Billy Joel: The Stranger (30th anniversary edition) [COLUMBIA/LEGACY]

Why you'll love it

The Stranger is Billy Joel's best-selling studio album, and "Just the Way You Are" won Grammys for Record and Song of the Year. Four Top 40 singles, plus "Vienna" and "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," the two songs he still can't leave out of a show.

This edition

• 30th anniversary edition
• First of his albums produced by Phil Ramone

About the album

Columbia was ready to cut Billy Joel loose in 1977. His last record, Turnstiles, had stalled at No. 122, and the next one had to land. So Joel brought in his touring band (Liberty DeVitto on drums, Doug Stegmeyer on bass, Richie Cannata on sax and organ), passed on George Martin, and hired Phil Ramone. Three weeks later they had The Stranger.

Talk about pressure creating diamonds. "Movin' Out," "Only the Good Die Young" and "She's Always a Woman" all hit the charts, "Just the Way You Are" swept the Grammys, and the album sat at No. 2 for six weeks. Then there's "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," seven-odd minutes of Brenda and Eddie that might just be the best thing he ever wrote. Bottle of red, bottle of white: you know the rest.

Also at Kops: more Billy Joel on vinyl · browse Rock

Tracklist

Listen

On Columbia / Legacy, the 30th anniversary edition of the 1977 album.