Which Billy Joel album was the first commercially released compact disc?

The Billy Joel album that became the first commercially released compact disc was 52nd Street. Released by CBS/Sony in Japan on October 1, 1982, it carried catalogue number 35DP-1 and led the company’s initial batch of 50 CD titles.

52nd Street was originally Billy Joel’s sixth studio album, released in 1978. Its jazz-influenced sound and songs such as “My Life,” “Big Shot,” and “Honesty” had already made it a major commercial success, making it a logical choice for the new format.

A common mix-up is the phrase “first compact disc.” The first commercial CD pressing was a recording of Chopin waltzes performed by Claudio Arrau, while 52nd Street is generally identified as the first commercially released music album on CD. The first CD player, Sony’s CDP-101, also launched in Japan on the same day.