow together smoothly, thanks to Ramones seamless production and Joels melodic craftsmanship. Its remarkable to think that in a matter of three records, Joel had hit upon a workable, marketable formula -- one that not only made him one of the biggest-selling artists of his era, but one of the most enjoyable mainstream hitmakers. 52nd Street is a testament to that achievement. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 36 Title: Glass Houses Released: 1980-03-12 Tracks: 10 Duration: 35:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You May Be Right (04:15) 2 Sometimes a Fantasy (03:40) 3 Don’t Ask Me Why (02:57) 4 It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me (02:57) 5 All for Leyna (04:16) 6 I Don’t Want to Be Alone (03:57) 7 Sleeping With the Television On (03:02) 8 C’était toi (You Were the One) (03:25) 9 Close to the Borderline (03:47) 10 Through the Long Night (02:45) |
| Glass Houses : Allmusic album Review : The back-to-back success of The Stranger and 52nd Street may have brought Billy Joel fame and fortune, even a certain amount of self-satisfaction, but it didnt bring him critical respect, and it didnt dull his anger. If anything, being classified as a mainstream rocker -- a soft rocker -- infuriated him, especially since a generation of punks and new wave kids were getting the praise that eluded him. He didnt take this lying down -- he recorded Glass Houses. Comparatively a harder-rocking album than either of its predecessors, with a distinctly bitter edge, Glass Houses still displays the hallmarks of Billy Joel the pop craftsman and Phil Ramone the world-class hitmaker. Even its hardest songs -- the terrifically paranoid "Sometimes a Fantasy," "Sleepin With the Television On," "Close to the Borderline," the hit "You May Be Right" -- have bold, direct melodies and clean arrangements, ideal for radio play. Instead of turning out to be a fiery rebuttal to his detractors, the album is a remarkable catalog of contemporary pop styles, from McCartney-esque whimsy ("Dont Ask Me Why") and arena rock ("All for Leyna") to soft rock ("Cetait Toi [You Were the One]") and stylish new wave pop ("Its Still Rock and Roll to Me," which ironically is closer to new wave pop than rock). Thats not a detriment; thats the albums strength. The Stranger and 52nd Street were fine albums in their own right, but its nice to hear Joel scale back his showman tendencies and deliver a solid pop/rock record. It may not be punk -- then again, it may be his concept of punk -- but Glass Houses is the closest Joel ever got to a pure rock album. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 36 Title: Songs in the Attic Released: 1981 Tracks: 11 Duration: 48:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) (05:04) 2 Summer, Highland Falls (03:04) 3 Streetlife Serenader (05:17) 4 Los Angelenos (03:46) 5 She’s Got a Way (03:00) 6 Everybody Loves You Now (03:08) 7 Say Goodbye to Hollywood (04:23) 8 Captain Jack (07:15) 9 Youre My Home (03:06) 10 The Ballad of Billy the Kid (05:27) 11 Ive Loved These Days (04:35) |
| Songs in the Attic : Allmusic album Review : Having scored three multi-platinum hits in a row, Billy Joel took a breather, releasing his first live album, Songs in the Attic, as he worked on his ambitious follow-up to Glass Houses. Joel wisely decided to use the live album as an opportunity to draw attention to songs from his first four albums. Apart from "Piano Man," none of those songs had been heard by the large audience he had won with The Stranger. Furthermore, he now had a seasoned backing band that helped give his music a specific identity -- in short, it was an opportunity to reclaim these songs, now that he had a signature sound. And Joel didnt botch the opportunity -- Songs in the Attic is an excellent album, ranking among his very best work. With the possible exception of the Turnstiles material, every song is given a fuller, better arrangement that makes it all spring to life. "Los Angelenos" and "Everybody Loves You Now" hit harder in the live setting, while ballads like "Shes Got a Way," "Summer, Highland Falls," and "Ive Loved These Days" are richer and warmer in these versions. A few personal favorites from these albums may be missing, but what is here is impeccable, proving that even if Joel wasnt a celebrity in the early 70s, his best songs of the era rivaled his biggest hits. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 36 Title: The Nylon Curtain Released: 1982 Tracks: 9 Duration: 41:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Allentown (03:51) 2 Laura (05:06) 3 Pressure (04:41) 4 Goodnight Saigon (07:02) 5 She’s Right on Time (04:14) 6 A Room of Our Own (04:04) 7 Surprises (03:28) 8 Scandinavian Skies (06:00) 9 Where’s the Orchestra? (03:17) |
| The Nylon Curtain : Allmusic album Review : Billy Joel hit back as hard as he could with Glass Houses, his bid to prove that he could rock as hard as any of those new wave punks. He might not have proven himself a punk -- for all of his claims of being a hard rocker, his work inevitably is pop because of his fondness for melody -- but he proved to himself that he could still rock, even if the critics didnt give him any credit for it. It was now time to mature, to move pop/rock into the middle age and, in the process, earn critical respect. In short, The Nylon Curtain is where Billy Joel went serious, consciously crafting a song cycle about Baby Boomers in the Reagan era. Since this was an album about Baby Boomers, he chose to base his music almost entirely on the Beatles, the pivotal rock band for his generation. Joel is naturally inclined to write big melodies like McCartney, but he idolizes Lennon, which makes The Nylon Curtain a fascinating cross between ear candy and social commentary. His desire to record a grand concept album is admirable, but his ever-present lyrical shortcomings mean that the songs paint a picture without arriving at any insights. He occasionally gets lost in his own ambition, as on the waterlogged second side, but the first half of the song suite -- "Allentown," "Laura," "Pressure," "Goodnight Saigon," "Shes Right on Time" -- is layered, successful, mature pop that brings Joel tantalizingly close to his ultimate goal of sophisticated pop/rock for mature audiences. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 36 Title: An Innocent Man Released: 1983-08-09 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Easy Money (04:05) 2 An Innocent Man (05:18) 3 The Longest Time (03:37) 4 This Night (04:18) 5 Tell Her About It (03:51) 6 Uptown Girl (03:16) 7 Careless Talk (03:47) 8 Christie Lee (03:30) 9 Leave a Tender Moment Alone (03:56) 10 Keeping the Faith (04:39) |
| An Innocent Man : Allmusic album Review : Recording The Nylon Curtain exhausted Billy Joel, and even though it had a pair of major hits, it didnt rival its predecessors in terms of sales. Since he labored so hard at the record, he decided it was time for a break -- it was time to record an album just for fun. And thats how his homage to pre-Beatles pop, An Innocent Man, was conceived: it was designed as a breezy romp through the music of his childhood. Joels grasp on history isnt remarkably astute -- the opener "Easy Money" is a slice of Stax/Volt pop-soul, via the Blues Brothers (quite possibly the inspiration for the album), and the label didnt break the pop charts until well after the British Invasion -- but hes in top form as a craftsman throughout the record. Only once does he stumble on his own ambition ("This Night," which appropriates its chorus from Beethoven). For the rest of the record, hes effortlessly spinning out infectious, memorable melodies in a variety of styles, from the Four Seasons send-up "Uptown Girl" and the soulful "Tell Her About It" to a pair of doo wop tributes, "The Longest Time" and "Careless Talk." Joel has rarely sounded so carefree either in performance or writing, possibly due to "Christie Lee" Brinkley, a supermodel who became his new love prior to An Innocent Man. He cant stop writing about her throughout the album -- only three songs, including the haunted title track, arent about her in some form or fashion. That giddiness is infectious, helping make An Innocent Man an innocent delight that unwittingly closes Joels classic period. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 36 Title: Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II Released: 1985-09-02 Tracks: 25 Duration: 1:49:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Piano Man (05:38) 2 Captain Jack (07:17) 3 The Entertainer (03:40) 4 Say Goodbye to Hollywood (03:54) 5 New York State of Mind (06:02) 6 The Stranger (05:10) 7 Scenes From an Italian Restaurant (07:36) 8 Just the Way You Are (03:32) 9 Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (03:30) 10 Only the Good Die Young (03:55) 11 She’s Always a Woman (03:21) 1 My Life (03:51) 2 Big Shot (03:43) 3 You May Be Right (04:09) 4 It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me (02:57) 5 Don’t Ask Me Why (02:57) 6 She’s Got a Way (03:00) 7 Pressure (03:15) 8 Allentown (03:51) 9 Goodnight Saigon (07:02) 10 Tell Her About It (03:35) 11 Uptown Girl (03:16) 12 The Longest Time (03:37) 13 Youre Only Human (Second Wind) (04:48) 14 The Night Is Still Young (05:28) |
| Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II : Allmusic album Review : Although its missing a few important (not to mention big) hits, Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 is an excellent retrospective of the first half of Billy Joels career. Beginning with "Piano Man," the first disc runs through a number of early songs before arriving at the hit-making days of the late 70s; some of these songs, including "Captain Jack" and "New York State of Mind," werent strictly hits, but were popular numbers within his stage show and became radio hits. Once the songs from The Stranger arrive halfway through the first disc, theres no stopping the hits (although "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant," an album track from The Stranger, manages its way onto the collection). In fact, over the next disc and a half, theres so many hits, its inevitable that some are left off -- to be specific, "Honesty," "Sometimes a Fantasy," "An Innocent Man," "Leave a Tender Moment," and "Keeping the Faith" arent included. But all the other hits -- including "Just the Way You Are," "Only the Good Die Young," "My Life," "You May Be Right," "Its Still Rock and Roll to Me," "Dont Ask Me Why," "Allentown," "Tell Her About It" and "Uptown Girl," among many others -- are present and accounted for, as are two new songs ("Youre Only Human (Second Wind)," "The Night Is Still Young") that became hits as well. In short, Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 does its job perfectly, encapsulating exactly why Billy Joel was one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the late 70s and early 80s. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 36 Title: The Bridge Released: 1986-07 Tracks: 9 Duration: 40:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Running on Ice (03:19) 2 This Is the Time (05:01) 3 A Matter of Trust (04:12) 4 Modern Woman (03:51) 5 Baby Grand (04:05) 6 Big Man on Mulberry Street (05:30) 7 Temptation (04:16) 8 Code of Silence (05:16) 9 Getting Closer (05:00) |
| The Bridge : Allmusic album Review : Riding high on the blockbuster An Innocent Man and with a new jet-setting bride at his side, Billy Joel took full advantage of the high life, as is clear from The Bridge, an album that unwittingly celebrates the excesses of the Reagan years. While he hasnt quite settled into middle age, Joel is ready to take advantage of his wealth and status, recruiting a hero (Ray Charles) and a new wave kid (Cyndi Lauper) for duets, turning to Sting for inspiration ("Running on Ice"), fronting a big band ("Big Man on Mulberry Street"), writing a song for a movie ("Modern Woman"), and picking up the guitar ("A Matter of Trust"), just for the hell of it. You could say that its eclectic, but its scattershot, because its just Joel showing off his musical skills. Hes done this before, to great effect on Turnstiles, but this is all about hubris and, as such, it sounds exactly like its time. From its processed, distorted guitars to its hollow synthesizers, The Bridge sounds dated and its his most uneven since Streetlife Serenade. Even on the hits, he sounds as if hes stretching -- "This Is the Time" is labored compared to "Just the Way You Are" (not to mention considerably more vulgar); "A Matter of Trust" never hits upon a solid riff like "Sometimes a Fantasy"; "Modern Woman" is catchy but fluffy; "Baby Grand" is weighed down by Joels vocal affectations. In context of the album, theyre fairly enjoyable, but they hint at the dry spell that was just around the corner. Nevertheless, Joel still has enough panache and is riding on so much exuberance that The Bridge remains an entertaining listen, especially if its viewed as a Reagan-era artifact. It just doesnt compare to what came before. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 36 Title: Концерт Released: 1987-10 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:13:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Odoya (01:17) 2 Angry Young Man (05:23) 3 Honesty (03:58) 4 Goodnight Saigon (07:20) 5 Stiletto (05:08) 6 Big Man on Mulberry Street (07:17) 7 Baby Grand (06:09) 8 An Innocent Man (06:08) 9 Allentown (04:22) 10 A Matter of Trust (05:08) 11 Only the Good Die Young (03:32) 12 Sometimes a Fantasy (03:38) 13 Uptown Girl (03:08) 14 Big Shot (04:45) 15 Back in the U.S.S.R. (02:44) 16 The Times They Are A Changin (02:57) |
 | Album: 14 of 36 Title: Storm Front Released: 1989-10-04 Tracks: 10 Duration: 44:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 That’s Not Her Style (05:10) 2 We Didn’t Start the Fire (04:48) 3 The Downeaster “Alexa” (03:44) 4 I Go to Extremes (04:23) 5 Shameless (04:26) 6 Storm Front (05:17) 7 Leningrad (04:04) 8 State of Grace (04:30) 9 When in Rome (04:50) 10 And So It Goes (03:38) |
| Storm Front : Allmusic album Review : When he went for a masterpiece on The Nylon Curtain, Billy Joel worked with his band and producer Phil Ramone, crafting a Beatlesque song suite that was perfectly in step with Turnstiles. For Storm Front, he decided it was time to change things. He fired Ramone. He fired everyone in his band, save longtime drummer Liberty DeVito. He hired Mick Jones, the architect behind Foreigners big AOR sound, to man the boards. He wrote a set of sober, somber songs, save "Thats Not Her Style," a weirdly defensive song about his model wife, Christie Brinkley. He was left with an album that is singularly joyless. Joel makes no bones about his ambitions for Storm Front -- when you lead with a history lesson as your first single (the monotonous chant "We Didnt Start the Fire"), its clear that youre not interested in fun. That wouldnt have been a problem if his melodic skills werent in decline. Joel packed all the strongest numbers into the first half of Storm Front, from the rocking "Thats Not Her Style" and "I Go to Extremes" to the fishermans plight "The Downeaster Alexa" and the power ballad "Shameless," which Garth Brooks later made a standard. Compared to the murky second side, which perks up only mildly with "Leningrad" and "And So It Goes," its upbeat, varied, melodic, and effective, but when its compared to his catalog -- not only such high-water marks as The Stranger or Glass Houses, but with a record as uneven as The Bridge -- it pales musically and lyrically. The five singles ("Fire," "Style," "Extremes," "Alexa," "Goes") were catchy enough on the radio to propel the album to multi-platinum status, but in retrospect, Storm Front sounds like the beginning of the end. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 36 Title: River of Dreams Released: 1993-08-10 Tracks: 10 Duration: 49:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 No Man’s Land (04:48) 2 The Great Wall of China (05:47) 3 Blonde Over Blue (04:55) 4 A Minor Variation (05:36) 5 Shades of Grey (04:11) 6 All About Soul (06:01) 7 Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (03:34) 8 The River of Dreams (04:07) 9 Two Thousand Years (05:20) 10 Famous Last Words (04:54) |
| River of Dreams : Allmusic album Review : Billy Joel had never taken as much time to record an album as he did with River of Dreams, and its troubled birth is clear upon the first listen. Never before had he recorded an album that sounded so labored, as if it was a struggle for him to write and record the songs. With River of Dreams, hes surrounded himself with ace studio musicians and star producer Danny Kortchmar, all of whom have the effect of deadening an already self-consciously serious set of songs. There are no light moments on the album, either lyrically or musically -- all the songs are filled with middle-age dread, even the two best moments, the gospel-inflected title track and his song to his daughter, "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)." Those two songs have the strongest melodies, but theyre not as natural as his best material. Everywhere he tries too hard -- the metaphors of "The Great Wall of China," the bizarre vocal intro to "Shades of Grey," minor-key melodies all over the place. He may be trying different things, but he doesnt sound comfortable with his detours, and by the end of the record, he sounds as exhausted as the listener feels. By that point, the closing track, "Famous Last Words," seems prophetic -- River of Dreams feels like a sad close to an otherwise strong career, and from all indications hes given in the press, Joel claims it is indeed the last pop album hell ever make. Its an unworthy way to depart. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 36 Title: Live from the River of Dreams Tour 93-94 Released: 1994 Tracks: 6 Duration: 29:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (live) (05:09) 2 No Mans Land (05:43) 3 The Ballad of Billy the Kid (05:52) 4 Lullaby (live) (03:39) 5 The River of Dreams (live) (05:24) 6 A Hard Days Night (03:17) |
 | Album: 17 of 36 Title: An Evening of Questions & Answers... & Perhaps a Few Songs. Recorded at Princeton University - Spring 1994 Released: 1994 Tracks: 1 Duration: 1:03:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Whole Interview & Performance (1:03:31) |
 | Album: 18 of 36 Title: The Complete Hits Collection: 1973-1997 Released: 1997 Tracks: 54 Duration: 4:28:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Piano Man (05:38) 2 Captain Jack (06:57) 3 The Entertainer (03:40) 4 Say Goodbye to Hollywood (04:36) 5 New York State of Mind (06:05) 6 The Stranger (05:10) 7 Scenes From an Italian Restaurant (07:36) 8 Just the Way You Are (04:51) 9 Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (03:30) 10 Only the Good Die Young (03:55) 11 She’s Always a Woman (03:21) 1 My Life (04:44) 2 Big Shot (04:03) 3 You May Be Right (04:13) 4 It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me (02:57) 5 Don’t Ask Me Why (02:57) 6 She’s Got a Way (03:00) 7 Pressure (04:41) 8 Allentown (03:51) 9 Goodnight Saigon (07:02) 10 Tell Her About It (03:51) 11 Uptown Girl (03:16) 12 The Longest Time (03:37) 13 Youre Only Human (Second Wind) (04:48) 14 The Night Is Still Young (05:28) 1 Keeping the Faith (04:39) 2 An Innocent Man (05:18) 3 A Matter of Trust (04:12) 4 Baby Grand (04:05) 5 This Is the Time (05:01) 6 Leningrad (04:04) 7 We Didn’t Start the Fire (04:48) 8 I Go to Extremes (04:23) 9 And So It Goes (03:38) 10 The Downeaster “Alexa” (03:44) 11 Shameless (04:26) 12 All About Soul (remix) (06:00) 13 Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (03:34) 14 The River of Dreams (04:07) 15 To Make You Feel My Love (03:53) 16 Hey Girl (03:57) 17 Light as the Breeze (06:12) 1 Spoken Intro: Music Concepts (10:18) 2 Scenes From an Italian Restaurant (live unreleased version) (07:50) 3 Beatles Influence (05:18) 4 Hard Days Night (live unreleased version) (02:53) 5 Why Vienna? (09:28) 6 Vienna (live unreleased version) (03:41) 7 History Through Music (04:31) 8 We Didnt Start the Fire (live unreleased version) (05:13) 9 Music Source (09:14) 10 The River of Dreams (unreleased original studio recording) (05:20) 11 Piano Bar (07:46) 12 Piano Man (live unreleased version) (06:31) |
| The Complete Hits Collection: 1973-1997 : Allmusic album Review : Billy Joel could have made a great box set, compiling not only his hits, but significant album tracks, his handful of non-LP B-sides, demos, live tracks and assorted rarities. Instead, he settled for the four-disc The Complete Hits Collection, 1973-1997: Limited Edition, which merely reissues his three Greatest Hits collections and adds a live rarities collection previously released on a limited-edition Australian box set to commemorate the River of Dreams tour. Who this set is for is anyones guess. Anyone who wants the hits will already own Greatest Hits, Vols. 1-3 (or they should purchase those three discs individually, since its much cheaper), and any hardcore Billy collector will also own the fourth disc, rendering this collection without purpose. Granted, the songs on Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 have been restored to their album length and have been subjected to fine 20-bit remastering, and there is a 44-page booklet with handwritten lyrics, an essay, and unseen photographs, but if the discs themselves are necessary, all this window-dressing is superflurous as well. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 36 Title: Greatest Hits, Volume III Released: 1997-08-19 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:16:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Keeping the Faith (04:39) 2 An Innocent Man (05:18) 3 A Matter of Trust (04:12) 4 Baby Grand (04:05) 5 This Is the Time (05:01) 6 Leningrad (04:04) 7 We Didn’t Start the Fire (04:48) 8 I Go to Extremes (04:23) 9 And So It Goes (03:38) 10 The Downeaster “Alexa” (03:44) 11 Shameless (04:26) 12 All About Soul (remix) (06:00) 13 Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (03:34) 14 The River of Dreams (04:07) 15 To Make You Feel My Love (03:53) 16 Hey Girl (03:57) 17 Light as the Breeze (06:12) |
| Greatest Hits, Volume III : Allmusic album Review : Perhaps it was inevitable that Billy Joels Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 would pale next to its double-disc predecessor. Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 covered nine albums (it ignored Cold Spring Harbor), a period during which Joel had 26 Top 100 hits. If it had picked up where the first collection left off, Vol. 3 would have covered three studio albums, which produced 11 hits. That alone would have made a respectable hits collection, and it would have made sense, since The Bridge marked the beginning of a new phase of Joels career. Instead, the 17-song Vol. 3 begins with a pair of songs from An Innocent Man ("Keeping the Faith," "An Innocent Man") that sound entirely different from the material that follows, which finds Joel delving into mechanized, slickly produced adult contemporary pop. The remaining songs dont strictly adhere to his charting hits, substituting such album tracks as "Leningrad," "Shameless" and "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" for hits like "Modern Woman," "Thats Not Her Style" and his non-LP cover of Elvis "All Shook Up." Even with those missing hits, Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 does summarize Joels latter career quite well, culling most of his best songs from the time. However, the album ends on a down note, as it adds three new songs, all covers, that are limply produced and colorlessly played. Bob Dylans "To Make You Feel My Love" -- which Joel decided to perform as if it was a slow, sanitized Blonde on Blonde outtake -- is the best of the trio, but none of them qualify as Joel classics, and they are an inauspicious way to end this chapter of his career. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 36 Title: The Ultimate Collection Released: 2000 Tracks: 36 Duration: 2:34:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Just the Way You Are (04:51) 2 My Life (04:44) 3 It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me (02:57) 4 An Innocent Man (05:18) 5 Piano Man (05:38) 6 You’re My Home (03:13) 7 Everybody Loves You Now (03:10) 8 The Entertainer (03:40) 9 Streetlife Serenader (live) (05:16) 10 New York State of Mind (06:02) 11 Say Goodbye to Hollywood (04:36) 12 She’s Got a Way (03:00) 13 Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (03:30) 14 She’s Always a Woman (03:21) 15 Honesty (03:52) 16 You May Be Right (04:15) 17 Don’t Ask Me Why (02:57) 18 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) (05:14) 1 Uptown Girl (03:16) 2 Tell Her About It (03:51) 3 The River of Dreams (04:07) 4 The Longest Time (03:37) 5 We Didn’t Start the Fire (04:48) 6 Goodnight Saigon (07:02) 7 Allentown (03:51) 8 All for Leyna (04:12) 9 This Is the Time (04:59) 10 Leave a Tender Moment Alone (03:56) 11 A Matter of Trust (04:12) 12 Modern Woman (03:49) 13 Baby Grand (04:05) 14 I Go to Extremes (04:23) 15 Leningrad (04:04) 16 The Downeaster “Alexa” (03:44) 17 Youre Only Human (Second Wind) (04:48) 18 All About Soul (remix) (06:00) |
| The Ultimate Collection : Allmusic album Review : Forget for a moment that this double-disc, 36-track collection isnt presented in strict chronological order -- it does roughly divide into two parts, with the pre- Innocent Man material largely taking up disc one and the post-Innocent Man selections on disc two (yes, there are some exceptions to the rule, but it generally follows this rule). Forget that there are some singles, radio hits, and fan favorites that should have been included, such as "Pressure," "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant," and "Angry Young Man." Even with these flaws, this Australian-only collection provides the best summary of Billy Joels best material to date, trumping the original Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 and edging out the similar 2001 U.S. release, The Essential Billy Joel. The reason for this is that it does include such early highpoints as "Youre My Home," "Everybody Loves You Now," and "Streetlife Serenader," while de-emphasizing his last two subpar pop albums, Storm Front and River of Dreams, and just concentrating him at his best as a pop craftsman and recordmaker. Yes, some absent songs should be here, but only a handful shouldnt be here (maybe just "All About Soul (remix)," actually), and its a highly entertaining listen that certainly spotlights Billy Joel at his best. Maybe not an Ultimate Collection, but pretty damn terrific all the same. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 36 Title: 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert Released: 2000-05-02 Tracks: 26 Duration: 2:16:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (01:43) 2 Big Shot (04:55) 3 Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (05:23) 4 Summer Highland Falls (05:29) 5 The Ballad of Billy the Kid (06:52) 6 Don’t Ask Me Why (04:49) 7 New York State of Mind (08:29) 8 I’ve Loved These Days (04:30) 9 My Life (05:47) 10 Allentown (04:48) 11 Prelude / Angry Young Man (05:23) 12 Only the Good Die Young (03:49) 1 I Go to Extremes (05:01) 2 Goodnight Saigon (07:28) 3 We Didn’t Start the Fire (05:21) 4 Big Man on Mulberry Street (05:29) 5 2000 Years (06:02) 6 Auld Lang Syne (01:44) 7 River of Dreams (05:54) 8 Scenes From an Italian Restaurant (08:05) 9 Dance to the Music (03:17) 10 Honky Tonk Women (03:17) 11 It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me (04:08) 12 You May Be Right (06:07) 13 This Night (05:19) 14 This Is the Time (06:47) |
| 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert : Allmusic album Review : Among the major artists celebrating the end of the 20th century with a New Years Eve blowout was Billy Joel, who set up shop at Madison Square Garden and played a marathon show lasting nearly three hours. It was quite a feat for a man who claimed that he had retired from pop music, but the last New Years Eve gig of the 20th century offers an artist a chance to sum up either the past century or their career. Joel decided to do both, throwing in a few classic rock covers at the end of a show that offered a whirlwind spin through his lengthy back catalog. Several songs from the concert are absent on 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert, the audio record of the event, but thats because its impossible to squeeze three hours onto two discs. That means such staples as "Piano Man" are absent, but theyre not particularly missed, since such early classics as "Summer Highland Falls," "The Ballad of Billy the Kid," and "Ive Loved These Days" take their place. These moments are what make the record worthwhile for serious Joel fans, since thats where he sounds relaxed and emotionally vested. The rest of the album is pure spectacle, as it builds to a midnight crescendo of "Auld Lang Syne," which gives way to oldies covers and hits. There are certain lapses in pacing that slow the momentum, and Joels voice does stretch mighty thin at some points. These are the sort of things that are easy to ignore in concert, when the experience is all-important, but on record, it does diminish the overall effect, even for hardcore Joel fans. Its often enjoyable, but the end result is a bit underwhelming, which means that 2000 Years is more like a souvenir of a passed moment than it was intended to be. | ||
 | Album: 22 of 36 Title: Fantasies & Delusions Released: 2001-09-28 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:16:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Opus 3. Reverie (Villa DEste) (09:31) 2 Opus 2. Waltz #1 (Nunleys Carousel) (06:58) 3 Opus 7. Aria (Grand Canal) (11:08) 4 Opus 6. Invention in C Minor (01:04) 5 Opus 1. Soliloquy (On a Separation) (11:26) 6 Opus 8. Suite for Piano: I. Innamorato (07:46) 7 Opus 8. Suite for Piano: II. Sorbetto (01:30) 8 Opus 8. Suite for Piano: III. Delusion (03:37) 9 Opus 5. Waltz #2 (Steinway Hall) (07:00) 10 Opus 9. Waltz #3 (For Lola) (03:28) 11 Opus 4. Fantasy (Film Noir) (08:56) 12 Opus 10. Air (Dublinesque) (03:46) |
 | Album: 23 of 36 Title: The Essential Billy Joel Released: 2001-10-02 Tracks: 43 Duration: 3:08:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Piano Man (05:38) 2 You’re My Home (03:13) 3 Captain Jack (07:17) 4 The Entertainer (03:40) 5 Say Goodbye to Hollywood (04:36) 6 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) (05:14) 7 New York State of Mind (06:02) 8 She’s Always a Woman (03:21) 9 Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (03:30) 10 Only the Good Die Young (03:55) 11 Just the Way You Are (04:51) 12 Honesty (03:52) 13 My Life (04:44) 14 It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me (02:57) 15 You May Be Right (04:15) 16 Don’t Ask Me Why (02:57) 17 She’s Got a Way (03:00) 18 Allentown (03:51) 1 Goodnight Saigon (07:02) 2 An Innocent Man (05:18) 3 Uptown Girl (03:16) 4 The Longest Time (03:37) 5 Tell Her About It (03:51) 6 Leave a Tender Moment Alone (03:56) 7 A Matter of Trust (04:12) 8 Baby Grand (04:05) 9 I Go to Extremes (04:23) 10 We Didn’t Start the Fire (04:48) 11 Leningrad (04:04) 12 The Downeaster “Alexa” (03:44) 13 And So It Goes (03:38) 14 The River of Dreams (04:07) 15 All About Soul (remix) (06:00) 16 Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (03:34) 17 Waltz #1 (Nunley’s Carousel) (06:56) 18 Invention in C Minor (01:02) 1 Worse Comes to Worst (03:15) 2 Prelude / Angry Young Man (05:15) 3 Scenes From an Italian Restaurant (07:35) 4 Big Shot (04:03) 5 All for Leyna (04:16) 6 Pressure (04:41) 7 This Is the Time (05:01) |
| The Essential Billy Joel : Allmusic album Review : Released in conjunction with Billy Joels grand experiment with classical music, The Essential Billy Joel was a welcome reminder of Billy Joels way with a pop song, improving on the previous Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 & 2 by extending into the 90s and delving deeper into his catalog. There were some casualties along the way -- its easy for a fan to carp about the absence of personal favorites like "Shes Right on Time" or "Travelin Prayer," and it may even make some sense that "Youre Only Human (Second Wind)" or "Shameless" didnt make the cut, but its mind-boggling that "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" isnt here (we wont mention that the classical pieces that end the record, no matter how surprisingly good they are, are as out of place as Attila would have been) -- but for the most part, this has every one of Joels heavy-hitters, and his craftsmanship, both as a songsmith and record maker, has never shone brighter. The biggest fault is that there is a notable drop-off in quality after 1986s The Bridge (which ends midway through disc two), but even so, this is as good a distillation of Joels talents imaginable. In fact, as the first disc unfurls, even cynics may wonder why hes been dogged by the critics, since singer/songwriter pop doesnt come better than "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," "New York State of Mind," "Only the Good Die Young," "My Life," "Its Still Rock and Roll to Me," "Dont Ask Me Why," "Allentown," and their seven companions. | ||
 | Album: 24 of 36 Title: Sings Released: 2004 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:16:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Cat (04:17) 2 Hotel St. George (04:57) 3 Land of Despair (03:38) 4 Further Than Heaven (07:21) 5 Country Boy (02:34) 6 Night After Day (02:57) 7 Hour of the Wolf (11:45) 8 Four OClock in the Morning (03:05) 9 Shes Got a Way (02:59) 10 You Can Make Me Free (05:57) 11 Everybody Loves You Now (02:58) 12 Why Judy Why? (03:04) 13 Falling of the Rain (02:43) 14 Turn Around (03:46) 15 You Look So Good to Me (02:41) 16 Tomorrow Is Today (05:20) 17 Nocturne (02:57) 18 Got to Begin Again (03:09) |
 | Album: 25 of 36 Title: Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel Released: 2004-11-15 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:18:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Tell Her About It (03:51) 2 Uptown Girl (03:16) 3 Piano Man (04:37) 4 New York State of Mind (06:02) 5 The River of Dreams (04:07) 6 It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me (02:57) 7 We Didn’t Start the Fire (04:29) 8 Goodnight Saigon (07:02) 9 My Life (03:51) 10 She’s Always a Woman (03:21) 11 She’s Got a Way (03:00) 12 Scenes From an Italian Restaurant (07:36) 13 An Innocent Man (05:18) 14 Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (03:30) 15 Only the Good Die Young (03:55) 16 All About Soul (04:18) 17 Honesty (03:52) 18 Just the Way You Are (03:20) |
| Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel : Allmusic album Review : This international collection of highlights from the East Coast natives prolific career takes its choicest bits from Columbias three hugely successful Greatest Hits compilations. Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel may just skim the surface of Joels large reservoir of material, but its hard to argue with the end results. All of the radio hits, minus some of the more obscure ones like "Allentown," "Pressure," and "Matter of Trust" are dutifully represented. From "River of Dreams" and "We Didnt Start the Fire" to "Piano Man" and "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," this skillfully paced compilation, which also includes a ten-track DVD, is about as good a single-disc Billy Joel primer as one is likely to find. | ||
 | Album: 26 of 36 Title: My Lives Released: 2005-11-22 Tracks: 67 Duration: 4:44:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 My Journeys End (02:07) 2 Time and Time Again (02:01) 3 Every Step I Take (Every Move I Make) (02:28) 4 Youve Got Me Hummin (02:27) 5 Amplifier Fire (03:06) 6 Only a Man (demo, Never Released) (03:16) 7 Shes Got a Way (album version) (02:55) 8 Oyster Bay (demo, Never Released) (03:45) 9 Piano Man (demo, Never Released) (02:52) 10 The Siegfried Line (demo, Never Released) (02:36) 11 New Mexico (demo, Never Released, Became "Worse Comes to Worst") (02:37) 12 Cross to Bear (demo, Never Released) (04:19) 13 Miami 2017 (demo, Never Released) (04:50) 14 These Rhinestone Days (demo, Never Released, Became "I Loved These Days") (03:00) 15 Everybody Has a Dream (04:35) 16 Only the Good Die Young (alternate version, Never Released) (03:39) 17 Until the Night (06:36) 18 Zanzibar (album version, Unfaded) (06:47) 19 It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me (02:57) 1 Captain Jack (live) (07:20) 2 The End of the World (03:23) 3 The Prime of Your Life (03:44) 4 She’s Right on Time (04:14) 5 Elvis Presley Blvd. (03:16) 6 Nobody Knows but Me (02:55) 7 An Innocent Man (05:18) 8 Christie Lee (04:03) 9 Easy Money (04:05) 10 And So It Goes (03:14) 11 Ill Cry Instead (live) (02:24) 12 Keeping the Faith (12" version) (04:53) 13 Modern Woman (03:51) 14 Baby Grand (04:05) 15 Getting Closer (05:38) 16 House of Blue Light (04:44) 17 Money or Love (04:02) 18 The Times They Are a Changin (live) (02:54) 1 The Downeaster “Alexa” (03:44) 2 I Go to Extremes (live) (04:51) 3 Shout (05:49) 4 All Shook Up (02:09) 5 Heartbreak Hotel (03:22) 6 When You Wish Upon a Star (03:43) 7 In a Sentimental Mood (04:03) 8 Motorcycle Song (demo) (04:19) 9 You Picked a Real Bad Time (04:55) 10 The River of Dreams (alternate version) (05:49) 11 A Hard Days Night (02:44) 12 Light as the Breeze (06:12) 13 To Make You Feel My Love (03:52) 14 Hey Girl (03:57) 15 Why Should I Worry? (03:34) 16 Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)? (album version) (01:58) 17 Highway 61 Revisited (demo) (05:09) 1 Movin Out (03:44) 2 You May Be Right (live) (04:49) 3 Big Shot (04:45) 4 Dont Worry Baby (An All Star Tribute to Brian Wilson) (03:26) 5 Goodnight Saigon (Vietnam Veterans version) (06:30) 6 Los Angelenos (03:55) 7 New York State of Mind (America: A Tribute to Heroes Concert for NY) (06:01) 8 Opus 1. Soliloquy (On a Separation) (11:23) 9 Opus 8. Suite for Piano (Star-Crossed): I. Innamorato (07:46) 10 Opus 8. Suite for Piano (Star-Crossed): II. Sorbetto (01:30) 11 Opus 8. Suite for Piano (Star-Crossed): III. Delusion (03:36) 12 Elegy: The Great Peconic (06:50) 13 "Glass Houses" Promotional Spot (08:57) |
| My Lives : Allmusic album Review : "People who just know Billy Joel from Top 40 singles may not like Billy Joel, and I cant say I necessarily blame them. I dont think that really represents the sum and substance of my work." So says Joel in the liner notes to My Lives, a comprehensive four-CD/one-DVD box set that uses rarities, B-sides, soundtrack contributions, demos, album tracks, and the occasional hit to draw a musical biography of one of the more successful recording artists of the rock & roll era. In essence, the box is an argument for Joels statement that his hits do not represent his work accurately (thereby, it also acts as an antidote to his previous box set, which just stuck the three volumes of his greatest hits together). The fact that this is a clearing-house for non-LP cuts, something that has been long awaited by hardcore fans, is almost beside the point -- this is intended as defense of Joels work as a whole, an argument for his strengths as a writer and a musician, with the rarities being offered as Exhibit A. While it cannot be argued that Joels unreleased material is on the level of either Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen -- quite frankly, hes not nearly as prolific a songwriter as either -- My Lives does act as a counterpart to Tracks or The Bootleg Series in how it fills in the cracks within the catalog. But since this doesnt add much to the official record, the way that those two landmark sets did -- for the abundance of rarities here, there are only five brand-new, unfamiliar songs hauled out of the vaults; the rest are alternate takes and early versions of familiar songs -- a better comparison is the Bands A Musical History, which traced the groups career using a wealth of rare material to illustrate the bands growth and depth. Here, the unreleased material, oddities, and overlooked tracks are used to illustrate the truth within the sets title -- that Joel did indeed have several musical lives during his long career. To that end, My Lives is indeed a success, since its the first Billy Joel release to acknowledge that he was in bands prior to launching a solo career in 1971, offering two songs apiece from the Lost Souls and the Hassles and just one monstrosity from his legendary heavy metal organ-n-drums duo, Attila. It also goes out of its way to emphasize Joels latter-day classical work; not only does it contain three selections from his Fantasies & Delusions album, but Anthony DeCurtis liner notes linger so long on Joels classical pieces, it seems like a justification of sorts. But thats fine -- having the lesser-known psychedelic and garage R&B; bands bookend classical compositions performed by Richard Joos not only offers a nice contrast, it tells the story and in a way no other Joel compilation has, even if 2001s Essential did end with a few classical cuts. And if the intention was to help build the case for Billy Joel, songwriter and musician, opposed to rock star, this box is successful, at least partially. For the first two discs, My Lives is flat-out terrific, even when the music is somewhat less than perfect. The Lost Souls were generic 60s garage pop, and while the Hassles were better, they were a bit too close to the Rascals, yet all this works in the greater context of the box -- it provides context for what Joel did next. And after the aptly titled "Amplifier Fier" from Attila, the set goes into a great series of rarities, starting with the organ-driven precious pop of "Only a Man" and continuing through "Oyster Bay," the best previously unheard song here, and then a bunch of Western-themed Piano Man demos, including the title track with different lyrics and mind-bendingly distracting echo, "The Siegried Line," an early version of "Worse Comes to Worst" called "New Mexico," and the unreleased "Cross to Bear." Soon, album tracks start to be woven into the greater fabric of the set, but the rare material keeps flowing throughout the second disc. And there are a bunch of highlights here: an early "Only the Good Die Young" with a reggae beat, a demo of the B-side "Elvis Presley Blvd" called "The End of the World," plus the actual flip side, an early version of "For the Longest Time" called "The Prime of Your Life" that has none of the doo wop, a version of "Christie Lee" thats looser and better than the finished one, an early "And So It Goes" dating from 1983, the year it was written, and the rollicking "Nobody Knows But Me," a contribution to a childrens album. Some of this material is a little rough, but taken together, it not only gives a good sense of the range of Joels work -- he did rock & roll, R&B;, sensitive singer/songwriter, epic pop -- but that he had an exceptional sense of craft, something thats particularly notable from the demos. If My Lives consisted of just these two discs, or mined this time between 1971 and 1983 (even 1986) more thoroughly, it would not only be flat-out essential for die-hard fans, it would be worthwhile for doubters, since it offers an insight to Joel as a musician and craftsman that isnt quite heard on the final product. Unfortunately, the set has another two discs to go, covering the years from 1989 to 2005 -- a decade and a half where he produced exactly two pop albums and one classical project. Its not just that Joels productivity dropped sharply during this time; so did the quality of his work, as the third and fourth discs here make plain. Nearly all of this consists of non-LP rarities -- or more specifically, contributions to soundtracks and various compilations, with a handful of live performances and B-sides for good measure. On the third disc, a whopping 11 of the 17 songs are covers, and all of them feel tossed off in the studio, as if Joel knocked them out because of contractual obligations. Arriving after the lively and interesting first two discs, this aggressively bland sequence of slick covers -- highlighted by a version of "Highway 61 Revisted" set to a beat borrowed from Elton Johns "Whenever Youre Ready (Well Go Steady Again)" -- is dispiriting and illustrates Joels decline in a more dynamic, depressing way than either Storm Front or River of Dreams. The fourth disc covers Y2K forward, although even that is a little misleading: his many tours with Elton John are covered with a duet from 1994, and there are two selections recorded in the early 80s taken from the Essential Billy Joel DVD, while the rest, including the three classical selections, are from 2001. This is Billy Joel the old pro, turning out serviceable selections of his classic hits -- a version of which can be seen on the largely inconsequential DVD A Voyage on the River of Dreams, a live concert from Frankfurt that was originally broadcast on the Disney Channel -- and while its marginally more spirited than the third disc, it doesnt exactly make a case for Joel being a vital artist -- which is pretty much the opposite of the first two discs, where its possible to hear him grow and develop. Here, you can hear the stagnation set in. That said, these two discs do help clear out the closet of all non-LP Billy Joel items, so theyre useful in that regard, and they do help round out the portrait of Billy Joel the artist -- that his glorious first decade and a half was followed by a decade and a half that failed to deliver on his promise. Accurate though it might be, it doesnt make for great listening, but fortunately, the dividing line is pretty clear on My Lives -- with the exception of his contribution to the Oliver & Company soundtrack, "Why Should I Worry," on disc three, all the good stuff arrives on the first two discs. And theres more than enough good stuff there to make this set worth every penny for the hardcore fans who have been waiting a long, long time for a set like this. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 36 Title: x2 An Innocent Man / River of Dreams Released: 2007 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:29:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Easy Money (04:05) 2 An Innocent Man (05:18) 3 The Longest Time (03:37) 4 This Night (04:18) 5 Tell Her About It (03:51) 6 Uptown Girl (03:16) 7 Careless Talk (03:47) 8 Christie Lee (03:30) 9 Leave a Tender Moment Alone (03:56) 10 Keeping the Faith (04:39) 1 No Man’s Land (04:48) 2 The Great Wall of China (05:47) 3 Blonde Over Blue (04:55) 4 A Minor Variation (05:36) 5 Shades of Grey (04:11) 6 All About Soul (06:01) 7 Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (03:34) 8 The River of Dreams (04:07) 9 Two Thousand Years (05:20) 10 Famous Last Words (04:54) |
 | Album: 28 of 36 Title: Shes Always A Woman: Love Songs Released: 2010 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:19:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 She’s Always a Woman (03:21) 2 Honesty (03:52) 3 Just the Way You Are (04:51) 4 Travelin’ Prayer (04:16) 5 An Innocent Man (05:18) 6 The Night Is Still Young (05:27) 7 This Is The Time (05:00) 8 Shes Got A Way (Live) (03:01) 9 Temptation (04:14) 10 Nocturne (02:53) 11 Until the Night (06:36) 12 She’s Right on Time (04:14) 13 You’re My Home (03:13) 14 State of Grace (04:30) 15 This Night (04:18) 16 Shameless (04:26) 17 And So It Goes (03:38) 18 All About Soul (Remix) (05:57) |
 | Album: 29 of 36 Title: The Hits Released: 2010-11-16 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:19:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Everybody Loves You Now (02:51) 2 Piano Man (05:38) 3 The Entertainer (03:40) 4 New York State of Mind (06:02) 5 Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (03:30) 6 Only the Good Die Young (03:55) 7 My Life (04:44) 8 Big Shot (04:03) 9 You May Be Right (04:13) 10 It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me (02:57) 11 Say Goodbye to Hollywood (04:25) 12 Allentown (03:51) 13 Pressure (04:41) 14 The Longest Time (03:37) 15 Tell Her About It (03:51) 16 A Matter of Trust (04:08) 17 We Didn’t Start the Fire (04:48) 18 I Go to Extremes (04:23) 19 The River of Dreams (04:07) |
| The Hits : Allmusic album Review : The inaugural release in the Columbia/Legacy 2011 Billy Joel reissue series, The Hits is the first-ever U.S. single-disc overview of the piano man’s full career. Even his first compilation, 1986’s Greatest Hits, Vols. 1-2, was a double-LP set and so was 2001s The Essential, so just having a 19-track summation of Joel’s career is useful, but fortunately, The Hits accomplishes its job well. True, it bends the rules a little -- the opening “Everybody Loves You Now” never charted, nor did “New York State of Mind,” and there are some notable absences, chief among them his first Top Ten hit “Just the Way You Are” and “Uptown Girl,” along with the anthem “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” -- but what’s here constitutes Billy’s basic canon: “Piano Man,” “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” “Only the Good Die Young,” “My Life,” “You May Be Right,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” “Allentown,” “Pressure,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Those double-disc sets dig deeper, offering other hits and album tracks, but there’s always been a need for a single disc with most of Joel’s hits, and that’s what The Hits delivers. | ||
 | Album: 30 of 36 Title: Further Than Heaven Released: 2011-06-01 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:16:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Cat (04:18) 2 Hotel St George (04:58) 3 Land Of Despair (03:38) 4 Further Than Heaven (07:22) 5 Country Boy (02:35) 6 Night After Day (03:11) 7 Hour Of The Wolf (11:45) 8 Four O’Clock in the Morning (03:06) 9 Shes Got A Way (02:59) 10 You Can Make Me Free (05:57) 11 Everybody Loves You Now (02:59) 12 Why, Judy, Why? (03:05) 13 Falling Of The Rain (02:43) 14 Turn Around (03:45) 15 You Look So Good To Me (02:41) 16 Tomorrow Is Today (05:20) 17 Nocturne (02:57) 18 Got To Begin Again (03:09) |
 | Album: 31 of 36 Title: The Complete Albums Collection Released: 2011-11-08 Tracks: 154 Duration: 11:14:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Shes Got a Way (02:52) 2 You Can Make Me Free (02:58) 3 Everybody Loves You Now (02:49) 4 Why Judy Why (02:56) 5 Falling of the Rain (02:39) 6 Turn Around (03:07) 7 You Look So Good to Me (02:27) 8 Tomorrow Is Today (04:42) 9 Nocturne (02:49) 10 Got to Begin Again (02:49) 1 Travelin’ Prayer (04:16) 2 Piano Man (05:38) 3 Ain’t No Crime (03:19) 4 You’re My Home (03:13) 5 The Ballad of Billy the Kid (05:45) 6 Worse Comes to Worst (03:15) 7 Stop in Nevada (03:55) 8 If I Only Had the Words (to Tell You) (03:34) 9 Somewhere Along the Line (03:20) 10 Captain Jack (07:17) 1 Streetlife Serenader (05:19) 2 Los Angelenos (03:42) 3 The Great Suburban Showdown (03:46) 4 Root Beer Rag (03:03) 5 Roberta (04:33) 6 The Entertainer (03:40) 7 Last of the Big Time Spenders (04:35) 8 Weekend Song (03:31) 9 Souvenir (02:00) 10 The Mexican Connection (03:36) 1 Say Goodbye to Hollywood (04:36) 2 Summer, Highland Falls (03:15) 3 All You Wanna Do Is Dance (03:40) 4 New York State of Mind (06:02) 5 James (03:54) 6 Prelude / Angry Young Man (05:15) 7 Ive Loved These Days (04:31) 8 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) (05:14) 1 Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (03:30) 2 The Stranger (05:10) 3 Just the Way You Are (04:51) 4 Scenes From an Italian Restaurant (07:36) 5 Vienna (03:34) 6 Only the Good Die Young (03:55) 7 She’s Always a Woman (03:21) 8 Get It Right the First Time (03:57) 9 Everybody Has a Dream / [The Stranger (reprise)] (06:37) 1 Big Shot (04:03) 2 Honesty (03:52) 3 My Life (04:44) 4 Zanzibar (05:12) 5 Stiletto (04:41) 6 Rosalinda’s Eyes (04:41) 7 Half a Mile Away (04:08) 8 Until the Night (06:36) 9 52nd Street (02:26) 1 You May Be Right (04:15) 2 Sometimes a Fantasy (03:40) 3 Don’t Ask Me Why (02:57) 4 It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me (02:57) 5 All for Leyna (04:16) 6 I Don’t Want to Be Alone (03:57) 7 Sleeping With the Television On (03:02) 8 C’était toi (You Were the One) (03:25) 9 Close to the Borderline (03:47) 10 Through the Long Night (02:45) 1 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) (05:04) 2 Summer, Highland Falls (03:04) 3 Streetlife Serenader (05:17) 4 Los Angelenos (03:46) 5 She’s Got a Way (03:00) 6 Everybody Loves You Now (03:08) 7 Say Goodbye to Hollywood (04:23) 8 Captain Jack (07:15) 9 Youre My Home (03:06) 10 The Ballad of Billy the Kid (05:27) 11 Ive Loved These Days (04:35) 1 Allentown (03:51) 2 Laura (05:06) 3 Pressure (04:41) 4 Goodnight Saigon (07:02) 5 She’s Right on Time (04:14) 6 A Room of Our Own (04:04) 7 Surprises (03:28) 8 Scandinavian Skies (06:00) 9 Where’s the Orchestra? (03:17) 1 Easy Money (04:05) 2 An Innocent Man (05:18) 3 The Longest Time (03:37) 4 This Night (04:18) 5 Tell Her About It (03:51) 6 Uptown Girl (03:16) 7 Careless Talk (03:47) 8 Christie Lee (03:30) 9 Leave a Tender Moment Alone (03:56) 10 Keeping the Faith (04:39) 1 Running on Ice (03:19) 2 This Is the Time (05:01) 3 A Matter of Trust (04:12) 4 Modern Woman (03:51) 5 Baby Grand (04:05) 6 Big Man on Mulberry Street (05:30) 7 Temptation (04:16) 8 Code of Silence (05:16) 9 Getting Closer (05:00) 1 That’s Not Her Style (05:10) 2 We Didn’t Start the Fire (04:48) 3 The Downeaster “Alexa” (03:44) 4 I Go to Extremes (04:23) 5 Shameless (04:26) 6 Storm Front (05:17) 7 Leningrad (04:04) 8 State of Grace (04:30) 9 When in Rome (04:50) 10 And So It Goes (03:38) 1 No Man’s Land (04:48) 2 The Great Wall of China (05:47) 3 Blonde Over Blue (04:55) 4 A Minor Variation (05:36) 5 Shades of Grey (04:11) 6 All About Soul (06:01) 7 Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (03:34) 8 The River of Dreams (04:07) 9 Two Thousand Years (05:20) 10 Famous Last Words (04:54) 1 Opus 3. Reverie (Villa DEste) (09:31) 2 Opus 2. Waltz #1 (Nunleys Carousel) (06:58) 3 Opus 7. Aria (Grand Canal) (11:08) 4 Opus 6. Invention in C Minor (01:04) 5 Opus 1. Soliloquy (On a Separation) (11:26) 6 Opus 8. Suite for Piano: I. Innamorato (07:46) 7 Opus 8. Suite for Piano: II. Sorbetto (01:30) 8 Opus 8. Suite for Piano: III. Delusion (03:37) 9 Opus 5. Waltz #2 (Steinway Hall) (07:00) 10 Opus 9. Waltz #3 (For Lola) (03:28) 11 Opus 4. Fantasy (Film Noir) (08:56) 12 Opus 10. Air (Dublinesque) (03:46) 1 Hey Girl (03:57) 2 Youre Only Human (Second Wind) (04:48) 3 The Night Is Still Young (05:27) 4 Elvis Presley Blvd. (03:16) 5 To Make You Feel My Love (03:52) 6 Light as the Breeze (06:12) 7 Ill Cry Instead (live) (02:24) 8 House of Blue Light (04:44) 9 Nobody Knows but Me (02:55) 10 Heartbreak Hotel (03:22) 11 In a Sentimental Mood (04:03) 12 You Picked a Real Bad Time (04:55) 13 All Shook Up (02:10) 14 Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)? (album version) (01:58) 15 Dont Worry Baby (An All Star Tribute to Brian Wilson) (03:26) 16 When You Wish Upon a Star (03:43) 17 All My Life (05:19) |
 | Album: 32 of 36 Title: Original Album Classics Released: 2012-09-14 Tracks: 56 Duration: 3:48:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Shes Got a Way (02:52) 2 You Can Make Me Free (02:58) 3 Everybody Loves You Now (02:49) 4 Why Judy Why (02:56) 5 Falling of the Rain (02:39) 6 Turn Around (03:07) 7 You Look So Good to Me (02:27) 8 Tomorrow Is Today (04:42) 9 Nocturne (02:49) 10 Got to Begin Again (02:49) 1 You May Be Right (04:15) 2 Sometimes a Fantasy (03:40) 3 Don’t Ask Me Why (02:57) 4 It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me (02:57) 5 All for Leyna (04:16) 6 I Don’t Want to Be Alone (03:57) 7 Sleeping With the Television On (03:02) 8 C’était toi (You Were the One) (03:25) 9 Close to the Borderline (03:47) 10 Through the Long Night (02:45) 1 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) (05:05) 2 Summer, Highland Falls (03:04) 3 Streetlife Serenader (05:17) 4 Los Angelenos (03:49) 5 Shes Got a Way (02:58) 6 Everybody Loves You Now (03:10) 7 Say Goodbye to Hollywood (04:25) 8 Captain Jack (07:16) 9 Youre My Home (03:06) 10 The Ballad of Billy the Kid (05:27) 11 Ive Loved These Days (04:35) 1 Allentown (03:51) 2 Laura (05:06) 3 Pressure (04:41) 4 Goodnight Saigon (07:02) 5 She’s Right on Time (04:14) 6 A Room of Our Own (04:04) 7 Surprises (03:28) 8 Scandinavian Skies (06:00) 9 Where’s the Orchestra? (03:17) 1 Odoya (01:17) 2 Angry Young Man (05:23) 3 Honesty (03:58) 4 Goodnight Saigon (07:20) 5 Stiletto (05:08) 6 Big Man on Mulberry Street (07:17) 7 Baby Grand (06:09) 8 An Innocent Man (06:08) 9 Allentown (04:22) 10 A Matter of Trust (05:08) 11 Only the Good Die Young (03:32) 12 Sometimes a Fantasy (03:38) 13 Uptown Girl (03:08) 14 Big Shot (04:45) 15 Back in the U.S.S.R. (02:44) 16 The Times They Are A Changin (02:57) |
 | Album: 33 of 36 Title: Shes Got a Way: Love Songs Released: 2013 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:19:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Travelin’ Prayer (04:16) 2 The Night Is Still Young (05:27) 3 This Is the Time (05:01) 4 Shes Got A Way (Live) (03:01) 5 Temptation (04:16) 6 Nocturne (02:53) 7 Until the Night (06:36) 8 She’s Right on Time (04:14) 9 You’re My Home (03:13) 10 Just the Way You Are (04:51) 11 She’s Always a Woman (03:21) 12 State of Grace (04:30) 13 Honesty (03:52) 14 This Night (04:18) 15 Shameless (04:26) 16 An Innocent Man (05:18) 17 All About Soul (remix) (06:00) 18 And So It Goes (03:38) |
| She's Got a Way: Love Songs : Allmusic album Review : As one of the biggest-selling artists of all time, perhaps it was only a matter of time before Billy Joel was subjected to a romantically themed collection, and so came Shes Got a Way: Love Songs, released just in time for Valentines Day 2013. This 18-track collection reveals an odd truth about Joel: he didnt write all that many love songs. A few of his biggest hits are love songs but only a few: the early song "Shes Got a Way," which wasnt a hit until its Songs in the Attic incarnation in the early 80s; "Just the Way You Are," an unabashedly romantic soft rock staple that helped make him a star in the mid-70s; "This Is the Time," a gently nostalgic song from The Bridge; "The Night Is Still Young," an added cut to 1986s Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2. And thats about it. Other hits here arent really love songs -- "Shes Always a Woman" is too nasty to be romantic ("shell carelessly cut you and laugh while youre bleedin"), "Honesty" isnt about love, nor is "An Innocent Man" -- and thats why this compilation relies so heavily on album tracks, usually from early Billy Joel albums. That is where Joel wrote about love, when he had a "Travelin Prayer" and declared to his lover "Youre My Home." He had other love songs later, including "Shameless," which Garth Brooks turned into a standard, but the overall impression left by Shes Got a Way is that love songs are not Billys forte. Which isnt to say this isnt an enjoyable collection: there are many good songs here -- all the aforementioned tunes, along with "Until the Night" -- and its a good collection of Joels moodier, slower, melodic numbers. It just doesnt quite deliver on the romance it promises. | ||
 | Album: 34 of 36 Title: Collected Additional Masters Released: 2014-01-21 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:06:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hey Girl (03:55) 2 Youre Only Human (Second Wind) (04:48) 3 The Night Is Still Young (05:26) 4 Elvis Presley Boulevard (03:14) 5 To Make You Feel My Love (03:51) 6 Light As the Breeze (06:12) 7 Ill Cry Instead (Live) (02:24) 8 House of Blue Light (04:43) 9 Nobody Knows But Me (02:52) 10 Heartbreak Hotel (03:19) 11 In a Sentimental Mood (04:01) 12 You Picked a Real Bad Time (04:54) 13 All Shook Up (02:08) 14 Where Were You On Our Wedding Day (01:57) 15 Dont Worry Baby (03:24) 16 When You Wish Upon a Star (03:41) 17 All My Life (05:18) |
 | Album: 35 of 36 Title: Original Album Classics #2 Released: 2014-04-14 Tracks: 49 Duration: 3:55:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Streetlife Serenader (05:19) 2 Los Angelenos (03:42) 3 The Great Suburban Showdown (03:46) 4 Root Beer Rag (03:03) 5 Roberta (04:33) 6 The Entertainer (03:40) 7 Last of the Big Time Spenders (04:35) 8 Weekend Song (03:31) 9 Souvenir (02:00) 10 The Mexican Connection (03:36) 1 Say Goodbye to Hollywood (04:36) 2 Summer, Highland Falls (03:15) 3 All You Wanna Do Is Dance (03:40) 4 New York State of Mind (06:02) 5 James (03:54) 6 Prelude / Angry Young Man (05:15) 7 Ive Loved These Days (04:31) 8 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) (05:14) 1 Big Shot (04:03) 2 Honesty (03:52) 3 My Life (04:44) 4 Zanzibar (05:12) 5 Stiletto (04:41) 6 Rosalinda’s Eyes (04:41) 7 Half a Mile Away (04:08) 8 Until the Night (06:36) 9 52nd Street (02:26) 1 Thats Not Her Style (05:10) 2 We Didn’t Start the Fire (04:48) 3 The Downeaster “Alexa” (03:44) 4 I Go to Extremes (04:23) 5 Shameless (04:26) 6 Storm Front (05:17) 7 Leningrad (04:04) 8 State of Grace (04:30) 9 When in Rome (04:50) 10 And So It Goes (03:38) 1 Opus 3. Reverie (Villa DEste) (09:31) 2 Opus 2. Waltz #1 (Nunleys Carousel) (06:58) 3 Opus 7. Aria (Grand Canal) (11:08) 4 Opus 6. Invention in C Minor (01:04) 5 Opus 1. Soliloquy (On a Separation) (11:26) 6 Opus 8. Suite for Piano (Star-Crossed): I. Innamorato (07:46) 7 Opus 8. Suite for Piano (Star-Crossed): II. Sorbetto (01:30) 8 Opus 8. Suite for Piano (Star-Crossed): III. Delusion (03:36) 9 Opus 5. Waltz #2 (Steinway Hall) (07:00) 10 Opus 9. Waltz #3 (For Lola) (03:28) 11 Opus 4. Fantasy (Film Noir) (08:56) 12 Opus 10. Air (Dublinesque) (03:46) |
 | Album: 36 of 36 Title: And So It Goes: Songs of Folk & Lore Released: 2018-07-13 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:12:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Old Lady Rose (04:10) 2 Loch Lomond (04:35) 3 5 Ontario Folk Songs: No. 2. The Maggie Hunter (06:50) 4 6 Canadian Folk Songs, Set 1, op. 41b: No. 6. Danse, mon moin, danse! (03:04) 5 3 Flower Songs: No. 3. Go, Lovely Rose (03:43) 6 Ae Fond Kiss (02:28) 7 Perchance to Dream: Well Gather Lilacs (03:30) 8 Fogartys Cove (02:08) 9 Pussywillows, Cat-tails (03:52) 10 6 Choral Folk Songs, op. 36b, H. 136: No. 5. I Love My Love (04:18) 11 5 Songs of the Newfoundland Outports: No. 5. Feller from Fortune (02:50) 12 3 Shakespeare Songs: No. 1. Full Fathom Five (02:17) 13 3 Shakespeare Songs: No. 2. The Cloud-cappd Towers (01:57) 14 3 Shakespeare Songs: No. 3. Over Hill, over Dale (01:09) 15 John Browns Body (03:05) 16 Prairie Songs: No. 6. The Old Church (03:13) 17 Auld Lang Syne (03:30) 18 Shes Called Nova Scotia (04:47) 19 And So it Goes (03:43) 20 Fare Thee Well Love (03:52) 21 We Rise Again (from "The Rise & Follies of Cape Breton") (03:19) |