Billy Joel - The Stranger / MFSL

Billy Joel's long-awaited breakthrough came in 1977 with the release of The Stranger. Phil Ramone, who had worked with Simon & Garfunkel, produced the album and helped Joel turn his already

impeccable arrangements and poignant lyrics into real hits. None of his previous ballads tugged at the heartstrings like 'Just The Way You Are', which won him the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1979.

The album itself, which was ranked 67th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest records of all time, also won a Grammy.Joel's voice is full of bittersweet longing, exuberance and a commitment to the

working class that could have come from Bruce Springsteen. With great dynamics, he paints rich details in vivid colours and makes wistful feelings audible. By contrast, the lyrics to 'Only The Good Die

Young', in which a boy tries to seduce his Catholic girlfriend, were less subtle. Although she retains her innocence in the end, the song was banned by many US radio stations for being "anti-Catholic". However,

this ban attracted even more attention, as Joel reported in 2008: "The minute they banned it, the album shot up the charts.

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Title

1. Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)

2. The Stranger

3. Just the Way You Are

4. Scenes From an Italian Restaurant

5. Vienna

6. Only the Good Die Young

7. She’s Always a Woman

8. Get It Right the First Time

9. Everybody Has a Dream/The Stranger (Reprise)