If you already own the previous non-remastered bulky "double-clamshell" version of this 2-disc set from 1985 and have wondered if it would really be worth it to upgrade to the remastered version from 1998, here's some things to think about:

Six songs that were released in edited versions on the previous edition have now been restored to their full original studio album lengths. They are (along with old/new running time) - "The Stranger" (4:55/5:09), "Just The Way You Are" (3:34/4:51), "My Life" (3:50/4:44), "Big Shot" (3:43/4:02), "She's Got A Way" (2:44/3:02), "Pressure" (3:13/4:37)

"Say Goodbye To Hollywood" is now the original 1976 version from "Turnstiles". On the previous edition, it was the live version from 1981's "Songs In The Attic". The 1981 version became a Top 20 hit, so if you favor that one, you may want to hang on to your old non-remastered GHVI&II. I probably prefer the live version simply because I'm more familiar with it and it seems to have more energy than the original, but that alone wasn't enough to keep me from parting with my old GHVI&II.

The bonus multimedia material included is pretty much the same kind of superfluous window dressing found on other discs of this nature - discographies, album covers, etc., all of which of course can be readily found on the Internet (if you didn't know that, you wouldn't be reading this right now, right?). It does however, contain the videos for the two "new" songs on this record, "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" and "The Night Is Still Young". "You're Only Human" is actually a very good video for an otherwise so-so song, with Billy playing the angel role in yet another spin on "It's A Wonderful Life". However, one still kind of wishes they'd left off all this stuff and just used the space to add a couple more well-known songs like "Honesty", "Prelude/Angry Young Man", "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)", "Sometimes A Fantasy", or "Leave A Tender Moment Alone".

And of course, the remastered sound is excellent (acoustic/piano-based acts like Billy Joel benefit greatly from remastering), and the packaging is an improvement over the former version. For me, the extended versions of the songs alone are worth the upgrade, but consider all of the information presented here and make your own best judgement!

Billy Joel has always been better as a singles artist than he is at recording albums. By condensing the highlights from the best part of his career (1973-1985) onto two discs, it hightlights the reason for his massive popularity during that time period. The album starts out with a selection of his best pre stardom songs, including, of course, "Piano Man," but also other strong cuts like the teenage loser anthem "Captain Jack," "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," and "The Entertainer." Then comes a generous helping of songs from his 1977 breakthrough album, "The Stranger," including the massive hits "Just the Way You Are," and "She's Always a Woman." The second disc is then mostly a run through of Joel's succession of late 70s and early 80s hits, starting with the teenage independence ode "My Life" and ending with 1985's "You're Only Human."

All in all, this is the perfect collection of Joel's music for the casual fan who doesn't want to splurge for all of the original albums.

This 2 disc set is an excellent summary of Billy Joel's biggest hits from 1973 to 1985,starting with his signature song "Piano Man" then rounding up FM radio favorites "Capitan Jack","The Entertainer","New York State Of Mind" before his 1977 commercial breakthrough "The Stranger" made him a household name.Two bona-fide classic album cuts from it("Scenes From An Italian Resturaut" and the title song)are included.From that point there's no stopping the hits-"Just The Way You Are","She's Always A Woman","My Life","You May Be Right","It's Still Rock n'Roll To Me","Don't Ask Me Why","She's Got A Way","Allentown","Tell Her About It","Uptown Girl","The Longest Time",plus two new songs that became hits as well,major(the trifle "You're Only Human(Second Wind)")and minor(the underrated"The Night Is Still Young").Granted,a few hits are missing("Honesty","Sometimes A Fantasy",and "Leave A Tender Moment Alone"),but overall this is the definitive compilation of one of the most talented pop/rock singer/songwriters ever.

These days Billy Joel is often lumped in with Elton John as being remembered only for his top 40 radio hits and mushy ballads from the past several decades. Many people forget that like Elton, Joel put out some really strong albums in his early and mid-career. The guy was a songwriter's songwriter and not only could play a hell of a piano, but could be a very clever lyricist as well. Like Elton, Joel's output could be very inconsistent. For every "Goodnight Saigon" or "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" he wrote more throwaway stuff like "Uptown Girl" or "Tell Her About It". This two disc compilation captures all of his singles and some of his album tracks up to 1985. For the most part the material here is good, as you hear him move from an album oriented artist to a more commercial singles oriented one over the course of a little over a decade. The first disc is the best and starts out with some of the best cuts from his pre-superstar days. "Piano Man", "Captain Jack", "The Entertainer", and "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" are all great tracks and show a much different side of Joel than much of his later output. "The Stranger" is also included here. Although I was never crazy about the music or the chorus to this one, the lyrics are some of Joel's all time best. The rest of disc one starts dipping into Joel's big hit territory with the mush ballads "Just The Way You Are", and "She's Always A Woman" (written for his 1st wife who he would divorce not too many years later). The big hits "Only The Good Die Young" and "Moving Out" are also included. Disc two is not quite as strong. Three strong songs open the disc "My Life", "Big Shot" and "You May Be Right" all decent songs that got played to death on radio. Then it is back to mediocrity land with "It's Still Rock n Roll To Me" (I always think of the Weird Al Yankovic parody "It's Still Billy Joel To Me"), "Don't Ask Me Why", and "She's Got A Way". The best part of this disc is the three tracks from what is in my opinion Joel's strongest album "The Nylon Curtain". For this one Joel took a serious turn and came up with some really great songs. The 3 singles from the album are all represented here and they are all good ones. "Allentown" is a portrait of the Pennsylvania steel town after the industry pretty much pulled out. "Pressure" is another good one about the pressure of modern day life. "Goodnight Saigon" may be Joel's best all time work, and is a striking portrait of the Vietnam War. The last half of the CD covers Joel's Do Wop period with "Uptown Girl", "The Longest Time", and "Tell Her About It" (songs about his second wife whom he would eventually divorce). I am not much of a Do Wop fan so these don't do a lot for me. Two new (at the time) songs close the disc out and are pretty much both throw aways in my opinion. In the end this is a nice compilation of early Joel material. If you are looking for an overview this would be a good pick up.

Honestly! The songs the 'proffesional' review mentions of Billy Joel! They completely miss some of his biggest hits! 'It's Still Rock and Roll to Me', anyone? 'Uptown Girl', 'The Longest Time'? I swear...I simply bought this album for 'Piano Man' and 'It's Still Rock and Roll to Me'...then when I actually listened to each song....I realized 'Whoa! Billy Joel is AWESOME! There are so many songs on this album I had no idea he did! So COME ON! This is an awesome value....there are so many freaking good songs in this collection...I IMPLORE you to purchase this! I make an effort to listen to this album every day or so...and I've had it for almost a YEAR! This one is STAYING in my cd-changer!