The Stranger (studio album) by Billy Joel

From ffudnebbuh 08/06/2023 02:11

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From the pulsating beats of "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" to the heartfelt balladry of "Just the Way You Are," each track is a pure gem that resonates with Joel's soulful voice and unparalleled musicianship. The seamless fusion of rock, pop, and jazz elements creates a timeless album that captivates the listener from start to finish. Joel's poignant lyrics, coupled with his emotive delivery, evoke a range of emotions, making this album a journey of love, longing, and introspection. Every song is a hit in its own right, and the album as a whole is a timeless classic that stands the test of time.

A classic record that deserves more praise on this site than it gets. If you look at it on its base level it is genius catchy pop and rock songs spearheaded by Billy Joel on piano that you can't get out of your head. On deeper inspection, you start to see the intricacies and intelligence of the music on here. It is packed full of a huge array of diverse instrumentation all played beautifully to match the style of each song perfectly. When you listen properly it becomes clear that Billy Joel has gone beyond a pop record to create a grand and rich experience that I can't get enough of. The first 7 songs on the album are all elite and they work together so well that before you know it the record is closing up as you have become completely lost in the music. The final two songs are a small step down but they are still great with Everybody Has A Dream being an epic closer that wraps up what you have just experienced superbly. Billy Joel is huge on this album as well with his lyrics being enjoyable to explore and his voice being fantastic the whole way through. Overall, this record is genius and it has completely hooked me in with its beautiful instrumentation, song writing and vocal performance making it one of my most frequently revisited records.

Quite baffling how underrated this album is on this site. It’s crazy it didn’t sweep at the Grammy’s either. 7 fantastic tracks in a row is hard to beat.

An all-time top singer-songwriter at the peak of his powers. Classic album!

Album Rating: 73.78
(664/9)

1.Movin' Out (Anthony's Song). 83
2.The Stranger. 75
3.Just The Way You Are. 72
4.Scenes From An Italian Restaurant. 73
5.Vienna. 74
6.Only The Good Die Young. 68
7.She's Always A Woman. 71
8.Get It Right The First Time. 71
9.Everybody Has A Dream. 77

An excellent collection of piano-oriented pop/rock songs. It's probably the album of his that is most representative of him as an artist. Billy Joel's lyricism and strong melodic ability really shine on this album - he is one of the best pop melodists of the 20th Century. "Just the Way You Are", "Vienna", "Only the Good Die Young" and "She's Always a Woman" are the highlights for me, but there is not a bad song on this album.

The instrumentals here are superb and they fit very well with his voice and songwriting.

One of the finest collections of pop and rock melodies ever conceived.

From FrankiieLDN 04/25/2022 11:58

From start to finish this album goes on a journey and deserves way more love than it gets.
This was the album that made me fall in love with Billy Joel as an artist and is definitely him at his best. It's clever, emotional, gentle, raw, rich, energetic and calming.