| Year | Album Title | Key Singles / Tracks | RIAA Certification (US) | Notes | |------|-------------|----------------------|------------------------|-------| | 1971 | Cold Spring Harbor | "She's Got a Way," "Everybody Loves You Now" | Gold | Originally mixed too fast; remastered in 1983. | | 1973 | Piano Man | "Piano Man," "Captain Jack," "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" | Diamond (1x) | Breakthrough album. | | 1974 | Streetlife Serenade | "The Entertainer," "Streetlife Serenader" | Platinum | Reflective of touring exhaustion. | | 1976 | Turnstiles | "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," "New York State of Mind," "Miami 2017" | Platinum | First album with his band. | | 1977 | The Stranger | "Just the Way You Are," "Movin' Out," "Only the Good Die Young," "She's Always a Woman" | Diamond (13x Platinum) | Critical & commercial peak. | | 1978 | 52nd Street | "My Life," "Big Shot," "Honesty" | 8x Platinum | Won Grammy for Album of the Year (1979). | | 1980 | Glass Houses | "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me," "You May Be Right," "Don't Ask Me Why" | 7x Platinum | Harder rock edge; #1 on Billboard 200. | | 1982 | The Nylon Curtain | "Allentown," "Pressure," "Goodnight Saigon" | 2x Platinum | Politically & lyrically ambitious. | | 1983 | An Innocent Man | "Uptown Girl," "Tell Her About It," "The Longest Time" | 7x Platinum | Doo-wop & 1960s pop homage. | | 1986 | The Bridge | "Modern Woman," "A Matter of Trust," "This Is the Time" | 2x Platinum | Features Ray Charles, Cyndi Lauper. | | 1989 | Storm Front | "We Didn't Start the Fire," "I Go to Extremes," "The Downeaster Alexa" | 3x Platinum | Produced by Mick Jones (Foreigner). | | 1993 | River of Dreams | "The River of Dreams," "All About Soul," "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" | 3x Platinum | Final pop studio album. | | 2001 | Fantasies & Delusions | "Reverie (Villa d'Este)," "Invention in C Minor" | — | Classical piano compositions, performed by Richard Joo. | | Year | Album Title | Notes | |------|-------------|-------| | 1981 | Songs in the Attic | Live performances of earlier, less-known songs (1972–1980). | | 1987 | Концерт | Recorded in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) & Moscow, USSR. | | 2000 | 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert | Recorded at Madison Square Garden, Dec 31, 1999. | | 2006 | 12 Gardens Live | From his 2006 tour, 12 consecutive sold-out MSG shows. | | 2019 | Live at Shea Stadium: The Concert | Final concert at Shea Stadium (2008), with Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks. | 4. Major Compilation Albums | Year | Album Title | RIAA Certification | Notes | |------|-------------|--------------------|-------| | 1985 | Greatest Hits – Volume I & II | Diamond (21x Platinum) | Double album; includes "You're Only Human (Second Wind)". | | 1997 | The Complete Hits Collection: 1973–1997 | — | 4 CDs + bonus disc "The River of Dreams" era. | | 2000 | The Ultimate Collection | — | UK/Europe release. | | 2004 | Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel | 2x Platinum | Single-disc career overview. | | 2008 | The Stranger (30th Anniversary Edition) | — | Includes original album + live tracks. | | 2011 | The Hits | — | Budget single-disc set. | | 2017 | She's Got a Way: Love Songs | — | Themed compilation. | 5. Notable Singles (Chart Performance on Billboard Hot 100) | Song | Year | Peak Position | Album | |------|------|---------------|-------| | "Piano Man" | 1973 | 25 | Piano Man | | "Just the Way You Are" | 1977 | 3 | The Stranger | | "My Life" | 1978 | 3 | 52nd Street | | "Big Shot" | 1979 | 14 | 52nd Street | | "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" | 1980 | 1 | Glass Houses | | "Tell Her About It" | 1983 | 1 | An Innocent Man | | "Uptown Girl" | 1983 | 3 | An Innocent Man | | "We Didn't Start the Fire" | 1989 | 1 | Storm Front | | "The River of Dreams" | 1993 | 3 | River of Dreams |
1. Executive Summary Billy Joel (born May 9, 1949) is one of the most successful solo artists in popular music history. Known as "The Piano Man," his career spans over five decades. This report documents his official studio albums, live albums, major compilations, and notable singles. Joel’s work is characterized by melodic piano-driven rock, insightful lyrical storytelling, and stylistic range (Tin Pan Alley, jazz, classical, and new wave). He retired from releasing new pop studio material after 1993’s River of Dreams but continues to tour as one of the highest-grossing live acts. 2. Studio Albums Billy Joel has released 13 studio albums (12 of original pop/rock material, plus one album of classical compositions).
