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[ Greatest Hits: Volume III ]
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[ Movin' Out: Original Cast Recording ]
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[ Live From Long Island ]
[ The Video Album: Volume I ]
[ The Video Album: Volume II ]
[ Live From Leningrad, USSR ]
[ A Matter of Trust ]
[ Live At Yankee Stadium ]
[ Eye of the Storm ]
[ Shades of Grey ]
[ Greatest Hits: Volume III ]
[ The Essential Video Collection ]
[ Rock Masters: Billy Joel ]
[ The Last Play at Shea ]



"Low-Key Listing For Billy Joel's Centre Island Estate"
By: Laura Mann
(October 1st, 2007)

Sometimes even rockstars are forced to wait out a real estate downturn.

Musician Billy Joel, whose 14,000-square-foot Centre Island mansion has been on the market for the past year with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, has let the property's listing with the firm expire, sources have told Newsday.

The waterfront estate appeared on the company's web-site as late as last week, but has now been pulled.

Bonnie Williamson, who represents the property for Daniel Gale, says that although the home is not listed on the site, it is still for sale, and the price remains $32.5 million. "Right now, we're just keeping it low key," Williamson said, adding that Joel feels the listing has already been public for a while.

Joel paid $22 million for the mansion in 2002. He was asking $37.5 million before reducing the price. This summer, the singer paid almost $17 million for Roy Scheider's home in Sagaponack, which Joel said he had purchased as a surprise for his wife, Katie Lee.

Christie Brinkley, Joel's ex, has an equally impressive property on the market right now. Her 20-acre Bridgehampton estate, Tower Hill, is listed with the Corcoran Group for $30 million.


"Billy Joel In Contract To Buy More Sagaponack Property"
By: Ellen Yan
(October 4th, 2007)

Singer Billy Joel is in contract to buy the property next to the Sagaponack, New York house that he recently bought as a surprise to his wife Katie Lee.

The deal has not yet closed on the listing, a three-bedroom oceanfront cottage with an asking price of almost $13 million, according to The Corcorcan Group, which is handling the sale and purchase.

In June, the singer paid $16.75 million for a five-bedroom, two-story home owned by "Jaws" actor Roy Scheider, who had it listed for $18.75 million. Katie Lee Joel, former host of Bravo's "Top Chef" series, fell in love with the rural charm of the village, which has been trying to preserve its rural character.

With both places on the ocean, the couple may face twice as much work guarding their properties if there's a big storm. The beach there needs regular replenishment of sand due to erosion. Two years ago, Scheider and neighbors along the shore had to get state permits to stack sandbags on the perimeters of their homes as protection from a nor'easter.

Earlier this week, the listing for Joel's Centre Island, New York mansion expired. He was asking $32.5 million. His listing agent with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty told Newsday that the house is still for sale.

Joel's ex-wife, Christie Brinkley, is also trying to sell a home - a Bridgehampton estate for $30 million.


"Billy Joel Adds Oceanfront Estate"
By: Braden Keil
(October 4th, 2007)

Billy Joel is adding another property to his new estate in Sagaponack, New York. The "Piano Man" and his wife, Katie Lee Joel, have just gone to contract to buy the oceanfront property next door that has an asking price of $12.99 million.

According to the Corcoran listing, the 1.2 acres with 140 feet of oceanfront includes a "cute, renovated 3-bedroom/2-bath cottage," or the buyer can "build to suit."

We hear that Billy may construct a music studio on the property.

"There are a lot of building restrictions in Sagaponack," said Katie Lee, who wouldn't confirm or deny their plans. "We can't even add on to our house. We have to stay within the original footprint."

Last spring, Billy surprised his fetching wife with the Sagaponack home that he bought from Roy Scheider for $16.75 million.

Corcoran's Biana Stepanian represented the Joels, while her company colleague, Terry Cohen, had the listing.

Meanwhile, the Joels' $32.5 million Centre Island, New York mansion has been taken off the Daniel Gale web-site, but it's been reported that the home is still for sale.


"Billy Joel Reportedly Inks Contract To Buy Oceanfront Property In Sagaponack, New York That Had Been Listed For $12.999 Million and That Is Next Door To His New Estate"
(October 4th, 2007)

Billy Joel reportedly has signed a contract to buy an oceanfront property in Sagaponack, New York that had been listed for $12,999,000 and that is next door to the former Roy Scheider estate that he purchased earlier this year.

The New York Observer's fine celebrity real estate columnist Braden Keil this morning broke the story of Joel going to contract to buy the property, which currently holds a freshly painted, three-bedroom, two-bath cottage with a new kitchen, baths and floors.

Listing information for the cottage is available online but with no address, and it's unclear to us what the property's address is. From public records, it appears to us that it's the property at 23 Gibson Lane, but we may be wrong on that. In addition, the property's size is wholly unclear; Keil reported that the property measures 1.2 acres, while the listing sheet states that the property is 1.6 acres. (Public records state that 23 Gibson Lane is 1.51 acres.) Any thoughts from our readers would be most appreciated.

In any case, Keil reported that he’s heard that Joel may build a music studio on the property. The cottage measures approximately 1,500 square feet, according to listing information.

A Long Islander through and through, Joel still is relatively new to that immediate neighborhood, having paid $16,750,000 on June 5th, 2007 through his Gibsons End, LLC corporation to buy his five-bedroom, approximately 5,000-square-foot oceanfront house on 1.44 acres from actor Roy Scheider, according to public records. That house's address either is 9 Gibson Lane, 9 Gibsons Lane, or 9 Gibsons End, depending upon which public records database one consults. We wrote about Joel's purchase of that property back on June 11th, 2007.

We'll keep you posted on if the deal closes, and if so, for how much.


"Billy Joel Visits Cold Spring"
(October 10th, 2007)

Billy Joel, arrived by yacht and tied up at the Cold Spring Boat Club for his two-hour visit. He was given a tour of the town by Joe Savastano and commented that Cold Spring reminded him of Greenport, NY. He said his wife would love this town and would like to come back when the leaves change. After enjoying lunch at the Cold Spring Depot, he signed autographs and agreed to a photo.


"'Piano Man' Falls For $220,000 'Uptown Girl'"
(October 10th, 2007)

She's classy, smooth and oozes style - just like her new owner, musician Billy Joel.

This swish Pegiva sports boat has been custom built for the "Piano Man" after he stumbled across the Gold Coast company while 'Googling' retro boats last year.

"He did a Google search and came up with this place on the Gold Coast," said Pegiva spokeswoman Kate Innes.

"So he made a mental note when he was here for his tour to follow it up."

But when Pegiva received a call from Joel's tour manager, they thought it was someone playing a practical joke.

"My receptionist rang me and said 'you'd better get over here because I think Billy Joel is on his way over. I don't know if it's someone playing a trick but they said they would be here in half an hour,'" said Pegiva general manager Peter Wyllie.

"I got back into the factory and the next minute Billy Joel walks in - it was a bit surreal," he said. All it took was a tour of the factory and a test-drive aboard one of their boats to win over Joel, who ordered a 7.5m Retro Sun worth more than $220,000.

Despite his rockstar status, Joel wanted to keep his boat plain and simple, said Mr. Wyllie. He has named it "Pug."

"He didn't want any of the extras like a table or fridge, he just wanted the boat in a different colour scheme."

And no, he didn't ask for a piano. But Mr. Wyllie said they could have included one if that was what he had wanted.

"We can build anything, but he didn't want a piano because he said it's time to relax when he's out on his boat."

Although he ordered the boat last year, Mr. Joel didn't want it delivered until November, 2007, after the hurricane season had passed.

The crew at Pegiva worked into the early hours of yesterday morning, putting the finishing touches to their masterpiece. Tomorrow "Pug" will be loaded into a crate and shipped to Joel's home in Florida.

The boat is already the talk of the town, with Joel's neighbors ordering one after they saw the pamphlets he brought home after his tour last year.

"They reckon having Billy Joel in one of our boats will be worth millions in publicity," said Mr. Wyllie.

"It's great his neighbors have already bought one, and hopefully the rest of Florida will be lining up."

While relatively unknown in Australia, Pegiva has had huge success in Europe and America.


"Billy Joel Closing Delayed Until November"
By: Ellen Yan
(October 10th, 2007)

Billy Joel's closing on his second piece of Sagaponack village has been delayed until November, according to The Corcoran Group real estate firm.

The latest rich cribs for the real estate investor and singer is a three-bedroom oceanfront cottage with a $13 million asking price, and it's right next to the five-bedroom, two-story home he bought in June for $16.75 million from "Jaws" actor Roy Scheider as a surprise for wife, Katie Lee.

Katie Lee Joel, the former host of Bravo's "Top Chef" series, fell in love with the charm of the village, which has been trying to preserve its rural character.

When the latest deal goes through, the two will have a little over two acres of Sagaponack.


"Billy Joel Night In Bethpage"
By: David Reich-Hale
(October 12th, 2007)

Billy Joel was honored as a master builder Thursday night at a gala at Carlyle On The Green hosted by the Foundation for Long Island State Parks.

The singer/songwriter recognized his mother as the real "Master Builder" - "she built me" - and reiterated his commitment to the ecologically friendly "old Long Island" of his youth.

Joel also joked that he has been busy buying local real estate because, "I love Long Island and want to own as much of it as I can."

The annual dinner raises money for Long Island parks. In addition to seats and sponsorships, an auction at the event raised $35,000. Top prize: A baby grand piano signed by Joel that brought in $18,000.

Previous honorees include Donald Trump, Bette Midler, and North Fork Bank's John Kanas.

In a reference to Trump's planned catering facility at Jones Beach, Joel assured the crowd that if he continued to buy homes on the Island, there would never be "a 20-foot sign that says 'Joel.'"


"Talk Around Town"
By: Jennifer Tuesday
(October 17th, 2007)

Billy Joel was honored in Farmingdale by The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the Foundation for Long Island State Parks this weekend. The "Piano Man" received the Tenth Annual "Master Builder" Award in recognition for his achievements in the entertainment industry and his efforts to protect Long Island’s historic maritime industries. Proceeds from the annual Master Builder Award Gala go to the Foundation for Long Island State Parks, which enhances parks and activities for park visitors - some 20,000,000 every year - at Long Island’s 33 state parks.

Billy's in good company - previous awardees include Bette Midler, Nobel Laureate Dr. James Watson, Ted Turner, Martha Stewart, Charles Dolan, Oleg Cassini, and Olympic Gold Medal Figure Skater, Sarah Hughes.


"More On Why Billy Joel Is Buying So Much Real Estate"
(October 23rd, 2007)

You'll remember that Billy Joel said earlier this month that he's buying so much real estate because he loves Long Island and wants to own as much property as he can. Well, the Oyster Bay Guardian recently published more of his comments from his acceptance speech for the "Master Builder" Award from the Foundation for Long Island State Parks:

"Every time I buy a house it gets leaked out to the press and they show it in the newspaper, 'This is Billy Joel's new house.' They show you how to get to it from Montauk Highway. They give directions from the LIE. So then I end up buying enother place somewhere else to throw them off the track. I buy and sell, I buy and sell. Eventually it will confuse people as to where I really live. I know I'm confused because I don't know what house I'm going home to tonight. So maybe it's working."


"He Has A Buyer For Billy Joel's House"
(October 29th, 2007)

Billy Joel, inside a building at his Centre Island estate, with two model boats he owns.

Billy Joel may not have to wait anymore. Shawn Elliott, president of Shawn Elliott Luxury Homes and Estates, says, "I have a customer for his house."

"He loves the water," says Elliot of his client, a businessman. "He's all about the water."

Joel has been trying to sell his Centre Island estate for more than a year. The 14-acre waterfront property went on the market for $37.5 million in September 2006. He bought the house for $22.5 million in 2002. Sources have told Newsday that his main reason for wanting to leave is frustration over not being able to build a dock for his three boats. Since putting the house on the market, he has purchased two homes in Sagaponack. He also has a house in Sag Harbor.

Last month, he let his listing with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty for the 14,000-square- foot mansion expire. Bonnie Williamson, who has represented the property for Daniel Gale, declined to comment today. She told Newsday this month that although the home is not listed on the firm's web-site, it is still for sale and the price remains a reduced $32.5 million.

Elliott says it's in his client's ballpark. "There's not a lot of inventory in the $10-million- plus open-listing market," he says. His client is "looking to trade up," but doesn't want to wait a year for a new house to be built for him on the North Shore.

"He really wants to look at the house," Elliott says.


"'Piano Man' Still Has It After All These Years"
At Times The Sound Seemed Garbled, But Audience Warmed Up Half-Way Through

By: Amy O'Brian
(October 31st, 2007)

Staying true to his 1989 hit song, We Didn't Start The Fire," Billy Joel and his band kept things to a pleasant slow burn Tuesday night at GM Place, but didn't manage to ignite any explosions.

The "Piano Man" drew a large - but fairly tame - crowd of mostly boomer types out for a night on the town. With prime tickets costing up to $400, it was a major entertainment event for those in attendance, but the high ticket prices were also likely a major factor in the empty seats that dotted the arena.

Minutes after 8:00pm. Joel rose up through the stage with his piano, pounding the ivories and wearing his signature black tee-shirt, blazer and jeans. After a strange musical introduction reminiscent of the "ET" soundtrack, he launched into Angry Young Man with the ferocity of the 58 year-old man that he is.

He pounded the keyboard, looking at times like his hands were operating independently of the rest of his body as his fingers sped across the keys.

After a few songs, Joel warmed up the audience, which must have been in the 12,000 range, with some self-depricating jokes about his age, his baldness and his "need" for the money generated by this stadium tour. The mostly middle-aged crowd responded warmly and generously with applause and understanding.

But they were remarkably still and unresponsive during hits like "Allentown" and "The Entertainer. " The collective lack of reaction could possibly be blamed on the median age of the audience, but it was more likely due to the blown-out, amped-up sound of the bass, drums and synthesizer.

At times, the sound - at least as I heard it from up in the press box - was so blasted out and garbled it seemed as though Joel and his six-piece band were failing to keep time with each other.

But Joel conceded part way through the show that it was their first performance in about six months and asked the audience to be forgiving of any missteps. (He should have asked forgiveness for the sound engineer, too.)

His melancholy solo introduction to "New York State of Mind" and the quieter sounds of "She's Always A Woman" were proof that the show might have been more compelling had it featured more of the pared-down piano and vocals that showcase Joel's raw talent, rather than the big sound of a heavily amplified arena show. I also couldn't help thinking repeatedly throughout the performance that it would have been so much more appropriate - and suitably intimate - at a large theatre like the Queen Elizabeth.

But the crowd seemed to warm up to the arena atmosphere about half way through the show. They got a bit more lively when Joel gave them a festive taste of "Monster Mash" and a small group of mostly women even rushed up to the stage with the first notes of "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," which was a highlight of the night, with its rollicking horns and sing-along lyrics.

People were delighted to witness Joel hit the high notes of "She's Always A Woman" and he got nearly everybody dancing in their seats with "The River of Dreams," which is when whatever substance he had in his travel mug seemed to really kick in. (He is reportedly sober. I'm assuming it was coffee.)

By the time Billy Joel picked up a guitar and played back-up for a rocking rendition of "Highway To Hell" - sung by an overweight and tattooed roadie named Chainsaw - the crowd seemed to be in a partying mood. (It was a truly brilliant few minutes.)

There was plenty of enthusiasm for "We Didn't Start The Fire," yet the majority of the audience remained seated.

By press time, the show seemed to be on a high-energy streak even though Joel had already been playing for 90 minutes.

It seems the "Piano Man" still has it after all these years.


"Joel Was The 'Piano Man' On 'The Leader of The Pack'"
Ten Tidbits You Probably Didn't Know About 'The Entertainer' Who Was Born In Hicksville, NY

(October 31st, 2007)

He's a six-time Grammy winner who's sold 150 million records, charted top 10 singles in four decades, and can sell out almost any arena, anywhere.

Now, you may know all the words to "We Didn't Start The Fire," and maybe your doo-wop outfit once covered "The Longest Time" at a talent show. But do you know these 10 tidbits about Billy Joel, the 58 year-old "Piano Man" who played GM Place Tuesday?

1.) Raised in Hicksville, NY, in the '50s, Joel's first piano instructor also taught ballet. The neighborhood bullies believed he was learning to dance and started picking on him. To defend himself, he took up boxing, winning 22 of his 24 boxing matches, and was soon crowned local welterweight champ of Hicksville in 1964. He abandoned the sport after breaking his nose in his 24th and final fight, and the Beatles' appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" inspired him to follow music.

2.) You know the Shangri-Las "The Leader of The Pack," which shot to #1 on the Billboard charts in 1964? Well, that's 16 year-old session player Billy Joel playing piano on it. He wasn't paid for his services, since he wasn't yet a union member. Around this time he played regularly in a band called The Echoes, which specialized in British Invasion covers.

3.) Joel tried to commit suicide in 1970 by drinking furniture polish because he couldn't bear the guilt of having an affair with his drummer's wife. "I drank furniture polish.... It looked tastier than bleach," he admitted in Hank Bordowitz's book, "Billy Joel: The Life & Times of An Angry Young Man."

Ironically, he was saved by the very man he had betrayed, his drummer Jon Small, who found and rushed him to a hospital. Joel's suicide note later became the lyrics to "Tomorrow Is Today," and Small's wife Elizabeth would leave him to marry Joel.

4.) Joel's first album, "Cold Spring Harbor," came out in 1972, but a mistake during the production sped up the album's master tape, making his voice sound much higher than it really was (think Alvin & The Chipmunks). The first time he played it for friends, Joel smashed the LP against a wall in disgust. Embarrassed by the product, he moved to California, used the pseudonym Bill Martin and played in a piano bar.

5.) When Joel's signature hit "Piano Man" was first released as a single, record executives thought the song was too long at five minutes and 38 seconds. So two verses were cut in half and spliced together before being pressed on a 45. Joel comments on this later in his song "The Entertainer," singing "It was a beautiful song, but it ran too long. If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit. So they cut it down to 3:05."

6.) Though he became a rock success after the release of "Piano Man," Joel was constantly reviled by rock critics, whose reviews he would tear up on stage in the midst of bitter rants. Spin Magazine's Chuck Klosterman described the critical disdain this way: "Guys like Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Rotten have a default credibility that Joel will never be granted, and it's not just because he took piano lessons.

The problem is that Joel never seemed cool, even among the people who like him. He's not cool in the conventional sense (like James Dean) or in the self-destructive sense (like Keith Richards), nor is he cool in the kitschy, campy, 'he's so uncool he's cool' way (like Neil Diamond). He has no intrinsic coolness, and he has no extrinsic coolness. If cool were a colour, it would be black - and Joel would be kind of a burnt orange. The bottom line is that it's never cool to look like you're trying...and Joel tries really, really hard."

7.) During a tour of the Soviet Union in 1987, Joel threw a diva tantrum on a Moscow stage, overturning an electric piano and smashing a microphone to the ground. He was apparently angered when a film crew, documenting the concert, turned their bright lights on the audience for crowd shots and trained their camera away from him. According to the New York Times, Joel stopped halfway through "Sometimes A Fantasy" and screamed, "It's my show!" He told a reporter after the concert, "It was a real prima donna act, but I have to protect my show."

8.) Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnny Ray. Yes all these people and events mentioned in Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" are from the first 40 years of his life (1949-1989) and run in chronological order.

He supposedly wrote it after overhearing a child say he felt sorry for people Joel's age because no significant events had happened in their lifetime. Joel has said in interviews that if music hadn't worked out, he would have taught high school history.

9.) The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland, Ohio because of Joel, claims Wikipedia. A total of 15 artists were to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999, which hadn't yet found a home and was going to be built in either San Francisco or Cleveland. Seven artists voted for San Francisco, and seven favored Cleveland. Thus Joel was asked to make the tie-breaking vote. He chose Cleveland since he considers it one of his favorite cities to play in.

10.) Joel was already 32 years-old when his third and current wife, TV chef Katie Lee Joel, was born. At age 26, she is only four years older than his daughter, Alexa Ray, whose mother is ex-supermodel Christie Brinkley. In 2007, Joel wrote the song "All My Life," his first pop single in 14 years, for Katie Lee, following his own lead of writing "Uptown Girl" for Brinkley.