Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volume III (1997)

It's been a while since I've looked at the remainder of the Billy Joel discography but let's have a bit of a refresher here. 

By 1997, Billy had released these albums: Cold Spring Harbor (his debut from 1971 issued through Family Productions and made available again in a 1983 remix on Columbia Records), Piano Man (1973), Streetlife Serenade (1974), Turnstiles (1976), The Stranger (1977 and the beginning of Billy's collaboration with producer Phil Ramone, not to mention the involvement of Billy's live band in his studio albums), 52nd Street (1978), Glass Houses (1980), Songs in the Attic (1981, the live album of songs from the pre-Stranger albums), The Nylon Curtain (1982), An Innocent Man (1983), Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II (1985), The Bridge (1986), Концерт (1987), Storm Front (1989) and River of Dreams (1993).

Looking through his singles catalogue, Billy had also fired off these classics as part of all of these albums: She's Got A Way, Everybody Loves You Now, Travelin' Prayer, Piano Man, You’re My Home, The Ballad of Billy the Kid, Streetlife Serenader, Los Angelenos, Root Beer Rag, The Entertainer, Say Goodbye to Hollywood, Summer, Highland Falls, New York State of Mind, Prelude/Angry Young Man, I've Loved These Days, Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway), Movin’ Out (Anthony's Song), The Stranger, Just the Way You Are, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Vienna, Only the Good Die Young, She's Always a Woman, Big Shot, Honesty, My Life, Until the Night, You May Be Right, Sometimes a Fantasy, Don't Ask Me Why, It's Still Rock and Roll to Me, All for Leyna, Allentown, Pressure, Goodnight Saigon, Easy Money, An Innocent Man, The Longest Time, Uptown Girl, Keeping the Faith, You're Only Human (Second Wind), The Night is Still Young, A Matter of Trust, Modern Woman, Baby Grand, Big Man on Mulberry Street, We Didn't Start the Fire, The Downeaster 'Alexa', I Go to Extremes, Shameless, Storm Front, And So It Goes, No Man's Land, All About Soul, Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) and The River of Dreams. Of course, if there's anything I’ve left out I'll be only too glad to acknowledge it right now in advance. That includes songs like Zanzibar and Stiletto. O.M.G.!

What a catalogue of songs and albums, both studio and live. What a songbook from one of America's and the world's finest musicians of the twentieth and twenty-first century, and not only has he produced rock albums but classical music too.

By 1997, however, there was also a question on many people's minds, in an age where musicians would record albums and tour them. Billy can perform concerts now with no album at all.

That's right. I'm talking about a new studio album from Billy. What would that have been like? What would have been the quality of those songs? Would there have been another "River of Dreams" at the very least? Also, would Billy have ever reunited with Phil Ramone to produce an album? And what would that have sounded like? One especially finds themselves asking this because Phil produced Billy's 2007 Valentine’s Day single, one of two original songs he wrote after 1993 called "All My Life".

So what if 1997's "Greatest Hits Volume III" had been a new studio album instead? What if those three recordings, which had been written by other writers, had been ten songs instead of three? What would that album have been like? You can't help but wonder, just like the Beatles after 1970. What if they'd recorded John Lennon's "Imagine" or Paul McCartney's "Band on the Run" or George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"? What if Elvis was alive in the 1980s and he recorded Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"? What if David Gilmour and Roger Waters had reunited in the late 1990s to record one last Pink Floyd classic? What if Elton John and Billy Joel had written an entire album of songs together? What if Billy had scored a great American musical? There was the production of "Movin' Out" but this was pre-existing songs. What if he had written a fully original score?

What if? What if? What if? But the reality of the situation is: I'm really not in a position to complain about what Billy could have done after 1993. If he wanted to finish writing albums with "River of Dreams" with the last song being "Famous Last Words", then I'm on board with that and it makes sense. If Billy was going to record anything now, if that thought has even crossed his mind, then I would almost prefer him to go back and re-record "Cold Spring Harbor" instead of trying anything new. Why, because I think that's the album that got away.

Anyway, the three new songs on "Greatest Hits Volume III" released 19 August 1997 on Columbia Records were about the closest you were going to get. There was "Fantasies and Delusions" the album of classical music, but that's not the same thing. By the by, I'm looking forward to hearing that one. I've heard a few of the songs but never the full thing and it's going to be a pretty fascinating experience.

So let's look at this album. Like Billy's double greatest hits album from the 80s, it contains newly recorded material, but this time as I've already said it's not written by Billy.

It contains most of the singles released from "An Innocent Man" onward. The new songs to be clear are Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love", "Hey Girl" from Gerry Goffin and Carole King (you're talking to a lifelong fan of Carole King too) and "Light as the Breeze" from Leonard Cohen, previously issued on "Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen" from 1995. There is also a remix version of "All about Soul" which is also interesting, especially for me given that was the first Billy Joel release I ever owned.

In terms of financial performance, the album was certified gold in Australia, Canada and Japan, while making platinum in the Netherlands and the United States, Silver in the United Kingdom. Clearly, Billy could still command an audience with some kind of release of his. And again, I'm sure he probably could now, but like I said before.

Let's look at the songs, bearing in mind that I've already reviewed most of these before.

"Keeping the Faith"---we start out with the 1983 classic "An Innocent Man" album and I've always been into this song, from the moment I came across it on "The Video Album".

"An Innocent Man"---it never seems to fail to please me any time I have the fortune of hearing this song on the radio. It feels like it was recorded only yesterday. The production of this album has stood up that well.

"A Matter of Trust"---I've always loved this rock out of a song and I always will. Once you've seen the video, you keep being reminded of the lady in her house screaming: "SHUT UP!"

"Baby Grand (Duet with Ray Charles)"---this duet with Billy’s idol Ray Charles is always first class.

"This is the Time"---this made a nice atmospheric song, particularly after the frantic opener "Running on Ice" from "The Bridge" album. This one needs a little more attention than I think it gets.

"Leningrad"---the song Billy wrote about the young man who entertained his daughter Alexa while Billy was performing in Leningrad in the 1980s. It is one of the moments on "Storm Front" that means you should check this album out.

"We Didn't Start the Fire"---again, I have to wonder what an updated version would be like. Whether we like it or not, and I like it, we can't deny its pop culture status for all these years.

"I Go to Extremes"---I've always adored this one and again, I always will. It's also one of the first Billy Joel songs I can remember hearing.

"The Downeaster 'Alexa'"---this is another one of the musical and lyrical highpoints of that tempestuous "Storm Front" album. Give this a go if you haven't heard it.

"Shameless"---this is one of those songs from "Storm Front" that's become more familiar over time as I've bothered to listen to it. I must hear Garth's version and I understand he made this more well-known!

"All about Soul (Remix)"---my first Billy song I ever owned. These compilations definitely get more exciting when they start giving you alternate mixes and not just what you might have already owned.

"Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)"---yes, almost no words here. I would be so proud to be Alexa having this song for the rest of my life. It's like if the Queen gave you one of her castles.

"The River of Dreams"---every time I hear this on the radio, I'm in a good mood because I just love whenever it comes on. It's one of my favourite moments from that album. An alternate version available on the 2005 "My Lives" box set includes an elaborate instrumental reprise of "Lullabye" which is really quite stirring.

"To Make You Feel My Love"---I'm less familiar with these cover versions, but Billy certainly seems to do it justice. In fact, I would be extremely surprised if he hadn't.

"Hey Girl"---I'm just thrilled this thing even exists, that he's singing something from Carole King. It's a nice one he could have released as a single.

"Light as the Breeze"---a fitting and stirring end to the CD here, almost calling to mind "Everybody Has a Dream" at the end of "The Stranger".

And that brings us to the end of the review, folks. After this, Billy releases "Fantasies and Delusions" which probably really has to be the next one I look at. I realize I could look at "Концерт" and other live albums, but they may have to wait for another day. Say, that sounds like a line from "Famous Last Words".

Thank you for reading,

Ryan.