Classic Albums Live: Billy Joel: The Stranger

The Stranger is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on September 29, 1977, by Columbia Records. It was the first of Joel's albums to be produced by Phil Ramone, with whom he would work for five subsequent albums.

Joel's previous album, Turnstiles (1976), had sold modestly, and peaked at only #122 on the US Billboard 200 charts, prompting Columbia to consider dropping him if his next release sold poorly. Joel wanted the new album to feature his touring band, formed during the production of Turnstiles. The band consisted of drummer Liberty DeVitto, bassist Doug Stegmeyer, and multi-instrumentalist Richie Cannata, who played the saxophone and organ. Spending six weeks at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, The Stranger was Joel's critical and commercial breakthrough.

This page includes text adapted from the Wikipedia article The Stranger (album) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stranger_(album)), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Message from Craig Martin:

"learning billy joel’s stranger album is like completing a university course his arrangements are complex no one uses chords like billy we haven’t come across such intricate songwriting before then you add the lyrics and melodies you can hear the hunger in his voice young and ready to take on the world zero limitations as to what he wants to achieve i have sirius playing in the house quite often and billy sometimes takes control and plays along to tracks and shares his insights into what makes a song great not just his songs but any song from any genre he’s a music lover strong and true if you can find it - tune it in - it’s joyous the stranger is perfect album track after track of deft songwriting we’re going to pay it the ultimate respect and perform it note for note - cut for cut

• Craig Martin, Founder, Classic Albums Live

Songs from The Stranger album:

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