A veritable treasure trove of unreleased and unheard Billy Joel material has arrived alongside the conclusion of the music legend’s And So It Goes documentary.
Celebrating the life and over 60-year career of the Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Billy Joel: And So It Goes made its debut on HBO on July 18, with its second and final part premiering a week later on Friday, July 25.
Just hours after the conclusion of the film, an extensive 155-track “musical companion” was uploaded to streaming services, compiling six-and-a-half hours of unheard material and live performances from Joel’s storied career.
Alongside early tracks from his time as a member of groups such as The Hassles and The Lost Souls, the 115 songs are also accompanied by audio clips of Joel and others providing introductions to the following selections.
A number of live cuts from notable performances such as Joel’s appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test and some recorded the day he signed with Columbia Records, are also present, as is the debut rendition of “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” – recorded on May 6, 1977 at C.W. Post College in Long Island.
“I always wanted to write a cinematic type of song about the lives of people I knew in high school,” Joel explains of the song. “People who peaked too early.”
Though never released as a single, the near-eight-minute song was later released on The Stranger that same year and would become one of Joel’s most revered songs, along with his most-played.
Produced by Steve Cohen, Bradshaw Leigh and John Jackson, the new collection is likely to be accompanied further releases of similarly unheard material in the future. “There’s a ton of stuff that’s in his personal vault and there’s a ton of stuff that’s in Sony’s vault, with not a ton of overlap,” Jackson told Ultimate Classic Rock. “We are determined to go through both things in the coming years.
The premiere of the new documentary comes just months after the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer canceled all of his upcoming shows due to his diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus, writing in a statement at the time, “I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding.”
His team also shared at the time that he would be undergoing “specific physical therapy” to combat the disorder, which has affected his hearing, vision, balance and performance capabilities.
Joel provided an update as to his current health status during an appearance on Bill Maher’s Club Random Podcast just last week on July 21. “I feel good,” he explained. “They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling.”
