The title track of Piano Man gave Joel his first hit; it also introduced a trademark theme that he’s since treated with alternate grace and bitterness–the pathos of the performer. Filled with ambitious story-songs, the record provoked comparisons to Elton John and Harry Chapin.  

 The narrative vignettes off Streetlife Serenade (“Los Angelenos,” “The Mexican Connection”) strain to be clever, but the ballad “Roberta” and the rollicking “The Last of the Big Time Spenders” are the album’s high points.  

 Turnstiles shows Joel writing with assurance and loveliness about family and memory (“I’ve Loved These Days,” “Summer, Highland Falls”). “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” is a neat Phil Spector tribute, and “New York State of Mind” is Joel’s earliest acme.  

 On The Stranger, Joel’s commercial breakthrough, “Just the Way You Are” and “She’s Always a Woman to Me” boast strong melodies and Joel’s elegant singing.  

 52nd Street is overbearing. The sweet music of “Honesty” is sabotaged by trite lyrics; “Big Shot” is bombastic, though the swagger of “My Life” is a good epitaph for the “Me” Decade.  

 Glass Houses displayed Billy in a black leather jacket on its cover, but the album’s best tracks are the modest “Don’t Ask Me Why” and the brassy “All for Leyna.” 

 Of Joel’s live work, Kohuept, a record of his 1987 Leningrad concert, is sharper and more comprehensive than Songs in the Attic . 

 On The Nylon Curtain, “Allentown” deals with unemployment and “Goodnight Saigon” with Vietnam. Examinations of domestic strife and modern-day pressures complete the record.  

 An Innocent Man–a spiritual tribute to doo-wop, the Four Seasons, the Drifters, and the sound of early rock and roll (“Uptown Girl,” “The Longest Time,” “Leave a Tender Moment Alone”)–is one of Joel’s most pleasing albums. 

 The Bridge echoes Innocent’s lightness, if not in quite so breezy a fashion; its standout remains Billy’s fond duet with Ray Charles on “Baby Grand.”  

 Of Joel’s live work, Kohuept, a record of his 1987 Leningrad concert, is sharper and more comprehensive than Songs in the Attic or the bloated and near-identical live sets 2000 Years and 12 Gardens Live. 

 Storm Front finds Joel in the unlikely guise of a stadium rocker. “We Didn’t Start the Fire” kicks heartily, as does “I Go to Extremes.” With a streamlined production helping out, Joel found a way to sound tough without seeming overwrought.  

 River of Dreams, billed as Billy’s final pop record, is still the work of an ultrapro, especially the fetching gospelish title track.  

 This document of Joel's New Year's Eve gig is somewhat flat, literally, with Joel's vocals not up to the task of recreating some of his classic hits. 

 After a long hiatus, Joel returned to recording with a surprisingly good venture into classical music, Fantasies and Delusions. It offers mainly sonatas, played by virtuoso pianist Richard Joos. 

 Of the greatest-hits sets, The Essential is the most efficient, gathering Joel’s most representative tracks and not trickling down as far into the second-tier standouts. 

 The 2005 box My Lives is a nice comprehensive set for completionists. 

 The bloated set 12 Gardens Live compiles tracks from a 2006 Madison Square Garden run of shows. 

 The 30th anniversary Stranger box set contains a live set from Carnegie Hall that shows Joel at his absolute peak.