Ranked #67 onRolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Billy JoelsThe StrangerIncludes Just the Way You Are, Only the Good Die Young, Shes Always a Woman

Getting It Right: Mobile Fidelitys Numbered-Edition Hybrid SACD Presents Phil Ramones Celebrated Production in Full-Range Sound

Billy Joelentered 1977 with a great track record but in need of a breakthrough. Pairing with producerPhil Ramone(Carly Simon, Simon & Garfunkel), who developed the requisite ingredients missing fromJoelsformula, the singer-songwriter became a household name and chart-topping success courtesy ofThe Stranger.Ranked #67 onRolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Timeand certified ten-times platinum, Joels artistic and commercial smash remains a pop-rock benchmark.

Sourced from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition hybrid SACD emphasizes the crucial touches and insightful techniques Ramone brought to a batch of material that ranks among Joels most clever, catchy, and sagacious.Whereas a handful of Joels preceding efforts feature a near-flawless mix of melodic arrangements and poignant lyrics, the aspects he sought in order to graduate into a more serious artist arrive here viaRamonesmore muscular, fleshed-out, and rock-enabling production. The streamlined approach strips back the sweeping developments heard onPiano ManandTurnstiles, allowing the vocalists bittersweet yearning, rollicking 88 notes, and working-class conviction to emanate with full-bodied detail, vivid color, and grand-scale dynamics.

A Grammy winner for both Record and Song of the Year, Just the Way You Are epitomizesJoelsballadic reach, his ability to transfer wistful sentiments and lovelorn emotions. He also flashes a mean streak. The animated Only the Good Die Young bounces and hops to an updated classic-R&B rhythm and, underneath its beauty, Shes Always A Woman hints at trouble underfoot. And then theres the New York-centric, character-rich poetry of the vignettes.

Akin to many of his influences, Joel nails the grit, personality, specificity, descriptiveness, and behavior of protagoniststhat populate Movin Out (Anthonys Song) and Scenes From an Italian Diner, each equally at home onThe Strangeras well as on a Broadway play or on a golden-era Hollywood film soundtrack. Unsurprisingly, just months after the record’s original release,Joelwas no longer a stranger to any of the music-loving public. He would never look back.

1. Movin Out (Anthonys 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. Shes Always a Woman
8. Get It Right the First Time
9. Everybody Has a Dream/The Stranger (Reprise)