My Lives (2005)
Disc One
1. My Journey's End
2. Time and Time Again
3. Every Step I Take (Every Move I Make)
4. You've Got Me Hummin'
5. Amplifier Fire
6. Only a Man (Demo)
7. She's Got a Way
8. Oyster Bay (Demo)
9. Piano Man (Demo)
10.The Siegfried Line (Demo)
11.New Mexico (Demo)
12.Cross to Bear (Demo)
13.Miami 2017 (Demo)
14.These Rhinestone Days (Demo)
15.Everybody Has a Dream
16.Only the Good Die Young (Alternate Version)
17.Until the Night
18.Zanzibar
19.It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
Disc Two
1. Captain Jack (Live)
2. The End of the World (Demo)
3. The Prime of Your Life (Demo)
4. She's Right on Time
5. Elvis Presley Blvd.
6. Nobody Knows But Me
7. An Innocent Man
8. Christie Lee (Demo)
9. Easy Money
10.And So it Goes (Demo)
11.I'll Cry Instead (Live)
12.Keeping the Faith (Dance Remix)
13.Modern Woman
14.Baby Grand
15.Getting Closer (Alternate Version)
16.House of Blue Light
17.Money or Love (Demo)
18.The Times They Are A-Changin' (Live)
Disc Three
1. The Downeaster "Alexa"
2. I Go to Extremes (Live)
3. Shout (Live)
4. All Shook Up
5. Heartbreak Hotel
6. When You Wish Upon A Star
7. In a Sentimental Mood
8. Motorcycle Song (Demo)
9. You Picked A Real Bad Time
10.The River of Dreams (Alternate Version)
11.A Hard Day's Night (Live)
12.Light as a Breeze
13.To Make You Feel My Love
14.Hey Girl
15.Why Should I Worry
16.Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)?
17.Highway 61 Revisited (Demo)
Disc Four
1. Movin' Out (Live)
2. You May Be Right (Live - Duet with Elton John)
3. Big Shot
4. Don't Worry Baby
5. Goodnight Saigon (Vietnam Veterans Version)
6. Los Angelenos
7. New York State of Mind (Live)
8. Soliloquy (On a Separation)
9. Innamorato
10.Sorbetto
11.Delusion
12.Elegy: The Great Peconic
13.Glass Houses Promo Talk
It arrived unceremoniously and with little fanfare from the artist himself—Billy Joel’s My Lives, a sprawling, overcooked four-disc set that seems to exist more as a contractual sigh than an inspired retrospective. “I could have sued to stop it, but I’m tired of lawsuits,” Joel admitted. Translation: Don’t blame me.
The collection poses as a rarity-laden deep dive into Joel’s catalog, but this is not an archival treasure chest—it’s a bloated, haphazard rummage sale of leftovers, curiosities, and curios best left buried.
The premise, presumably, was to capture the diversity of Joel’s musical stylings—pop, rock, doo-wop, classical, psychedelic fuzz—but instead we get a Frankenstein of a compilation: uneven, unfocused, and overlong. The first misstep? Instead of sticking to rarities (which might’ve made for a modest, enjoyable two-disc affair), the curators opted to pad out the set with already-released tracks. Not alternate takes. Not demos. The same exact recordings. It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me, An Innocent Man, Until the Night,—fine songs, but we already have them. Repackaging them under the guise of “variety” is more insulting than inventive.
Things deteriorate further with archaeological digs into Joel’s early work with The Hassles and Attila—groups so obscure even Joel distances himself from them. The Attila track Amplifier Fire is especially egregious: a Spinal Tap fever dream of organ-driven bombast and molten cheese.
Not done yet, the compilers shovel in live covers of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley—charming in concert perhaps, but contextless and disposable here. Then come the so-called “alternate versions,” which are virtually indistinguishable from their final cuts. There’s a whisper of difference. Maybe.
Still short on material, the compilers throw in three cover songs originally tacked onto Greatest Hits Volume III, a handful of tracks from Joel’s ill-received classical album Fantasies & Delusions, and—to add surreal insult to bloated injury—spoken word clips of Joel bantering uncomfortably with producer Phil Ramone circa Glass Houses. The jokes don’t land. The cringe does.
To be fair, there are a few bright spots—some demos and unreleased material are indeed interesting—but these are thinly spread. One disc could have showcased Joel’s lesser-seen talents with style and brevity. Two discs would have been indulgent. Four is excessive to the point of parody.
Where Springsteen and Dylan excavated vaults with grace and substance, Joel’s vault simply wasn’t that deep. My Lives is not a celebration—it’s a cautionary tale of overreach. If Joel himself warns you not to buy it, perhaps it’s best to listen.
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