Search - Billy Joel :: My Lives

Let's Get To The Details, Shall We....

E. Grisham | Florida | 12/12/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Below is some abridged information to help fans make their decision on this box set. Some of the information is from the included 58 page booklet and parts are from yours truly.





DISC ONE (CD): 1965-1980



(1) My Journey's End

Previously Unreleased. Originally Recorded 1965 - Sony BMG. By group "The Lost Souls". Billy on Vocals and Keyboards.



(2) Time And Time Again

Previously Unreleased. Originally Recorded 1968 - Sony BMG. By group "The Lost Souls". Billy on organ and vocals (with John Dizek vocals).



(3) Every Step I Take (Every Move I Make)

Originally Recorded 1968 - EMI. By the Group, "The Hassles". Billy on organ and vocals.



(4) You've Got Me Hummin'

Originally Recorded 1968 - EMI. By the group, "The Hassles". Billy on organd and background vocals.



(5) Amplifier Fire

Originally Recorded 1970 - Sony BMG. Group "Attila". Instrumental only with Billy Joel on Keyboards and Bass. Jonathan Small on Drums.



(6) Only A Man

Never Released Before Demo. Originally Recorded 1971.

[REVIEWER: Chorus continually says "It's Not Easy"]



(7) She's Got A Way

Album Version. From Cold Spring Harbor. 1971, 1981 Sony BMG.

[REVIEWER: Yes, different from Live version you always hear from Greatest Hits II]



(8) Oyster Bay

Never Released Before Demo. 1973. Billy on Harmonica, Keyboards and vocals.

[REVIEWER: Nice soft blues/rock feel. "Taking it easy" is chorus.]



(9) Piano Man

Never Release Before Demo. 1973. Billy on Harmonica, Keyboards and vocals.

[REVIEWER: Slightly different verse lyrics and slower than regular version. Not the full song. A bit of echo in some words that can be a bit annoying. Raw, but beautiful work that was in progress.]



(10) The Siegfried Line

Never Released Before Demo. 1973. Billy on Harmonica, Keyboards, and vocals.

[REVIEWER: To me, this sounds like Billy vocals over an accoustic guitar. Good, but another unreleased song that seems to brief. Good lyrics like "Soon, soon they say the war will be over. Home, home we will come home in the summer."]



(11) New Mexico

Never Released Before Demo. 1973. Early version of "Worse Comes To Worse" song.

[REVIEWER: Simply the piano, harmonica, lead and backup voice from Billy.]



(12) Cross To Bear

Never Before Released Demo. 1974. Joel on piano and vocals.

[REVIEWER: Sounds like a second duet that he and the late Ray Charles should have done]



(13) Miami 2017

Never Before Released Demo. 1975. Original songs is from Turnstiles Album, Columbia Recording.

[REVIEWER: "I've seen the lights go down on Broadway" done with just piano and vocals - slow and easy. Good length though]



(14) These Rhinestone Days

Never Before Released Demo. 1976. Early version of "I Loved These Days". Billy on vocal and piano alone.



(15) Everybody Has A Dream

Version from "The Stranger" album. 1977 - Sony BMG.



(16) Only The Good Die Young

Alternate Version Never Before Released. 1977. Original song from "The Stranger album.

[REVIEWER: Interesting version. Dare I suggest its reggae style. No, I wouldn't do that to him! Not quite reggae, but dangerously too close for my tastes...]



(17) Until The Night

Album version from 52nd Street. 1978 - Sony BMG. David Friedman on orchestral chimes and percussion.



(18) Zanzibar

Unfaded album version. 7/13/1978 - A&R Recording. Original was on "52nd Street" album.



(19) It's Still Rock And Roll To Me

Album Version. 1980 - Song BMG. From "Glass Houses" Album.





DISC TWO (CD): 1981-1988



(1) Captain Jack

Live Never Before Release Version. July 1981. Recorded live in Sparks Saloon on Huntington, Long Island.

[REVIEWER: Good polished version for a live cut.]



(2) The End Of The World

Never Before Released Demo. 1981 Media Sound. Early version of "Elvis Presley Blvd."



(3) The Prime Of Your Life

Never Before Released Demo. 12/7/1981 - A&R Recording. Early version of "The Longest Time"



(4) She's Right On Time

Album Version from "The Nylon Curtain". 1982 - Sony BMG.



(5) Elvis Presley Blvd.

Allentown B-side. 1982 - Sony BMG.



(6) Nobody Knows But Me

From a children's album, "In Harmony II". 1982 - CBS.



(7) An Innocent Man

Album Version from "An Innocent Man". 1983-Sony BMG.



(8) Christie Lee

Never Before Released Demo. 4/18/1983 - A&R Recording. Billy on Baldwin Acoustic Piano (SF-10), Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3 and vocals.



(9) Easy Money

Album Version from "An Innocent Man". Also, on "Easy Money" Soundtrack. 1983-Sony BMG.



(10) And So It Goes

Never Before Released Demo. 1983. Billy on piano and vocal.

[Reviewer: On this one, personally I see little difference between this and the album version...]



(11) I'll Cry Instead

Live version from "An Innocent Man" B-side. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. 1983 - Sony BMG.



(12) Keeping The Faith

From 12" Dance Remix done on 1/20/1984 Hit Factory. 1983(?)-Sony BMG.

[REVIEWER: Although labeled a dance remix, not really any faster. Someone just added a back beat to me. Not a bad different version though, beat doesn't hurt the song any.]



(13) Modern Woman

Album Version from "Ruthless People" Soundtrack. 1985, 1986 - Sony BMG.



(14) Baby Grand

Duet with Ray Charles, this is version from album "The Bridge". 1986 - Sony, BMG.



(15) Getting Closer

Alternative Version Never Before Released. With Steve Winwood on Hammond Organ. Recorded at the Power Station. 1986. The original song was from album "The Bridge".



(16) House Of Blue Light

From "We Didn't Start The Fire" B-side. 4/8/1989 Hit Factory. 1989 - Sony BMG.



(17) Money Or Love

Never Before Released Demo. 4/8/1989. Billy on keyboard and vocals.



(18) The Times They Are A-Changin'

Live album version from "Kohuept" concert in Soviet Union. 1987 - Sony BMG.





DISC THREE (CD): 1989-1999



(1) The Downeaster "Alexa"

Album Version from "Storm Front". 1989 - Sony BMG.



(2) I Go To Extremes

Live Never Before Released. 4/1990 recorded in L.A. Sports Coliseum.



(3) Shout

From "Live At Yankee Stadium". 2000 - Sony BMG.



(4) All Shook Up

From "Honeymoon In Vegas". 1992 - Sony BMG.



(5) Heartbreak Hotel

From "Honeymoon In Vegas". 1992 - Sony BMG.



(6) When You Wish Upon A Star

From "Simply Mad About The Mouse". 1991 - Sony BMG.



(7) In a Sentimental Mood

From "A League Of Their Own" Soundtrack. 1992 - Sony BMG.



(8) Motorcycle Song

Never Before Released Demo. Early version of song, "All About Soul." 1992.

[REVIEWER: As much as I like "All About Soul", this is a good alternate version that should have been called "Jericho Road". In some ways, I like this song better as Billy doesn't seem to be forcing it as much...]



(9) You Picked A Real Bad Time

The "All About Soul" B-side. 1992, 1993 - Song BMG.



(10) River Of Dreams

Never Before Released alternate version. March & April, 1993. Hit Factory. Originally version from "River Of Dreams.

[REVIEWER: Similar, but bridge goes into "Lullaby {Goodnight, My Angel}" for a twist.



(11) A Hard Day's Night

From "A Voyage On The River Of Dreams - Live From The River Of Dreams Tour". 1997 - Sony BMG. Written again by Lennon & McCartney.



(12) Light As The Breeze

From album "Greatest Hits Vol. 3". 1995, 1997 - A&M Records. Clint Black on Harmonica. Trisha Yearwood on Background Vocals.



(13) To Make You Feel My Love

From album "Greatest Hits Vol. 3". 1997 - Sony BMG. Written by Bob Dylan.



(14) Hey Girl

1997 - Sony BMG. Everette Harp on the Saxaphone.



(15) Why Should I Worry

From Walt Disney's "Oliver & Company". 1988, 1998.



(16) Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)?

Album version from "Runaway Bride" Soundtrack. 1999 - Sony BMG.



(17) Highway 61 Revisited

Never Before Released Demo. 4/28/99 Hit Factory. Written and originally performed by Bob Dylan.

[Reviewer: Hopefully the skipping is only on my CD... If you haven't heard it before, it jams!]





DISC FOUR (CD): 2000-



(1) Movin' Out

From "2000 Years The Millenium Concert". 2000-Sony BMG.



(2) You May Be Right

Never Before Released Live Version with Elton John from July 1994 Giants Stadium.

[REVIEWER: This is particularly cool for me since I was there at Giants Stadium in July '94 to see them.]



(3) Big Shot

From "The Essential Video Collection". 2001.



(4) Don't Worry Baby

From "An All Star Tribute To Brian Wilson". 2001, 2003.



(5) Goodnight, Saigon (Vietnam Veterans Version)

From Live Performance on "The Essential Video Collection". 2001.

[REVIEWER: What makes this different from the KOHUEPT and Greatest Hits versions?]



(6) Los Angelenos

Live version from "The Essential Video Collection". 2001. Original version was on "Summer of 1980".



(7) New York State Of Mind

From "America: A Tribute To Heroes". 2001 Sony BMG.



(8) Opus 1. Soliloquy (On A Separation)

From Fantasies & Delusions. 2001-BMG.

[REVIEWER: Enter his post-rock phase. Classical song over 11 minutes long]



(9) Opus 8. Suite For Piano (Star-Crossed)

From Fantasies & Delusions. 2001-BMG. Part I is Innamorato, Part II is Sorbetto, and Part III is Delusion.



(10) Elegy: The Great Peconic

Performed by The London Symphony Orchestra. 2001 - Dawn Treader.





DISC FIVE (DVD): Live From The River Of Dreams



DVD includes No Man's Land, Pressure, Ballad of Billy the Kid, Leningrad, Allentown, My Life, I Go To Extremes, Shades Of Grey, The River Of Dreams, Goodnight Saigon, We Didn't Start The Fire, A Hard Day's Night, Big Shot and Piano Man.

[REVIEWER: Didn't have a chance to look at the DVD, but a note in the box says you can "share the studio experience with Billy Joel" by inserting disc 5 (DVD) in your PC. "Add loops, even your own vocals. Create your own remixes & mashups."]





BOTTOM LINE:

This set contains 21 new unreleased tracks along with a great amount of already released Billy Joel material. Some of the material probably was unnecessary to put here. That said, it would be very difficult for one to gather many of the previously released tracks from the many older soundtracks (even a children's album in one case). The brand new tracks in this set will be appreciated by diehard fans the most, since few are polished enough to be released on an album.



The fact that Columbia released some songs EXACTLY from their original Billy Joel album seems a bit unnecessary to me. Billy already has 3 greatest hits albums that do the job for many of these songs. However, I recommend this set as a great supplement to all Billy Joel fans who want to experience the raw work of his career.



If this review helped you, then please rate that it was helpful. The positive feedback helps me to write more reviews."

An interesting collection, but a little puzzling...

Craig Smith | Bensalem, PA USA | 11/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I would love to rate this collection five stars - it certainly SHOULD deserve it. However, the strange tracklist puts me off a bit, and thus one star less.



This box is for the serious Billy Joel collector (and I am one). Many of the hits are NOT represented here, even in alternate versions or demos. Some are though, and those are a treat to hear in alternate versions.



However, there are a few issues with some of the tracks that have been included. Most albums are represented with one studio track - "Everybody Has A Dream" from The Stranger; "She's Right On Time" from The Nylon Curtain - but then there are some tracks like "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me" presented in their original versions. Why not a different track from that album? The previous greatest hits box covers that song and others. I feel that the content overlap, although few, is distracting and doesn't make sense.



The sequencing is also strange - not quite chronological. It's a weird juxtaposition of tracks and I would have preferred a disc of demos, a disc of live tracks, a disc of alternate versions, and so on.



The meat here though is the content, and there's plenty. It's interesting to hear early versions of tracks like "The Longest Time" and "All About Soul" - these only have the melody is common and provides an interesting look at the creative process.



The book is nice, but not as extensive as I had hoped. There's credits for each track but no in-depth notes on each - some are just briefly touched upon in the essay.



The DVD is nice - and includes software to remix "Zanzibar" and a live version of "I Go To Extremes". Isolating those tracks is very interesting and entertaining. The River Of Dreams concert included feels a bit like a ripoff though - it's an edit for the Disney Channel and doesn't really represent a full Billy Joel show.



The only complaint that one might have with the musical content (aside from the handful of standard tracks) is that there are some great songs we've heard on bootlegs for years (like "Rosalinda") that aren't covered. We know there's tons of Billy Joel demos in the can. Also, some live tracks from the 1976 promo LP Souvenir would have been tasty - they were mastered for LP so they must be around somewhere. Having said that, it's nice to have B-sides and non-LP cuts like "Elvis Presley Blvd." and "Nobody Knows But Me" in the digital format. There's also an amusing hidden track on the last disc that I'll keep secret.



All in all a great package - but one I'll be listening to in my favorite sequence instead of the way it's presented here."

Simply Awesome

L.A. Scene | Indian Trail, NC USA | 07/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The last song of Billy's Joel's album, "The River of Dreams" seemed to be somewhat appropriate. On the song, "Famous Last Words", Billy sings the words "These are the last words I have to say; That's why this took me so long to write; There will be other words some other day; But that's the story of my Life". Billy Joel would soon proclaim that his 13th studio album, 1993's "The River of Dreams" would be his last original Rock/Pop album he would do. Following that album, Billy Joel would assume a place as an "elder statesman" of Rock. Instead of creating new music, he would spend his time touring, doing the College Lecture series (discussing his music), and dabbling in Classical Music. In a way, Billy would go into semi-retirement. As for new releases, with the exception of a classical release, "Fantasies and Delusions", most of Billy's releases would be devoted to live albums. In 1997, Billy released his first boxed set entitled "The Complete Hits Collection: 1973-1997". For the most part this was just a compilation of the three volumes of Billy's "Greatest Hits" albums with an additional that contained materials from Billy's "college lecture" series. This boxed set was a decent collection, but left many of his fans craving for more. Thus in 2006, Billy released his second boxed set entitled "My Lives". This 4 disc, 1 DVD collection is more of an anthology set covering unreleased songs, demo recordings, B-sides, rarities, soundtrack recordings, and live recordings - including a DVD recorded in Frankfurt from the "The River of Dreams" tour.



I've always looked at Billy Joel's career as having three phases. The first phase is what I call "Old Billy Joel". This basically includes all of his material from "Cold Spring Harbor" through "Turnstiles". These are perhaps the strongest days as the piano sound, but they also contain most of Joel's least heard material. The next phase is what I call "Middle Billy Joel". This was his most successful period and covers from "The Stranger" to "Billy Joel Greatest Hits Volume 1 and 2". Joel would go through a transition during this phase - expanding his musical horizons and exploring different avenues. The final phase is the "Later Billy Joel" phase - this covers "The Bridge" to "River of Dreams". "My Lives" actually extends this by including what I call "Pre Billy Joel" - materials from the 1960s with "60s" bands he was associated with. It also includes material from Joel's classical album, "Fantasies and Delusions".



There is so much that this collection has to offer. Here are nine highlights to look out to:



1. The pre-Billy Joel material really gives us a good feel for Billy's roots in Rock. The early songs that make up the first 5 tracks demonstrate Billy's roots in "60s Rock" (psychedelic, R&B, Beatle-sque). These tracks include Billy as part of other bands (The Lost Souls, The Hassles,Attila)



2. Perhaps the strongest point of this set are the "Alternative Versions of Songs". These are recordings with different lyrics and titles that became Billy Joel classics and songs released on albums. Included in this collection are" "New Mexico" (became "Worse Comes to Worst"); "These Rhinestone Days" (became "I Loved These Days"); "The End of the World" (became the B-side "Elvis Presley Blvd"); "The Prime of Your Life" (became "The Longest Time"); and "Motorcycle Song" (became "All About Soul"). I think "Motorcycle Song" is the best of the group.



3. Another strong point are "Alternate Takes of Songs". These are modified demo versions from an arrangement and melody standpoint. Included in this collection are: "Piano Man"; "Miami 2017"; "Only the Good Die Young"; "Christie Lee"; "And So It Goes"; "I Go to Extremes"; "Keeping the Faith" (a 12-inch version); and "The River of Dreams".



4. One thing many people may not realize is how strong a cover artist Billy Joel is. "Shout", "All Shook Up", "A Hard Day's Night", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Hey Girl", and "When You Wish Upon a Star" are the strongest covers that are included. Despite not including the "whole song", "Shout" might be the best cover Billy has done.



5. The live DVD from "The River of Dreams" tour is very good. It focuses on more of Billy's material from the second half of his career. The video quality is outstanding. I really enjoyed the inclusion of "No Man's Land" - an underrated track. Billy picking up the guitar for "We Didn't Start the Fire" and "A Hard Day's Night" is amazing. The only negative is that the disc doesn't show enough of Billy's sense of humor that he normally demonstrates in concert.



6. The collection does include several album cuts. I'm not sure if they are put in for filler or not, but with the exception of "It's Still Only Rock and Roll to Me" - these are cuts that haven't been seen on any previous "greatest hits" collections.



7.The 4th Disc includes a "hidden track". Billy has always demonstrated a sense of humor and this "hidden track" is a promo from 1980 for his "Glass Houses" album that I found very entertaining.



8.When it comes to Billy's work with Elton John, there isn't much out on the marketplace. It was nice they included live duets of "You May Be Right" and "A Hard Day's Night" with Elton John. (It should be noted that "A Hard Day's Night" was recorded in Frankfurt and is included on the DVD, but the DVD version doesn't have Elton John).



9.A good boxed set is always going to include a good booklet and "My Lives" is no exception. There is a detailed discography of the tracks as well as a list of awards. There also superb write-up on Billy by Anthony DeCurtis as well as some testimonials by people who knew Billy.



This "anthology"-style collection is as good as it gets. This collection not only will keep the serious Billy Joel fan happy, but even keep the casual fan entertained. Highly recommended."