The Stranger (30th Anniversary Edition) - Joel, Billy

JACKPOT!! This is Billy's best album. The thing is solid from start to finish, and six of the 9 songs ended up on his 1985 Greatest Hits album, anyway. I don't know what more can be said about this album - it's just THAT GOOD. Stop reading this, and click on the cover art and order it. :)

OK, that's what I wrote about this album on the "regular" edition I used to have. Billy Joel's "The Stranger" album was the first Joel album I ever owned. On top of that my memory tells me it was the first "rock" album I ever owned. I don't believe I got it in 1977 (I would have been 12), but it was at some point in the 70's. That detail is lost to the haze of time.

In early 2008, I read where there was going to be a new remix of the album out. There was going to be a couple of editions, a two CD version (what I got), and a larger box version with more live stuff. The one I did get is two discs. Disc 1 is a new remaster (which adds a lot of power and kick to the album), and Disc 2 is a live album recorded in 1977 before the release of the Stranger. That's less of an issue for me, because Billy Joel has released WAY TOO MANY live albums since he stopped making albums in 1993. Anyway, it was worth it for the cleanup. The album was always great, but the new remix makes it sound much clearer. Definitely worth it if you've never bought the album (ack!), or if you're a hardcore. You'll want the upgrade.

It lacks in the usual things you get in these remixes - like alternate tracks, demos, etc. But that's OK, the regular album is that good.