Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings Celebrating 50+ Years of Billy Joel’s Musical Artistry with Release of Billy Joel – The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 on Friday, November 3
11LP Deluxe Box Set Library Includes First Vinyl Release of Fantasies & Delusions (2LP) and First-Ever Audio Release of Billy Joel – Live from Long Island (3LP), the Artist’s Homecoming Concert at Nassau Coliseum (December 29, 1982)
Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, are releasing Billy Joel – The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 on November 3, continuing an ongoing celebration of the legendary artist’s 50-plus years of musical magic, on-stage and in-the-studio.
Billy Joel – The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 may be ordered HERE.
An 11LP deluxe box set, Billy Joel – The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 completes the definitive Billy Joel 12″ vinyl album project which began with The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1, a 9LP set released in November 2021 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Cold Spring Harbor (Billy’s debut solo studio album, originally released November 1, 1971).
The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 is being released near the 50th anniversary of “Piano Man,” Billy Joel’s first signature song, released as a single on November 2, 1973 with the Piano Man album dropping a week later (November 9, 1973).
With The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1 chronicling Billy Joel’s evolution as a songwriter, performer and recording artist during his rise from obscurity to international superstardom in the 1970s, The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 focuses the surprising next phase of his extraordinary career. Billy became a household name in the MTV era with some of his biggest chart-smashing hits and most all-time beloved songs including “Allentown,” “Uptown Girl,” “A Matter of Trust,” “Baby Grand” (his duet with Ray Charles), plus his three Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping hits “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Tell Her About It,” and “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me.”
In addition to bringing together Billy’s monumentally successful 1980s albums — Glass Houses (1980), The Nylon Curtain (1982), An Innocent Man (1983), The Bridge (1986) and Storm Front (1989) — alongside 1993’s River of Dreams, his final studio album of newly written pop songs, The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 presents, for the first time on vinyl, an exclusive 2LP pressing of 2001’s Fantasies & Delusions, an instrumental album showcasing classical piano compositions by Billy Joel, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Classical Album chart. All titles in The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 have been sourced from the original album masters (analog and digital) and carefully prepared for this release by Ted Jensen with lacquers cut by Joe Nino Hernes at the legendary Sterling Sound in Nashville, Tennessee. The box set includes a 60+ page booklet featuring Billy’s revelatory personal observations and insights about each album, an informative essay by Rob Tannenbaum, rare photos and memorabilia from the era and more.
As a special bonus, The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 presents the first-ever audio edition (3LP) of Billy Joel – Live from Long Island, the celebratory homecoming concert/party Billy and his band threw for fans at the Nassau Coliseum on December 29, 1982. A broadcast edit of the legendary show originally aired on HBO in 1983 while a longer version of the show was a massively popular VHS title. This explosive performance is highly regarded as one of Billy’s best of the era and one of the few to be professionally filmed and recorded. Its inclusion as an audio album in The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 is an essential addition to the classic Billy Joel catalog.
A new digital edition of the Billy Joel – Live from Long Island concert film is also available and may be ordered HERE.
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Billy Joel – The Vinyl Collection, Vol.2
Glass Houses (1LP)
The Nylon Curtain (1LP)
An Innocent Man (1LP)
The Bridge (1LP)
Storm Front (1LP)
River Of Dreams (1LP)
Fantasies & Delusions (2LP) ** First time on vinyl
Live From Long Island (3LP) ** First time as an audio release, previously only avail on VHS
Billy Joel – Live from Long Island – track listing
Allentown
My Life
Prelude / Angry Young Man
Piano Man
Don’t Ask Me Why
The Stranger
Scandinavian Skies
Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
She’s Always a Woman
Pressure
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Just the Way You Are
Goodnight Saigon
Stiletto
Until the Night
It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
Sometimes a Fantasy
Big Shot
You May Be Right
Only the Good Die Young
Souvenir