This "Billy Joel x2" collection is labeled on the cover as "Two Classic Albums ... One Low Price." The low price claim is undeniable; the term "classic" is all relative. While "52nd Street" is indeed a soulful masterpiece in Joel's glorious catalog, my feeling is that "An Innocent Man" sounds contrived and lackluster, despite the artist's effort to release lively-sounding, fun tunes. But hey, the bottom line is that these records offer lots of well-known songs. Joel isn't making music anymore, so why not get your hands on everything he put out if you're a big fan. Below are my reviews of each CD:

***** Streetlife serenade in a different part of town

"52nd Street" may be the coolest, most hip-sounding Billy Joel album ever made. Why? Start with the undeniable GROOVE and 1970s-era soul heard on several of these tracks. Whether it's a smooth sax solo, the urbane jazz interlude on the musically varied "Zanzibar" or the trendy swank heard on the all-too-short closing tune "52nd Street," this is music that will never go out of style.

Released not long after the massively successful "The Stranger" record, "52nd Street" does contain some similarities to its predecessor. The atmospheric keyboard work on the Latin-flavored "Rosalinda's Eyes" is reminiscent of "Just the Way You Are," while the chorus portion of "Zanzibar" has musical elements of "Movin' Out." But as usual, Joel threw in some progressive curveballs and bared his soul, as heard on the sweeping chorus of "Until the Night," which reminds me of a beautiful and grandiose Neil Diamond or Barry Manilow tune. "Honesty" is a melancholic song with a heartbreaking plea for a trustworthy soul mate. Elsewhere, Joel adds ambience by inserting some sublime, lulling moments on a few songs, which give "52nd Street" further distinction.

What's also endearing about this CD -- and what makes Joel such a man-of-the-people type of fellow -- is how some of the tunes reveal the artist in his most natural, comfortable state. On "Zanzibar," for instance, he's "just another face" in a swinging bar, a guy trying to get lucky with the waitress. The young man in "Half a Mile Away" yearns for the momentary "other-life" freedom of being with his best buds on a street corner. And the groovin' "My Life" is a song about breaking away, becoming your own person. These are things that everybody can relate to, on a great and classy-sounding record that is one of my favorites by Billy Joel.

** Peppy, popular tunes that don't resonate with me ...

Hot on the heels of the moody and brilliant "

" album from 1982, "An Innocent Man," released in 1983, is a vibrant, mostly upbeat record that contains numerous well-known radio hits. The differences between "Curtain" and "Innocent Man" couldn't be starker -- it's almost as if Billy Joel emerged from a giant fog and decided to have fun again with his tunes.

Unfortunately, this focus on good-time hits from a different era (the 1950s, I guess) makes "An Innocent Man" a mostly bland, overly pop-sounding, dull listening experience.

With its throbbing, lonely bass line and Joel's observatory lyrics about human nature, the title track on this CD is by far the standout song. Beyond this tune there's not much to say. Joel was apparently head-over-heels in love in 1983, but amid his giddiness he forgot to add melody and hooks to songs like "Careless Talk," "This Night" and "Easy Money." The rollicking "Christie Lee" eventually grew on me, but it's miles away from Joel's best rockers.

Some might argue that "An Innocent Man" features several of the finest tracks available by Billy Joel. It's certainly hard to deny the chart success of "The Longest Time," "Tell Her About it," "Uptown Girl" and "Keeping the Faith." If you like simplistic and saccharine, with lyrics that are a tad self-possessed, then these tunes are for you. Personally, I liked it better when Joel was on a plane and in a fog ... in Scandinavian skies.