The Essential Billy Joel (1 Viewer)

[Shawn C]

I was thinking of picking up the Best of Billy Joel pretty soon but while I was at Costco Sat., I noticed a CD titled "The Essential Billy Joel". It's a 2 CD set, and it was only $14.99, so what the heck. Apparently it came out on Oct. 2. I had no idea.
Most excellent CD set! There are some pretty good tunes on here. I'm suprised that "Baby Grand" made it on there! Here's the tracks that are on the set. It seems there are alot of non-top-40-popular hits on here.
1. Piano Man (Joel) - 5:36
2. You're My Home (Joel) - 3:11
3. Captain Jack (Joel) - 7:16
4. The Entertainer (Joel) - 3:39
5. Say Goodbye To Hollywood (Joel) - 4:36
6. Miami 2017 (Joel) - 5:12
7. New York State Of Mind (Joel) - 6:02
8. She's Always A Woman (Joel) - 3:19
9. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (Joel) - 3:28
10. Only The Good Die Young (Joel) - 3:53
11. Just The Way You Are (Joel) - 4:49
12. Honesty (Joel) - 3:51
13. My Life (Joel) - 4:42
14. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me (Joel) - 2:56
15. You May Be Right (Joel) - 4:11
16. Don't Ask Me Why (Joel) - 2:57
17. She's Got A Way (Joel) - 3:00
18. Allentown (Joel) - 3:50
19. Goodnight Saigon (Joel) - 7:03
20. An Innocent Man (Joel) - 5:18
21. Uptown Girl (Joel) - 3:15
22. The Longest Time (Joel) - 3:36
23. Tell Her About It (Joel) - 3:49
24. Leave A Tender Moment Alone (Joel) - 3:51
25. A Matter Of Trust (Joel) - 4:08
26. Baby Grand (Joel) - 4:03
27. I Go To Extremes (Joel) - 4:20
28. We Didn't Start The Fire (Joel) - 4:48
29. Leningrad (Joel) - 4:03
30. The Downeaster "Alexa" (Joel) - 3:42
31. And So It Goes (Joel) - 3:36
32. The River Of Dreams (Joel) - 4:06
33. All About Soul (Remix) (Joel) - 5:57
34. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (Joel) - 3:30
35. Waltz no. 1 (Nunley's Carousel) (Joel) - 6:52
36. Invention In C Minor (Joel) - :59

 

[Mike Broadman]

No Billy Joel collection is complete without, IMO, his best song ever: Scenes From An Italian Restaurant. I own Greatest Hits 1 & 2 (2 CD set), Volume 3 (seperate disc), and I burned another disc which I entitled Volume 4 (pretty clever, no?). This thing that pisses me off is that none of the compilations contain Angry Young Man. Isn't this a "Greatest Hit?"
I was gonna pick up the Smashing Pumpkins compilation, too, but the selection blows. Thank god for CD burners.

 

[Anthony Hom]

That sounds like a better deal than the 4 disc book set I bought, which is Vols. 1 2 and 3 combined into one set. Your set even has leave a tender moment alone, which is not on my set. Although I do have Scenes from an Italian Rest. on mine, which you do not. Both sets do not have Modern Woman, which I suspect is because of licensing reasons (own by the film studio who made Ruthless people). The only copy of Angry Young Man I have is a live version from a Storm Front Promo CD. You can always buy Turnstiles CD for that one.

 

[KeithH]

Shawn, for $14.99 at Costco, I will have to check out this new Billy Joel release. Best Buy had it on the weekend for $19.99. I have many other Billy Joel compilations (import and domestic), but this one looks good. Thanks for the Costco tip.
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[Mark Pfeiffer]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't "Modern Woman" on The Bridge? Being on a "proper" album, I wouldn't think there would be any rights issues.

 

[PienSavaca]

No Billy Joel collection is complete without, IMO, his best song ever: Scenes From An Italian Restaurant. I own Greatest Hits 1 & 2 (2 CD set), Volume 3 (seperate disc), and I burned another disc which I entitled Volume 4 (pretty clever, no?).

Got a track list? Just wondering what you put on it. GH 1+2 lacks "Honesty" but tacked on "The Night Is Still Young"... that always pissed me off.
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[Shawn C]

The CD's at Costco are packaged weird. I wasn't going to get the CD initially becuase it had a big yellow "AS SEEN ON TV" sticker on it!
I don't know who they are trying to target when that kind of sticker, but it turned out ok becuase the set it great, and sounds great as well. Sony/Columbia made the CD. I've never seen this CD advertised on TV. Was it on an infomercial or something?

 

[Anthony Hom]

Quote:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't "Modern Woman" on The Bridge? Being on a "proper" album, I wouldn't think there would be any rights issues.
You are right, Modern woman is on the Bridge album. but the fact that it is a top 10 hit and it didn't make onto any Billy Joel hits set, makes me think:
1. He doesn't consider it one of his better songs.
2. He only has the rights to release it on his Bridge album and not on any other package. It was a 45, but of course those don't exist anymore and CD singles? Forget it!

 

[KeithH]

Shawn said:

The CD's at Costco are packaged weird. I wasn't going to get the CD initially becuase it had a big yellow "AS SEEN ON TV" sticker on it!

I have not seen this Billy Joel set featured on TV. However, I have seen some newer CDs advertised on TV for sale by mail over the last year or so. I am not talking about those older rock, disco, etc. compilations that are "not available in stores". These are regular CDs that record labels are pitching on TV. The first such ad I remember seeing was for Beatles 1 about a year ago, which was shortly after it was released. I've seen several other ads like these. The thing is, the prices are ridiculous. I believe the Beatles disc was $18.98 + shipping and handling. Maybe Sony Music is advertising the Billy Joel set in a similar manner.
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[Mike Broadman]

PienSavaca,
Here's what I burned on my "Volume 4"
Ballad of Billy the Kid
Prelude / Angry Young Man
Miammi 2017
Vienna
Get It Right the First Time
Zanzibar
52nd Street
Sometimes A Fantasy
All For Lenya
Sleeping With the Television On
Easy Money
Big Man on Mulberry Street
Storm Front
State of Grace
No Man's Land
Great Wall of China
I especially wanted to have Man on Mulberry Street because it features jazz musicians, including one of my heroes Ron Carter on bass (see me thread on Miles Davis)
The volume 3 CD is a bit weak, including some new songs that kinda suck.

 

[Richard Kim]

I have not seen this Billy Joel set featured on TV.

I have. Some female scientist puts some wires on this guys head and she monitors his thoughts, and we see clips from Billy Joel's videos. I'm serious!

 

[Chad Erickson]

Mike, you had some great choices for your Vol. 4 set.
Vienna, Get It Right The First Time, & All For Lenya are a couple of the best Billy Joel songs that very few people know.
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[brentl]

I feel like you guys are my best friends already
All for Lenya is one of the best songs off of Glass Houses.
It's strange that MY LIFE is on ANY of his "best of" albums. He just plainly doesn't like the song, he finds the compositon awkward.
Goodnight Saigon is one of my least fav BJ songs.
Brent L
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[Mike Broadman]

Should I make the obvious jokes about the "BJ songs?" Nah.
Anyway, I don't know how much an artist's input goes into a greatest hits compilation. Songs are record company's property, so they could release stuff as they want to. My Life is a huge hit for Joel, thanks to that TV show with Tom Hanks in drag. It certainly belongs on a Greatest Hits CD.