I have always suspected that certain musicians, Bill Joel and Paul Simon come to mind, resent being told by fans that one of their earlier albums remains a great favorite. Both Joel & Simon have graduated, apparently, from musician to artist and I imagine they would prefer that their fans share and appreciate their development and evolution. However, the album listener is not burdened by the pains of artistic growth. Rather, the music that I heard at a certain time in my life remains frozen in time and memory. For me, the Stranger is the best album Joel ever recorded. It has been a long time since I actually sat down and listened to the entire Stranger album. I had forgotten how good it was. Every song works. Even "Just the way you are" which became one of the all-time vomit inducing wedding songs of the '70s sounds good in the context of this album. I still care about Brenda and Eddie. I grew up in Queens at the same time Joel was growing up in Long Island. I knew Brenda and Eddie - or lots of people who could pass for Brenda and Eddie. Only the good die young still has that parochial school resonance and lust-driven undertones that it had almost 30 years ago. So sit down - have a bottle of red, have a bottle of white - it all depends on your appetite - and enjoy this great cd.

I had no memory of Billy Joel until the winter of 1977-78 (sure, I had heard songs like "Piano Man" and "NY State of Mind", but didn't know who sang or wrote them). "Just the Way You Are", one of the most intelligent love songs ever (supposedly written for his 1st wife- don't request it live!) changed that. 3 months later, "Moving Out" (which opens this album) hit the airwaves, a catchy but cynical song about characters like Anthony and Sgt. O'Leary who just can't seem to "get a life". With that, my sister came home with the record,and it became a favorite amongst all my siblings. To this day, it still sounds as versatile and poignant.

The title track starts out with a slow piano shuffle with a melancholy whistle, then breaks out in a funky guitar lick- this song is about all of us: "We all have a face... some are satin, some are steel... they're the faces of the stranger but we love to try them all!". "Vienna" is a winsome ballad (with its European sounding accordian). "Only the Good Die Young" is a catchy shuffle, which makes of fun of religious hypocricy. "She's Always a Woman" is one of the most cynical love songs ever written with a lovely waltz beat. "Get it Right the 1st Time" with its Latino flavor and positive lyrics changes the mood to being hopeful. The "final" track is "Everybody Has a Dream", supposedly one of the older songs (at least written, not performed, since the copyright goes back to 1971, 6 years before the album's release). And then, there's the hidden track, a reprise of "The Stranger".

I thought I'd save my comments about the best song for last: "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant". The slow introduction and conclusion capture the restaurant mood perfectly (you'd have to have eaten in an Italian restaurant in New York to know what I'm talking about). Then after the saxophone riff, the mood picks up as Billy Joel reminisces about the old days and shares in the small talk about Brenda and Eddie, 2 high school lovebirds, with the singalong chorus: "Whoa- oh!".

I am 14 years old, and this is my all-time favorite CD! Everyone my age is either into punk or hip-hop, but I'll take Billy Joel any day! All of the songs on this CD are awesome, all my personal favorites! Vienna is my favorite, but the rest are great, also. This is the perfect CD to listen to when you want to relax- I always do after school to unwind. There are relaxing songs and upbeat songs, so you can't go wrong. No matter what kind of mood your in, there is a song on here for you. This is an awesome CD and a must-have for any Billy Joel fan. ALL BILLY JOEL FANS WILL LOVE AND APPRECIATE THE CD. ONCE AGAIN I WILL SAY, ITS BILLY JOEL AT HIS BEST!

Wow, this album blows you away. Those rare albums you can find where every song or every song except 1 or 2, is great are hard to find. This is one of them. Some people will argue that this was not when he was at his best. I'd like to hear how they can justify that, but anyway. It starts off with a classic, Movin Out (Anthony's Song), then, one of my favorites, a haunting melody, The Stranger. Joel proves his extreme talent in this album. Then it moves to beautiful songs like, "Just The Way You Are," and "Scenes From An Italian Restaraunt," many people's favorite song of all time. The next song, Vienna, is also beautiful. And with megahit, Song #6, Only The Good Die Young, he basically proves that his music can go many ways and still be great. That fast moving tune, has some of the best lyrics anywhere. This album is a must have for everyone who likes any form of Rock. Not just Billy Joel.

His next two songs, "She's Always A Woman" and "Get It Right The First Time" don't let you down. With Shes Always A Woman's powerful lyrics, and Get It Right The First Time's" fast moving beat, there were two more incredible songs on this album.

The only song that is not great is the next one, in my opinion, "Everybody Has A Dream." A decent song, that is not near the first 8, it is a good way to end the album.

This album here, contains 8 songs that would be in my Top 20 Billy Joel songs of all time. Not that his other works were not excellent, like "Piano Man," or "52nd Street," but "The Stranger" is superior. No question in my mind.

"The Stranger" was Billy Joel's first album to receive substantial critical and popular acclaim, and remains to this day one of his best. It's a pop masterpiece filled with lyrical, cynical songs about missed opportunities in love and, in general, life; all of which are well-crafted tunes in the finest traditions of Tin Pan Alley. Joel shows how fine a song composer he is by successfully fusing together the best of jazz and Broadway. Undoubtedly "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" is the album's best tune, yet he also has his finest love song "She's Always A Woman". Probably the most popular tune is "Anthony's Song (Movin' Out)". Joel's memorable lyrics and melodies sound fresh and quite relevant today. Along with "52nd Street", this is undoubtedly Joel's finest album from the 1970's.