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Album Review:

The Stranger

  • Release Date: 1977
  • Genre: Rock
  • Label: Sony Japan
  • Total Time: 40:17

Review

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. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title iTunes Composers Performers Time
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
Billy Joel Billy Joel (3:30)
The Stranger
Billy Joel Billy Joel (5:10)
Just the Way You Are
Billy Joel Billy Joel (4:50)
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Billy Joel Billy Joel (7:37)
Vienna
Billy Joel Billy Joel (3:34)
Only the Good Die Young
Billy Joel Billy Joel (3:55)
She's Always a Woman
Billy Joel Billy Joel (3:21)
Get It Right the First Time
Billy Joel Billy Joel (3:57)
Everybody Has a Dream
Billy Joel Billy Joel (9:08)

Credits

Patti Austin (Vocals), Patti Austin (Vocals (Background)), Gwen Guthrie (Vocals), Gwen Guthrie (Vocals (Background)), Billy Joel (Synthesizer), Billy Joel (Harmonica), Billy Joel (Piano), Billy Joel (Composer), Billy Joel (Keyboards), Billy Joel (Vocals), Billy Joel (Producer), Billy Joel (Main Performer), Phoebe Snow (Vocals), Phoebe Snow (Vocals (Background)), Hiram Bullock (Guitar), Hiram Bullock (Guitar (Electric)), Steve Khan (Guitar (Acoustic)), Steve Khan (Guitar), Steve Khan (Guitar (Electric)), Steve Khan (Guitar (Rhythm)), 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 (Sax (Alto)), Dave Brown (Guitar), Jim Houghton (Photography), John Naatjes (Tape Research), Kathy Kurs (Associate Producer)
 
 
Wikipedia: The Stranger (album)


The Stranger
The Stranger cover
Studio album by Billy Joel
Released September, 1977
Recorded A & R Recording, Inc., New York City
Genre Rock
Length 40:17
Label Columbia
Producer Phil Ramone
Professional reviews
Billy Joel chronology
Turnstiles
(1976)
The Stranger
(1977)
52nd Street
(1978)

The Stranger is the fifth studio album by Billy Joel, released in 1977 (see 1977 in music). While his four previous albums were moderately successful, this was his breakthrough album, peaking at #2 on the U.S. album charts. It remains Joel's best-selling non-compilation album to date.

History

Much of the album's success is attributed to Joel's collaboration with producer Phil Ramone, whose innovative production methods complemented Joel's songs. This fruitful collaboration would continue for a decade.

Singles released from the album include "Just the Way You Are" (which won the Grammy for Record of the Year), the acoustic ballad "She's Always A Woman," the mildly controversial "Only the Good Die Young," and "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," which later lent its title to Movin' Out, an acclaimed hit Broadway musical based on Billy Joel's songs.

This album overtook Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water album to become the best-selling album on the Columbia Records imprint at the time.

Generally regarded as Joel's finest work, in 2003, the album was ranked number 67 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Track listing

All songs by Billy Joel.

  1. "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" – 3:30
  2. "The Stranger" – 5:10
  3. "Just the Way You Are" – 4:52
  4. "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" – 7:37
  5. "Vienna" – 3:34
  6. "Only the Good Die Young" – 3:55
  7. "She's Always a Woman" – 3:21
  8. "Get It Right the First Time" – 3:57
  9. "Everybody Has a Dream" – 4:35
  10. "The Stranger (reprise)" - 2:02

Personnel

  • Billy Joel – acoustic piano, vocals, electric keyboards, synthesizers
  • Doug Stegmeyerbass guitar
  • Liberty DeVittodrums
  • Richie Cannata – tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet, flute, organ
  • Steve Khan – six and twelve string electric guitars, acoustic rhythm guitar, high string guitar
  • Hiram Bullock – electric guitar
  • Patrick Williams – orchestration
  • Ralph MacDonald – percussion on "The Stranger", "Just the Way You Are", "Get It Right The First Time" and "Everybody Has A Dream"
  • Hugh McCrackenacoustic guitar on "Just the Way You Are", "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", "She's Always A Woman", "Get It Right The First Time" and "Everybody Has A Dream"
  • Steve Burgh – acoustic guitar on "Just the Way You Are" and "She's Always A Woman"; electric guitar on "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"
  • Phil Woodsalto saxophone on "Just the Way You Are"
  • Dominic Cortese – accordion on "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" and "Vienna"
  • Richard Tee – organ on "Everybody Has A Dream"
  • Phoebe Snow – background vocals on "Everybody Has A Dream"
  • Lani Groves – background vocals on "Everybody Has A Dream"
  • Gwen Guthrie – background vocals on "Everybody Has A Dream"
  • Patti Austin – background vocals on "Everybody Has A Dream"

Charts

Album

Year Country Chart Position Weeks Certification Sales
1978 United States The Billboard 200 2 137 Diamond 10,000,000+
1978 Japan Oricon Weekly Albums Chart 3 75 Platinum 303,000+
1978 Australia Kent Music Report 2
1978 United Kingdom UK Albums Chart 24 40 Gold 100,000+

Singles

Year Country Single Chart Position
1978 North America "Just the Way You Are" The Billboard Hot 100 3
1978 North America "Just the Way You Are" Billboard AC 1
1978 United Kingdom "Just the Way You Are" UK Singles Chart 19
1978 North America "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" The Billboard Hot 100 17
1978 North America "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" Billboard AC 40
1978 United Kingdom "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" UK Singles Chart 35
1978 North America "Only the Good Die Young" The Billboard Hot 100 24
1978 North America "She's Always a Woman" The Billboard Hot 100 17
1978 Japan "The Stranger" Oricon Weekly 2

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year Winner Category
1978 Just the Way You Are Record of the Year



 
 

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Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ® , a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Stranger (album)" Read more

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