Billy Joel Complete - Volume 1 (Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "She's got a way_ a - bout_ her..." (more)
Key Phrases: Hey Lord, Permission Slowly

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Over 50 songs from Joel's first 5 albums now revised to include all the songs from Cold Spring Harbor. Songs include: The Entertainer * Honesty * Just The Way You Are * Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) * Say Goodbye To Hollywood * The Stranger * Vienna * and more.

Product Details

Sample Music Notation [24kb PDF]

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation; Revised edition (January 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0793520703
• ISBN-13: 978-0793520701
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #260,389 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Billy Joel Complete review, January 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Billy Joel - Boxed Set (Popular Matching Folios) (Vol 1 & 2) (Hardcover)

If youre looking for something just to give you an idea of how to play a lot of Billy Joel songs, this book can be helpful. It has just about every song in it up until the river of dreams. Songs like Prelude/Angry Young Man, and Shes Got a Way are nicely done in this book. But others only give you the piano parts to play the melody, so if you want to play the music instrumentally only, this is a good book. However, if youre like I am and you want to start playing the music and singing along with it(playing in a band), then you should look at the Billy Joel Keyboard book which has 14 or so songs which have the original transcripts, what you actually here him playing on the piano on the album. This is by far my favorite piano book that I own. It is however for the experienced piano players, because of its detail.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally, it really IS complete, June 16, 2000

By	Jeffrey Anbinder "Beeeej" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Billy Joel - Boxed Set (Popular Matching Folios) (Vol 1 & 2) (Hardcover)

The first several editions of "Billy Joel Complete" were glaringly INCOMPLETE in that they didn't include sheet music for his first solo album, "Cold Spring Harbor." Now, granted - even Billy doesn't care much for the music on that album, but "Complete" was definitely a misnomer.

Until this edition! Now, unfortunately, it's not really complete because "River of Dreams" was released afterwards; but good sheet music is available for that album as well.

Now that the collection is comprehensive, my only real complaint is that the transcriptions don't include the solos and other idiosynchrocies, just the basics (though Billy's "basics" are often more complex than other pianists' solos). But other than that, they don't simplify at all - so if you're fairly serious about piano, this book will give you the roadmap you need to learn how to play Billy's songs.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Songbook for Guitarists & Pianists, March 11, 2001

By	G. J Wiener (Westchester, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a worthwhile music book for musicians who are fans of Billy Joel. The music provided is quite accurate to the recorded versions. In addition, most of the instrumental passages are noted. Includes all the songs from Cold Spring Harbor to Fifty Second Street.