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- Date Released: September 1, 1977
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Rock
- Label: Columbia
- Copyright: (P) 1977 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Billy Joel's most complete album
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We Say...
There was some dismay amongst members of Billy Joel's band about a song called “Just the Way You Are” for their forthcoming album, The Stranger. This self-contained, non-stop touring act had a Long Island bar band’s house-rocking mentality, and there was fear that this musical valentine might undermine the band’s rock and roll credentials.
Turns out, you can’t tell exactly who's going to like what: 30-odd years later, more than a few tattooed bikers and body-pierced squatters have gotten misty walking down the aisle to Joel’s most famous melodic ballad. You want to talk about hip? The great and ineffably cool Phil Woods plays the alto sax solo on the song, granting it stunning grace and respect.
The Stranger was Joel's first effort with producer Phil Ramone, and the producer was able to give the songs a fullness and weight that matched the band’s live attitude. The rest of the album rocks and pops irresistibly, and the hits never seem to stop coming. For the multitudes who now cared about Joel, these songs spoke directly to their lives: “Movin’ Out (Anthony’ Song)” was for the millions of working class men who preferred rock to disco and who weren’t necessarily after upward mobility, just self-sufficiency. “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” (or, as it's more commonly known, “A Bottle of Red, A Bottle of White”) is a seven-minute suite that tells the story of another working class couple, who go from local dating in Joel’s neighborhood 'til death or divorce do they part. “Only the Good Die Young,” which incurred the disapproval of the Catholic church, may be Joel’s most energized rock ’n’ roll tune. From the personal lament of “Vienna” to the rousing “Get It Right the First Time,” the absence of a slack moment makes The Stranger Joel’s most complete album. -
They Say...
Billy Joel teamed with Phil Ramone, a famed engineer who had just scored his first producing hits with Art Garfunkel's Breakaway and Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years for The Stranger, his follow-up to Turnstiles. Joel still favored big, sweeping melodies, but Ramone convinced him to streamline his arrangements and clean up the production. The results aren't necessarily revelatory, since he covered so much ground on Turnstiles, but the commercialism of The Stranger is a bit of a surprise. None of his ballads have been as sweet or slick as "Just the Way You Are"; he never had created a rocker as bouncy or infectious as "Only the Good Die Young"; and the glossy production of "She's Always a Woman" disguises its latent misogynist streak. Joel balanced such radio-ready material with a series of New York vignettes, seemingly inspired by Springsteen's working-class fables and clearly intended to be the artistic centerpieces of the album. They do provide The Stranger with the feel of a concept album, yet there is no true thematic connection between the pieces, and his lyrics are often vague or mean-spirited. His lyrical shortcomings are overshadowed by his musical strengths. Even if his melodies sound more Broadway than Beatles -- the epic suite "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" feels like a show-stopping closer -- there's no denying that the melodies of each song on The Stranger are memorable, so much so that they strengthen the weaker portions of the album. Joel rarely wrote a set of songs better than those on The Stranger, nor did he often deliver an album as consistently listenable.
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| 01. |  |
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) |
3:28 |
|
| 02. | |
The Stranger |
5:08 |
|
| 03. | |
Just The Way You Are |
4:49 |
|
| 04. | |
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant |
7:35 |
|
| 05. | |
Vienna |
3:32 |
|
| 06. | |
Only The Good Die Young |
3:53 |
|
| 07. | |
She's Always A Woman |
3:19 |
|
| 08. | |
Get It Right The First Time |
3:54 |
|
| 09. | |
Everybody Has A Dream |
4:35 |
|
09 Total Tracks, 40:13 Total Length
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Credits
- Patti Austin - Vocals // Patti Austin - Vocals // Patti Austin - Vocals (Background) // Patti Austin - Vocals (Background) // Gwen Guthrie - Vocals // Gwen Guthrie - Vocals (Background) // Billy Joel - Synthesizer // Billy Joel - Synthesizer // Billy Joel - Harmonica // Billy Joel - Harmonica // Billy Joel - Piano // Billy Joel - Piano // Billy Joel - Composer // Billy Joel - Composer // Billy Joel - Keyboards // Billy Joel - Keyboards // Billy Joel - Vocals // Billy Joel - Vocals // Billy Joel - Producer // Billy Joel - Producer // Billy Joel - Main Performer // Billy Joel - Main Performer // Phoebe Snow - Vocals // Phoebe Snow - Vocals (Background) // Hiram Bullock - Guitar // Hiram Bullock - Guitar // Hiram Bullock - Guitar (Electric) // Hiram Bullock - Guitar (Electric) // Steve Khan - Guitar (Acoustic) // Steve Khan - Guitar (Acoustic) // Steve Khan - Guitar (Acoustic) // Steve Khan - Guitar // Steve Khan - Guitar // Steve Khan - Guitar // Steve Khan - Guitar (Electric) // Steve Khan - Guitar (Electric) // Steve Khan - Guitar (Electric) // Steve Khan - Guitar (Rhythm) // Steve Khan - Guitar (Rhythm) // Steve Khan - Guitar (Rhythm) // Steve Khan - Guitar (12 String) // Steve Khan - Guitar (12 String) // Steve Khan - Guitar (12 String) // Patrick Williams - Orchestration // Ralph MacDonald - Percussion // Dom Cortese - Accordion // Jim Boyer - Engineer // Steve Burgh - Guitar (Acoustic) // Steve Burgh - Guitar // Steve Burgh - Guitar (Electric) // Richie Cannata - Organ // Richie Cannata - Clarinet // Richie Cannata - Fiddle // Richie Cannata - Flute // Richie Cannata - Keyboards // Richie Cannata - Saxophone // Richie Cannata - Sax (Soprano) // Richie Cannata - Sax (Tenor) // Richie Cannata - Wind // Liberty DeVitto - Percussion // Liberty DeVitto - Drums // Lani Groves - Vocals // Lani Groves - Vocals (Background) // Ted Jensen - Remastering // Ted Jensen - Digital Remastering // Hugh MacDonald - Guitar (Acoustic) // Hugh McCracken - Guitar (Acoustic) // Hugh McCracken - Guitar // Phil Ramone - Producer // Phil Ramone - Engineer // Doug Stegmeyer - Bass // Richard Tee - Organ // Phil Woods - Saxophone // Phil Woods - Saxophone // Phil Woods - Saxophone // Phil Woods - Saxophone // Phil Woods - Saxophone // Phil Woods - Saxophone // Phil Woods - Saxophone // Phil Woods - Saxophone // Phil Woods - Saxophone // Phil Woods - Saxophone // Phil Woods - Saxophone // Phil Woods - Sax (Alto) // Phil Woods - Sax (Alto) // Phil Woods - Sax (Alto) // Phil Woods - Sax (Alto) // Phil Woods - Sax (Alto) // Phil Woods - Sax (Alto) // Phil Woods - Sax (Alto) // Phil Woods - Sax (Alto) // Phil Woods - Sax (Alto) // Phil Woods - Sax (Alto) // Phil Woods - Sax (Alto) // Dave Brown - Guitar // Jim Houghton - Photography // John Naatjes - Tape Research // Kathy Kurs - Associate Producer
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