Billy Joel Catalog To Be Reissued, New "Hits" Compilation

There have been a number of groups who have bought the rights to their back-catalog. This way they can call the shots on what gets released and what doesn't.

I wonder if this could be an option for Billy.

 

Actually some of the demos seemed to be the highlight of set to me. Especially Miami..., The End of the World (way better than what it became IMHO) and Time of Your Life was fascinating in that the arrangement was so different to what eventually turned up two albums or so later (not to mention the completely different middle eight.) That set could have done with a whole lot more unreleased stuff. As far as fan involvement goes - I'm not so sure. The best use of a fan other than content suggestions is to make sure the correct mixes are used! Which seems to be a fundamental error in so many remastering campaigns.

 

I seem to recall Mark Wilder (mastering engineer for My Lives) writing something totally different somewhere...

 

No. It could have been 5-10 years ago. Basically he needed to deliver new albums and probably could have made a deal.

 

FINALLY,A Greatest Hits collection that features "Say Goodbye To Hollywood!"That's my most favorite Joel song,ESPECIALLY during the wailing sax solo,and the enthusiastic Crowd response he'd got! It still brings chills down my spine,a lump in my throat (NO,It ain't a lump of Cream Of Wheat,Folks..Hope ya got the Bill Cosby reference there!),and tears of happiness down my cheeks! I LOVE IT!! (CAN'T YOU TELL!?)

 

Isn't "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" on Greatest Hits I & II?

 

Oh,it is? Which version then should I get,then?

 

If you want the live version from Songs In the Attic, seek out the original CD. The 1998 remaster replaces it with the studio version.

 

Wha? I can't get to my remaster at the moment but I've never heard that. No offense but I have a hard time imagining they'd swap out a hit single to insert the only studio track on a live album.

Maybe you meant one of the GH sets? I'm not familiar with those, but that sounds more believable.

 

I meant Greatest Hits I and II, the 1985 two-disc set that includes the two "new" songs "You're Only Human" and "The Night Is Still Young."

The pre-remaster contains the Songs In the Attic version of "Say Goodbye To Hollywood," and the 1998 remaster contains the studio version from Turnstiles.

And that's not the only change made to the set. From Wikipedia:

Out of context, my comment may have been looked like I was referring to Songs In the Attic itself, but I was responding to mr_mjb1960's (incorrect) excitement that "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" was appearing on a compilation for the first time (starting with post #105).

 

Gotcha. Yep, I was just checking in to see the most recent activity in the thread and didn't catch the full context. Thanks.

 

Discs 1-3 of the My Lives box aren't bad...

Disc 4, which is basically the graveyard for all the one-off soundtrack contributions and covers is REALLY terrible.

 

My problem with this set was that it included a handful of album versions... WHY? It's Still Rock And Roll To Me? You would think that it wouldn't overlap any 'hits' collection as that wasn't its focus - why not just present studio tracks that weren't on any hits collection at that point? It's very slapshot. I understand that four discs of demos and the like may not have been their intention, but including a few 'hits' made it a very odd listen.

Here's a thread I started on My Lives a few years back:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=135889

 

I agree with that. Not only that, but it includes the 1983 version of "She's Got A Way." Talk about a missed opportunity! The only previously-released studio cut (besides the soundtrack cuts like "Why Should I Worry?") that was welcome on the box set was the unfaded "Zanzibar!"

 

Also on the live version fades out on the 1985 GH set.

 

Yeah, I agree that the first three discs were problematic...But at least they were INTERESTING on the whole...For the fourth disc I was literally checking my watch and wondering "when will this be over...?"

Give me good deluxe Legacy editions of Cold Spring Harbor, Turnstiles and The Nylon Curtain and I'll be happy.

 

I thought it was on Essential.

 

Oh, no argument from me there - you are absolutely right.

 

I hope they release more details about the upcoming expanded versions of his albums soon.

I wonder if they'll use the same photos on the jewel case tray card as they did for the 1998 remasters.

 

From: http://www.billyjoel.com/news/billy-joel-confirmed-howard-stern-appearance-november-16th

Billy Joel Confirmed For Howard Stern Appearance November 16th!

On Tuesday November 16th, Billy Joel will join Howard Stern in the studio at SIRIUS Satellite Radio for a one-on-one interview. Be sure to tune in at 8 a.m. EST! Howard has ordered a piano in the studio just for this occasion.

 

I really like a lot of Billy's material, but he kind of loses me after The Nylon Curtain, which I thought might have been his best album. Am I alone in this opinion? I just feel from The Bridge on, his records got really slick and more MOR.

 

I don't know, Stateless. While I agree that there's a definite drop in quality after The Nylon Curtain, I still really enjoy what came after. I would even say that River of Dreams is one of his strongest albums. Maybe I just have a soft spot for the last four albums, since those were the ones I grew up on (I'm 30).

I've always said I'd like to hear Storm Front remixed without what I call the "'80s sheen."

 

I really liked a few of the songs on Storm Front (Leningrad, Downeaster Alexa, And So It Goes)... but neither An Innocent Man nor The Bridge were really my cup of tea....

 

Which was the last album with classic-era Billy Joel band? An Innocent Man or The Bridge? I think a lot of the magic was lost when he dumped those guys.

 

I love the production on TNC. Songs like "Laura" & "She's Right On Time" are great album cuts.

I thought getting Mick Jones to produce SF was kind of odd. He also changed most of his band.