Customer Reviews for Greatest Hits - Vol. 1 and 2
Return to "Greatest Hits - Vol. 1 and 2"
Anonymous
Location: from Ashland, KY
November 2, 2007
Nice to have...
Nice to have in my collection after not playing for around 10 years was just my speed to learn some new "old" tunes.
14 of 25 people found this review helpful.
misterNorway
Location: from Oslo
February 12, 2007
unaccurate
this is not a very good book if you wanna play Billy Joel songs! it is very unaccurate and if you look at the sheets of for example piano man you can see that bit even the intro is in the book. if you wanna play Billy Joel as it is meant to be played you should buy the note for note Billy Joel Keyboard Book! it is totally accurate and has all the parts of the songs! billy 4ever! [Editor's note - sku for Billy Joel Keyboard book is HL.694828]
12 of 25 people found this review helpful.
Mike
Location: from NY
Difficulty Level:
Early intermediate
July 4, 2006
eh
Its alright--if you want the basics, this book is ok, and has variety. But if you're looking for that special touch--get the keyboard book!
13 of 24 people found this review helpful.
Dani Sheen
Location: from Hampshire, England
August 13, 2005
Always a Crowd Pleaser!
A very good book, in my opinion. Guaranteed to please an audience (if played well that is!). Though pianists may want to add their own personal touch to the music to give the performance that edge. Clear and easy to read- a book well worth having. Hail to Our Lord Billy!
10 of 24 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from Brookings, SD
Difficulty Level:
Early intermediate
March 16, 2004
A good book, butlacking its authenticity
I thought this book was pretty easy to read and to play which was a main downfall of it. Billy Joel's music does not sound like it should be that easy to play. The transcription seems like it was intended for a beginning pianist. It sounds ok but it is nothing like the piano from the original version.
14 of 24 people found this review helpful.
Bri-Guy
Location: from Cape Cod, MA
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
August 11, 2002
Great book - a few comments
I love Billy Joel, and his "Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and 2" record include what I consider to be the greatest of his songs. A bit of authenticity is lacking in these transcriptions, such as the lacking of the intro for "Piano Man", but they're a lot of fun to play, and not to difficult to enjoy.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Alan Mercer
Location: from Longbridge, Birmingham, England
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
October 12, 2001
Rockin' Billy's Best In One Book!!!
What can I say? Billy's best are lovingly presented in a book which compiles his biggest chart successes from the pre-Bridge era. Apart from the inclusion of mega hits such as "Just The Way You Are," "Uptown Girl," "Piano Man" and "Tell Her About It," there are also other, less obvious gems here: "The Stranger," "Pressure," "Goodnight Saigon" and 2 songs not available anywhere else: "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" & "The Night Is Still Young." One quibble: why does the book contain "Don't Ask Me Why" instead of "Honesty," which is on the CD. But all-in-all, an indelible collection of music. Buy it!
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Lucas Hawkins
Location: from Findlay, Ohio
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
October 9, 2001
Not to easy... or hard
I found this book to be an average buy. I bought it mainly for "Piano Man," but I found that it is not difficult enough to play, and is missing the intro that I so cherish. The Keyboard book is much better, and is definitely for the more advanced player. If you want a song of Billy's for a recital, make sure to get the keyboard book instead of this one. I guarantee this will not get the applause that the keyboard book will.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Bob
Location: from Alberta, CANADA
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
July 8, 2001
AN INTERMEDIATE BOOK FOR PIANISTS
I found this book pretty good, however, there could have been more improvements to some of the songs, for example, "PIANO MAN," I found was quite easy, and it didn't have the actual intro, and "MY LIFE" seems to be missing some chords at the intro. Others such as "IT'S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME" isn't a piano song at all, and it sounds horrible when you play it. I recommend "The BILLY JOEL KEYBOARD BOOK" because it has more authentic transcriptions, and the real intros. Although it is a little more expensive, this book would be better for advanced players.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Paul
Location: from New Zealand
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
March 22, 2001
What a read!!
I don't know whether to review the music itself or this particular publication! As a fan, the music is supreme. As an averagely talented player, these arrangements allowed me to belt out some great standards with more than enough applause. More than a couple are memorized to my permanent repetoire. The ratio of talent in-sound out is disproportionate - a beginner could struggle with this, and still sound fantastic. He is a fantastic writer of music and any piano fan must have this on their shelf.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Jesus Wakefield
Location: from Harlem, NY
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
October 2, 2000
BILLY JOEL ROCKS MY WORLD!
As an avid listener of Billy Joel, I was quite pleased to learn that his music was actually made available in such a well arranged book. Never before have I seen such care go into a book of this magnitude. I am truly flabberghasted!!
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.