The million-selling Billy Joel albums he never wanted released: “They’ll put out anything these days”
Billy Joel has criticised unauthorised greatest-hits compilations bearing his name, saying record labels keep releasing collections he did not approve. His comments highlight how artists’ back catalogues can continue to be repackaged and sold even when they are no longer regularly making albums.
Joel said he considers *Fantasies & Delusions*, his 2001 collection of classical piano pieces, his last album, and described later compilations with titles such as *The Essential* and *The Ultimate* as label decisions. The article distinguishes these from releases that include new material he approved, such as his earlier greatest-hits album and his cover of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love”. It also notes that he has released the single “Turn the Lights Back On”.
In short
- Billy Joel says he did not authorise many greatest-hits compilations.
- He considers *Fantasies & Delusions* his last album.
- He says labels continue to issue collections under his name.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Record labels can argue that authorised rights to a back catalogue let them make older music easier to find through themed or comprehensive collections, serving listeners who want a convenient introduction and helping preserve an artist’s work in circulation. Such releases may also generate income from recordings whose creation and distribution involved substantial investment.
The case against
Joel’s objection reflects artists’ interest in controlling how their work is presented and in distinguishing projects they chose from products assembled by a label. Releasing compilations without an artist’s approval can risk misleading listeners about the artist’s intentions and make commercial decisions seem to speak for someone who has publicly defined a different endpoint to their album career.
Explained simply
Billy Joel is an American singer-songwriter and pianist whose albums and songs have sold widely since the 1970s. A musician’s back catalogue is the body of work already recorded and released, and record labels may continue selling it after an artist stops making regular albums.
Labels can repackage older recordings into collections, including greatest-hits albums, sometimes without the artist’s approval. Joel has distinguished those compilations from releases involving new material he agreed to record, so the issue is who controls how an established musician’s past work is presented and sold.