Photo Credit: Legacy/Sony
Legacy/Sony have released a sprawling 100+ song digital companion album to go along with the two-part HBO documentary, And So It Goes. This album features many never-before-released songs from the legendary Piano Man.
Available now across major streaming platforms, the collection reaches a stunning seven hours and contains 155 tracks, designed to mirror and expand on the stories told throughout the documentary. The release responds to years of fan requests for greater access to Billy Joel’s archives and provides a listening journey as ambitious as the documentary itself.
The companion album features more than 60 tracks that were previously unreleased, making this digital collection something of a holy grail for music historians and Billy Joel’s die-hard fans. Archival director John Jackson recently explained, “If we get our way with this, you’ll have examples in a way that, watching the film and hearing the story of why these songs are the way they are, you’ll go, ‘holy shit, this is great material.’”
The album includes rare tracks dating to Joel’s earliest days with The Hassles, through his time with Attila, and delivers digital debuts for songs previously unavailable outside of originally, long-deleted physical LPs. In addition, the set contains fresh studio mixes for songs from Joel’s rarely discussed debut album Cold Spring Harbor (1971), rectifying audio issues that plagued the initial release. The focus on unreleased content shines through a dozen outtakes, demos, and live tracks capturing Joel and his band at key creative junctures.
The release is especially rich in live performances, serving not just as a greatest hits collection, but also as a chronicle of how the Piano Man’s must matured on-stage. Among its centerpieces is the first-ever live performance of “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant,” recorded in 1977 at Long Island’s C.W. Post College, months before The Stranger (1977) introduced the song to the world. Historic moments from Joel’s marathon Madison Square Garden residencies and TV appearances on The Old Grey Whistle Test (BBC) and Saturday Night Live feature heavily, many never before available in any format.
Joel’s associates Steve Cohen and Bradshaw Leigh, alongside Jackson, produced the set with a vision for longevity. More archival projects—including video and expanded streaming content—are on the horizon to continue making the Piano Man’s legendary repertoire available to new audiences. This release is digital only; their appears to be no effort to convert the rare material to a complementary physical release. Those who want physical music will have to wait until August 22 for a new vinyl edition of the 1985 release of Greatest Hits Volume I and II.
Content shared from www.digitalmusicnews.com.