Billy Joel
The Stranger

THE REVIEW

I will never stop repeating that the best things were made thirty years ago.

This album, for example, is one of the many proofs where commerciality and immediacy do not have the negative meaning we attribute to the pop landscape today. Nine little melodic pearls filled with perfect arrangements where simplicity reigns supreme, abandoning all the glitz that a romantic pop genre like this would require to be more emotional.

The album is dated 1977, a year when Europe and especially England were experiencing the violence and revolution of punk, where, after a decade of suites and brilliant instrumentalists, everything was reduced to two chords, screams, and brevity. In the same year, Billy Joel released certainly not an epochal or revolutionary album, but with a handful of pop gems sold ten million copies, conquered the world, and won a Grammy (best song "JUST THE WAY YOU ARE"). "The Stranger," it's understood immediately, only pretends to be listened to because simply it is beautiful.

The superlative is the least when considering the quality of the tracks and the genre versatility with which Billy Joel enjoys himself in composition.

It starts with "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" where the spotlight is on a funny lyric sung in a very entertaining way (in my opinion, inspired by "Obla Di Obla Da" by the Beatles), with the addition of a sound base reminiscent of smoky, lady-filled New York bars from films. The chorus is exceptional and diverges from the song, taking a melodic turn closer to English psychedelia.

The album continues with the Title Track and its memorable initial whistling. Excellent vocal performance by Joel with a highly interpreted verse, muddling words to reach a very fluid falsetto chorus; FANTASTIC. In the third position is the hit "Just The Way You Are" which, even if I never loved it much, is of undeniable refinement and taste; suspended between a ballad and a mid-tempo.

Then comes "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" where Billy Joel remembers being a son of his time with a small and pretentious suite starting as a ballad and then becoming a fun pop-rock song great for stadiums with its "OOOOO," returning to the initial motif at the end. At this point, it becomes noticeable how massively present the Sax is, making both the sound of these pieces and their consequent public success unique.

"Vienna" brings back to Billy Joel's early works with its romantic atmosphere. Here's another single, "Only The Good Die Young," and its rock, which by the end of the listening is equally enjoyable. Indeed, in this album, it seems the artist wants to evoke emotions with his ballads and entertain with the more lively tracks leading consequently to the simplicity mentioned initially.

In succession comes "She's Always A Woman" of which I think writing any words is unnecessary: A MASTERPIECE.

The album finally closes with "Get It Right The First Time" and its "LA LA LA LA LA" and the gospel/soul of "Everybody Has A Dream" and yet another excellent vocal performance by Billy Joel.

An album from another time.... beautiful times.