Billy Joel, The Stranger
Featured Album
Billy Joel's most complete album
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.
