Customer Reviews

The Stranger: 30th Anniversary [Limited Edition] (Deluxe Boxed Set - 2 CDs + 1 DVD)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This new boxed set is released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Billy Joel's breakthrough album "The Stranger". The album, originally released in 1977, made Billy Joel a household name. To celebrate the 30th anniversary Columbia has put together a nice set. The first disc is the original album, the second disc is a live recording from his sold out Carniege Hall shows in June of '77. Aside from the pristine sound on this disc, what's interesting is to hear him introduce two of the songs from "The Stranger" that would become classics but at the time were unknown to audiences. "Just The Way You Are", in a slightly different arrangement receives only a smattering of applause at the intro, while "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" which is a huge concert favorite today receives almost no applause at the introduction. Overall it's a really great show.
The DVD includes two live promotional videos for "The Stranger" and "Just The Way You Are", a half hour documentary about the making of the album with recent interviews from both Billy and album producer Phil Ramone. Among other things you learn that the sax solo in "Just The Way You Are" is a combination of several solos that Ramone spliced together so that it was seamless. Also on the DVD is an additional one hour concert from England.
Depending on where you pick this set up, you will also get a bonus disc. If you get it at Best Buy it has five live tracks recorded in December of 1977 at Nassau Colliseum, if you get it at Target you get a DVD with live videos from previously released collections.
Finally the set also includes a replica of the Sold Out poster for Carniege Hall, a book about the album loaded with unseen photos and memorbilia all on glossy pages. The coolest thing though is a replica of Billy's lyric notebook for "The Stranger" with his handwritten lyrics and notes about the album. You even get the grease stains on the pages!!!
A very cool set, but one for diehard collectors. For the casual fan pick up the 2 disc set that contains just the original album and live Carniege Hall disc.

Overall I'm happy with my purchase but in the end all I got was a very expensive dvd that wasn't even remastered in Dolby Digital and a partial live show from Carnegie Hall. Lets start the review off with the remaster of the original album. It's one of the worst remasters ever and I'm very disappointed. I find myself constantly twitching in anticipation of having to continually turn the volume down because the audio hits saturation on a continual basis. It's almost as if the engineer either forgot to compress the soundwave before adding amplitude or this was someones first attempt at remastering a cd. Either way I'm very happy that I own the SACD as it is simply perfection. Next up is the Carnegie Hall concert. This show is very good especially since it has the mini orchestra which adds a uniqueness to owning it and The sound is also very good, but the downfall lies in the fact that they cut about 10 songs from the original show, probably because they didn't want to make the box set larger than it already is. Next they have the audacity to include 5 songs from the Nassau 77 show (purchased at best buy) when in fact the masters for the entire 24 song show is available and has been in circulation as a bootleg for many years. Even if you add the four tracks from Nassau that aren't on the Carnegie Hall show the concert is still not complete. Any Serious Billy Joel fan already owns a high quality bootleg of the Nassau 77 show, so only mastering 5 tracks adds insult to injury. Finally I get to the DVD. Surely they couldn't screw this up. Wrong!! No Dobly Digital??? Just Stereo??? It's still a great DVD but it would have been awesome in 5.1. Take a listen to the Springsteen '75 show that was released in 5.1 several years ago and you will know exactly what is lacking in this stereo only show. How would I done it differently if I was Columbia Records? 1. The remastered album should have been offered as a hybrid SACD or DVD audio that would play on both a conventional CD player or in 5.1 on a SACD\DVD player and packaged as a mini LP with all the original artwork. 2. The Carnegie Hall show should have been the complete show which would have been 2 discs and packaged as a mini LP. Who wants to store their discs in the plastic sleeve of the long box? 3. The DVD should have been mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1. It's 2008 for christ's sake. They should have included the 5 tracks from Nassau 1977 in all the boxes and then offered the remaining tracks from the full show as a download for an additional $8-$10. Other than the replica of Billy Joel's lyric book there was absolutely no creativity or imagination put into this box which is a real shame. Maybe the record labels should ask what the fans would like to see in an anniversary box, similar to what Ford did when they reissued the Mustang. In that case everyone was a winner. In the case of the 30th Anniversary of the Stranger most people will walk away knowing they could have had more but got less.

OK, first things first: The Stranger is the album that made Billy Joel a household name throughout the world (though not because it was a breakthrough album in terms of content; the earlier "Turnstiles" is at least as good). It is a very well recorded album with many of Joel's best loved songs. It has been reissued multiple times in the digital era (the original CD, the remastered CD, the SACD version, etc.). It is hard to imagine anyone interested in this expensive expansive edition doesn't already own AT LEAST one other digital version of the album, so the inclusion of the album on this package is a money grab.

Unfortunately, it's worse than that: The remaster of The Stranger included here is far-and-away the WORST remaster of the album to ever appear. It is extremely compressed and maximized, which means it sound nice and LOUD, but it sacrifices all sorts of subtleties of the music itself. If you are only interested in The Stranger, go and buy yourself any other edition. Or if you already own The Stranger in some other digital edition, keep that if you buy this: The version here is just plain junk.

Now, on to the bonus features which, honestly, are the lure of this package. On the second CD (there is no "third" CD, regardless of how Amazon describes this package) you get a TRUNCATED version of the shows that Billy Joel played in New York City in Summer 1977. This was Joel and his band at the height of their powers, and with a trunkload of great material (from the Stranger and earlier albums) to draw upon. To any fan of Billy Joel, this is essential, terrific stuff. UNFORTUNATELY, you don't get an entire show (neither a real entire show, nor a cut-and-paste from separate performances to simulate an entire show). This is a real travesty and begs the question "Why?" The source material to offer a full show is available. Someone made the decision to offer the abridged version here, and, given the relatively high cost of this package and that fact that a full show from era of Joel's career is not legitimately available anywhere is just criminal. What's here is excellent, but it's just not enough.

As for the DVD: You get an hour long show originally recorded for the UK's Old Grey Whistle Test. Again, it's excellent, but does not represent a full show of the era (even if an hour is all that Joel and his band recorded for that fixed format show). There's also a documentary and a bit of other ephemera that's nice, but won't merit repeat viewings in most households.

In all, this is an opportunity missed. A poor remaster of the original album coupled with a tantalizing but unsatisfying abbreviated version of a classic era show. Bad decisions were made here and--sadly--I'd guess there won't be a another physical media attempt to correct them in the future.

Hardcore Joel fans will buy this, as well they should (what legitimate alternatives are there for the live material?) But anyone on the fence should think hard before jumping.

Just received the deluxe set today. I've watched parts of the DVD including the new interview. The interview is excellent, especially the comments from the legendary Phil Ramone. Watched some of the Old Grey Whistle test, and that was fine, also.

But, first off, I listened to the 2nd CD with the June 1977 Carnegie Hall concert. I must say I listened the old fashioned way, with high quality headphones, and I must say I was getting goosebumps and I also had a few tears as I flashed back in my mind to 1977 and listening the The Stranger for the first few times on my first high quality hi-fi. I had been a sort of Billy Joel fan previous to The Stranger, but The Stranger became the benchmark of all Billy Joel albums and still is.

The remastering of this over thirty year old concert is amazing. The small orchestra backing is just enough to make a difference. I also noticed the dynamics of the way bands played back then. These days it seems like it's pedal to the metal the whole song. No dynamics.

I have Songs in the Attic (excellent),the Soviet Union concert, the Millenium concert, and the recent 12 Gardens all on CD. This 1977 concert blows them all away in my humble opinion. Reminded me of the Bruce Springsteen concert on the Born to Run deluze edition from a few years ago. So much energy. I'm thinking it has something to do with still being young and hungry. I remember thinking that when I watched the old Springsteen 1975 concert.

Anyway, do yourself a favor. If you are any kind of Billy Joel fan from the old days, you owe it to yourself to enjoy this concert from 1977. And listen to it close. Not just as background music. Billy Joel was also an amazing piano player, and the band complimented him perfectly.

Hopefully, we are able to get some new Billy Joel rock & roll music yet. It's been too long between albums and I'd love to hear something new from Billy.

This is a very nice boxed set and an excellently thorough and generous treatment for a "classic" album in many senses of the term. The latest remastering of the original album may be very good. I didn't notice much difference myself. (Actually I think you have to be an audiophile to possess the trained ears to hear such things.) My focus is on all of the bounteous bonus material. The Carnegie Hall concert was a high quality recording of a spirited and superb performance by both Mr. Joel and his band. I had a nice nostalgic experience listening to that previously unreleased recording, as I saw Joel in a marvelous Pittsburgh concert about a year later. The rest of the bonus stuff has been well described by reviewer Chapman in his good review. The lyrics workbook replica is cool and fun to look through. I especially appreciated the interesting (though short) DVD featurette about the making of The Stranger. It sheds a lot of new light on the creation of the album! Overall, I'm very grateful to get my hands (and ears & eyes) on this Anniversary set!

Even 30 years after its debut, The Stranger is still a classic. Throw in The Old Grey Whistle Test, a Carnegie Hall poster, a copy of Joel's lyric notebook, a previously un-released live show and a recent interview and what do you get?
Pure magic...I loved it.

Oh, and can't forget the booklet, either! It has plenty of pictures from The Stranger times and is an amazing addition.

...He was so good looking. Tee hee. You HAVE to get this!

Billy Joel's was the first music that was really 'mine'. I discovered him all on my own, he wasn't someone my parents listened to and then introduced me to. I have always felt a very strong connection to his music because of this. The Stranger is his watershed moment, it was his make or break album and it garnered him world wide attention. And with darned good reason. The album is just phenomenal and this remaster is a true delight. The disc of the concert at Carnegie Hall is great too, it affords a chance to listen to some of the chances the band takes live and the fun they have together on stage. The DVD of the Old Grey Whistle Test is what really makes the set for me. I had only ever seen this in its entirety once before getting this set on PBS. I had seen clips from it over the years as well, again on PBS. And to be able to sit down and watch this any ole time I feel like is just heaven to a Billy Joel fan. If you love Billy like I do, get this, you won't regret it.

I've owned The Stranger album in every format it was ever sold (except maybe for 8-Track!), but this was the best purchase ever. Yes, the album is the same. But the Carnegie Hall performance CD is worth the purchase price all by itself! It's cool to hear a young BJ having fun with the audience (and poking fun at the Carnegie Hall management!). You can almost see everybody in their '70s gear just having an incredible time with another rebel on the stage.

But the most profound part of this CD was when Billy introduces a 'new' song called "Just The Way You Are". It was freaky to NOT hear the audience break out in a roar at the announcement of that song! It's been voted the best love song of all time (and it really is... the title itself is the ultimate definition of unconditional love), and here is Joel performing it for one of the first times ever.

The accompanying DVD is an added treat, of course... watching that same young Billy Joel performing live on an old British variety show with his long hair and sporadic gestures enjoying what he loves and what we love to hear and see.

And then the replica of his handwritten "Stranger" song book... Unbelievable. It's got all his scratch-outs and corrections... it even has a replica of a grease stain from some food he dropped on one page!

This is the best Billy Joel compilation I've ever purchased.

And I'm pretty sure I've bought 'em all...

Simply a masterpiece! It was a heralded vinyl in 1977 and is now simply a classic 30 years later! I purchased the legacy addition to get an exclusive 5 song DVD attachment and while that purchase was a joy it does not compare to the deluxe edition!!! The 30 minute documentary is priceless when you have the opportunity to get the inside stuff from Billy and the genius of Phil Ramone! The Old Grey Whistle Test concert on DVD is still giving me chills. I thought I had experienced most of what was on video and this is a must have!!!!!The graphics alone and the boxed set packaging rival the My Life boxed set. I recommend this purchase with two very BIG THUMBS UP!!!! I look forward to "The last play at shea" Doumentary scheduled for 2009 release. Remember Only the Good Die Young and get this before its too late!

Billy Joel's 1977 mega-selling breakthrough "The Stranger" gets the the big birthday box treatment on this 2-CDs +1 DVD(please note:only Best-Buy sells the third CD) with a fantastic remastering of the original album,which surpasses the original 1980's CBS disc and the 1998 remaster easily;a second disc featuring a June 3,1977 performance at the lengendary Carnegie Hall containing an excellent takes of "Prelude/Angry Young Man","Captain Jack","Say Goodbye To Hollywood" and the two then-unreleased songs "Just The Way You Are",which is different from the studio version,and "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant".The DVD contains the March 14th,1978 BBC 1 TV "Old Grey Whistle Test" concert which is also quite stellar with good picture and sound,live promo videos of "The Stranger" and "Just The Way You Are" and a interesting new 30-minute documentary on the making of this landmark album.If that wasn't enough,there's a stylish 48-page booklet containing a fine essay by writer David Fricke,lyrics and cool montages of period photos and press clippings;a poster of the sold-out June 2,3&4 1977 stand at Carnegie Hall;and a diary(!).If you are(like me)a huge fan,this box is a must-have.If you are a casual fan,you can go for cheaper The Stranger: 30th Anniversary [Legacy Edition] - 2 CD Set.Either way you're in for a real treat!