Mobile Fidelity - MFSL2-383 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl 

Numbered Limited Edition -  Pressed at RTI  

Mastered by Kreig Wunderlich

1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 64 to analog console to lathe

Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 70/500

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.

Better still, it now sounds astonishing. An integral part of Mobile Fidelity’s Billy Joel catalog restoration series, The Stranger is mastered from the original master tapes and pressed on 180g LP at RTI. Far superior to the previous Sony and Simply Vinyl analog reissues, this edition emphasizes the crucial touches and insightful techniques Ramone brought to a batch of material that ranks among Joel’s most clever, catchy, and sagacious. 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.

Bass – Doug Stegmeyer

Drums – Liberty Devitto
Electric Guitar – Hiram Bullock
Electric Guitar  Mr. Steve Khan
Engineer – , Phil Ramone
Music By, Lyrics By – Billy Joel
Orchestrated By – Patrick Williams
 

Selections: 
1. Movin' Out (Anthony's 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. She's Always A Woman
8. Get It Right the First Time
9. Everybody Has a Dream / The Stranger (reprise)