The Essential Billy Joel (2CD)
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Free Music Notes for The Essential Billy Joel (2CD)
Free Music Review: Joel on a Roll
Hit: 5 Stars
This 2-disc set is a very good overview of Billy Joel's music over the years. There's about 2.5 hours of music on the 2 discs, so definitely getting money's worth. All the songs you've heard on the radio are here, plus a bunch of lesser knowns. I note that Disc 2 contains 2 excellent lesser knowns: Lenningrad and Downeaster Alexa. Free Music Review: A strong selection of Billy Joel's best
Hit: 4 Stars
With as many "best ofs" as Billy Joel has, calling this "Essential" is a grossly deceptive marketing ploy. While the name alone might raise your hackles, the music most certainly should not. On these two discs, you can follow the growth of Billy Joel as he evolves from angry young Piano Man to the classical composer of "Essential's" final selection.
The troubadour that composed the slice of life "Piano Man" was a troubled wayfarer with an attitude. His peers were trying to cope with the ennui of everyday life ("Captain Jack") and his early romanticism ("New York State of Mind") began to show fruit. But he was a rapid changer, and by the time "The Stranger" hit the charts, his melodic sense had sharpened to the point where he began having hits ("Just The Way You Are," "Moving Out"). That commercial success also came with a critical drubbing...he was often accused of being a lightweight. By the time the 80's rolled around, this name calling and the emergence of New Wave caused Billy to lash out with energy on "Glass Houses," declaring "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" and hitting number one. It was also about now that he changed the course of his career from Piano Man to Arena Rocker.
But Billy had bigger musical ideas. His Beatle-esque concept album "The Nylon Curtain" portrayed the once angry young man as a more pensive baby boomer casting a jaded eye on the Reagan Era. It also contains one of the best songs Billy has ever written, "Goodnight Saigon." He followed that by looking even further back, with the youthfully nostalgic and love-fests on "An Innocent Man." The Four Seasons tribute in "Uptown Girl" made Billy more popular than ever, and effectively bookmarked a chapter in his ongoing evolution.
A more mature Billy Joel continued with such albums as "Storm Front" and "The Bridge," which gave the history lesson as pop-tune "We Didn't Start The Fire," then the wonderfully mature "River of Dreams." His love for Christy Brinkley and his daughter Alexa came through on "Lullaby," but Billy also claimed that he had gone as far as he could with pop-music and was turning his sights to the classical "Fantasies & Delusions, Op. 1-10." While probably only fanatic would really be all that interested in those two songs presented here, they are from the last full album Billy Joel issued.
The strong points on all these songs remain their melodicism, Billy has always shared the same melodic sense as Paul McCartney (an obvious hero). What weakens the set is the omissions: where are "Pressure," "Big Shot," "You're Only Human/Second Wind" or "Keeping The Faith," to name a few. Also, a few obscurities might have spiced things up a bit, like "Why Should I Worry" from Oliver And Company: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack." Nevertheless, "The Essential Billy Joel" will fill a quick fix if you don't have many of Billy's 13 studio albums, and will certainly argue strongly that Joel's critics have been off-base all along.
Free Music Review: MARVELOUS COLLECTION!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the pure Billy Joel; I was always waiting for a collection like this; every song in my favourite song, all of this album is perfect, for me is teh most complete compilation of Billy Joel's songs, from the mystic PIANO MAN, the finest song HONESTY, the great ballads JUST THE WAY YOU ARE, SHE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN and INNOCENT MAN, great rhythms like ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG, DON'T ASK ME WHY, RIVER OF DREAMS and MY LIFE, fast rockers like WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE, GO TO THE EXTREME, humanitarian songs like GOODNIGHT SAIGON, and lullabyes like AND SO IT GOES and GOODNIGHT MY ANGEL; also it has two instrumental piano compositions whom are very brillant... the work of a GENIUS!!!Free Music Review: A great compilation very much like the three Greatest Hits discs
Hit: 5 Stars
First,three volumes of GREATEST HITS material,and now this essential compilation covering Billy Joel's career,spanning exactly three decades,at the time of this release. However,the last two tracks on disc two are instrumental classical pieces which were recorded following Joel's semi-retirement from pop/rock music. The other tracks that Joel's fans know and love were all previously released. Some of them never made it to the GREATEST HITS compilations,one of them being LEAVE A TENDER MOMENT ALONE from 1983's AN INNOCENT MAN. As for SAY GOODBYE TO HOLLYWOOD,a fan will wonder before purchasing this item,if the track is the TURNSTILES studio version or the live version from SONGS IN THE ATTIC. I would buy this item just for the classical tracks. Anyway,it's an excellent compilation.Free Music Review: Joe's Review
Hit: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed this CD and made it a part of my collection. I then went back and bought a second copy for my son who is a big BJ fan.