52nd Street was first released on compact disc in Japan. CBS/Sony issued it there on October 1, 1982, as part of the format’s first commercial rollout.
The Japanese release was significant because Sony and CBS/Sony were among the companies leading the transition from vinyl records to digital audio. The launch included 50 titles, and 52nd Street appeared first in the catalogue sequence as 35DP-1. It was later followed by CD releases in Europe and North America.
The album’s selection reflected its established popularity. Originally released in 1978, 52nd Street had become Billy Joel’s first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 and had won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Japan therefore received a proven hit as one of the format’s showcase titles.
Readers sometimes confuse the album’s original release country with its CD release country. 52nd Street first appeared as a conventional album in the United States; Japan was the first country to receive its commercial CD edition.