NEW YORK, NY. (Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings) - Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings is set to release My Lives, a lavish five disc (4 CDs + 1 DVD) box-set chronicling the extraordinary musical evolution of superstar Billy Joel, from his early 60s Long Island bar bands through his biggest hits to his most recent classical compositions. My Lives will be in stores on Tuesday, November 22.
A worthy companion to Billy's bestselling "Greatest Hits, Vols. 1, 2 & 3," My Lives is the first Billy Joel collection to explore the entirety of the artist's career through rarely-heard and highly-collectible material. Personally curated by Billy Joel himself, My Lives provides new and surprising insights into the artist's creative process. A veritable treasure trove for Billy Joel fans, My Lives brings together rare demos and revelatory alternate takes from all phases of the artist's career, high-octane live performances, and Billy's covers of songs by some of his favorite artists including Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Brian Wilson, Leonard Cohen and others.
The My Lives box-set includes a 64-page deluxe booklet featuring illuminating liner notes by Anthony DeCurtis, track-by-track annotations, never-before-seen photos, an exhaustive Billy Joel discography, memorabilia from Billy's own archives and much more.
In addition to four CDs worth of rare Billy Joel music, My Lives includes "Live From The River Of Dreams," a DVD of Billy performing some of his biggest hits live in Frankfurt, Germany on June 18, 1994.
As an added bonus for Billy Joel fans, the My Lives box-set presents two songs-"Zanzibar" and "I Got To Extremes" (Live, Never Released)-in the revolutionary eight channel, multi-track UmixIt format. A groundbreaking new interactive music experience, UmixIt technology allows the listener to create personalized mixes on a PC. Using UmixIt, fans may mute, solo or add effects to the original recording; record new instrumental or vocal parts; or remix tracks with pre-loaded loops. With UmixIt, the creative possibilities are limitless.
Disc 1 of My Lives includes Billy's earliest recordings with his first bands-the Lost Souls, the Hassles, Attila-as well as demos and alternate takes of some of Billy's most-loved signature songs including a never-released demo of "Piano Man" and an alternate version of "Only The Good Die Young."
Disc 2 spotlights some early song drafts including "The End Of The World" (a never-released demo that later became the B-side "Elvis Presley Blvd") and "The Prime Of Your Life" (a never-released demo that later became "For The Longest Time") as well as the collectible cuts "Nobody Knows Me" (from the In Harmony II children's album), "Modern Woman" (from the "Ruthless People" soundtrack), an alternate version of "Getting Closer" with Steve Winwood and live covers of the Beatles' "I'll Cry Instead" and Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" (from the Moscow Television Show, "The Ring," 1987). Disc 2 also features the album's main single, "Money Or Love," a gem of a demo from 1989 showcasing Billy in an intimate trio setting with Schuyler Deale (bass) and Liberty DeVitto (drums).
Disc 3 offers healthy glimpses of the high-energy hard-rockin' side of Billy Joel on covers of the Isley Brothers' "Shout," Elvis' "All Shook Up," the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" and Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" as well as soulful interpretations of "When You Wish Upon A Star" (from Simply Mad About The Mouse) and Duke Ellington's "In A Sentimental Mood" (from the "A League of Their Own" soundtrack).
Disc 4 brings together a cross-section of essential live performances- including the never-before-released duet with Elton John, "You May Be Right," a heartstopping version of the Beach Boys' "Don't Worry Baby" (from An All Star Tribute To Brian Wilson), and "New York State Of Mind" (from the "America: A Tribute To Heroes Concert For NY") - and closes with a sequence of Billy Joel's recent classical compositions.
