The Essential Billy Joel

The Essential Billy Joel
Greatest hits album by Billy Joel
Released	October 2, 2001
Recorded	1973 - 2001
Genre	Rock
Length	154:43 188:48 (reissue)
Label	Sony BMG
Billy Joel chronology
Fantasies & Delusions (2001) The Essential Billy Joel (2001) Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel (2004)
International Edition
International/European cover

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

The Essential Billy Joel is a Sony music compilation of songs by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel. It was released on October 2, 2001, and has been certified Triple Platinum by the RIAA.^[2] In conjunction with the release of the album, The Essential Video Collection was released, comprising Joel's most popular music videos.

On August 26, 2008, The Essential 3.0 was released containing a third disc with seven additional tracks.^[3]

Track listing

All songs written by Billy Joel.

Disc one

No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"Piano Man"	Piano Man, 1973	5:36
2.	"You're My Home"	Piano Man	3:11
3.	"Captain Jack"	Piano Man	7:16
4.	"The Entertainer"	Streetlife Serenade, 1974	3:39
5.	"Say Goodbye to Hollywood"	Turnstiles, 1976	4:36
6.	"Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)"	Turnstiles	5:12
7.	"New York State of Mind"	Turnstiles	6:02
8.	"She's Always a Woman"	The Stranger, 1977	3:19
9.	"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)"	The Stranger	3:27
10.	"Only the Good Die Young"	The Stranger	3:53
11.	"Just the Way You Are"	The Stranger	4:48
12.	"Honesty"	52nd Street, 1978	3:51
13.	"My Life"	52nd Street	4:42
14.	"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"	Glass Houses, 1980	2:57
15.	"You May Be Right"	Glass Houses	4:11
16.	"Don't Ask Me Why"	Glass Houses	2:57
17.	"She's Got a Way (Live)"	Songs in the Attic, 1981; originally from Cold Spring Harbor, 1971	2:59
18.	"Allentown"	The Nylon Curtain, 1982	3:50

Disc two

No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"Goodnight Saigon"	The Nylon Curtain	7:02
2.	"An Innocent Man"	An Innocent Man, 1983	5:18
3.	"Uptown Girl"	An Innocent Man	3:14
4.	"The Longest Time"	An Innocent Man	3:36
5.	"Tell Her About It"	An Innocent Man	3:49
6.	"Leave a Tender Moment Alone"	An Innocent Man	3:51
7.	"A Matter of Trust"	The Bridge, 1986	4:08
8.	"Baby Grand" (Duet with Ray Charles)	The Bridge	4:03
9.	"I Go to Extremes"	Storm Front, 1989	4:20
10.	"We Didn't Start the Fire"	Storm Front	4:48
11.	"Leningrad"	Storm Front	4:03
12.	"The Downeaster "Alexa""	Storm Front	3:42
13.	"And So It Goes"	Storm Front	3:36
14.	"The River of Dreams"	River of Dreams, 1993	4:06
15.	"All About Soul (Remix)"	Exclusive to the "All About Soul" single, 1993; originally from River of Dreams	5:57
16.	"Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)"	River of Dreams	3:30
17.	"Waltz no. 1 (Nunley's Carousel)"	Fantasies & Delusions, 2001	6:52
18.	"Invention in C minor"	Fantasies & Delusions	0:59

Disc three

No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"Worse Comes to Worst"	Piano Man	3:13
2.	"Prelude/Angry Young Man"	Turnstiles	5:16
3.	"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"	The Stranger	7:34
4.	"Big Shot"	52nd Street	4:02
5.	"All for Leyna"	Glass Houses	4:12
6.	"Pressure"	The Nylon Curtain	4:39
7.	"This Is the Time"	The Bridge	4:59

Chart performance

Chart (2001)	Peak position
USA Billboard 200	29 [4]
Chart (2008)	Peak position
Australia	50 [5]
New Zealand	14 [6]
Chart (2013)	Peak position
Ireland	66 [7]
USA Billboard 200	15 [8]

Certifications

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Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[9]	2× Platinum	140,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[10]	Platinum	15,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[11]	Silver	60,000
United States (RIAA)[12]	3× Platinum	1,658,000[8]
^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

1. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r553033
2. RIAA - Gold & Platinum - The Essential Billy Joel
3. allmusic.com - The Essential Billy Joel Limited Edition 3.0 - Overview
4. allmusic.com - The Essential Billy Joel - Charts & Awards - Billboard Albums
5. australian-charts.com - Billy Joel - The Essential 3.0
6. charts.org.nz - Billy Joel - The Essential
7. - Billy Joel - The Essential
8. Paul Grein (August 7, 2013). "Week Ending Aug. 4, 2013. Albums: Robin Thicke, Call Katy Perry". Yahoo Chart Watch.
9. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
10. "New Zealand album certifications – Billy Joel – The Essential". Recorded Music NZ.
11. "British album certifications – Billy Joel – The Essential". British Phonographic Industry. Enter The Essential in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
12. "American album certifications – Billy Joel – The Essential". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH