Joel Fajerman

Although Billy Joel never was a critic's favorite, the pianist emerged as one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the latter half of the '70s. Joel's music consistently demonstrates an affection for Beatlesque hooks and a flair for Tin Pan Alley and Broadway melodies. His fusion of two distinct eras made him a superstar in the late '70s and '80s, as he racked an impressive string of multi-platinum albums and hit singles.

A full 34 of his hits plus two newly recorded tunes! Every favorite's here- Piano Man; Just the Way You Are; My Life; You May Be Right; Tell Her About It; Uptown Girl; We Didn't Start the Fire; Only the Good Die Young; It's Still Rock and Roll to Me; The River of Dreams; Honesty; Allentown, and more.

A full 34 of his hits plus two newly recorded tunes! Every favorite's here- Piano Man; Just the Way You Are; My Life; You May Be Right; Tell Her About It; Uptown Girl; We Didn't Start the Fire; Only the Good Die Young; It's Still Rock and Roll to Me; The River of Dreams; Honesty; Allentown, and more.

"I launched The Window Inn in the midst of the pandemic to open a window into my musical world and to help stay connected in times of distance and distraction. The archive has grown over the past year and features performances of new songs, musical collaborations with friends, guitar tutorials, unique live and livestream performances, studio chats, videos for the revisited albums Three and Down at the Khyber, and the occasional wild card."

A full 34 of his hits plus two newly recorded tunes! Every favorite's here- Piano Man; Just the Way You Are; My Life; You May Be Right; Tell Her About It; Uptown Girl; We Didn't Start the Fire; Only the Good Die Young; It's Still Rock and Roll to Me; The River of Dreams; Honesty; Allentown, and more.

Following up his 1977 breakthrough smash The Stranger was no easy task for Billy Joel; 52nd Street shows he wasn't quite up to the challenge, though it sold similarly well and kept the momentum for his fast- track career until the more impressive Glass Houses appeared in 1980.

This, pop superstar Joel's breakout album, came years after he first hit the charts with the novelty-ish "Piano Man". In the meantime, the New York-based songwriter released two lackluster and stylistically confused platters that blunted interesting songs with a sound that was neither Elton mellow nor Elton attitude.

In his own inimitable fashion, Billy Joel has crafted some of the catchiest pop hits of the '80s and '90s, and most of them–17, to be exact–are on this disc. The jaunty, nostalgic "Keeping the Faith" opens things up, and we cruise right down memory lane with Billy: through the pop-soul of "A Matter of Trust", the brash, rocking "I Go to Extremes" and "All About Soul" (remixed here to good effect). Joel has grown over the course of his long career, and you can trace his maturity as an artist through these later songs. The tone is a bit darker, a bit edgier than on his earlier tunes. This is an artist who has always been about making pop music, but he's also lived and learned: "You gotta get tough/but that ain't enough/it's all about soul". Fans will probably agree, and will enjoy this collection immensely.

Billy Joel had so many hits between 1973 and 1985 that this collection, first released on two CDs, couldn't include them all. The goal wasn't just to collect Joel's charting hits; otherwise "Honesty" (which was added to one version of this collection) and "Sometimes a Fantasy," for starters, would have been included. Instead, it aimed to provide a coherent narrative of exactly what Joel accomplished during this period.