Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II

Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volume I and Volume II
Original Release: 1985 Columbia
Reissue: 2017 Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs

Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II was originally released in 1985.

As is the case for most greatest hits releases from the mid 80s and beyond, they are typically pressed from music generated from a digital source.

To grab an analogue tape of each song would require the collection of many tapes and most likely be frowned upon by the owner of the masters.

For the label that owns the rights to the original tapes of the songs, in this case Columbia, it is easier and meets most needs of customers to use a digital source when pressing any album, let alone a greatest hits record.

Mobile Fidelity allegedly utilized the analog source tapes for the release of Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II.

This was made possible because they were releasing the Billy Joel catalog up to Innocent Man on the Original Master Recording platform.

Since 2011 MOFI has incorporated a digital step into their pressing process.

This has led some to question the source sound of their “audiophile” pressings.

It also has some questioning whether MOFI begins their process with an analog source or if in some cases they are provided a digital copy from the parent label generated from an analogue source.

This pressing underscores that concern.

To put it bluntly, it lacks life. Everything seems to blend together. Nothing screams Wow!

The detail is lacking. The bass is lacking. The overall experience lacks what one would expect from an “audiophile” release.

If you’re looking for a copy of Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits, save the money and buy a clean copy from 1985.

It will probably sound as good and cost you much less! 💸

💰 Invest
 💵 Consider
💸 Pass