1985 greatest hits album by Billy Joel
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Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II is the first greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on August 2, 1985.[4] The album has been certified double diamond by the RIAA, selling over 11.5 million copies (23 million units) and ranking as the sixth-most-certified album of all time in the US.[5] The compilation of recordings between 1973 and 1985 includes two previously unreleased tracks, "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" and "The Night Is Still Young". The two songs were released as singles and would later reappear on subsequent box sets.
Some original pressings omit "Don't Ask Me Why" and place "Honesty" after "Big Shot", pushing "You May Be Right" to the beginning of side three.[6] Some foreign pressings also include "Honesty" in place of "Don't Ask Me Why".[7]
Songs in the Attic; originally from Cold Spring Harbor
3:03
19.
"Pressure"
The Nylon Curtain
4:37
20.
"Allentown"
The Nylon Curtain
3:49
21.
"Goodnight Saigon"
The Nylon Curtain
7:02
22.
"Tell Her About It"
An Innocent Man
3:50
23.
"Uptown Girl"
An Innocent Man
3:16
24.
"The Longest Time"
An Innocent Man
3:39
25.
"You're Only Human (Second Wind)"
Previously unreleased
4:49
26.
"The Night Is Still Young"
Previously unreleased
5:26
Close
Track listings do vary across different CD releases. The initial 1985 release has "Honesty" as the third track on disc 2, second pressings onward had "Don't Ask Me Why" as the third track, and the 1998 remaster has "Don't Ask Me Why" as the fifth track on disc 2. However, the disc with "Honesty" does not have "Don't Ask Me Why" and vice versa.[8]
While Phil Woods performed the sax solo for "Just the Way You Are", he did not rerecord the "New York State of Mind" sax solo for the Greatest Hits release.
On the original 1985 compilation, five songs are shorter than their original versions: "Just the Way You Are" is only 3:34 long (1½ minute shorter), verse 2 is totally omitted (from "Don't go trying some new fashion" to "I want you just the way you are") and the sax solo at the end fades early; "My Life" is 3:50 long (nearly 1 minute shorter), the intro is slightly shorter with piano notes at 0:25 omitted (before the first words), same notes are omitted between verses 1 and 2, then again after "You wake up with yourself", piano passage also missing after "But not on my time" and the piano notes omitted several times at the end; "Big Shot" is 3:43 long (the ending with the "big shot… wow" is shortened by ½ minute approx.); "Pressure" is only 3:13 long (1½ min shorter) with more than a verse omitted (from "I'll tell you what it means" to "I read it too, what does it mean?"); "Tell Her About It" is 3:33 long (the end fades approx. 20 seconds sooner, leaving some wording out).[9]
In 1998, the two CD set was digitally remastered and packaged with two bonus videos ("You're Only Human (Second Wind)" and "The Night Is Still Young") on disc 1. All of the songs that were edited in the 1985 package ("Pressure", "My Life", "Big Shot", "Just the Way You Are" and "Tell Her About It") were restored to their original album lengths. Also, the live version of "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" was removed and replaced with the studio version from Joel's 1976 album Turnstiles. Surprisingly, "Captain Jack" has been shortened instead, fading out about 20 seconds sooner (6:56 instead of 7:15).
Charts
More information Chart (1985), Peak position ...
Weekly charts
1985 weekly chart performance for Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1sted.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p.263. ISBN978-951-1-21053-5.
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