Billy Joel - The Stranger
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Billy JoelBrand: Columbia
Edition: Music CD
Format: Enhanced, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 1998-10-20
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
- The Stranger
- Just the Way You Are
- Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
- Vienna
- Only the Good Die Young
- She's Always a Woman
- Get It Right the First Time
- Everybody Has a Dream
Free Music Notes for The Stranger
Free Music Review: Landmark Album Featuring Old New York and Melting Pot Themes
Hit: 5 Stars
For Billy Joel, 1977's "The Stranger" would be the album that would put him on the map. Throughout the 1970s, Billy Joel had been knocking on the door for a while. The potential for greatness had been seen throughout his first four albums. His fifth album, "The Stranger" would be the breakthrough album he had waited for. Looking back at this album, this is such as strong collection - it easily could be mistaken for a greatest hits collection.
I look at Billy Joel's career as having three phases. The first phase is what I call "Old Billy Joel". This basically includes all of his material from "Cold Spring Harbor" through "Turnstiles". These are perhaps the strongest days as the piano sound, but they also contain most of Joel's least heard material. The next phase is what I call "Middle Billy Joel". This was his most successful period and covers from "The Stranger" to "Billy Joel Greatest Hits Volume 1 and 2". Joel would go through a transition during this phase - expanding his musical horizons and exploring different avenues. The final phase is the "Later Billy Joel" phase - this covers "The Bridge" to "River of Dreams". In this phase, Billy would start to incorporate some of his older styles of music while not abandoning his desire to continue to explore new avenues. On his previous album, "Turnstiles" - Billy began to explore some of those new musical horizons. This was evidenced by the use of other instruments (saxophones) as well as Jazz, Reggae, and Calypso influences. For "The Stranger", Billy Joel continues in this direction - but takes things up to the next level - while he still depends on the Piano, he isn't afraid to incorporate other instruments.
"The most prevelent theme on "The Stranger" seems to be almost an "Old New York" style of music. Even songs (such as "Vienna") that don't have a theme of "Old New York" fit very well because of New York's reputation for a melting pot. In a lot of ways, "The Stranger" is a melting pot for various types of music. This is combined with some stellar lyrics - making for one outstanding collection.
Here is a review of each of the tracks:
"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)": This song has its place in music history. It is famous for the characters of 'Anthony', 'Mama Leone', "Sgt O'Leary",and "Mr. Caccatiore". The formula for using characters worked on "Piano Man" and it works again on this song. These characters are symbolic of New York's melting pot. Billy's piano combined with outstanding horns by Richie Cannata enhance it with some old New York flavor.
"The Stranger": The classical piano and whistling intro(and close) of this song is legendary, but its some powerful lyrics. It discusses how relationships wrong when a partner becomes a "The Stranger". Ralph MacDonald, who contributed "Calypso Breakdown" on the "Saturday Night Fever" album provides percussion. This song is also highlighted by some terrific guitar work.
"Just the Way You Are": In keeping with the Old New York Melting Pot theme, this terrific well-written ballad has a wonderful Spanish acoustic influence to it. More terrific horns by Richie Cannata.
"Scenes From an Italian Restaurant": Billy Joel also mentioned how the Beatles influenced them. Like "A Day in the Life" in which different fragments of songs were merged together, so was this song. This song originally started out as "The Ballad of Brenda and Eddie" and Joel then wrapped the Italian Restaurant theme around it. The rest is history - this song speaks for itself. It is also worth noting that this song fits in well with the Old New York and Melting Pot themes.
"Vienna": This is another legendary song. . Billy Joel explained later in his career on how "Vienna" was the crossroads of the world in Europe between East and West cultures (It was also a city in which Billy Joel's father lived). He uses this as a metaphor to explain when one reaches "crossroads" of life. As mentioned above, although not an "Old New York" style, it still fits in with the melting pot theme. This song definitely has a Central-European/Viennese theme - especially with the accordian midway through the song.
"Only the Good Die Young": It might be a controversial song, but it is favorite of many Joel fans. From a musicial standpoint, it is the rapid acoustic guitar that probably gives this song an extra dimension. I also feel this sound fits in with the "Old New York" theme.
"She's Always a Woman": This song seems more of a throwback to the "Old Billy Joel" phase of his career. The strength of this song is the piano, but if you listen to the guitar sounds - this song will almost have a slight Spanish feel to it.
"Get it Right the First Time": The first seven songs are so legendary that this song often gets forgotten about. Ralph MacDonald contributes percussion again. This song is highlighted by some great acoustic guitar work. On his first album "Cold Spring Harbor", Billy Joel searched for inspiration and this song seems to also capture this feeling.
"Everybody Has a Dream": This is actually an older song from 1971. This is basically is in the same category as "Get it Right the First Time" - this song is overlooked by the first seven songs and it is another song where Billy Joel searches for inspiration. The difference is that this song is highlighted by some great piano work and a terrific chorus featuring Gwen Guthrie and Patti Austin as well as more Ralph McDonald percussion..
The liner notes include all of the lyrics as well as musician and production credits. As mentioned above, this collection on its own could easily have been a greatest hits collection, but since it isn't - it just stands alone as a great album. This is a must have for anyone who is a Billy Joel fan or wishing to become one.
The Stranger Poster
Stranger (Remastered, Enhanced) Billy Joel Label: Sony Release Date: 10/20/1998 1 Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) - 3:30 2 The Stranger - 5:10 3 Just the Way You Are - 4:50 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 - 9:08This, pop superstar Joel's breakout LP, came years after he first hit the charts with the novelty-ish "Piano Man." In the meantime, the New York-based songwriter released two lackluster and stylistically confused platters that blunted interesting songs with a sound that was neither Elton mellow nor Elton attitude. Produced by Phil Ramone, The Stranger took those who had written Joel off as a one-hit wonder by surprise ("Just the Way You Are" was among the biggest hits of 1977) and it remains a solid introduction to Joel's restless muse at a crucial point in his career. It invited a few comparisons to Bruce Springsteen, with its prominent sax breaks, hard-edged rebel-rockers ("Only the Good Die Young"), and slice-of-life dramatics ("Scenes From an Italian Restaurant"), recounting life in a lower middle-class (Eastern Urban) setting; but Joel's chameleonic, formalist approach to pop wasn't to be so easily pigeonholed (Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain, An Innocent Man...). --Don Harrison
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