For Billy Joel, or at least his record label, 1997 seems to be a year of acknowledgement. It had been four years since his last album, and since then Billy had been telling anyone who’d listen that he was finished writing pop songs. 

Now, it seemed like Columbia Records was ready to accept that – on their terms, of course. 

1997 saw the release of Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volume III and a companion VHS and DVD release of his music videos from the same era. Then came a box-set-style release of all three Greatest Hits editions. 

Meanwhile, Billy hit the press circuit to promote Volume III and the cover songs he recorded for it. Along the way, we get hints and clues to projects he’d develop early the next decade. And, in lieu of touring, fans got his VH1 “Behind The Music” and Storytellers episodes. 

All this pointed the way for how Billy would handle the next phase of his career. And how his record label would make the most of its assets. 

Join us as we dive deep into Billy Joel in 1997.

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Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing

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