Reviews (page 15 of 16)
All gold (last two tracks more gold-plated), classic timeless piano rock veering into prog pop, a blend of ballads and lovesongs and stories, with melodies you can whistle till your lips drop off.
Good vibes, fun song writing
Okay.
Not bad, there was some nice songwriting here, but I doubt I'll ever return to it. Still better than Springsteen.
It's a good album, but I don't get how it's supposed to be an essential
Elton John's Wish version...
A nice pop album, with a very punchy, strong and catchy A-side. Unfortunately, along the next part of the ride, there are songs that are rather average and a bit annoying like Only The Good Die Young. Maybe "The Stranger" is an overrated album or I'm just not a fan of Billy Joel? I don't know.
7/9 tracks are unmistakeably brilliant, only the last couple falling off a bit. Still an easy 5 for me, just can't believe I've gone so long without listening to this.
divota!! Dva puta san ga poslušala
Svidia mi se baš jako! Baš zabavno
Amazing. I'm a sucker for Mr. Joel. "The Stranger" goes hard!
Billy Joel! Classic!
A lot of great tracks off of this album. Billy Joel is at the top of his game.
Hell yes!
I love this MAN
It's alright.
Great songwriter. The last two songs (Get It Right the First Time and Everybody Has a Dream) are complete garbage but everything else is top notch if you're looking for some well-crafted lyrics and perfect accompanying music. In other words, nothing super inventive or genre-shattering but still a great listen.
I can't really complain about this album it's a fine album. Am I a fan? No. But that doesn't change the fact that the guy makes some fun adult contemporary pop albums. For me he's a poor man's Randy Newman. Anyway a pleasant uneventful listen...3.5 🌟
Top five of Billy Joel's albums. It's weird how I have moved on from his stuff, but it's nice to come back to it, like an old friend. Every song on this one is a singalong, as opposed to some of his other albums which are really good, but you just don't have that feeling to sing along with them. Billy Joel himself seemed to push Vienna a LOT in later years, and it's easy to see why, it is an underrated gem. Even the songs that are the hits do not feel overplayed to me (I'm looking at you, "Piano Man." God if I hear that song one more time...) This one really put him out there in the mainstream. And rightfully so, it's a great album.
Another tough one. For sure a 4 given its singles. Just the Way You Are and She's Always a Woman are two beautifully written and sounding classics (as beautiful as Let it Be or Hey Jude). Only the Good Die Young is one of my favorite Joel tunes - super fun and great lyrics. Movin' Out is almost as foot-tappingly fun and good, but there's always been something about it that didn't quite compute (is it all the ack's?). Of his apparently beloved other songs, I really enjoyed Scenes from a Restaurant (especially the more sombre start) but was a bit ho-hum on Vienna. The latter definitely got better and better the more I listened (10 times?). But I found title track and the last two tracks a bit meh. So, what do you give an album with 5.5 great songs and 3 so-so's? I'm at 4.5 so which way to tip? I'm going to round up for the start of both Get it Right the First time and Everybody has a Dream - the former reminded me of Paul Simon's work (a good thing) and the latter opened soft and sweet even if the last 2 minutes was unnecessary.
It's like listening to a greatest hits album. There are 9 tracks on this album and at least 6 are greatest hits (Movin' Out, The Stranger, Just the Way You Are, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Only the Good Die Young, She's Always a Woman). Crazy. The remaining tracks are all good but simply not as great as the other six. Bottom line is Billy Joel is a great songwriter, so this album is an easy 5.
I never warmed to this guy. Just no substance or heart to him at all.
Enjoyed, not bad
The album cover is clearly trying to be art. But what is that hanging on the wall? Boxing gloves? Is he torn between being a lover (of strangers) or a fighter? Is it the cultural proximity to Rocky? /shrug Of course we all know Billy Joel. But I can't say I've ever sat down and listened to a whole album end to end. The opening song is strong. Who can help singing along with Cadillac-ac-ac-ac-ac? Just the Way You Are was popular just as I started learning to play saxophone as a little girl, so it is impossible for me to listen to without intense consuming nostalgia. Goodness me, the hits keep coming on this one. In my head I lump Billy Joel in with Elton John and Tom Petty as a fellows who can reliably turn out a straight forward but catchy tune, often telling a sharply drawn story, with a singing style that invites one to sing along. To me this kind of music forms the common backdrop we can all pin our own personal stories to. This music is popular for good reason.
In the pantheon of adult contemporary singer-songwriters who meandered out of the 70s, Billy Joel sits somewhere in the middle with Springsteen. A touch better than the bland whiteness of Rod Stewart, John Mellencamp, and Bryan Adams, but no where near the quality of Warren Zevon or solo Paul Simon. It's not an awful album, but it shouldn't really be on a list of essential listening. This is an album to listen to while bonding with your aunt over herbal tea and zucchini bread while she busts out old 35mm pictures of bridges she took while on a bicycle tour of the US.
Classic.
Some great hits on this tune. Billy Joel is an artist that you have to know and understand his style. I think he's authentically "square" but I don't think that's a bad thing. I don't think he's trying any music that is not his genuine self.
I mean, this is fine for a Doctor's office
Never thought I'd rate a Billy Joel album higher than a Jimi Hendrix album, but here we are.
Fin un peu molle, mais pas mal Prefs: Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), The Stranger, Just The Way You Are, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Vienna Moins pref: Only the Good Die Young
Fantastic album! Don’t know what else to say about it. I listened to this album already many times and it’s still great! Favourite songs: - Scenes from a Italian restaurant - Vienna - She’s always a woman
Billy Joel's most successful album, by the metric that you'll hear a good chunk of these on the radio. Billy Joel is clean, playful, polished enough for the masses, making his songs a shoe-in for radio. He's also an extremely good songwriter. Sure it's piano pop rock, but it's really that good. Obvious standout is "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant", which is a sentimental song that tells a bittersweet story through a few "movements", if you will. Fantastic. Great closer to side 1. The rest of it is practically that good. I don't know what else to say.
I have incredibly beautiful memories with this album. Very beautiful moments and cheesy ballads. (8/10) FT: Nearly whole album :) Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Vienna, Everybody Has a Dream
i love elton john <333 not to be basic but vienna <3333333 also scenes from an italian restaurant is literally piano man...still hits tho!!!!
This album actually surprised me. I've never been the biggest fan of Billy Joel's music, like, at all, and as such, had very low expectations going into this. I was surprised to find out that it was a super strong album. Was it great, or particularly mindblowing? No, but the album as a whole was still really good. The vocal delivery and just the vocals themselves from Billy Joel were great, as was the instrumentation and overall arraignment. I found the album to be consistent throughout; there isn't a song that I dislike (too much, that is). Overall, I'm glad I got the chance to listen to this album. Not great, but very solid.
Perfectly produced 70's radio pop/rock. More tunes knocking around than a pack of lozenges. Best Tracks: Movin' Out (Anthony's Song); Vienna; Only The Good Die Young
This album is great, especially Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. One of Billy Joel’s best.
Such a delightful album with good variation in the tunes, beautiful vocals, fun songs. Songs like Scenes from an Italian Restaurant has nice progressions and changes in tune combined with nice saxophone! And Billy's songs are good at brining my friends together which adds to the Joy. I can only ask: when will you realize, Billy waits for you?
I thought this would be cheesy (and the cover art is creepy AF) but it was above average. Classic feel and none of the songs were terrible.
Pretty cool tunes
I don't understand what Billy Joel is I don't think
Some great songs, yet spectacularly unfashionable. I liked the storytelling narrative that runs throughout. It reminded me of Meat Loaf without all the ridiculous posturing. Quite uplifting and cheery - not my usual thing. A very odd album cover art.
enjotyed this - MOR as fuck but great songwriting
The boy’s got hooks! It’s got a weird tone though that I didn’t really enjoy. Seems smug in some way.
The Stranger is seen as a concept album of sorts but I don't see it as such, what I see is a an album filled with immediately familiar, pop, radio ready, songs which Billy Joel has become known for. The album has a something for everyone, formula perfect pop songs that are waiting to be sung at weddings, songs that make you want to get up and move, and songs that would fit perfectly on Broadway. While all the songs are not my taste there is no denying these songs were written for the masses. While I may not be a fan of Just the Way You Are it was the song of the year and it remains hugely popular. Regardless of what your musical taste at some point while listening through this album you will be singing along. Favorite songs: Only the Good Die Young, Movin' Out. 3 stars
If Billy Joel is one thing, it's earnest, which can be a double-edged sword. He's obviously a talented piano player, and songs like Movin' Out, Vienna and Only the Good Die Young have an undeniable charm. But the album is all over the map. I love a third of it, I could take or leave another third of the tracks and then want to skip the other third. Thankfully I'm no longer in the walkman era where I have to manually skip Just the Way You Are every time, but the playlist era where I can put Movin' Out on my "Songs that say Ack ack ack ack" on them. Fav tracks: Movin' Out, Vienna, and Only the Good Die Young
Ah, Billy Joel. Our love-hate relationship continues with a mighty fury! He certainly knows his way around a melody, and when everything clicks into place, it makes for a moving and memorable experience (Only the Good Die Young, Movin' Out). But the schmaltz factor is real (Just the Way You Are, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant). Curiously, She's Always A Woman feels like it occupies the exact middle ground between his best and worst impulses. Favourite tracks: Movin' Out, Only the Good Die Young
The crew making this album had to know how big it was going to be. Far from big fan of his but this album is undeniable
Lotta hits and some filler. I wasn’t aware that “adult contemporary rock” existed when this was released, but that’s what it was in back 1977. Even though this isn’t my favorite style of music, Billy Joel scores with catchable tunes that have been radio staples for decades. I was struggling between 3 or 4 stars. Rounding up for “Only the Good Die Young” and memories of this track getting cranked up at our Jr. High School dances - fake silk shirts, arrowhead necklaces, red stripe Nikes, a lotta sweat and no girlfriends.
interesting to listen to more than just his hits. Real good stuff here, billy.
Not my cup of Tea - Very middle of the road
Not my fave Billy Joel album
So many tunes I just absolutely love!
not something i would normally listen to, but not bad. piano music with dude singing
Easy listening—nothing stood out, except maybe the guitar on “She’s Always a Woman”.
Generic.
Didn’t think I’d like it. I liked it
Vibes of Elton's Honky Chateau through a lot of this. Enjoyable Listen. 3.5 really
"Movin' Out" is a fantastic start, and "The Stranger" is great too, but then things take a turn for the saccharine - I definitely prefer his more upbeat numbers to the ballads. When I listened to this yesterday I'd have given it 3 stars, mostly due to disappointed expectations after the strong opening tracks... Listened again today with more of an idea of what to expect, and found it a lot more palatable... Fave track - "Movin' Out", for sure, with the title track a close second...
4.45 Billy Joel is a lyrical poet or a prose writer
Better than expected, plays out like a mob movie soundtrack.
jos ugodinije i jos relaxije, 5
I respect Billy Joel's songwriting chops. These are incredibly successful songs and have been played on radio a bazillion times, and I know most of this album backwards just from the ubiquitous nature of the thing. But it bores me to tears. Billy Joel is not rock and roll (despite Billy's later protestations); it's much more popular song based in the Broadway tradition. And it is very successful in that mold. But I don't really need it in my life. Sorry.
As a whole album The Stranger is the best of Billy Joel. His other album are far less consistent in quality. To mention which song is the best ("Scenes from an Italian Restaurant") is almost a crime considering that apart from the last two songs (being only solid) they are all great.
My first 8 track. Great songs!
Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while
Vienna Mouais
Not really my thing - ok background music
Dit album is een feest der herkenning. Volgens mij had ik vroeger een kopie op cassettebandje. Billy Joel is een van mijn favoriete artiesten, maar heb dit album zelf al heeeeel lang niet meer geluisterd. Verbaasd me hoeveel leuke nummers er eigenlijk staan! ****** Helaas zijn er maar 5 sterren uit te delen :-)
The first cassette tape I bought was Billy Joel's "An Innocent Man". I'm sure that "Only the Good Die Young" from The Stranger had helped me decide that Joel was someone worth listening two. I've listened to 3 or 4 other studio albums, but never to the Stranger. There are only two tracks from The Stranger ("Get It Right the First Time", "Everybody Has a Dream") that I don't think I've heard before. 6 of the tracks I recognized just from their titles. I didn't think I had heard the title track before, but when I pulled up Joel's Greatest Hits vols. I & II (which I have listened to several times) I saw that "The Stranger" is on side 1. Joel has talent, and most of the music is likeable, but I've heard most of the tracks often enough to not see a need to re-visit this album.
This is the first Billy Joel album I've listened to all the way through and its what I expected from a billy joel album. Every song is at least listenable and there are quite a few bangers. Favs: moving out, only the good die young, everybody has a dream
Masterful. Gorgeous songwriting. A true classic. So many wonderful tracks that it's nearly impossible to pick a fave. But...if I had to choose...it would be either "The Stranger" or "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant".
I loved this album start to finish., Even the songs I didn't know were really fun to listen to and great 80s rock that you expect from Billy Joel. Loved Vienna and Get it right the first time.
Songs from this album last a long shadow over the pop landscape of the 1980s. The Stranger partly feels like a concept album, about that Italian restaurant, but then there are standalone pop moments. I can't abide "Just the Way You Are" - a now four-time divorced man telling women "don't go changing". But the title track is enjoyable, once its disco grooves get going.
Every song is a classic on here, can't hate on Billy Joel
genieten, ga ik nog vaak luisteren. de cover alleen als is mooi
Mooi rustig album met een paar prachtige schijven
Joel offers arguably his most complete album for the masses. By avoiding typical levels of corn and silliness, Joel has several iconic slow, ballad songs that leave to a worthy listen. The final two tracks aren’t close to the quality of the rest, but it doesn’t hold down the effort back too much.
This album seems familiar, I feel like my parents have played this album before
Eh.
Great album, really enjoy Billy Joel and 6/9 of the songs on this album are hits. At one point, I would have given it a 5, but just seems a tad bit poppy to me now.
There was a time when I really liked the best of compilation of Billy Joel and listened to it quite a lot. That was pretty long ago and I now realize how super cheesy Billy Joel and his songs are. Still, there are a couple of pretty good ones, he has a very good voice and occasionally I like the storytelling of his songs. I think I might have rated this a 3 or 3.5 on its own merits, but the nostalgia factor pushes it up to a 4.
Really enjoyed this album. Great songs and writing. Didn’t realize how many classics were on here.
Peak Billy Joel. I hated this a lot more when it was on the radio for 20 years. Is it possible it’s not as schmaltzy or ick as I remember? No, it’s still schmaltz.
Sommige nummers mooi, ook aardig wat nummers die ik matig vind
Na Elton John was dit niet bepaald leuk... ik was al wel een beetje klaar met dit type muziek.
Twee pianomannen achter elkaar is wel iets too much, maar ik kan Billy wel waarderen
Nee. Dit is gewoon best vervelend eigenlijk.
Ik had hier wel zin in. Ik dacht aan ‘piano man’ en dat Saigon-lied. Helaas bleek het supermarkt-muziek.
Gut zu hören
Großer Mainstream
Lush sounds, very smooth, not really my cup of tea but not awful
Great Album
Struggling with the passive misogyny of Billy Joel.
MOVING OUT! and Scences From An Italian Restaurant. This album is basically all hits, though I don't know that I find Billy Joel especially compelling. It's supremely polished, no rough edges, and all about appealing to the widest audience possible. Which is a valid approach, but not one I find super compelling.
Listened to Billy Joel's Greatest Hits endlessly on car trips as a kid so I'm familiar with 90% of these songs but whenever one comes on I've never heard I'm always like "wtf is this?"
Class album
Only the Good Die Young and always a woman are the better tracks of this album, overall pretty good album. 7/10
I'd consider this the quintessential Billy Joel album
I dig it
Never considered myself a Billy Joel fan, but this has most of my favorites. Some really creative arrangements.
The first track slaps. There's a sort of Paul McCartney vibe. Carries on with a sort of Clapton feel. Just the way you are is cheesy bullshit. Where it works, the album is solid easy listening rock, but where it fails its soulless cliche. Good - Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), Only the Good Die Young. Bad - Just the way you are, She's Always a Woman.
Great listen. Fun and interesting songwriting and Billys singing is fantastic as well. 7/10
So the only thing I previously knew about Billy Joel is We Didn’t Start the Fire and Piano Man. Impressed.
Wow
Many classic BJ songs from my childhood.
I'm from Jersey and my local soft rock station played half this album to death, but I'm surprised just how into it I am. Billy Joel is a dork. At certain points, he tries to portray himself as a tough guy (notably on "Only The Good Die Young"), but he's tough in the way that anyone who has ever portrayed a gang member in West Side Story is tough. I still can't help but really appreciate this album, despite the cheese. Favorite tracks: "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant", "Only The Good Die Young"
60 The Stranger - Billy Joel 9 tracks. This was lovely. Just a really enjoying foot-tapping, hum-a-longer. Enjoyed it so much I have listened to it 4 times over the last few days. It's really up-lifting. I loved it. 4/5
Responses to music are so subjective. This reminds me of my father, so it’s an automatic 5 stars.
Great, familiar with the album.
This is a classic. Doesen't even have pianoman, uptown girl or we didn't start the fire, but the album just flows so well. Wait I know "Just the Way You Are" so well, haha. I forgot tha name. I love this. Yeah the lyrics are not the best, but damn are the tunes catchy! Very easily digestible, and that is not always a bad thing. 5
nostalgic
I didn't know that I knew a good chunk of the album already, it was a good listen, but I won't come back to it any time soon.
Typical rock pop English songs (Elton John style)
Love the mix of groove and ballads
One of my favorite albums ever, I know the lyrics to nearly every song. New discovery: Everyone Has a Dream
The American Elton John. Or is Elton John The British Billy Joel? Anyways, cracking songwriting.
I almost knocked a star off because of the saxophone solo but I couldn't do it. The storytelling on display here is top-notch. Joel's performances are flawless and his songwriting is compelling. Just a really great album stacked with songs that are full of all the feels.
Dobar
Ovo je dobar album, nije mi u potpunosti super, jednostavno je onak, okej za poslušati. Paše album. Yep, znao sam da sam negdje čuo The Stranger sample, i pogodio sam - ako ikog zanima to je kod Xzibitove - Foundation (super pjesma btw).
A great 'easy' soft rock album, but it's too cheesy and corny for me at times. My top pick is 'Only the Good Die Young', I like that it's bit more upbeat than some of the other tracks. This is more of a 3.5 really, but it's not quite for my tastes.
This was bloody brilliant and sums up why I'm doing all this. I know all The Hits, but would never have gone out of my way to listen to Billy Joel. Fav new track: Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (absolute goals to play piano like this)
There are some classics on this album. First time hearing the album all the way through. It was an easy listen.
2/5 Didn't think I knew this album, but it seems I do Can we talk about how weird the album cover is? Fine... Movin out is a good start. 'The Stranger' more what I expected (i.e. worse) Just the way you are' is what it is, a very lovely, soft-pop classic Scenes, Vienna is meh. Only the good - picks up a bit but lacks intensity She's always a woman - the sexual politics are very dated and immediately blaring - nice, sub-dylan lyric line, tho' Get it right - far superior in my eyes. funky rhythm and lyric. Not horribly sexist. Everybody has a dream - not mine. Mostly forgettable pop shite with 2-3 standout tracks that are deviations from the artist's main work.
I can't really complain about this album it's a fine album. Am I a fan? No. But that doesn't change the fact that the guy makes some fun adult contemporary pop albums. For me he's a poor man's Randy Newman. Anyway a pleasant uneventful listen...3.5 stars
I have loved this album for years. Joel’s voice, his melodies. Fantastic.
Incredible Album!
I thought it was going to be a banger from "Moving Out" but it turned to sappy 70s bullshit real quick, instant 2. Any album that starts with a bang and cannot keep the energy always loses points in my book. It turns out I like Moving Out due to Neil Cicierega.
Cool album, interesting choice of songs to put under a unified group.
Spunky, fun, and heartfelt.
Challenging on many levels, and none of them good.
This is full of pearls, nice. I like it. Bit mellow for me, but there are some catchy good tunes there. Nice..
Billy Joel is a good singer and his songs are allright. In this album, the best is "Movin' out".
In general Billy Joel's whole vibe kind of rubs me the wrong way, the kind of serious showiness he exudes. But in spite of myself I must admit that I really enjoyed listening to this.
Had to throw on my vinyl copy for this one. One the best $1 records I ever bought. Hands down my favorite Billy Joel album. Starts strong with Moving Out. Then goes all over the place for the rest of Side 1. Feel like "Just The Way You Are" is a response to 10ccs "I'm Not in Love" but more positive and sincere. "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" is like Showtune-Prog. Wouldn't be surprised if an actual full blown Broadway musical is made out of this song someday. Then onto Side 2, beginning with my all time favorite Billy Joel track, "Vienna." Feel like you gotta have some mileage behind you to appreciate that tune to it's fullest, but it's really a message for the young - so listen up kiddos! This ain't cheese, it's a rich and complex flavor best appreciated by a refined palette.
Can't deny the talent of the guy, but in general it's a bit too smooth for me. I have a few songs I like by Billy Joel but overall a bit too soft rock for me.
Få hyggelige numre. Ellers siger det mig ikke så meget
Kærlighedsballader, flygler og en slesk gut. Men jeg kan sgu godt lide viben! En stor 3'er.
glimrende softrock/poprock
Poprock, muntert, opløftende, masser af klaver
Listened 5/10/21
Slick, but not really my taste
Weird listening to this. For some reason, "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" caused me to start reminiscing about 70s TV shows like Welcome Back, Kotter and Good Times. A solid album with a lot of recognizable pieces. Worth adding to your library.
Not a bad track on this album. Even the less popular/well-known tracks are great.
Loved this! Some fantastic songs in there, never listened to a BJ album start to finish. Glad I have. What a great song writer
I liked this more than I thought I would
Vraiment un album excellent. Une super belle écoute. Je n'avais jamais entendu cet album et je le regrette. un classique vraiment en plein dans mon syle ! 5* :)
Yikes...Billy Joel. The natural reaction to being asked to listen to Billy Joel is to recoil. This is the man that brought the world Uptown Girl, after all. The video from the Westlife cover version of that song still occasionally frequents my nightmares. Those four (or is it five?) cherubic Irish scamps, running amok in some kind of 50s cafeteria, dancing with mops and buckets in their blue rockabilly shirts. How can I forgive Billy Joel for being the nexus event that led to that?! The problem is, you can't help but enjoy The Stranger. It's the sort of album you might expect The Special Forces to pump through a tannoy into a Guantanamo cell, on repeat - along with the Barney theme tune - assuming it will grind a terrorist suspect into confession, only to find it has indoctrinated them into being Kool-Aid-drinking, American Dream-obsessing aficionados. It's just so American. But it's the America of a not-too-distant but completely bygone era. Some pre-Internet other-world where people lived like the lead characters from Friends. Close your eyes and imagine Chandler Bing listening to 'Just the Way You Are', before running out into the hustle of Fifth Avenue in his navy cashmere overcoat and chasing after the girl of his dreams, barging people out of the way so that he can catch up with her and then have a panic attack and not tell her how he feels. Like Hootie and the Blowfish's 'Cracked Rear View', Billy Joel's 'The Stanger' is music for the Chandler Bings. Either that or it's music for the Patrick Batemans. But before you've worked out which one it is, you're hooked by the fun jingle-jangle of the opening track, Movin' Out, and it doesn't really matter either way. Then the piano from the title track kicks in and you recognise it as the sample from Xzibit's amazing 'At the Speed of Life' track 'The Foundation', and before you know it you've worked your way through the entire album to 'Everybody Has a Dream' and you've walked into a New York fashion outlet and bought an expensive navy cashmere overcoat of your very own. And when you leave that shop you're gunna have no choice but listen to The Stranger on your Walkman again as you hit the high street. Some people will look at you and see a Chandler Bing. Others will look at you and see a Patrick Bateman. But by this point you don't really care. You're living in some weird alternate early 90s white collar central park office block coffee shop wall street burst fire hydrant subway train American dream. Thanks a lot Billy Joel.
I had only listened to the greatest hits albums and it was surprising to hear so many of the hits on just this one. Great sound!
Супер альбом
Good album
loved every song in this album. groovy beats let the lyrics stand out. there's a lovely, special energy here
I'd forgotten how brilliant this album is. Five absolute belters and the other four are bloody good, too. He said some nasty things about Christie Brinkley, but his music is wonderful.
Альбом простой, но понравился, похож на Маккартни сольного
Great ballads and a few rock tunes. A few songs were a bit indistinguishable, but others were peak-McCartney-level writing.
classic
incredible showstopping never been done before will make me cry like a baby
Crazy pianos. I’m too sane for this.
Was already on my favourite albums list. Pop album. Some interesting lyrics, but not that much inspiring when it comes to melodies.
Classics from start to finish. A bit dad-rock-ish and too much piano for my *heavily refined* taste XD, but what an outing!!
Enjoyed this one. Songs I knew
It's been a while since I've listened to this album. Billy Joel is another artist that I nearly categorically adore. I like every tune on this album, but can understand why other people don't. Still, for me, it's 5 stars!
For me, Billy Joel is in that category of musicians for whom I have great respect but rarely listen to. There's nothing wrong with his songs to my ear, and they are well-written, performed nicely, and often memorable. It's really just a matter of personal taste and preference, I suppose. I get why so many people love him.
There is a dearth of truly memorable songs in today’s pop landscape, and this is an album full of them. The Stranger is a tight, beautifully produced collection of catchy, classic songs. It’s one of the great albums of its era and delightful to listen to, always. It’s impressive to me looking now how many hits reside on this album. Some of the songs have been overplayed in the past 40 years, but they also ended up being true classics. It’s hard to hear this album and not find a song you know very well. Joel's longevity is a testament to his singular talents as a singer and songwriter, as well as the universal likeability of this music. Admit it, it's also hard to listen to this album and not find yourself in a good mood. Fave songs: The Stranger, Vienna, I'm Movin' Out, Only the Good Die Young
Pour la petite anecdote, Billy Joel avait écrit cet album en pensant le proposer à Michael Jackson. Ce dernier refusa et c'est finalement Shrek qui eut la chance de l'interpréter.
Excellentissime, surtout le moment où le fils de Schreck se saisit de Morrissey et déclenche l'interupteur de son briquet au plus proche de son corps tremblant.
I like Billy Joel generally and I find people who hate him tedious. A lot of it is worn out for me (I don't ever need to hear Piano Man again and the less said about who started the fire the better), and the only album I routinely listen to is Glass Houses. This is all right and has some classics on it but also some pretty typical filler.
No stranger to The Stranger
This works for unobtrusive background music for people of a certain age
Strong 4 stars. I’m still new to Billy Joel so his stuff may need some time to resonate with me. Sometimes his lyrics strike me as cheesy, but I love his songwriting and I think his storytelling is top-shelf.
3.5
good
Man hört Billy den Anspruch an, einen großen Wurf à la Elton John hinzulegen, aber das Ergebnis verfängt nicht, langweilt und ein wenig enttäuscht es mich, hätte ich es doch gern besser gemocht. Entfremdete 1.2
Good album. Creepy album cover.
I was already familiar with this one so it was great to have an excuse to put it on the new system at home. Anyone who doesn’t rate this album 5 stars is crazy.
The first track is an absolute bop and it doesn't let up much from there. This was not what I expected when it gave me Billy Joel, but I love it.
Every song is a hit. Really well done and his voice is great. 4.5/5, but relegated down to a 4 star since it's not one I'll spin on the regular, but rather I acknowledge its greatness.
I emjoy
Great lyrics and the songs outside of the hits were really good.
Masterful pop melodies, and delightful slice of life songwriting. Sometimes gets a bit cloying. Also basically a Ray Davies / Paul McCartney rip-off.
good album great songs love singing the songs
Classic. Love every song. Five out of Five Stars. Favorite songs. Scene's From an Italian Restaurant, Vienna, The Stranger, Everybody Has a Dream and all the hits (Moving Out, Just the Way you are, Only the Good Die Young, She's Always a Woman).
C L A S S I C
I don't even have to think about this one. Five stars with a bullet. One of my favorite albums of all time.
6/10
decent
A very solid collection of tunes
Full of classics, can't deny a great album.
This was a great experience. The only gripe I have with this album (and most Billy Joel songs) is that they sound good once in a one month period, and this album is no different. It sounds fantastic and held my attention, but I would never put it into a playlist or mix. It's likely the "pop" feel of songs that makes them unrepeatable. Favorite track: Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
Oh, I've heard this one. Just looking at the track list, this is actually pretty single-heavy. Short in terms of number of songs, though "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" is on the list, so that's basically three songs right there. I'm not a big Billy Joel guy because I feel like he's a distant third of the Springsteen/Elton group and gets unjustly included alongside them, but I could see this being the album of his I find easiest and breeziest to just throw on. Oh, I didn't know "The Stranger" was this song. I've heard this one before too. Every time it got near the chorus, I kept thinking it was going to be "That's All" by Genesis. I'm still completely and thoroughly unable to listen to "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" without thinking of the John Oliver segment on public defenders. Anyway, pretty good album.
4
Det här GILLAS! Fan vad mysigt. Utöver Piano Man har jag varit i mörkret när det gäller denna pärla. Otrolig röst och ett välspelat piano gör att man känner sig alldeles varm inombords. Under någon låt sänks intresset något kanske. Men sedan återkommer lugnet och den fina känslan av trygghet. "Vienna" och "She's Always a Woman", är riktiga pärlor. Bäst: "Vienna"
A lot of hits!
A lot of hits. Easy listening.
Never listened to a whole Billy Joel felt good
Catchy but reminds me of Ted so I think will always have a sore spot - damn music and it’s power over nostalgia! And regrets? 8/10
5/5 - Super cool. Whoever said he was in between EJ and PmC was right - very nice vibe to it
I liked it more than I thought I would like a Billy Joel album. I enjoy his storytelling in songs in this album. Highlights: 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
I am imaging myself being stuck at a wedding where Scenes from an Italian Restaurant is playing and I hear: "I will meet you any time I want, in our Italian restaurant." and I instantly feel nauseous. Billy Joel is a classic, he has a good voice, quite some lyrical talent and creativity, but this record is incredibly overrated. However, I do really enjoy Movin' Out, The Stranger and Get It Right the First Time, as they are not as disgustingly sweet and cheesily written and carry good rhythym and energy. Overall I feel like a 2/5 is a fair score for this overly sentimental heap.
Not for me. Didn't enjoy it, was excited for it to end.
This is definitely peak Billy Joel. I needed this one today.
Great tunes with good storytelling and dynamics! I didn't realize I liked Billy Joel so much.
Great album.
A great album start to finish! I didnt realise how many of Joel's greatest songs were on this album.
Classic 70s
very good
Fun, upbeat, classic Billy Joel
Gutes Album. Eher freudige Stimmung mit genug Abwechslung bei ähnlicher Stimmung in den Liedern
One or 2 tracks I like, I guess you need to be a fan.
Really enjoyable, especially Anthony's song. Great lyrics
Pěkný piano. Nejlepší název písně Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. Hudebně nejzajímavější Only the Good Die Young. Jinak mi přijde, že nic, co by si člověk zapamatoval.
Generally not my style, but total classic
Good chill music, surprised how many songs I knew off the album
Best Songs: - Movin Out - Vienna Love the outro
Hit after hit, it's almost a cliche.
Great album
NEIN!! Not good, nope, nada, bleck
YESSSS UNCLE BILLY Literal excellence Favorites: Just The Way You Are Vienna She's Always A Woman Everybody Has A Dream
Amazing classic album! Fav tracks include Vienna, Movin’ Out, and Only the Good Die Young! However, each track was great and very enjoyable!
4/5 Fint album
Singles are great! Rest of album a bit sameish
Some classic songs! She's Always a Woman was weird. I already knew I wasn't much of a Billy Joel fan but I wouldn't deny those who see the appeal.
Great album front to back! Big fan
A grand record! It turns out I know every song on this album from my childhood. It's an album about life, modernity, struggle, love, death, all of it. It has an everyman quality about it and the production is divine. Not one bad song on the record. I bought it just now!
Not my cup of tea.
Absolute classic. Non stop hits. Love the key changes. Probably the best album in a brilliant career.
This be old bruh
Didn't think I knew any songs on this album and ended up knowing almost all of them.
Too mellow
Liked the more sentimental songs, didnt fancy the rock
When I think of Billy Joel I think of New York and smoke filled cabaret bars just off Broadway. This album does nothing to spoil that illusion. It’s tracks ooze city life after dark scenarios and they do it in spades. Almost all the songs here are familiar and draw at least a few memories to reflect on. Billy Joel’s voice is also probably at its best. It’s a fun album even if the hits have been done to death over the years. 2 Stars!
It's fashionable to rank on Billy Joel. Hell, he brought it on himself with the 2nd act of his career in the 80s. Actually, this is one of those rare times when it's legitimate to talk about an artist's personal life impacts his professional work. Billy Joel made bank in the 70s, but his accountant embezzled it all and fled with his ill gotten gains to Brazil. (Joel's wife Christie Brinkley, an astute businesswoman who happened to also be a model, was the one who figured out he was being swindled.) Just about the time that Billy Joel was set to wind down his career, he was forced to go back to work and rebuild his fortune. It showed in his subsequent work. All the accusations against Joel, that he was a hack, a journeyman without a soul, an expert at mimicking other better artists, a charlatan and a fake, were seemingly confirmed by tripe like We Didn't Start The Fire and Pressure. But it wasn't always so. Billy Joel's earnestness and tin pan alley style songcraft and slick and mannered performance style couldn't be less fashionable nowadays, but he was actually a skilled musician who had a knack for penning sharply observed working class vignettes. Nowhere was this more evident than in The Stranger, Joel's commercial peak. Aside from Just The Way You Are, which was inescapable in weddings for at least a generation, the album is stuffed with earworms and memorable tales like Moving Out, Only The Good Die Young, Get It Right The First Time, and Scenes From an Italian Restaurant. Only the closer Everybody Has A Dream, with Billy Joel channeling his inner Ray Charles, tips into unrestrained bathos. For those who despise Billy Joel, I get it, but the craft and skill here are undeniable. I myself prefer my music much less mainstream, not so slick, etc, so I'll dun this pretty much perfectly executed album a star. 4/5
One of Joel’s best. A personal favourite. Side A is pure excellence, but side B lets it down a bit.
Classic
Hmmm, some of these are catchy.... Probably a 3.
It was okay. Not my style but I didn't hate it.
There's something comforting about Billy Joel. He's always been around, these songs are deeply embedded in the psyche as though they'd always been there. It's like a sign of maturity when you realise he's great, it happens in everyone's life eventually. Great songs, great music.
Tykkäsin monipuolisesta instrumenttien käytöstä. Silti yksinkertaisen letkeää ja hyvin ajanhammasta kestänyttä musisointia. 3,5 mutta nostetaan tällä kertaa ylöspäin. Annoin levylle toisen kuuntelukerrankin, vaikka kymmenet ja kymmenet rästit odottaa.
Not bad.
Not loving this one. Anthony's Song and The Stranger bang but like...the back 3/4 of this album are ballads and are a bit boring imo without a lot to pull you through the end of the album, lots of energy lost quickly after the stranger. But still I love his voice and they're good arrangements.
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would
Didn't quite reach 4 stars as a collective for me but there were 2 or 3 individual songs that would hit 4 or maybe 5 stars easily
I really didn't expect to like this. But it was enjoyable. Good album.
A true classic from a great songwriter. He's not my favorite, but there's no denying his talent.
too close to be impartial. If that's what it's all about... Billy, I love you just the way you are.
On dirait je sais pas quoi dire. Elton John et Paul McCartney = BILLY JOEL. C’est bon, mais je tombe pas à terre. Encore un mauvais choix de CD quand y’a plein de chansons beaucoup plus connues.
Meh
Levy oli sellaista ihan ok tavaraa. Ei jäänyt hirveästi käteen tästä. Osa kappaleista oli ihan pirtsakkaakin menoa, helppoa kuunneltavaa. Oli tämä parempi kuin edellisen päivän Elvis Costellon Brutal youth. Tällä kontrastilla kolme tähteä.
false
Lots of Home Depot classics on here. I never realized it before but he really sounds like a knockoff Elton John with hints of Steely Dan. Lots of classic tunes and fairly fun to listen to but the songwriting is just. So cheesy.
Saying 'I don't want clever conversation, I want you just the way you are' is not the compliment he was intending. Generally didn't like the lyrics much but it was a bop. 3+ , it gets points for having Only The Good Die Young
good album, billy joel is one of the greats and he doesnt have many, if any, bad songs or albums
Bloody loved this album. What a singer and songwriter he is.
One of the great songwriters with possibly his finest album. Musically it’s somewhere between Elton John and the Beatles and that suits my own taste just fine. Only the good die young is one of my favourite songs ever. 4/5
This album forms almost a quarter of the tracks on his Greatest Hits collection (5 out of 21), but they're all good.
Joel z lat 70 to moj ulubiony Joel, a wlasnie tym albumem zapewnil sobie sukces jako topowy popularny spiewak lat 80, ale chyba pierwszy raz sluchalem calego albumu od deski do deski, bo poza zaslyszanymi gdzieniedzie kawalkami najczesciej dowiadywalem sie o tworczosci joela z dorobku murzynskich raperow lat 90 i takie zdziwienie, gdy odkrywasz w samplach snoopa czy xzibita kawalki joelowe, nawet nie mowie o genialnych pianinkach ktore potrafi on przemycic w swych aranzacjach, ale u niektorych murzynskich artystow pojawiaja sie nawet doslowne covery jak u brand nubianow czy ATCQ, a to pokazuje jak bardzo influencyjne jego albumiki byly, jak dlaa mnie hajlajtami albumiku otwierajacy moving out oraz vienna, prosto w feelsy, pierwsza piatka z 1001 albumow zaliczona
Not for me.
I thought there were a few songs that were quite good, but the album as a whole, less so. I don't know that long, slow songs are really Billy Joel's strong suit. Strongly considered giving it a 4 anyway
Every song is a stone cold hit. Short and sweet, leaves you wanting more.
Every song is a stone cold hit. Short and sweet, leaves you wanting more.
Some of my favorite Billy Joel songs on this on. Still, it’s Billy Joel.
Clásico volver a escuchar
3.5
One of best pop albums of the 70s, of all-time indeed. An inspired man at the peak of his powers.
Bueno, para un día tonto...
Une découverte, de belles mélodies et une belle ambiance avec une belle voix. Je pensais ça serait pépère mais non. Je l’évite: she is a women to me Ouff pénible à écouter Je lévite Moovin out, scène from italien restaurant
O cara é BOM, excelentes música e ótima voz
A solid 3.5
He sings really really well. A bit of a David Bowie The beatles-wanna be, but still, I liked overall and enjoyed listening to it
Amazing album, one of my personal favorites this past year. Each song is a banger even though they can get a little corny.
Is it because you'd have to turn the dial in the car just right in order to get the right channel, so you just left it on something that played static free music and so you heard a lot of Billy Joel? Or is this really an album you want to be stranded on an island with?
Another just fine album. It's not great. It's not terrible. Would I miss it if I never heard it again? No. Only the Good Die Young and Moving Out I like but those are what gets this into the "fine" category.
Not bad
Loved it. Each song was like a story and I’ll definitely be listening multiple times.
Really enjoyed this one.
bellisimo
enfin ...un vrai meme si c est des chansons d amour c est tout bon voix texte musique
Très bon album! Pour une fois qu'ils mettents quelques hits d'un artiste! J'ai eu un faible pour la radio connexe que spotify m'a fait jouer après!
Yo qué se ya
This album promotes ear strengths- varied and catchy and I haven’t heard it all together before
very yacht rock, I'd put this when I'm down to go down
Really quite good. Certified bangerlicious
Más o menos entretenido. Muy bonita "Just the way you are". Como música de fondo tranquilita y poco más.
Surprising, some great songs I hadn't heard, some classics, some a bit less.
Rock pop. Suave. Melódico.
J'aime la première chanson ''Movin' out''. Un classique. Mais après ça, maudit que c'Est vieux. C'est vieuxxxxxx ça sonne vieuxxxx. J'aurais dû en écouter un plus récent.
Elton John vibes. Some nice classics
meh
I've never been a big Billy Joel fan, but this was a really great album to listen to! I mean, of course it has the hits like "Anthony's song" "Just the Way You Are" etc, but songs like "Vienna" and "Get It Right The First Time" were brilliant.
Holy toledo. This is an entire career on a single album. Pretty damn impressive.
boy, that guy sure can whistle. i really don't care for his music, though i'm sure he is also a very nice person. this MAY help me to learn the difference between him and elton john. the fact that i have never really been able to tell is something i am neither proud nor ashamed of.
Very fun! Many classics
Not a big billy joel fan
I've always appreciated Billy Joel even if not someone I listened to all that often. This album is full of great songs.
Amazing and classic album.
Suprisingly good. Pleasant surprise.
big white boomer energy here. much more suburban midwest than new york to me.
The music and instrumentation in Billy's music is always fantastic, but his lyrical work and storytelling is a huge showstopper for me. "A bottle of red, a bottle of white/It all depends upon your appetite/I'll meet you any time you want/In our Italian Restaurant"? Come on, the only thing cheesier than that would be... Velveeta fondue. Things took a turn for the unsettling when I got around to actually listening to the lyrics of "Only The Good Die Young", and I honestly gave up on the album after that. Billy Joel is the straighter, less interesting, slightly creepy Elton John, and I'd honestly be perfectly fine never hearing a song of his agian.
I hate Piano Man so I've had preconceived notions of Billy Joel. This was not a bad album and I'm surprised how many songs I knew.