The Stranger (1977)
1. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
2. The Stranger
3. Just the Way You Are
4. Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
5. Vienna
6. Only the Good Die Young
7. She's Always a Woman
8. Get it Right the First Time
9. Everybody Has a Dream
Bonus Songs from 30th Edition Release:
1. Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway
2. Prelude/The Angry Young Man
3. New York State of Mind
4. Just the Way You Are
5. She's Got a Way
6. The Entertainer
7. Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
8. Band Introductions
9. Captain Jack
10.I've Loved These Days
11.Say Goodbye to Hollywood
12.Souvenir
 
On Billy Joel's fifth album in six
years, he finally gets everything just right in a very big way. His
first several albums had a lot of great moments scattered throughout
webs of inconsistencies, so hearing this masterpiece really isn't a
total surprise. Producer Phil Ramone is brought in to produce - a man
with a long history of working behind the controls as an engineer, a
mixer and a producer. His credits involved some of the softer, but more
respected names in the industry, such as James Taylor, Chicago, and Paul
Simon. Of course he also worked with Alice Cooper. Whatever the
reason, Ramone is the perfect missing piece to an incredibly beautiful, you somewhat complex jigsaw
puzzle.
The biggest change here isn't necessarily the music but the
muscle behind Joel's performance. He's singing with much better
conviction. Whether it's the adolescent replicating of wild teenage
hormones (Only the Good Die Young), the Long-Island neighborhood
storyteller (Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)) or the helpless
romantic writing a sweet love song to his then wife Elizabeth (Just
the Way You Are). All of the above mentioned tunes were strong
singles receiving plenty of airplay, something he really only ever had
with Piano Man a few years back.
Not surprisingly, all of the songs here probably could have been
massive hits had they been released for radio airplay. The styles may change
quickly from track to track, but the quality remains solid throughout.
The best piece on the record (and many of his fans would state his best
piece ever) is the seven and-a-half minute epic piece Scenes From An
Italian Restaurant which is actually about two or three songs
expertly blended into one tune. This song seems to identify with so
much of Joel's character that it's not a surprise that it's such a fan
favorite that has never gotten old and still remains a high crescendo of
his live shows.
Sadly, Vienna isn't as well known as it should be. Sad, because
it's another one of those simple pieces that most everyone would
immediately fall in love with if they heard it, but it also tends to get lost with
all the great songs here. She's Always a Woman is probably the
weakest thing here. That's weakest, not weak. Again, it was one
of the four hit singles from the record. Rounding out the album are
Get it Right the First Time that is a bit dated and another great
forgotten track Everybody Has a Dream.
Some of argued this was his peak. While that's debatable, the good news
is that Joel's popularity would never diminish from this point on throughout his career. Even
when he stopped making pop records in 1993, he would tour for the next
several decades. This was the start of the great ride.
(NOTE:
In 2007, Sony released a 30th anniversary edition with a bonus live disk
from a show in 1977. The show makes it worth it to buy the collection once
more.
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