Billy Joel
The Stranger

THE REVIEW

It's very serious that on this site no one has yet thought of reviewing an album by Billy Joel, an artist perhaps too underrated...
Often defined as the American Elton John, Joel is less transgressive and eccentric than his colleague, but he is an artist of great and refined musical sensitivity. His passion for classical music is easily inferred from his repertoire, where it blends with folk, country, rock, etc. Let's say that Joel is the opposite of Lou Reed, the other face of New York. Sure, Reed definitely has more depth, but Billy Joel is a romantic piano genius, a former nightclub pianoman who even dabbled in boxing before becoming one of the artists most beloved by the American public.

"The Stranger" is perhaps, along with "Piano Man", his best album. It is the first album that launched him into the world of absolute commercial success, a work where the classical-romantic vocation mixes with the more fashionable folk-rock.
The album opens with "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)", a direct and slightly tragic song, which tells the story of Anthony precisely. A start that quickly moves on to open the curtain to a light, romantic album which, without revolutionary elements, can be defined as perfect, balanced, everything fits ideally.
The second track, "The Stranger", is announced by a melancholic piano work, and Joel's solitary whistling, this overture of great poetry immediately gives way to an aggressive song (always in the artist's style though), and after about 5 minutes, it falls back into the melancholy with which it began.
"Just The Way You Are", is perhaps the artist's most famous piece, a soft ballad, of immense romanticism, fit for a candlelight evening. Billy's beautiful voice is accompanied by the light instrumentation and the feline sax interventions, delighting us towards the end of the piece with a sweet and polished solo.
The fourth piece is one of the most beautiful songs on the album, a long piece full of atmosphere as its title suggests, "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant". A long song, divided into three parts with very different rhythms. From the autumn sunset atmosphere, it moves to a municipal orchestra rhythm and so on... to then enjoy the artist's piano strumming.
"Vienna", a city Joel loves especially for its musical history, is the title of the next piece, once again a melancholic piano ballad, less slow, but atmospherically intense like the others. The accordion and the piano flirt with the sweet voice of the artist.
"Only The Good Die Young" was accused of anti-Christianity, and Joel was threatened at the St. Louis concert and advised not to perform it, he naturally ignored any threat and played the piece twice. This is a cheerful song compared to the others, with a pleasant rhythm and a very engaging sax interlude.
The seventh song is beautiful, "She's Always A Woman" is the quintessential Joel piece, romantic and melancholic, with that beautiful voice floating over the piano notes. A love song that will bring tears to those who have something to remember...
After the sweetness of seven, at eight the semi-rock rhythms return. "Get It Right The First Time" is a lightweight piece, light but very pleasant, with Billy's humming delighting the ear. The journey in the Joel-era New York has been romantic and sensual, it ends worthily, with a smooth and soft piece "Everybody Has A Dream", accompanied by an almost Gospel choir, a typical farewell. Everything is slow, the piano, the voice, the rhythm.
Then the music fades and the melancholic whistling of "The Stranger" returns, fading away towards the sunset...

Billy Joel is a masterful author, he certainly hasn't revolutionized rock,  but he knows his stuff. Furthermore, he is one of the best rock pianists ever, and also a great live performer. Those who believe that rock is only endless guitar solos, and people dying from overdoses, are greatly mistaken. Rock is pure emotion, and this album gives plenty of them...