Get our Hamptons Insider newsletters delivered direct to you.
In celebration of Billy Joel‘s 50th anniversary, Walmart is resurrecting the Sag Harbor Piano Man’s most iconic albums as exclusive, color vinyl editions, and they’re up for preorder now. The preorder window opened on Friday, February 4 for these beautifully designed records covering Joel’s most prolific era — from 1973’s Piano Man to his 1989 hit Storm Front — each featuring gorgeous color vinyl and an exclusive 12″ x 12″ photo insert.
The collection comprises a total of six albums, including Piano Man (1973) with tan swirl vinyl and a portrait of Joel in his leather jacket; The Stranger (1977) on grey swirl vinyl with portrait of Joel in a suit holding boxing gloves; 52nd Street (1978) on blue swirl vinyl and photo of Joel at his piano; Glass Houses (1980) on sky blue vinyl with pic of Joel on one of his beloved motorcycles; An Innocent Man (1983) on custard vinyl with shot of Joel in his leather jacket leaning on graffitied wall; and Storm Front (1989) on red vinyl with a photo of Joel looking cool in all black and wearing a pair of his then-signature Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses.
Walmart is selling the exclusive Billy Joel color vinyl albums for $25.97 individually, and you can preorder now at billyjoel.lnk.to/WalMartExclVinyl.
But anyone interested in getting much of the same music on vinyl, without the color discs and photos, can pick up Billy Joel – The Vinyl Collection, Volume 1, released in stores and through online sellers nationwide back in August of 2021.
That collection includes Cold Spring Harbor (1971); Piano Man (1973); Streetlife Serenade (1974); Turnstiles (1976); The Stranger (1977); 52nd Street (1978); Songs in the Attic (1981); and the Live at The Great American Music Hall double LP (1975) in recreations of their original packaging and presentation, along with a 50-page book featuring rarely-seen photos and memorabilia from this period of Joel’s recording career. The book also has an essay by music critic Anthony DeCurtis.
If the color vinyl preorders sell out, or you want to hunt them down in the retail wilds, all six records will be available at Walmart stores starting February 18.
Got a hot tip for our calendar? Tell us about it!
Keep up with all the latest from Eastern LI.