Billy Joel: The Essential Video Collection

Given all that, here are a few minor complaints:

1) Why couldn't they have put the "Video Album Vol. 1" video of "Piano Man" on this instead of a mediocre live version that we can already get on VHS or DVD? I mean, it's not like they're going to ever re-release the "Video Album" volumes on DVD.

2) Couldn't they have changed the sequence of the videos in some way (my preference would have been chronological) instead of just splicing together the two "Video Album" volumes and then tacking on the extra videos at the end.

3) I guess I can understand why they didn't include most of the videos found on the "Greatest Hits Vol. 3" video since that was released not too long ago but if you're gonna call it "The Essential Video Collection" then shouldn't it include ALL of his essential videos.

4) Would have been nice if they could have dug up a live clip or two of performing any of his hits from "The Stranger".

Overall this an excellent video collection and I would have rated it 5 stars but the complaints I listed above were enough for me to deduct 1 star.

The songs on the Australian DVD that are missing on the American DVD are:

- New York State Of Mind
- The River Of Dreams
- We Didn't Start The Fire
- I Go To Extremes
- Leningrad
- The Downeaster 'Alexa'
- All About Soul

The songs on the American DVD that are missing on the Australian DVD are:

- Sometimes a Fantasy
- The Night Is Still Young
- Pressure
- Keeping the Faith
- Big Shot
- Los Angelenos

It depends on which Billy Joel songs you like, but for me I would rather have the American tracks because they capture an era when Billy was at his very best. Some American reviewers wish their DVD version had "River of Dreams", so the answer is to import it from Australia.

I'm tempted to buy the American DVD as well but seems like a bit of overlapping just to get 6 videos not available on the Australian DVD. The real solution is for DVD producers to release one definitive DVD version including ALL tracks!

And I agree with many consumers, we want music clip videos on music DVD's not concert videos (leave concert videos for full concert DVD's). I refer to videos like "Piano Man" which has been replaced with concert footage. Urgh!

Now, the complaints:
"Piano Man" should have just had the video instead of the Yankee Stadium footage.

I could have sworn Billy did a TV special in the mid-70s called "Tonight". This would have made a nice addition to the DVD. The promos to "Songs in the Attic" had to have some more footage so they could have at least put "Captain Jack" on there.
Other songs that should have had videos exclusive to the DVD (possibly interspersing the college lecture tours with the performances, similar to the CD box set of GH I-III): "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant", "Travellin Prayer","NY State of Mind", "Prelude/Angry Young Man", "Just the way You Are", "Only the Good Die Young", "Movin Out", "Vienna", "She's Always A Woman", "Root Beer Rag" (Which had a promo short cartoon ), "Summer Highland Falls", and "Miami 2017" (this would have been fine using the Yankee Stadium footage).

The Nylon Curtain tour was also released on home video as "Live From Long Island", and should be rereleased for DVD, as should the Russian concert. "Greatest Hits III" should have been repackaged and sold with this DVD to make it a more definitive collection.