Billy Joel 12

The 40th anniversary edition of "The Stranger" from Billy Joel is out on December 26, 2018. This product features SACD Hybrid format with 5.1ch surround on SACD layer produced by Phil Ramone. 2ch voice track features 2011 digital remastering by Ted Jensen. CD layer includes five bonus tracks taken from a concert held at Nassau coliseum in 1977. Disc 2 includes live tracks taken from a concert at Carnegie Hall in 1977, which is included in "The Stranger" 30th anniversary edition, and this disc features Blu-spec CD2 format for this release.

Billy Joel was born on May 9, 1949 in the Bronx and shortly after moved to the Levittown section of Hicksville, Long Island, New York where he started playing piano at the age of 4. In 1964, inspired by the Beatles, he formed his first band "The Echoes", which became "The Lost Souls" in 1965 and then "The Emerald Lords" in 1966. In 1967 he joined "The Hassles" and recorded two albums, which were not successful…

Billy Joel - Piano Man (1973). Embittered by legal disputes with his label and an endless tour to support a debut that was dead in the water, Billy Joel hunkered down in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles, spending six months as a lounge singer at a club. He didn't abandon his dreams - he continued to write songs, including "Piano Man," a fictionalized account of his weeks as a lounge singer. Through a combination of touring and constant hustling, he landed a contract with Columbia and recorded his second album in 1973. Clearly inspired by Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection, not only musically but lyrically, as well as James Taylor, Joel expands the vision and sound of Cold Spring Harbor, abandoning introspective numbers (apart from "You're My Home," a love letter to his wife) for character sketches and epics. Even the title track, a breakthrough hit based on his weeks as a saloon singer, focuses on the colorful patrons, not the singer…

Billy Joel’s legendary 1990 concert at Yankee Stadium stands as one of the greatest concert films of all time. Shot in 16mm color film, the original concert has now been meticulously re-mixed and re-edited. The newly edited version includes a never-before-released performance of “Uptown Girl” along with interviews from Billy and behind-the-scenes footage from the event’s production. The set list consists of re-edited versions of songs from the original film including “Piano Man,” “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” “New York State Of Mind,” “Shout” and more - all live from the ionic stadium in The Bronx.

In July-August 1987, after 100 shows around the world on The Bridge Tour, Billy Joel accepted the Kremlin's invitation to the U.S.S.R. for six fully-staged rock shows in Moscow and Leningrad, fulfilling a long-time desire to perform in Russia. During their stay, Billy and his family, along with musicians, staff, and a huge press entourage spent their days interacting with the Russian people, forging true bonds of friendship wherever they went.

One of the world's and Japan's most beloved songwriters and melody makers, and the one and only piano man, Billy Joel. He is back with a live version of "Billy Joel Greatest Hits," which offers an overview of his half-century career with masterful performances from each decade. Based on his "Live Through the Years," which was previously released only as digital, this special Japanese edition 2-CD set features a carefully selected selection of famous performances of hit songs and representative songs from his four decade career from the 1970s to the 2000s, with a significant amount of additional songs. The 2-CD set contains 32 songs (including 13 world premiere CD releases and 6 Japan premiere CD releases). 2023 mastering.