The Essential Billy Joel

The Essential Billy Joel

by Billy Joel
The Essential Billy Joel

The Essential Billy Joel

by Billy Joel
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Overview

Released in conjunction with Billy Joel's grand experiment with classical music, The Essential Billy Joel was a welcome reminder of Billy Joel's 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 -- it's easy for a fan to carp about the absence of personal favorites like "She's Right on Time" or "Travelin' Prayer," and it may even make some sense that "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" or "Shameless" didn't make the cut, but it's mind-boggling that "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" isn't here (we won't 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 Joel's 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 1986's The Bridge (which ends midway through disc two), but even so, this is as good a distillation of Joel's talents imaginable. In fact, as the first disc unfurls, even cynics may wonder why he's been dogged by the critics, since singer/songwriter pop doesn't come better than "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," "New York State of Mind," "Only the Good Die Young," "My Life," "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me," "Don't Ask Me Why," "Allentown," and their seven companions. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date: 10/02/2001
Label: Legacy / Sony Music Distribution
UPC: 0696998600522
Rank: 475

Tracks

Disc 1

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

Disc 2

  1. Goodnight Saigon
  2. An Innocent Man
  3. Uptown Girl
  4. The Longest Time
  5. Tell Her About It
  6. Leave a Tender Moment Alone
  7. A Matter of Trust
  8. Baby Grand
  9. I Go to Extremes
  10. We Didn't Start the Fire
  11. Leningrad
  12. The Downeaster "Alexa"
  13. And So It Goes
  14. The River of Dreams
  15. All About Soul
  16. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
  17. Waltz #1 (Nunley's Carousel)
  18. Invention in C Minor

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Billy Joel   Primary Artist,Vocals,Piano,Harmonica,Keyboards
Hyung-Ki Joo   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Ray Charles   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Richard Huyghe   Piano

Technical Credits

Billy Joel   Producer,Composer
James Williams   Composer
Chuck Willis   Composer
Don DeVito   A&R
Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner   Composer
Hyung-Ki Joo   Performer
Andreas Meyer   Mastering
Ted Jensen   Digital Remastering
Marshall "Rock" Jones   Composer
Ralph Middlebrooks   Composer
Clarence "Satch" Satchell   Composer
Mark Feldman   Marketing
Marvin Pierce   Composer
William Beck   Composer
Christopher Austopchuk   Art Direction
Art Maillet   Photography
Jane Arginteanu   Administration
Gary Montalvo   Art Direction
Sharon Czechowski   Administration
Greg Linn   Marketing,Production Director
Patrick Demarchelier   Photography
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