The Essential Billy Joel

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The Essential Billy Joel album cover
Album Information
  • Artist: Billy Joel (See All Albums by Billy Joel)
  • Date Released: Oct 2, 2001

  • Genre: Rock/Pop, Style: Rock

  • Label: Columbia

Total Tracks: 36   Total Length: 153:26

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The Essential Billy Joel

EMUSIC-02A457E5

This collection of hits is incredible! Unfortunately you will never be able to put all the hits on one or even two records. Good choice!!

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ProudMale

Proudmale

Billy -- Why in the name of Elton John did you leave my personal favorite, Mexican Connection off of this collection? To me, that was your breakout from Pop into deeper music and deserves a place in your Hall of Fame.

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The Essential Billy Joel

MBCarGuy1966

Anybody who has any musical taste at all knows Billy Joel music is , and this is a great selection. Good listening...

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Exceptional Musician

Thajose

I never gave Billy Joel much attention until my roommate in college (who had an impressive record collection) played some of this stuff for a few days straight (where usually it was whatever Rock or Rap group was popular that month or some good blues stuff). I quickly got hooked. I usually don't like "greatest hits" or "essential" records, but this one is amazing. Good picks from his entire career. Get it as an introduction, then go get his studio albums.

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The Essential Billy Joel

rpesce

I had all of his albums on vinyl in my younger days. It was great to find all the song I wanted on one download. It brings back my youth and many great memories!

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Where are the songs?

kwa

All the songs I want say "Album Only" Why do I have to buy all the crap just to get the few songs that I want. I just signed up today and I'm regreting it already.

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Classic Billy Joel

mrjh2010

A great collection but bonus tracks would have been nice. All in all, a good album and a decent value.

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Really good, but could have been better.

dylanlennonfan

It would have been nice if the bonus tracks from the previous Greatest Hits albums (like To Make You Feel My Love) were available here. Fortunately, those tracks are available as individual downloads from those albums.

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Lame policy

smusicman

What's the point of enabling individual track downloads if the most popular songs aren't downloadable individually? This is a lame policy. Itunes or Amazon don't try to force the entire album on you if you only want a couple of tracks?!

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First Billy Joel collection for me

DavidB

Never bought anything from him. Until now. Sounds great and it was a good deal!

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eMusic Features

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The Essential Series

By Legacy Recordings, eMusic Contributor

A selection of tracks from Legacy Recordings' Essential Series. The Essential Series delivers not only great hits but songs that are fundamental to the understanding of an artist and what their music embodies. Whether it's an artist like Miles Davis's impact on Jazz, Elvis Presley's contributions to Rock & Roll, or Michael Jackson's rhythm and voice touching the world, in their own ways they have raised the bar for what we consider musical talent. more »

They Say All Music Guide

Released in conjunction with Billy Joel’s grand experiment with classical music, The Essential Billy Joel was a welcome reminder of Billy Joel’s way with a pop song, improving on the previous Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 & 2 by extending into the ’90s and delving deeper into his catalog. There were some casualties along the way — it’s easy for a fan to carp about the absence of personal favorites like “She’s Right on Time” or “Travelin’ Prayer,” and it may even make some sense that “You’re Only Human (Second Wind)” or “Shameless” didn’t make the cut, but it’s mind-boggling that “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” isn’t here (we won’t mention that the classical pieces that end the record, no matter how surprisingly good they are, are as out of place as Attila would have been) — but for the most part, this has every one of Joel’s heavy-hitters, and his craftsmanship, both as a songsmith and record maker, has never shone brighter. The biggest fault is that there is a notable drop-off in quality after 1986′s The Bridge (which ends midway through disc two), but even so, this is as good a distillation of Joel’s talents imaginable. In fact, as the first disc unfurls, even cynics may wonder why he’s been dogged by the critics, since singer/songwriter pop doesn’t come better than “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” “New York State of Mind,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “My Life,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” “Don’t Ask Me Why,” “Allentown,” and their seven companions. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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Activity

  • 03.16.12 Next Week's 'American Idol' Theme: Billy Joel Songs On March 21st http://t.co/tgesymz9
  • 03.15.12 Billy Joel Mixes Stories With Song At University Of Miami http://t.co/NqHxUn8H
  • 03.15.12 Billy Joel was inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on this day (March 15) in 1999. Joel was presented... http://t.co/Y2JpCfgp
  • 03.14.12 New Billy Joel Q&A - Did You Encounter Any Stumbling Blocks Along The Way? http://t.co/JdAcBjAn
  • 03.09.12 If you could go back in time, which Billy Joel concert/performance would you most want to watch?
  • 03.09.12 Billy Joel's black leather aviator jacket is being featured at a new exhibit at Elvis Presley’s Graceland in... http://t.co/wCJ5DBGh
  • 03.05.12 Answer: The music video to "The Longest Time".
  • 03.05.12 Which Billy Joel music video was filmed entirely at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York? Hint: The song... http://t.co/9TIAcBDF
  • 03.02.12 Check out this recap of a recent “Billy Joel — An Evening of Questions & Answers … And a Little Music” event! http://t.co/4pKgjBQ1
  • 02.29.12 Did you know...Billy Joel has had Top 40 hits in three consecutive decades (70's, 80's, and the 90's) and has... http://t.co/pogJcjxi
  • 02.28.12 "I am no longer afraid of becoming lost, because the journey back always reveals something new, and that is... http://t.co/aYcXAEVO
  • 02.27.12 On the evening of Thursday, Feb. 23, Billy Joel took the stage in Lynn University’s Keith C. and Elaine Johnson... http://t.co/6hZYlZ3o