Essential Billy Joel CD

2cds-34 Hits + 2 New Classical Trax. Avail.Thru 1/31/02.

Personnel includes: Billy Joel (vocals, piano); Ray Charles (vocals); Richard Joo (piano); Liberty DeVito (drums).
Producers include: Michael Stewart, Billy Joel, Phil Ramone, Mick Jones, Steven Epstein.
Compilation producers: Greg Linn, Mark Feldman.
Recorded between 1973 and 2001.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Personnel: Billy Joel (vocals, harmonica, piano, keyboards); Richard Huyghe (piano).
Photographers: Patrick Demarchelier; Art Maillet.
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
At the close of the 20th Century, it became apparent that Billy Joel was one of the premier pop craftsmen of the post-Beatles era. This generous two-disc compilation neatly makes a case for Joel's reign at the top of the musical heap by chronicling nearly 20 years of hits. Joel's melodic gift and lyrical acumen are amply displayed as THE ESSENTIAL BILLY JOEL moves from the introspective "Piano Man" to the sardonic, self-parodic "The Entertainer," from the Springsteen-like rocker "Only the Good Die Young" to the McCartneyesque "Dont Ask Me Why." As Joel's career progressed, his work became increasingly occupied with socio-political issues, as evidenced by disc two's "We Didn't Start the Fire" and "The Downeaster 'Alexa.'" By the end of the '90s, Joel decided to abandon pop in favor of classically inspired instrumental music, and this chronological collection fittingly ends with some of the first fruits of that notion, indicating that even after so many years in the public eye, Joel still had plenty to say, whether he used words or not.