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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Piano Man | |||
| 2. Captain Jack | |||
| 3. The Entertainer | |||
| 4. Say Goodbye To Hollywood | |||
| 5. New York State Of Mind | |||
See all 11 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. My Life | |||
| 2. Big Shot | |||
| 3. You May Be Right | |||
| 4. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me | |||
| 5. Don't Ask Me Why | |||
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See all 14 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 3 | |||
| 1. Keeping The Faith | |||
| 2. An Innocent Man | |||
| 3. A Matter Of Trust | |||
| 4. Baby Grand | |||
| 5. This Is The Time | |||
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See all 17 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 4 | |||
| 1. Billy Joel Spoken Intro/Music Concepts | |||
| 2. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (Live Unreleased Version) | |||
| 3. Beatles Influence | |||
| 4. Hard Days Night (Live Unreleased Version) | |||
| 5. Why Vienna? | |||
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See all 12 tracks on this disc
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The three volumes of Billy Joel's Greatest Hits albums make up the bulk of this catch-up set; a fourth disc features some live versions and discussion of the artist's composing methods. --Rickey Wright
Product Description
This version comes in a traditional multi-CD jewel case.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
68 of 73 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
For the 8 years I've known Billy Joel I've relied solely on some CDs my brother owned (2 in all) but the main thing I wore out was the Greatest Hits 1 and 2 tape. On the tape version they cut down the songs and they leave out "she's got a way" "...italian restaurant" "captain jack" "the entertainer" and some noticable verses in "Just the Way You are" and "Pressure". My Christmas shopping online consisting of catching up with CDs I've always meant to get but always put off. I was going to get the 2 albums..Greatest Hits 1&2 and 3 but I noticed the box set and the 4th w/ Q&A is only 2 dollars more than if you bought the 2 albums insteead of the set. Well when's the last time you got a Cd for 2 dollars? Neway the whole Set is amazing! Not only have the 4 CDs not left my Cd player BUT the 2 dollars seems to be well spent as the 4th is a great Q&A thing and plus the booklet w/ ALL THE LYRICS and the Story of the Man Behind the Piano...Defintely worthy...if you're thinking about getting the Greatest Hits Albums, don't! GET THE BOX SET FOR A LITTLE MORE....money well spent
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Having grown up with an older brother and a cousin who are rabid Billy Joel fans, I grew up listening to his music on a daily basis. What has always amazed me about Joel is the ease with which he can jump styles. He can rock out ("Big Shot", "A Matter Of Trust"), be tender ("She's Always A Woman", "She's Got A Way"), even do a little gospel ("River Of Dreams"). True, I like some of his songs better than others, but overall you have to appreciate his solid musicianship, both in performing and writing. It's also amazing how he can span generations--both my 66-year-old father and my 11-year-old niece are fans (in fact, "The Stranger" was the only rock album Dad would let us play in the car on family trips!). In this age of sampling being called songwriting, it's great to hear an artist who can truly write great songs, truly sing, and truly play. This set literally covers Joel's career beginning to end, and the third disk, which is a combination of a talk he gave to college students and live tracks (including a great cover of "Back In The USSR" and, of course, the awesome singalong that is "Piano Man") gives a fascinating glimpse into how some of his greatest hits came into being. A must for any Joel fan, even if you're just a casual one, because this set has everything and more.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Billy Joel's Greatest Hits 1973-1997
I have been a Billy Joel fan since my senior year at South Miami High, and even though my collection of his music was pitifully small - still is, too - I did have a few of his 1980s vintage albums on audiocassettes. Included in this small batch of tapes was his first "Greatest Hits" collection, which covered the years 1973-1985. I played the cassette to death in my college years, even taking it with me to Sevilla (Seville), Spain, during a study-abroad stint.
I was glad when the first CD re-release of Volumes One and Two became available in the early 1990s. By then I had gone through two cassettes and was not looking forward to buying a third. I was looking forward to hearing "Piano Man," "She's Always a Woman," "Good Night Saigon," and "Don't Ask Me Why" in the new-to-me compact disc format.
I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the CD version was a marked improvement over the cassette. Not only did it sound better, but "Just the Way You Are" was presented in its entirety; in the cassette it had been abridged to fit the running time allowed on the tape. I also heard several new songs not included in the tape for space purposes, including "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" and "She's Got a Way." This 2-disc set soon became my favorite non-classical, non-movie soundtrack music, and I loved to sing along to my much loved songs with the aid of the booklet of lyrics.
I held off on buying Volume Three as a result of a bad review in the Miami Herald, but when I saw this boxed set in 1998, I could not resist the temptation. Sure, I already had half of the four CDs in this collection, but I just had to have it! And naturally I played Disc Three first...and I regretted having paid attention to the Herald's music critic.
First, because Volume Three takes up where Volume Two left off (with songs from 1983's An Innocent Man), I was ecstatic when I heard "An Innocent Man" and "Keeping the Faith," which I would have preferred on the 1973-85 collection. Second, I also discovered such songs as "Leningrad," "River of Dreams," and the elegiac ode to doomed love, "And So It Goes." I fell in love with the Celtic backbeat of "The Downeaster Alexa," the neo-classical "Lullabye (Good Night My Angel)," and the smoldering sensuality of "Shameless." As he did in Volume Two, Joel adds several new songs to supplement his older material, including covers of "Hey, Girl," "Light as a Breeze," and Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love," which Joel's friend Garth Brooks also covered in his own Greatest Hits boxed set.
The fourth disc is very interesting, even if it contains songs we heard in the other discs of this set. It contains several live lectures with musical interludes. These were recorded at several colleges on different dates, but are seamlessly spliced so that it sounds like one single performance. Here Joel gives us a glimpse of the creative and business aspects of his musical career, and he does so with humor, intelligence, and charm.
All in all, if you are a Joel fan and can't afford all his albums, I recommend this boxed set. (A Caveat: 2001's The Essential Billy Joel 2-disc set does cover much of the same ground, but has a few variations of content.)
Most Recent Customer Reviews
They Just Can't Get It Right
Wow its not that hard people. What is here is good but where are Honesty and Leave A Tender Moment??? Inexcusable!!! Read more
Published 4 months ago by MJH
Fantastic collection
This box set is one of the best I've seen for Billy Joel. All of his major hits are on this and it includes a liner that gives lyrics and information. Read more
Published 6 months ago by SuperGram11+
"Complete Hits" says it all
This is a four CD set covering just about every Billy Joel song you've probably ever heard. The 4th disk isn't from a concert but rather from a series of music workshops he was... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Jeffrey Kontur
Father's Day Gift
I received my order earlier than expected which was great! This was a Father's Day gift for my Dad and he loved it. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Aimee
Phenomenal !
I have been enjoying the music of Billy Joel for about thirty years. His history has taken me on an amazing musical odyssey. Read more
Published on August 13, 2009 by D. Rapson
A good mix of his work, but not complete by any means
I like this collection, don't get me wrong. Billy Joel has had so many hits thru his career that it would take 10 disc min. to record them all. Read more
Published on July 5, 2009 by M. Nickelson
Awesome Collection of Billy Joel's Hits
Whether or not you are a Die Hard Billy Joel fan, Billy Joel has written/sang awesome songs from the early 70's to the late 90's; owning just his greatest hits volume 1 & 2, you... Read more
Published on March 19, 2009 by Eyal Aviani
A Fabulous Collection
This 4 disk set has so many wonderful songs and many bring back memories as I have been a fan for over 20 years. Read more
Published on March 3, 2009 by Laura Hooper
i love these Cd's
I love Billy Joel and it is great to have all of my favorites in one collection.
Published on October 24, 2008 by B. menasha
If my mom loves it, then that's all I care about :)
I purchased this for my mom who is a huge Billy Joel fan! She has seen him in concert so many times throughout her life (I've seen him a few times along with her). Read more
Published on July 13, 2008 by Half Pint
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