Billy Joel - The Stranger (1977) {Sony Legacy 180g) 24-bit/96kHz Vinyl Rip 
Posted By : Dr. Robert | Date : 02 Aug 2010 17:06:24 |


Billy Joel - The Stranger
Vinyl rip in 24-bit/96kHz | FLAC (5% Recovery) | m3u, no cue or log | Full LP Artwork
905 MB (24/96) + 284 MB redbook | RS + HF | Rock | 1977
Columbia Legacy 180g Audiophile Vinyl
30th Anniversary Vinyl Edition (2008)


The Stranger is the fifth studio album by musician Billy Joel, released in 1977. While his four previous albums had been moderate chart successes, this was his breakthrough album, spending six weeks at #2 in the U.S. album charts. It remains Joel's best-selling non-compilation album to date.

The Stranger contained nine songs, many of which are now considered *classic Joel.* *Movin Out,* *Shes Always a Woman,* *Just The Way You Are,* *Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,* *Everybody Has A Dream,* and *Only The Good Die Young* were all written prior to recording, while *Vienna,* *The Stranger,* and *Get It Right The First Time* all came from short tunes or fragments of songs that Joel finished in the studio. Each song had stories attached to it. The seven-and-a-half-minute epic *Scenes From an Italian Restaurant* began as the shorter *Ballad of Brenda and Eddie,* a section that now forms the third part of the song. Joel came up with the signature whistle line which he whistled to producer Phil Ramone, claiming that he needed to find an instrument to play it. Ramone replied: *No, you don't. That's The Stranger, the whistling.* The aforementioned whistling at the opening and closing of Joel's "The Stranger" was, consciously or unconsciously, inspired by the Alessandro Alessandroni*s (Italian composer of film scores) tune of the same name.

Four singles from the LP charted on the Billboard Hot 100: *Just The Way You Are,* (#3), *Movin' Out* (#17), *Shes Always a Woman,* (#17), and *Only The Good Die Young* (#24).

Release and Reaction
Much of the album's success is attributed to Joel*s collaboration with producer Phil Ramone, whose innovative production methods complemented Joel*s songs. This fruitful collaboration would continue for a decade. Singles released from the album include *Just the Way You Are* (which won the Grammy for Record of the Year), the acoustic ballad *Shes Always A Woman,* the mildly controversial *Only the Good Die Young,* and *Movin Out (Anthonys Song),* which later lent its title to Movin' Out, an acclaimed hit Broadway musical based on Billy Joel*s songs. This album overtook Simon and Garfunkel*s Bridge Over Troubled Water album to become the best-selling album on the Columbia Records imprint at the time. Generally regarded as Joel*s finest work, in 2003, the album was ranked number 67 on Rolling Stone magazine*s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.


Track Listing
All songs by Billy Joel.

Side One
1. Movin Out (Anthonys Song) 3:30
2. The Stranger 5:10
3. Just the Way You Are 4:52
4. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant 7:37

Side Two
1. Vienna 3:34
2. Only the Good Die Young 3:55
3. Shes Always a Woman 3:21
4. Get It Right the First Time 3:57
5. Everybody Has a Dream/The Stranger (Reprise) 6:38


Released September 29, 1977
Recorded A & R Recording, Inc., New York City 1977
Genre Rock
Length 42:13
Label Family Productions/Columbia
Producer Phil Ramone

Professional reviews
* Allmusic 4.5/5 stars link
* Robert Christgau (B-) link
* NeuFutur 4/5 stars link
* Rolling Stone 4/5 stars
* Slant Magazine 4/5 stars

Personnel and Production Credits

Personnel

* Billy Joel – acoustic piano, vocals, electric keyboards, synthesizers
* Doug Stegmeyer – bass guitar
* Liberty DeVitto – drums
* Richie Cannata – tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet, flute, organ, tuba
* Steve Khan – six and twelve string electric guitars, acoustic rhythm guitar, high string guitar
* Hiram Bullock – electric guitar
* Patrick Williams – orchestration
* Ralph MacDonald – percussion on "The Stranger", "Just the Way You Are", "Get It Right The First Time" and "Everybody Has A Dream"
* Hugh McCracken – acoustic guitar on "Just the Way You Are", "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", "She's Always A Woman", "Get It Right The First Time" and "Everybody Has A Dream"
* Steve Burgh – acoustic guitar on "Just the Way You Are" and "She's Always A Woman"; electric guitar on "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"
* Phil Woods – alto saxophone on "Just the Way You Are"
* Dominic Cortese – accordion on "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" and "Vienna"
* Richard Tee – organ on "Everybody Has A Dream"
* Phoebe Snow – background vocals on "Everybody Has A Dream"
* Lani Groves – background vocals on "Everybody Has A Dream"
* Gwen Guthrie – background vocals on "Everybody Has A Dream"
* Patti Austin – background vocals on "Everybody Has A Dream"



Vinyl Ripping Notes

24-bit/96kHz Vinyl Rip by Dr. Robert
Summer 2010

Nitty Gritty RCM 1.5
Technics SL-1200MK2 DD Turntable with KAB Fluid Damping and KAB record grip
Ortofon 2M Black MM Cartridge
Pro-ject Tube Box SE II Preamp (2x GroveTubes GT-12AX7-R3)
Tascam US-144 external USB 2.0 Audiointerface
Mac Pro Dual Zeon 2.66 GHz
Bias Peak LE 6.2 recording software
Click Repair 3.3.1 for de-click (manual mode only)
iZotope RX Advanced 1.21 for Vinyl NR
iZotope RX Advanced 1.21 for Redbook conversion
xACT 1.71 for Redbook SBE correction
XLD Version 20100711 (120.5) for FLAC conversion


RCM - TT - Ortofon 2M Blk - Tube Box preamp - ADC - Mac Pro - Peak LE @ 24/96 -
analyze (no clipping, no DC Bias offset, each side gain maximized to -0.5 dB) -
split into individual tracks - Click Repair 3.02 used in manual mode, 20~30 Rev, Pitch Protection, X2 - iZotope RX Advanced for vinyl noise reduction using my dialed in settings - FLAC encoded Level 5 with XLD Version 20100518 (120.3)

All de-clicking software used in full manual mode to preserve musical transients.

No music was harmed in the making of this vinyl rip.

No silence been removed, please burn gapless to match original track layout.