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Product Description
CD Description
Having sold more than 100 million records over the past quarter of a century, Billy Joel ranks as one of most popular recording artists and respected entertainers in the world. In the US he has had 33 Top 40 hits and 23 Grammy nominations since signing his first solo recording contract in 1972. In the UK he has had 14 top 40 hits including the number one hit “Uptown Girl” as well as the original version of “She’s Always a Woman”. In addition to his multiple awards, including Grammys and American Music Awards, his contribution to the industry saw him inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, and in 2005 he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Piano Man brings all of Billy Joel’s best loved hits together on one disc.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
66 of 67 people found the following review helpful
Unquestionably fantastic music, but fails to deliver as a true 'very best of' Billy Joel
24 Jun 2008
Format:Audio CD
As somebody who has all of Billy Joel's studio albums, my opinion is that a one-CD 'very best of' just doesn't have the space to deliver what it promises and, indeed, with key tracks in Billy's career missing, this falls short as a satisfying overview of the piano man's career. 'Big Shot', 'Allentown' and 'The Longest Time' are just three examples of incredible tracks which any self-respecting Billy Joel collection shouldn't omit but this one, unfortunately, does. Of course, that just scratches the surface - some of Billy's best compositions are relatively unknown album tracks - but even with realistic expectations of what a good compilation should include, this album doesn't hit the mark.
To be completely fair, I should tell anyone who has a passing interest in Billy Joel's music and is thinking about buying this CD that you probably wouldn't be disappointed with the content. Most of the huge hits are here including the majestic, insanely catchy 'Uptown Girl', his breakthrough hit 'Piano Man', the gospel-tinted 'River Of Dreams', the hugely successful modern-history-as-a-list 'We Didn't Start The Fire', the achingly beautiful ballads, 'She's Got A Way', 'Honesty', 'Just The Way You Are', plus too many more to mention - the track listing is above, so - to avoid repetition - I'll just say that it's all good... extremely good. To its credit, it also includes 'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant', one of Mr. Joel's finest moments.
The music contained within this disc is all of '5 star' quality and anyone listening to this material for the first time is likely to be completely blown away by it, but the questionable track listing - given the material to choose from - loses it that 'five star' rating. Simply put, this is not the very best of Billy Joel. For those both new to the man and looking for a collection only, I'd recommend the 2CD 'The Essential Billy Joel' (Columbia) which, for a similar amount of money, gives a better overview of the man's work and is far more extensive. Better still, I would suggest that you invest in some of his studio albums (Turnstiles, The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain, An Innocent Man, Storm Front and River Of Dreams are all excellent) which, once you listen to a 'best of', you'll probably end up doing anyway, so why not skip the middleman?
To be completely fair, I should tell anyone who has a passing interest in Billy Joel's music and is thinking about buying this CD that you probably wouldn't be disappointed with the content. Most of the huge hits are here including the majestic, insanely catchy 'Uptown Girl', his breakthrough hit 'Piano Man', the gospel-tinted 'River Of Dreams', the hugely successful modern-history-as-a-list 'We Didn't Start The Fire', the achingly beautiful ballads, 'She's Got A Way', 'Honesty', 'Just The Way You Are', plus too many more to mention - the track listing is above, so - to avoid repetition - I'll just say that it's all good... extremely good. To its credit, it also includes 'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant', one of Mr. Joel's finest moments.
The music contained within this disc is all of '5 star' quality and anyone listening to this material for the first time is likely to be completely blown away by it, but the questionable track listing - given the material to choose from - loses it that 'five star' rating. Simply put, this is not the very best of Billy Joel. For those both new to the man and looking for a collection only, I'd recommend the 2CD 'The Essential Billy Joel' (Columbia) which, for a similar amount of money, gives a better overview of the man's work and is far more extensive. Better still, I would suggest that you invest in some of his studio albums (Turnstiles, The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain, An Innocent Man, Storm Front and River Of Dreams are all excellent) which, once you listen to a 'best of', you'll probably end up doing anyway, so why not skip the middleman?
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Recommended listening although there are one or two of his more famous tracks that you would have expected to be on this cd for it to meet the 'very best of' description!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Well what a fantastic service and a cheap price,Billy joel is a star across the generations and this cd is a fantastic mix of old and new which is so well put together it gels perfectly,if you like real music a fantastic voice and a great performer buy this cd.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent compilation
I bought this for one track - 'We did'nt start the fire' which is arguably one of the cleverest and catchiest pop songs ever written. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. Guy Woodford
From The 1970s Onwards, Some Of Billy Joel's Best.
Billy Joel arrived in the early to mid 1970s with a fantastic song Piano Man (covered well by Martyn Joseph), then some songs which are not so much to my taste, My Life and She's... Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. Thompson
The "VERY BEST" of Billy Joel?
Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel I would say that this title qualifies as misrepresentation under the Trades Descriptions Act! Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. I. Mclaren
Pure greatness
Billy joel is cerrtainly one of the grets. This album is absolutey fantastic, i have this on in the car and never tire of it. Read more
Published 9 months ago by maddiec
All the ones you know and love
This is the perfect album if you want to sing along to all the best of Billy Joel. I bought it when I heard that advert with someone else singing "She's Always a Woman" and (sorry... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Shaggy
Be aware there seem to be many different versions of this album
I bought this for my parents; they had an old copy which had worn out, they like Billy Joel and this disc however they were really disappointed to find the track listing was... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Ruth Bayley Photography
AMAZING
Billy Joel is the best artist in the world and I was more happy with this collection of his greatest hits!
Published 16 months ago by Beth Brown
Top Notch
If you are a Billy Joel fan you already know that this a top notch album. If you are not already a fan then give yourself a treat and buy it.
Published 18 months ago by PeterJS
Good Listening
I wanted this disc purely for one track. Was glad to see several that my wife and I both like. Some slow easy listening and some with more beat. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Cool customer
indispensable
Très belle compilation de Billy Joel malgré la multitude de compilations le concernant. Read more
Published 20 months ago
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