Producers include: Billy Joel, Phil Ramone, Mick Jones, Danny Kortchmar, Peter Asher.

Includes liner notes by Timothy White.

Billy Joel's four-disc The Complete Hits Collection 1973-1997: Limited Edition reissues his three Greatest Hits collections and adds a live rarities collection previously released in a limited-edition Australian box set to commemorate the River of Dreams tour. The songs on Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 have been restored to their album length and have been subjected to fine 20-bit remastering, and there is a 44-page booklet with handwritten lyrics, an essay, and previously unseen photographs. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Billy Joel could have made a great box set, compiling not only his hits, but significant album tracks, his handful of non-LP B-sides, demos, live tracks and assorted rarities. Instead, he settled for the four-disc The Complete Hits Collection, 1973-1997: Limited Edition, which merely reissues his three Greatest Hits collections and adds a live rarities collection previously released on a limited-edition Australian box set to commemorate the River of Dreams tour. Who this set is for is anyone's guess. Anyone who wants the hits will already own Greatest Hits, Vols. 1-3 (or they should purchase those three discs individually, since it's much cheaper), and any hardcore Billy collector will also own the fourth disc, rendering this collection without purpose. Granted, the songs on Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 have been restored to their album length and have been subjected to fine 20-bit remastering, and there is a 44-page booklet with handwritten lyrics, an essay, and unseen photographs, but if the discs themselves are necessary, all this window-dressing is superflurous as well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

This beautifully packaged four-cd boxed set, complete with extensive liner notes, biographical information, and comprehensive lyric sheets, is an essential collection for any Billy Joel fan. The chronologically arranged material on THE COMPLETE HITS unfolds like a historical survey of the past 25 years, underscoring Joel's acute social awareness, which is especially evident on songs like "Leningrad" and "Allentown:" "Every child had a pretty good shot/To get at least as far as their old man got/But something happened on the way to that place/They threw an American flag in our face." Also prevalent are Joel's matchless romantic ballads, including "She's Got a Way" and "She's Always a Woman," and his unshakable pop hits like "Uptown Girl," and "Keeping the Faith." Billy Joel's songs are so consistently familiar that it's easy to forget how groundbreaking and distinctive his dynamic, piano-led arrangements were when he began his career; this collection accentuates the timeless, lasting nature of Joel's accomplishments.