Parents' Pick #1: The Stranger by Billy Joel Revised

My first review is about an album featured heavily in both my mom and dad’s playlists: The Stranger by the one and only Billy Joel. In most reviews of Joel’s work it seems as though the majority of the review was written to critique him. But, you have to give Joel credit seeing as he has not released a new album since 1993 yet he still manages to sell out Madison Square Garden 12 times in 2014. While, I do see where some people would find his melodies a bit over done or tacky, I personally like them. I think his hits such as “Piano Man” and “Captain Jack” are catchy and fun, and some of the songs on his album The Stranger are no exception to this, but a few songs are. In a classic Joel song I often get a bit of a Broadway feel, with large flashy choruses that you just can’t get out of your head. But, with a few of the songs on this album that aspect is missing. For example, the song “She’s Always a Woman” is a softer song than most of Joel’s and lacks the over the top melodies and choruses of his normal hits. While it is a small difference in Joel’s work, it is definitely a noticeable one.

Another difference with this album compared to Joel’s previous records is that The Stranger is a lot more consistent. Rather than having one distinctive hit such as “Piano Man” and “Captain Jack,” instead there are multiple well selling tracks. Many could argue that this album was actually Joel’s best album in his career. The album was selected as Album of the Year in 1977 and reached the #2 spot in the U.S album charts; Also, the album became Columbia Records’ best selling album at the time. Joel humbly credits much of the album’s success to Phil Ramone who produced the album and suggested Joel take it down a notch on some of the songs.

 An interesting thing about this album is that it really doesn’t have a general concept for as a whole. There is no bigger picture or story told throughout the album, however many of the songs do present their own individual stories. The first song on the album, “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s song),” and “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” both tell the stories of named characters working through hardships in their lives and making big decisions. The songs “Vienna” and “Only the Good Die Young” are also in the form of stories focusing on examining life. Personally I like the variation in the stories told within each song, it keeps things interesting, you are not stuck listening to 9 songs in a row all about the same thing. Plus, the variation means that this album has something for everyone, whether you want a slow love song or a fast paced inspirational song to get your motivation level up, you can find whatever it is on this album, one of the reasons I think its perfect for both my parents and me to listen to!  

Honestly if you like Billy Joel I really don’t think there is a song you should avoid on this album, it really is his most consistent album in that it does not have any weak spots, and personally none of the songs get old after a while. I would be able to tell you if they did seeing as I’ve listened to the album at least 70 times in the past week, in fact I’m listening to it while I’m writing this review, and I still love it just as much as the first one. The 30^th anniversary version of this album also includes a second CD featuring live performances of both the songs on this album and from other albums as well, which if I do say so myself sound just as fantastic as the recorded versions. My personal favorites on the album are definitely “Vienna,” mostly because I connect with the lyrics a lot, and “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” because the restaurant part of the song reminds me of my Italian grandmother. My least favorite song on the album would probably be “Get it Right the First Time,” but mostly because I find the flute at the end of the chorus a little weird personally. But do not take it from me, definitely check the album out yourself if you haven’t already and if you like it as much as I do awesome, if not that’s fine too!