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A must have... Feb 20, 2008
This two disc, generous career spanning 24 Bit remastered, 36 song set is a must have for the Billy Joel novice and die hard fan. The novice will get more than just the usual hits, with songs that show his versatility as a songwriter and performer alike. Billy is a true artist adapting himself to fit each of his distinguishable songs. An ample touch of everything is included. His love ballads(ie. "Shes Always a Woman", "Honesty"), personal commentary(ie. "An Innocent Man", "My Life" , Piano Man"), social commentary(ie "Allentown", "Goodnight Saigon"). He pays homage to his beloved home state with "New York State of Mind" and "Miami 2017". You get that playful rock tribute "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me". "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and "Moving Out"(title for his Broadway show)show the rebel side of him. Many of Billy's fans are attracted to the energy of his live concert performances. Rousing renditions of "Everybody Loves You Now" and "Miami 2017" are presented in concert mode. "Just the Way You Are" and "Uptown Girl", two big hit songs Billy tends to disassociate himself from when doing recent concerts are included. With such an output of material there are bound to be exclusions of favorites for any given fan. I would have loved to have "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" included. Yet unexpected gems like the frantic "All for Lenya" and the Cold War tribute "Lenningrad" appear. The overall sequencing and convience of this set will make any long boring drive fly by. One hearing of his unique sound and catchy lyrics will make one wonder if Billy will be accepted with the likes of Porter, Berlin, and Gershwin, as one of the great AMERICAN songwriters.
1 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 He Is Still Through Extremes Aug 11, 2005
Arguably, when I hear a lot of acts right now in the industry, they arguably all sound alike, without any amicable essence of pop, and soul. It is just a shame older artists aren't around for anyone right now but classic radio. Billy Joel is just one of those acts that has defined the essence of great pop music. Yet, it is just sad that the real only place right now you can truly hear his defiant music gems is the Broadway musical Movin' Out. Still, those gems that the piano man has made keep coming back. While he ahs also had so many truly showcased hits as well, there is always one that can be more defiant at a time.
The Ultimate Collection, is a double album reflecting Billy's legendary career. Arguably, this was reflected very well in reflection, and trims down the fat from the well-recognized three greatest hits volumes. The collection really does deliver with so many great hits like Piano Man, I Go To Extremes, We Didn't Start The Fire, the bluesy soul New York State Of Mind, as well as lesser known tracks omitted from Billy's previous collections like the overlooked Modern Woman, and Honesty to name just a few. Yet, there is a few disadvantages to this collection. One of them is that the record does overlook a few great gems including Big Shot, And So It Goes, and the simplistic Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel.)
Despite a few omissions, Billy Joel's The Ultimate Collection is a much more defiant collection than most of the other ones on the market. This also showcases much better than the 2001 Essential Billy Joel. This is arguably, a must have for anybody who loves to hear those wonderful melodies the Piano Man has carried for years.
Album Cover: B+
Songs: B+
Price: B
Mastering: A-
Overall: B 1/2+
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Truly the ultimate Billy Joel compilation Apr 16, 2005
In his American homeland, Billy became one of the most successful singers of the twentieth century - he was third in the list of best selling solo artists behind Garth Brooks (whose American country hits included a cover of Shameless, written by Billy although Billy's version is omitted from this collection) and Elton John. Billy has never achieved that level of success elsewhere although he has built up a significant international following.
Success came slowly for Billy but he finally made the big time with his fifth album, The stranger, originally released in 1977. Its most famous song, Just the way you are, became a major American hit and also gave Billy his first UK hit, making the top twenty. Less than a year later, Barry White covered it and also made the UK top twenty. Other notable tracks from the album to be found on this compilation are Moving out and She's always a woman.
Great as that album was, Billy released an even greater album in 1983 - An innocent man. This set included Uptown girl (a UK number one hit), Tell her about it, The longest time, Leave a tender moment alone and the brilliant title track. With this album, Billy confirmed his status as a truly international performer.
Billy recorded many other fine albums from which he had plenty of American hits, some of which also charted in the UK. His most successful hits from these albums include It's still rock and roll to me, My life and We didn't start the fire. He occasionally sang about controversial topics, as in Goodnight Saigon and Allentown.
This is the best retrospective of Billy's career, including all his classic hits and much else besides. Plenty of great songs have been omitted but if you want those, you'll just have to buy the original albums. Even if you plan to do just that, this set provides a good start to your collection. On the other hand, you might just want one collection of Billy's music and in that case, this should satisfy your needs.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
The best of Joel's 'Greatest Hits' albums Oct 13, 2004
This is an extrordinary collection of Billy Joel's music. It contains so many songs. I liked that not all of them were Top 10 hits, etc... There were a few surprises in here. The songs come from so many albums, there's something here for everyone. This is great for car rides because there are so many songs and it takes up tons of time. Plus, theses songs are so much fun to listen to. Billy Joel's music is always something you can tap your foot to, but there's so much complexion in his songs. He's wonderfully romantic. His songs are perfect for the 'first dance' at a wedding or something like that. In this collection you get staples like 'Piano Man', 'Uptown Girl', 'River of Dreams', 'We Didn't Start the Fire', etc... but we also get gems like 'Allentown', 'I Go to Extremes', 'You're my Home' and 'New York State of Mind'. I don't see how anyone cannot like Billy Joel. His music is so universal and so well known, and for good reason.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
GREATest hits! Sep 25, 2001
This cd only has three problems with it, it does not have: only the good die young, just a fantasy, and and so it goes. Other than that, this collection is the one to own. It condenses Vol. 1 and 2 and Vol. 3 on to one CD, and saves you the money of buying all three to get the hits on this one collection. So, go out and buy it!
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