The Essential Billy Joel (2CD)

About the content of the compilation: -
Highlights of the superb first CD include upbeat rock'n'roll numbers such as "My Life" and "The Entertainer", a beautifully crafted Blues ballad "New York State of Mind", the moving "You're my Home", the hypnotic and experimental "Streetlife Serenader" and funky classic "Movin'Out"

CD 2 includes the overplayed "Uptown Girl" (which frankly often merely lends Billy Joel the unfair label of "cheese"), the catchy political tale "Allentown", the passionate "All for Leyna", and the power-ballad "All about soul".

However, I would have preferred to see the likes of "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" and "Don't Ask me why" left aside, and in retrospect, "Zanzibar", "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" and "Captain Jack" do seem like surprising absentees. I might have also included lesser-known album tracks such as "Where's the Orchestra", "The Great Suburban Showdown" and "State of Grace" - but that's perhaps down to personal preference.

To conclude, this is the best greatest hits compilation of Billy Joel to be released to date and is much better value for money than the recent single CD issue of "The Piano Man". Enjoy!


Absolutely COOL   May 23, 2006
Aveen A. Ameen (Baghdad - IRAQ)
5 out of 8 found this review helpful

Billy Joel's Piano Man, New York State of Mind, She's Always A Woman,.....etc... You'll absolutely gonna LOVE all the songs in this 2 CDs pack... go for it :)


The Billy Joel State of Mind   May 9, 2008
Richard (Blackpool England)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

From his session work on a Shangri Las single and a first album issued at the wrong speed Billy Joel has come a long way from the days he was touted as the New Bob Dylan.
In the days of disco and punk this music came as a breath of fresh air,music which reached back into the 60s and included the greatest single the 4 Seasons never made.
Just the way you are-the first hit in the U K in 1978-became an instant standard.
As a writer Joel is as good as Cole Porter,George Gershwin or Rodgers & Hart.
He now needs to make a covers album especially one of Beatles songs


Entertaining   August 12, 2004
Oscillator (Carluke)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

Billy Joel doesn't seem to have received much critical praise. The problem is how to categorise him. He doesn't operate in the same field as Dylan or Springsteen, whilst the only similarity between him and sorry, ugh, Elton John is that they both play piano. However, across these two discs is evidence of considerable talent. One of Joel's greatest strengths is his seemingly endless gift for melody. That strength is underlined by the double whammy of 'Just The Way You Are' and 'My Life' that kick this compilation off. Across the two discs, as well as the usual suspects, are less well known classics such as "Leave A Tender Moment Alone', and 'New York State of Mind'.
Of course, we will all have favourites that haven't been included. I would like to have seen "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant' and 'Only The Good Die Young' but that night have caused Joel's breakthrough album 'The Stranger'to be over represented. And although it was a hit I could do without 'It's Still Rock N Roll To Me' which would be more convincing if the music wasn't so polite. Indeed the album that song comes from 'Glass Houses' suffers from trying to be tough - Joel simply can't do tough, it's not his strength. However, the songs from an Innocent Man, Joel's love letter to his youth are perfect evoking such classics as 'Stand By Me', 'Spanish Harlem' and artists such as The Four Seasons but somehow avoiding pastiche.
No doubt like many in the UK, I have a problem relating to 'We Didn't Start The Fire'. It probably had to be included but, after the Iraq war, its petulant blanket defence of the USA's foreign actions is even harder for me to take, especially when Joel can write a sensitive Vietnam song such as 'Goodnight Saigon'.
Despite a few reservations then, this is a very good compilation demonstrating the depth of Joel's back catalogue.


Masterpiece collection...   August 11, 2008
J. Johnstone (Scotland UK)
This is a masterpiece collection... and I do like the mixture of talent in lyrics and musical composition. Covers most of his best, popular hit songs, but sadly missing one of what could be considered as part of his essential past ---"Pressure", a synthesizer-driven song from 1982, about the difficulties of dealing with the stress of daily living. I haven't heard this song in years and this would have topped off this set.
There are some real timepieces here. I didn't think i'd ever forget the lyrics to a few of these classics. A very underrated artist! A must-have, if you only know a couple of more recent songs, the ones from his earlier days are amongst his greatest and worth a listen or two!