Customer Reviews

GREATEST HITS VOLUMES 1 & 2

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If you already own the previous non-remastered bulky "double-clamshell" version of this 2-disc set from 1985 and have wondered if it would really be worth it to upgrade to the remastered version from 1998, here's some things to think about:

Six songs that were released in edited versions on the previous edition have now been restored to their full original studio album lengths. They are (along with old/new running time) - "The Stranger" (4:55/5:09), "Just The Way You Are" (3:34/4:51), "My Life" (3:50/4:44), "Big Shot" (3:43/4:02), "She's Got A Way" (2:44/3:02), "Pressure" (3:13/4:37)

"Say Goodbye To Hollywood" is now the original 1976 version from "Turnstiles". On the previous edition, it was the live version from 1981's "Songs In The Attic". The 1981 version became a Top 20 hit, so if you favor that one, you may want to hang on to your old non-remastered GHVI&II. I probably prefer the live version simply because I'm more familiar with it and it seems to have more energy than the original, but that alone wasn't enough to keep me from parting with my old GHVI&II.

The bonus multimedia material included is pretty much the same kind of superfluous window dressing found on other discs of this nature - discographies, album covers, etc., all of which of course can be readily found on the Internet (if you didn't know that, you wouldn't be reading this right now, right?). It does however, contain the videos for the two "new" songs on this record, "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" and "The Night Is Still Young". "You're Only Human" is actually a very good video for an otherwise so-so song, with Billy playing the angel role in yet another spin on "It's A Wonderful Life". However, one still kind of wishes they'd left off all this stuff and just used the space to add a couple more well-known songs like "Honesty", "Prelude/Angry Young Man", "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)", "Sometimes A Fantasy", or "Leave A Tender Moment Alone".

And of course, the remastered sound is excellent (acoustic/piano-based acts like Billy Joel benefit greatly from remastering), and the packaging is an improvement over the former version. For me, the extended versions of the songs alone are worth the upgrade, but consider all of the information presented here and make your own best judgement!

With a 14 year career and 10 studio albums under his belt, Billy Joel was long overdue for a greatest hits album. At the same time, Billy Joel had established himself as premier act in the music industry. With his 1985 release "Billy Joel Greatest Hits Volume I and Volume II", Billy Joel delivers a 2 CD set that takes his "top hits" from his previous albums. In addition, Billy adds two "new songs" ("You're Only Human" and "The Night is Still Young") - both are of the high caliber quality of music that his fans have become accustomed to. Overall, there may be some minor quirks, but this is a solid set of Billy's work

I look at Billy Joel's career as having three phases. The first phase is what I call "Old Billy Joel". This basically includes all of his material from "Cold Spring Harbor" through "Turnstiles". These are perhaps the strongest days as the piano sound, but they also contain most of Joel's least heard material. The next phase is what I call "Middle Billy Joel". This was his most successful period and covers from "The Stranger" to "Billy Joel Greatest Hits Volume I and Volume II". Joel would go through a transition during this phase - expanding his musical horizons and exploring different avenues. The final phase is the "Later Billy Joel" phase - this covers "The Bridge" to "River of Dreams". "Greatest Hits Volume I and Volume II covers the two phases - "Old Billy Joel and "Middle Billy Joel".

As mentioned above, this collection focuses on Billy's "top hits". With a few exceptions, this focuses on the songs that were the most commercially successful singles from his studio albums. As a result, some songs that are considered "Billy Joel Classics" are not on here. The most notable songs that are missing are: "Angry Young Man", "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)", "Vienna", "Honesty", "Stiletto", "Sometimes a Fantasy", "All For Leyna", "Laura", "Leave a Tender Moment Alone", and "An Innocent Man" (this song was included on a a later release "Volume 3"). In fairness, there are still 25 songs included over 2 CDs - so there is a lot of music and I can understand not being able to fit these songs. In fairness, I wouldn't have dropped any of the 25 songs that were included.

It is important to understand that there are two versions of "Greatest Hits Volume I and Volume II". The original release included edited (i.e. shortened) versions of several tracks from their original studio albums. These tracks include: "The Stranger", "Just the Way You Are", "My Life", "Big Shot", and "Pressure". This original release also includes two live versions of older songs taken from "Songs From the Attic" ("She's Got a Way" and "Say Goodbye to Hollywood"). There was a remastered edition that was released in 1998. The nice thing is that these include the full versions of the edited songs as they were on their original studio albums. As for the live songs, they have been replaced with the studio versions ("She's Got a Way" from "Cold Spring Harbor" and "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" from "Turnstiles"). Although I like having the live versions, I much prefer having full versions of songs to edited versions (I have no use for any song that is shortened from its original form), therefore I would advise getting the remastered version.

In addition to "Greatest Hits Volume I and II", there are several other compilations available. In 1997 Billy would release "Greatest Hits Volume III" that would include songs from the "Later Billy Joel" phase plus "An Innocent Man" and "Keeping the Faith" ("Middle Billy Joel songs). Billy would release a boxed set called "Billy Joel: Complete Hits Collection" that includes the remastered version of "Greatest Hits Volume I and II", "Greatest Hits Volume 3", and a fourth disk that includes outtakes and live versions from a College Tour he did. In 2001, Billy Joel would release anothe two disc collection entitled "The Essential Billy Joel". This collection does include some songs missing from "Greatest Hits Volume I and II" (i.e. "Miami 2017", Honesty", and "Leave a Tender Moment Alone"), however that collection is missing "The Stranger", "Pressure", and "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant". Despite the inclusion of some of the missing songs on "Greatest Hits Volume I and Volume II", I would avoid "The Essential Billy Joel" Overall, my first choice would be to go the Boxed Set collection, but if you want to focus on just Phases 1 and 2, then get the remastered "Greatest Hits Volume I and Volume II".

One thing that I like about "Greatest Hits Volume I and Volume II" is that the collection is in chronological order of when the songs are released - for the most part. There are some minor quirks with this: "She's Got a Way" was really from Billy's first album, so it should be the first song - however it is included just before "The Nylon Curtain" tracks because the original version of this collection had the live version from "Songs From the Attic". On the other hand, on the original version of the collection, they include the "Songs From the Attic" version of "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" with the "Turnstiles" songs (they do get this right on the remastered release). By having songs in chronological order, it allows me to see how the artist progresses and changes over time.

My version of the collection came in a "double CD case" with a nice booklet. In an unusual move for a Greatest Hits collection - all of the lyrics are included. The musician and production credits are included only for the new songs. Overall, this is a great place to get those "Phase 1 and 2" Billy Joel "Hits" in one place. I'd still recommend trying for the Boxed Set, but if not - the remastered version is the next best thing.

Billy Joel has always been better as a singles artist than he is at recording albums. By condensing the highlights from the best part of his career (1973-1985) onto two discs, it hightlights the reason for his massive popularity during that time period. The album starts out with a selection of his best pre stardom songs, including, of course, "Piano Man," but also other strong cuts like the teenage loser anthem "Captain Jack," "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," and "The Entertainer." Then comes a generous helping of songs from his 1977 breakthrough album, "The Stranger," including the massive hits "Just the Way You Are," and "She's Always a Woman." The second disc is then mostly a run through of Joel's succession of late 70s and early 80s hits, starting with the teenage independence ode "My Life" and ending with 1985's "You're Only Human."

All in all, this is the perfect collection of Joel's music for the casual fan who doesn't want to splurge for all of the original albums.

Billy Joel's Greatest Hits Vol. 1-2 contains all the best songs from his peak years of 1974-1985. Songs like "Just The Way You Are", "My Life", "You May Be Right", "Captain Jack", "Anthony's Song (Movin' Out)","New York State Of Mind", "Piano Man" and "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" are radio staples and timeless classics. In fact, there isn't a weak spot on the album. Even the two new songs, "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" and "The Night Is Still Young" are excellent and do not seem out of place. The album is a must have for any music fan and obviously many people agree as it is one of the ten biggest selling albums of all time.

This 2 disc set is an excellent summary of Billy Joel's biggest hits from 1973 to 1985,starting with his signature song "Piano Man" then rounding up FM radio favorites "Capitan Jack","The Entertainer","New York State Of Mind" before his 1977 commercial breakthrough "The Stranger" made him a household name.Two bona-fide classic album cuts from it("Scenes From An Italian Resturaut" and the title song)are included.From that point there's no stopping the hits-"Just The Way You Are","She's Always A Woman","My Life","You May Be Right","It's Still Rock n'Roll To Me","Don't Ask Me Why","She's Got A Way","Allentown","Tell Her About It","Uptown Girl","The Longest Time",plus two new songs that became hits as well,major(the trifle "You're Only Human(Second Wind)")and minor(the underrated"The Night Is Still Young").Granted,a few hits are missing("Honesty","Sometimes A Fantasy",and "Leave A Tender Moment Alone"),but overall this is the definitive compilation of one of the most talented pop/rock singer/songwriters ever.

One of my favorite Billy Joel albums has been his Greatest Hits: Volume I & Volume II. I was given the cassette version for my birthday in 1986 -- at one of my last really big birthday bashes when I reached the advanced age of 23. I played that cassette to death -- literally -- and it served as a morale booster when romances soured, deadlines loomed (I was a student journalist at the time) or went overseas to study Spanish in Seville, Spain.

Fortunately, shortly before that much-listened-to cassette went to the Big Walkman in the Sky I was given my first stereo system with a CD component, and one of my first purchases was this 2-disc set of 25 of Joel's most popular songs. Starting with 1973's "Piano Man" and concluding with "The Night is Still Young," this collection shows the many faces of Joel (the musician).

I was still new to the whole CD technology thing and had not really looked at the song list on the back cover, so there were quite a few surprises in store for me when I first played disc 1 on my CD player. I had, obviously, played the cassette so many times that I knew what songs would play and how long they were, so when I heard "Piano Man" fade out, I expected to hear "Say Goodbye to Hollywood." Instead, I heard "Captain Jack" (a morbidly ironic ode to the decadence of the rich, spoiled and unhappy young men) and "The Entertainer" (a very upbeat yet ironic song about the lifestyle of a rock singer). I was also pleasantly surprised by the song-within-a-song of "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," with its reflective prologue and epilogue serving as musical bookends for what Joel calls "The Ballad of Brenda and Eddie."

Another happy discovery was that disc 1 contains the complete rendition of "Just The Way You Are," which on the cassette was truncated.

The second CD had fewer surprises, since the play list was almost identical to the cassette edition. The only differences were the inclusion of a "live' rendition of Joel's beautiful ballad "She's Got A Way" and a full rendition of "Pressure." Other than that, all the songs I had memorized and sometimes sang along to ("Goodnight Saigon," "Uptown Girl," "For The Longest Time" and "Tell Her About It") were where my ears and mind expected them to be.

This album has been re-released, tweaked and repackaged a few times. Not only have the two discs been included in the 4-CD Greatest Hits Limited Edition box set, but also they have been digitally remastered and placed in a smaller "slimline" jewel box (which I hate). The late 1990s re-issue boasts not only 24-bit digital remastering but also CD Extra videos designed to work with personal computers using Windows 95/98 or better operating systems.

If you are a dedicated Joel fan, you probably either own this or need no urging from me to purchase this album. But for new listeners who have yet to discover the many styles and moods of one of America's best pop/rock songwriter/performers, this set is definitely worth listening to. If the 4-disc box set is out of stock (as it sometimes is) or too expensive, buy this along with his 1997 Greatest Hits Volume III 1-disc album.

These days Billy Joel is often lumped in with Elton John as being remembered only for his top 40 radio hits and mushy ballads from the past several decades. Many people forget that like Elton, Joel put out some really strong albums in his early and mid-career. The guy was a songwriter's songwriter and not only could play a hell of a piano, but could be a very clever lyricist as well. Like Elton, Joel's output could be very inconsistent. For every "Goodnight Saigon" or "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" he wrote more throwaway stuff like "Uptown Girl" or "Tell Her About It". This two disc compilation captures all of his singles and some of his album tracks up to 1985. For the most part the material here is good, as you hear him move from an album oriented artist to a more commercial singles oriented one over the course of a little over a decade. The first disc is the best and starts out with some of the best cuts from his pre-superstar days. "Piano Man", "Captain Jack", "The Entertainer", and "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" are all great tracks and show a much different side of Joel than much of his later output. "The Stranger" is also included here. Although I was never crazy about the music or the chorus to this one, the lyrics are some of Joel's all time best. The rest of disc one starts dipping into Joel's big hit territory with the mush ballads "Just The Way You Are", and "She's Always A Woman" (written for his 1st wife who he would divorce not too many years later). The big hits "Only The Good Die Young" and "Moving Out" are also included. Disc two is not quite as strong. Three strong songs open the disc "My Life", "Big Shot" and "You May Be Right" all decent songs that got played to death on radio. Then it is back to mediocrity land with "It's Still Rock n Roll To Me" (I always think of the Weird Al Yankovic parody "It's Still Billy Joel To Me"), "Don't Ask Me Why", and "She's Got A Way". The best part of this disc is the three tracks from what is in my opinion Joel's strongest album "The Nylon Curtain". For this one Joel took a serious turn and came up with some really great songs. The 3 singles from the album are all represented here and they are all good ones. "Allentown" is a portrait of the Pennsylvania steel town after the industry pretty much pulled out. "Pressure" is another good one about the pressure of modern day life. "Goodnight Saigon" may be Joel's best all time work, and is a striking portrait of the Vietnam War. The last half of the CD covers Joel's Do Wop period with "Uptown Girl", "The Longest Time", and "Tell Her About It" (songs about his second wife whom he would eventually divorce). I am not much of a Do Wop fan so these don't do a lot for me. Two new (at the time) songs close the disc out and are pretty much both throw aways in my opinion. In the end this is a nice compilation of early Joel material. If you are looking for an overview this would be a good pick up.

This CD is the greatest piece of music I have ever heard and will ever hear again. I personally bought this song for "Piano Man" and "Only the Good Die Young," only to find more hits than I had ever expected including "You May Be Right," "My Life," "Uptown Girl," "Big Shot," "For the Longest Time," "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me,"and "The Entertainer." A truly great CD that will not be able to be surpassed in excellence. Much better than Volume 3, with more songs. The only thing missing is "We Didn't Start the Fire" but I wouldn't buy Volume 3 just to get that song. Not a good album. Volumes 1 and 2, however, include the greatest songs ever written by the greatest artist of all time, Billy Joel.

Honestly! The songs the 'proffesional' review mentions of Billy Joel! They completely miss some of his biggest hits! 'It's Still Rock and Roll to Me', anyone? 'Uptown Girl', 'The Longest Time'? I swear...I simply bought this album for 'Piano Man' and 'It's Still Rock and Roll to Me'...then when I actually listened to each song....I realized 'Whoa! Billy Joel is AWESOME! There are so many songs on this album I had no idea he did! So COME ON! This is an awesome value....there are so many freaking good songs in this collection...I IMPLORE you to purchase this! I make an effort to listen to this album every day or so...and I've had it for almost a YEAR! This one is STAYING in my cd-changer!

I was familiar with a few of Billy Joel's songs, but I thought my disc collection would not be complete if I did not own a good sample of his material.
This product proposes a chronological approach and that suited me just fine. The two discs are loaded with all the classics. All of them wonderfully digitalized. I was able to appreciate the enormous range of Billy Joel. Great songwriter, great singer, great piano player. Although I am drummer, I do understand why people like him, or Sting, or Stevie Wonder, or Elton John, are on top of the music industry food chain. It is truly difficult to be able to master so many areas of music. And I am not talking about the performing, the band leading chores, the musical direction, production, publicity, all these extra skills to own in order to arrive where they are.
Getting one hit out is already a rare feat, but 35 or 40 like the ones presented in this compilation, require a truly great mind (something many one hit wonders wish to have).
I love this compilation. A great buy!