Description It's one of the cruel ironies of music today that Billy Joel has been relegated to a kind of adult-contemporary hell, where his legacy is measured by soft-rock staples such as "Just the Way You Are", "Piano Man" and "New York State of Mind". To be sure, well-crafted ballads are a part of his legacy It's one of the cruel ironies of music today that Billy Joel has been relegated to a kind of adult-contemporary hell, where his legacy is measured by soft-rock staples such as "Just the Way You Are", "Piano Man" and "New York State of Mind". To be sure, well-crafted ballads are a part of his legacy but they're hardly the whole story, as this collection of his early and mid-period hits amply demonstrates. From the unbridled biographical boasting of "The Entertainer" and the ambitious storytelling of "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" to the careening abandon of "Only the Good Die Young" and the thoughtful social commentary of "Allentown", Joel was as complete an artist as the last three decades have produced. --Daniel Durchholz (Review copyright Amazon.co.uk)... (more)(less)
1. Piano Man 2. Say Goodbye To Hollywood 3. New York State Of Mind 4. Stranger 5. Just The Way You Are 6. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) 7. Only The Good Die Young 8. She's Always A Woman 9. My Life 10. Big Shot 11. Honesty 12. You May Be Right 13. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me 14. Pressure 15. Allentown 16. Goodnight Saigon 17. Tell Her About It 18. Uptown Girl 19. Longest Time 20. You're Only Human (Second Wind) 21. Night Is Still Young