The second part of the new two-part Billy Joel documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, premieres on HBO Max today, July 25, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Following the premiere, a massive digital-only companion album, also titled Billy Joel: And So It Goes, will be released on Saturday, July 26.
Videos by American Songwriter
The 100-track collection features songs heard in the documentary, as well as many other recordings from the Piano Man’s long music career. The career-spanning compilation boasts classic hits, alternate versions, and live performances, and includes dozens of previously unreleased tracks. It also features a variety of interview snippets from the documentary.
Among the rare recordings is “December Theme (December Song),” from the sessions for Joel’s 1971 debut album Cold Spring Harbor. There are also unreleased performances of “My Life” from Billy’s 100th Madison Square Garden residency show and “An Innocent Man” from a concert in London.
Additional previously unreleased tracks featured on the compilation include a new mix of the Cold Spring Harbor tune “Tomorrow Is Today,” a live performance of “You’re My Home” and an early version of the Piano Man track “Everybody Has a Dream” recorded during the Cold Spring Harbor sessions.
Starting on Monday, July 28, and continuing in the coming months, many rare tracks will be posted on Joel’s YouTube channel, including previously unseen accompanying video footage. The material was unearthed during the making of the documentary. Among the videos that will premiere eventually is a clip of Joel playing “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” live for the first time. The performance took place on May 6, 1977 at C.W. Post College in Brookville, New York.
More About Billy Joel: And So It Goes
As previously reported, Billy Joel: And So It Goes offers “an expansive portrait of [Joel’s] life and music … exploring the love, loss, and personal struggles that fuel his songwriting.” The movie features “never-before-seen performances, home movies, and personal photographs, along with extensive, in-depth one-on-one interviews.”
At the center of the film are in-depth exclusive conversations with the Piano Man. The documentary also features interviews with various other famous artists, and some of Joel’s family members, friends, and band members.
Among the famous musicians featured in the doc are Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, John Mellencamp, Garth Brooks, and Nas. The family members include Joel’s current wife Alexis, his daughter Alexa Ray, and his ex-wives Elizabeth Weber, Christie Brinkley, and Katie Lee.
Part one of And So It Goes debuted on HBO Max on July 18. Both parts run two hours and 24 minutes.
Joel’s Successful 1985 Greatest Hits Album Getting Reissued
In other news, Joel’s hugely popular 1985 compilation Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II will be reissued as a two-LP set on August 22. The reissue, which celebrates the album’s 40th anniversary, can be pre-ordered now.
Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II has been certified 23-times platinum by the RIAA for equivalent sales of more than 23 million units in the U.S.
(Photo by Art Maillet/Sony Music Archives/HBO)
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