The 11 LP set includes the first vinyl release of his classical album and more
Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings will release Billy Joel’s The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 on November 3rd, continuing an ongoing celebration of the legendary artist’s 50-plus years of musical magic, on-stage and in-the-studio.
The 11 LP deluxe box set completes the definitive Billy Joel 12-inch vinyl album project which began with The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1, a 9 LP set released in November 2021 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Joel’s debut solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, originally released November 1, 1971.
The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 is being released near the 50th anniversary of “Piano Man,” Joel’s first signature song, released as a single on November 2, 1973, with the Piano Man album dropping a week later on November 9, 1973.
With The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1 chronicling 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 on the surprising next phase of his extraordinary career. Joel 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 Joel’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 2 LP pressing of 2001’s Fantasies & Delusions, an instrumental album showcasing classical piano compositions by Joel, which debuted at No. 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 Joel’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 of Billy Joel – Live from Long Island, the celebratory homecoming concert/party Joel 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 Joel’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 on 3 LP is an essential addition to the classic Billy Joel catalog.
A new digital edition of the Billy Joel – Live from Long Island concert film will also be available.
On New Year’s Eve, New York’s quintessential son is back in his hometown on Long Island and will perform for the first time at the new state-of-the-art UBS Arena at Belmont. Joel will be helping Long Islanders ring in the New Year beginning at 9:30 pm marking his first concert on Long Island since 2018.
Pre-sale for Citi Cardmembers is underway through Thursday, September 14th at 10 pm. Public on sale begins Friday, September 15th at 10 am via Ticketmaster.
UBS Arena at Belmont Park is made for music and built for hockey. New York’s newest premier entertainment and sports venue and home of the New York Islanders is developed in partnership with Oak View Group, the New York Islanders and Jeff Wilpon. Providing a significant boost to the regional economy, the world-class entertainment venue, with its timeless and classic design, bridges its iconic past with today’s advanced technology and amenities. The $1.1 billion multi-purpose, state-of-the-art arena opened in November 2021 delivers an unmatched live entertainment experience for guests including clear sightlines and premier acoustics.
Next year, Joel is set to conclude his Madison Square Garden run after ten extraordinary years. Joel’s historic franchise run at the World’s Greatest Arena will end in July 2024 with his 150th lifetime show at the venue.
The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2:
- Glass Houses (1 LP)
- The Nylon Curtain (1 LP)
- An Innocent Man (1 LP)
- The Bridge (1 LP)
- Storm Front (1 LP)
- River Of Dreams (1 LP)
- Fantasies & Delusions (2 LP)
- Live From Long Island (3 LP)
Billy Joel – Live from Long Island:
- 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