He had a couple of gems with Piano Man and Always a Woman but most of his stuff grates on my nerves. Big Shot has got to be the most annoying song ever produced.

Personally I like Billy Joel as a person. I think he's funny and down to earth... However, in the early days he tried too hard to emulate Paul McCartney and it didn't work. I believe that with the release of Go To Extremes he entered an era of honesty with himself and since then his music has been fine.

Gotta love Billy... Ya just gotta.

This guy has written more standards then any songwriter of his generation. It's sad that people only know the hits when there is so much great stuff on albums like Turnstiles, 'The Nylon Curtain' and 'River of Dreams'.

Many have been fooled by thid fake. Great piano player, but his lyrics were substandard.

Just a superb musician.

Nice strong voice, wholesome and generally upbeat music. I miss hearing music like this: no cursing or explicit sexually motivated lyrics, just good clen fun. Uptown Girl is among my favorite songs by Billy Joel.

These are one of those rock legends who have lived under the rock and roll radar. What do I mean? Well, you don't hear bands or artists hail him as their influence, you don't hear of any tribute bands that play his songs, the media doesn't talk about him all that much but when you look at his crudentials, he's given us a lot of hits.

Sinking fast. . .will be 2 stars soon. He is not aging well at all. I wish he would stop making lame music and just let me enjoy his prime artistic years in the 70's and 80's.

Some really good music but not enough to have in my collection...

He's the best. You can tell he means it when he sings, he's just so passionete.

My all-time favorite music artist. It sucks he's not producing new music (other that classical). He has some of the greatest song lyrics I've ever heard, and I also love his voice and piano skills.

I enjoy a lot of Billy Joels music. He has shown that he has some talent as both a musician and songwriter. I like Just the Way You Are. and Uptown Girl,I also like How he sang For The Longest Time. His music goes way back to my high school days in the mid 1970s so I guess I have a bit of a nostalgic memories of his music.

Great pianist, great singer, terrific words and superb music, what else to say!!!

He is the piano man!

He has a pleasant voice and he is a great songwriter. I think "Just the Way you Are" is one of the best songs ever written and it has a very good meaning.

Fabulous singer-songwriter from New York, married to his piano his performances are superb. Great talent.

We Didn't Start the Fire is the greatest song of the 1980s. If you haven't heard it, I emphatically recommend it. All his songs are really, really good (the song "Leningrad" about a Russian circus clown he met while touring in the USSR, Piano Man, Stranger, etc., etc.). He is a rock and roll hall-of-famer and deservedly I may add. Joel is one of the greatest musicians to come out of New York ever.

Billy Joel was a breath of fresh air during the 70's when the airways were saturated with disco and AOR. I have alot of respect for the singer-songwriter. I love the "New York" vibe that Billy has. "52nd Street" - one of the best albums of all time with tunes such as "Zanzibar", "Rosalinda's Eyes" and "Honesty". His Greatest Hits box set is great and lucky for us , he is also exploring the classical music world. Billy Joel is timeless.

I love you Billy...Just the way you are.

He's got a great voice and his first albums ("Streetlife Serenade", "Turnstiles", "Piano Man", "The Stranger", etc.) have some superb music on them. I've never enjoyed stupid songs like "My Life", "Big Shot", etc., however. Joel has had a good career.

Piano Man is a wonderful song, so he deserves a lot of credit...

While he's not my all-time favorite, there is something I find incredibly likeable about Billy Joel's music. The sound is 'Northern East Coast' in a really appealing way, and the songs are timeless! The albums 52nd Street and Storm Front are my favorites, but I also really like the song "Only the Good Die Young" (I'm not sure what album it's from). Billy Joel's music is classic, but still gains alot of radio airplay, and songs like "Still Rock and Roll to Me", "Until the Night" and "We Didn't Start the Fire" have gained the public's general respect (unlike the likeable but quasi-cheesy Bosom Buddies theme song - that forever links Tom Hanks and Billy Joel in my mind! - "My Life") I've enjoyed his music since I was a young girl, and still do today. I'd recommend him to most people who like to listen to 'real' music. I doubt he could convert our nation's teeneyboppers, but no matter what, I have a high opinion of him. Rock on Billy Joel!

I have every album, seen him twice, and Glass Houses was the very first album I ever bought. I have loved his music since I was a child (I'm 30 now). He still writes great stuff, maybe not as commercial as he used to be, but very few older artists are. His music has matured with him. I would recommend Billy Joel to anyone, any age or nationality. You'll find something there to like.

In my own opinion Billy Joel is a great musician. Most of his songs are well written and wonderful produced into masterpieces. I hope that someday another legend will appear somewhat like Billy Joel. But no one really can replace this musical legend.

Billy Joel is a musical icon. Very few artist have survived the tests of times and trends the way he has. Comparing Joel to Idol is insane, that’s like comparing Tim McGraw and Ozzy Osborn, music is just way too different. Not taking anything away from Billy Idol, it’s just a bad comparison. I thought Storm Front and River of Dreams were excellent pieces of work that showed how a legendary artist can continue to change with the times and generate current music. The song The River of Dreams was an excellent lyrical and melodic creation. Proof of his abilities is to listen to some of his older stuff. Yeah it is a little dated but aren’t we all. The main thing is when you listen to 52nd Street, Piano Man, and the like you hear songs that are still great songs no matter how old they are. He is a song writing master lyricist and anyone looking to write a song or hone their own chops should turn to Joel’s material as reference.

Billy Joel, you haven't helped with the music business one bit, so why even mention the man. It may have been a night back then Billy, but Billy Idol could top you anyday.

How many pop stars do YOU know who can write classical music as well? :o) He is legend material.

I can't use all these big words that you guys seem to be using because I'm only 13 but, I hope to some day be in the music business and Billy Joel really inspires me. I think he is an excellent musician and my favorite song is: Don't Ask Me Why. I also like the song he did in Disney's Oliver And Company: Why Should I Worry!! Billy Joel don't retire any time soon!!

I am 19 years old, but I have a HUGE obsession with Billy Joel for some reason. He is a great musician and I hope to one day be able to meet him and see him perform live. Kristine

Billy Joel exemplifies the post modern musician. His music is classic, and he will go down in history as one of the most influential artist of the 20th century

This guy is the greatest songwriter of all time. He has written so much good material that he needed 3 greatest hits CD's, and all three are worthy. I honestly believe that in a hundred years people will mention Billy Joel's name in the same breath as Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. He is a legend and his songs are classics.

This is kind of embarrassing to admit (in more ways than one), but I once grabbed Billy Joel's foot after storming the stage during a concert my freshman year in college. (Luckily, he didn't trip!) I always thought that Billy Joel was a talented musician and songwriter, but his music seems really dated and cheesy to me now. I still like some of his old stuff, though, especially his songs about New York. Sometimes I wonder if Billy Joel's image will undergo a transformation (think Cher and David Cassidy), and he'll become "cool" again. You never know...

I like his vibes.

in my opinion billy joel needs more than 5 stars cuz he is my fave artist of all time, he is a music icon, idol, and god!! Amazing, genuine, and philosophical songwriter and storyteller who uses all different styles of music to express his lyrics and feelings (classical, pop, rock, folk, doo-whop, rhythm n blues) and everything he writes about is about a particular person, place, event, or idea that really took place in his life, and he usually writes when he's angry or depressed which is the best time to write because that's when all your thoughts easily flow its best out of you, and that writing concept shows in any of billy joel's songs, he will definitely go down in history!!

new stuff is scetchy, but the old....not a bad song in the whole bunch. love him

Only one good song that I heard.

An ugly dude who banged Christie Brinkley & had some awesome music.

He has some nice timeless songs, but he also unleashed a ton of garbage on the world. "We Didnt Start the Fire" has to be one of the worst songs ever.

Re: the comment from "Anonymous": I do understand that Billy Joel is or was working on a concept album in the classical vein, and I applaud his attempts to broaden his musical horizons. Actually, this is not his first foray into classical-type music. For example, the song "Billy the Kid" on the "Piano Man" album has obvious ties to the music of Aaron Copland. Keep up the good work, Billy!

This guy is a great artist. He has more class than most rock artists, and more individuality than most individuals.

The Piano Man is an icon in the music business. His music is timeless and as a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer belongs in the top of this group.

What's his deal now? Isn't he doing classical music or something? That's what I want to see - Billy Freaking Joel playing classical music. Stick to the piano and pop music.