He came - literally - from Hicksville (Long Island), and became one of the biggest stars in the pop music firmament. Honoured as a "Living Legend" by the Grammys at the same time as Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel was quicker than either in reaching the pinnacle of American pop achievement. But to many observers he's risen without trace, a man with a sideboard full of gongs, two divorces, several troublesome lawsuits with former business associates and one broken nose, but still no style of his own.
'The Ultimate Collection' supports such a point of view, as Joel is shown over the years to have aped Springsteen, Dylan, Broadway musicals, middle-of-the-road balladeers and even skinny-tie US new wave (the still hilarious 'It's Still Rock 'N' Roll To Me', a simultaneous attempt to be hip and to talk down to the new breed, unsuccessful at both in equal measure but still fine pop all the same). In between times he's made himself into one of the most bankable brands in pop, but never actually forged a distinct individual identity.
As is expected from such a package, this double-CD set includes all the obvious hits, from 'Just The Way You Are' and 'We Didn't Start The Fire', through 'My Life' and the recently covered 'Uptown Girl', and on to his last significant chart success, 'The River Of Dreams'.
The bigger picture isn't always in focus, as killer album tracks like '52nd Street's centrepiece 'Stiletto' remain on the cutting room floor. But Joel remains frustratingly elusive, a star of epic proportions still seemingly struggling to establish his own voice.
