Billy Joel Greatest Hits: Vol. 1-2 (2CD) [ENHANCED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Billy Joel

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 1998)
• Original Release Date: October 20, 1998
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Enhanced, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000DCHI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (132 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #466 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #20 in	Music > Pop > Soft Rock
  #40 in	Music > Hard Rock & Metal
  #53 in	Music > Classic Rock > Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
It's one of the cruel ironies of music today that Billy Joel has been relegated to a kind of adult-contemporary hell, where his legacy is measured by soft-rock staples such as "Just the Way You Are," "Piano Man," and "New York State of Mind." To be sure, well-crafted ballads are a part of his legacy, but they're hardly the whole story, as this collection of his early and mid-period hits amply demonstrates. From the unbridled biographical boasting of "The Entertainer" and the ambitious storytelling of "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" to the careening abandon of "Only the Good Die Young" and the thoughtful social commentary of "Allentown," Joel was as complete an artist as the last three decades have produced. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

135 of 137 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some Things You May Not Know About The Remastered GHVI&II, October 27, 2002

By	birddogger5150 (Roseville, MN USA) - See all my reviews

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!

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE definitive Joel Collection, July 14, 2002

By	Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cream Of Billy Joel, January 3, 2001

By	Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

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.