Billy Joel - The Stranger MoFi 2LP 180g 45RPM Numbered

Track Listing

A1: Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
A2: The Stranger

B1: Just The Way You Are
B2: Scenes From An Italian Restaurant

C1: Vienna
C2: Only The Good Die Young
C3: She's Always A Woman

D1: Get It Right The First Time
D2: Everybody Has A Dream

Joel's Breakthrough Record

Billy Joel entered 1977 with a great track record but in need of breakthrough. Pairing with producer Phil Ramone (Carly Simon, Simon & Garfunkel), who developed the requisite ingredients missing from Joel's formula, the singer-songwriter became a household name and chart-topping success courtesy of The Stranger. Ranked 67 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and certified ten-times platinum, Joel's artistic and commercial smash remains a pop-rock benchmark.

Whereas a handful of Joel's 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 via Ramone's more muscular, fleshed-out, and rock-enabling production. The streamlined approach slightly strips back the sweeping developments heard on Piano Man and Turnstiles, and on this edition, lays bare the core of the material, allowing the vocalist's bittersweet yearning, rollicking 88 notes, and working-class conviction to emanate with full-bodied detail, vivid colour, and grand-scale dynamics.

A Grammy winner for both Record and Song of the Year, "Just the Way You Are" epitomises Joel's balladic 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, "She's Always A Woman" hints at trouble underfoot. And then there's the New York-centric, character-rich poetry of the vignettes.

Akin to many of his influences, Joel nails the grit, personality, specificity, descriptiveness, and behaviour of protagonists that populate "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" and "Scenes From an Italian Diner," each equally at home on The Stranger as well as on a Broadway play or on a golden-era Hollywood film soundtrack. No wonder that, just months after its original release, Joel was no longer a stranger to any of the music-loving public. He would never look back.

GAIN 2™ Ultra Analog™ System for Vinyl

GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ is a proprietary cutting system built and designed by legendary design genius Tim De Paravicini, with consultation from one of Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's founding fathers - Stan Ricker, an audio engineer responsible for many of MFSL's most heralded past releases.

The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system is comprised of a Studer™ tape machine with customised reproduction electronics* and handcrafted cutting amps that drive an Ortofon cutting head on a restored Neumann VMS-70 lathe. (*It is worth noting that independent studies have confirmed that the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!)

First and foremost, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs only utilise first generation original master recordings as source material for their releases. MFSL then play back master tapes at half speed enabling the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system to fully extract the master's sonic information. The lacquers are then plated in a specialised process that protects transients in the musical signal. (Due to this process, there may be occasional pops or ticks inherent in initial play back, but as the disc is played more, a high quality stylus will actually polish the grooves and improve the sound). MFSL further ensure optimum sound quality by strictly limiting the number of pressings printed for each release. These limited editions, in addition to being collectors' items, ensure that the quality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first.

Album Credits

Produced by Phil Ramone

Recorded at A&R Studios

Recording Engineers: Jim Boyer, Phil Ramone

Mastered by Krieg Wunderlich, assisted by Rob LoVerde at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Sebastopol, CA on the GAIN 2 ULTRA ANALOG SYSTEM.

Release Information

Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, MFSL 2-383

Series: Original Master Recording, Gain 2™ Ultra Analog, 45RPM, 180g Series

Format: 2 x Vinyl LP, 45 RPM, Limited Edition, Numbered, Remastered, Reissue, Stereo

Country: US

Released: 2013

Genre: Rock