One might think nothing of MusicTAP's recent listing of The Very Best of Billy Joel as coming from Legacy on November 9. The Long Island native has been compiled a lot - his first, double-sized greatest-hits compilation in 1985, a third volume in 1997, an entry in Legacy's Essential series and so on.
Call it a hunch, but this author thinks there might be something to this set. For one, Amazon's list price for the compilation is $9.99, suggesting a single-disc set...and when you think about it, the Piano Man has never had a domestic compilation devoted to just the greatest hits on one disc. (Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel, which was a neat item for collectors that possessed a few single edits available nowhere else on CD, was an import.)
Add to that the fact that Joel seems to be a bit more present in the media than usual. The Last Play at Shea documentary chronicling his star-studded gigs at the now-demolished Shea Stadium in New York City will open in theatres later this month. Tonight, "Only the Good Die Young" is a featured song in the popular FOX series Glee. And Joel is rumored to be taking his passion for motorcycling to a new degree with the opening of his own motorcycle shop in Oyster Bay, Long Island.
Maybe this is rampant speculation, but could there be something more in the works for Joel's catalogue? He was particularly game about doing press for 2008's reissue of The Stranger; perhaps there's more goodies on the way. Maybe that darn single version of "Sometimes a Fantasy" isn't that far away after all...
UPDATE 10/10: This set, now simply titled The Hits, has a track list. It is a really simple compilation, not something a hardcore fan needs to buy, but easily something to ease new fans into the music of Billy Joel. This author still holds hope that this is a small step into something much bigger.
Read the track list after the jump.
Billy Joel, The Hits (Columbia/Legacy 88697 80811-2, 2010)
- Everybody Loves You Now
- Piano Man
- The Entertainer
- New York State of Mind
- Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
- Only the Good Die Young
- My Life
- Big Shot
- You May Be Right
- It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
- Say Goodbye to Hollywood (Live)
- Allentown
- Pressure
- The Longest Time
- Tell Her About It
- A Matter of Trust
- We Didn't Start the Fire
- I Go to Extremes
- The River of Dreams
Track 1 from Cold Spring Harbor (Family, 1971 - remixed/re-released Columbia, 1984)
Track 2 from Piano Man (Columbia, 1973)
Track 3 from Streetlife Serenade (Columbia, 1975)
Track 4 from Turnstiles (Columbia, 1976)
Tracks 5-6 from The Stranger (Columbia, 1977)
Tracks 7-8 from 52nd Street (Columbia, 1978)
Tracks 9-10 from Glass Houses (Columbia, 1980)
Track 11 from Songs in the Attic (Columbia, 1981)
Tracks 12-13 from The Nylon Curtain (Columbia, 1982)
Tracks 14-15 from An Innocent Man (Columbia, 1983)
Track 16 from The Bridge (Columbia, 1986)
Tracks 17-18 from Storm Front (Columbia, 1989)
Track 19 from River of Dreams (Columbia, 1993)
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Actually, 1997's Greatest Hits Vol. III is a single disc collection.
Anyhow, I'm curious to see what will be on this new collection too. Finally putting the long (single) version of "Sometimes a Fantasy" on CD would be enough for me to be it. Other than that, however, I can't think of anything rare gems on the set.
If they wanted to finally put the original, longer version of "You Can Make Me Free" (from the original, 1972 vinyl Cold Spring Harbor) I'd love that too. But I'm sure this is mostly intended as yet another attempt by Sony to repackage Billy's hits for the more casual buyers. Really, the *original* CSH needs to be remastered, at the correct speed, and put out on CD. I've never understood why it was so heavily butchered for the 1984 reissue to begin with.
But, ultimately, after 17 (!) years I wish Billy would find the muse again and make an all NEW album! A lot of veteran rockers have had a renaissance in the years since Billy hung it up, and it would be great to see Billy return too. I'd be really curious to hear what he and Rick Rubin could do, for instance, if they put their heads together and collaborated.
Oh, and I'm glad to see the Shea Stadium film is FINALLY happening. They promised the DVD two years ago, and it never came out. I don't know if I'll see the movie theatre showing or not (at the moment, it's not even scheduled in my home state) but at the DVD should be happening soon. Maybe in time for Xmas?
Considering McCartney's Citi Field show was a year later, and came out on CD/DVD soon after, I don't know why Billy and Sony made us wait so long. Looking forward to finally seeing it.
Greatest Hits Vol. III is a single-disc, but my money's on this set being something that would cover 1973-1997 in one shot, which has never been done before. With that in mind, I don't expect them to do backflips in terms of sequencing and mastering. A perfect analogy would be that Springsteen hits disc that came out through Walmart a year or two ago: nobody in NJ (like me) would care, but the casual fans elsewhere had something to add to the shelf.
The idea of a Billy Joel/Rick Rubin collab is crazy awesome. I can't believe I've never heard anyone put that together before you, Shaun! (Some label should hire you :-P)
And yes, Last Play at Shea will be a must-see based on what I've heard of it. I had a friend who was lucky enough to see one of the shows; he's going to flip when this gets released.
You certainly won't be disappointed with Last Play at Shea, Mike!
I was at the first concert, and even if I was a bit galled that the originally-announced "last play" turned out not to be, when the second show (at which Paul McCartney appeared!) was added, it still was an amazing, memorable evening. (May I add, more amazin' than any performance by those amazin' Mets of late!)
I can't wait for the film, either. As for the new comp, have we considered that it might be a straight domestic reissue of the import collection you've discussed?
Amazing lineup of guests at those two shows... Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, John Mellencamp, Don Henley, Steven Tyler, Roger Daltrey, and some guy named McCartney who showed up at the last minute. I hope those guys, or at least most of them, are in the film.
As long as the label wouldn't mind my many typos (I've really gotta start editing myself... Sheesh), I'd take such a job! Of course, with the music industry as it is today, that might not be great job security.
Anyhow, Rubin's done so much great work with veteran performers over the last couple of decades (and I guess he's going to work with CSN soon?), so I bet he could get something really special out of Billy too. The last short, Jewish kid from NY he worked with - Neil Diamond - resulted in a couple of surprisingly good albums. Stands to reason it could happen with Billy Joel.
Rick Rubin fancies himself more a "zen master" than a producer of late. I used to run out and buy anything with his credit on it. That ended for me at the turn of the millennium, personally.
I'd like to see a Billy/Phil Ramone reunion.
Billy and Ramone together again would have its appeal, for sure, but I felt that Billy's deciding to work with different people, when he did, was a good idea and it helped rejuvenate him as an artist. I love Storm Front and (especially) River of Dreams as much as any Billy's works. Perhaps even moreso.
Well, I can go the rest of my life without hearing "We Didn't Start the Fire"... But I love the rest.
Anyhow... I look at the people Rubin has worked with (since first making his name in working with metal and rap acts), and I think he might be an excellent fit for Billy Joel. If nothing else, I bet he could kick Billy in the ass a bit and challenge him to make another great album. Or several. It worked for Cash and Diamond!
Of course, Billy has to actually *want* to write songs again, and I'm not sure that's ever going to happen.
Why...in the HELL, does a great song like "Goodnight Saigon" get ignored on this comp? This is an important song in Joel's catalogue that demands inclusion everytime a 'best of' gets released.
Just my 2 cents...
Eh, "Goodnight Saigon," while a great song, is already on Greatest Hits Vol. I & II, and it's shown up on THREE different live albums (plus another live version still on the My Lives box set). If they're trying to push more of the bigger hits, I can understand them including "Pressure" and "Allentown" instead.
Really though, anyone wanting those three songs should just buy The Nylon Curtain. One of the great albums of the 1980's, and definitely one of Billy's all-around best too.
Mostly,I (like Mike) am disappointed that this is just a basic "best of" set with no perks for the hardcore fans. Interesting, however, that there's at least one track from every one of Billy's studio albums included on this set. Maybe this will be the start of something bigger. Sure hope so!