Customer Reviews

The Stranger

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It took what seemed like forever, but Sony Music has started to release 5.1-channel SACDs. Billy Joel's "The Stranger" is one of the first. The multichannel version has catalog number CS 69384.

The disc is presented in 5.1 channel packed DSD sound as well as stereo DSD. There is no CD layer, so the SACD is only playable in an SACD player. Multichannel requires a multichannel SACD player such as the Sony SCD-CE775.

Unlike early DVD-Audio discs, the mixes and mastering process on this early multichannel SACD are all excellent. The vocals are extremely clear and the disc is easy to use. Unlike a DVD-Audio disc, which acts like a glorified DVD-Video disc, a multichannel SACD acts like a CD. Press 'play' - it plays. Track skipping is easy. As a bonus, the name of each track appears on the player's built-in display - no video display required.

Standout tracks are "Moving Out" where the vocals are full and extremely clean sounding. The low bass on "Just the Way you Are" is excellent and warm. There are no use of instruments that "fly" throughout the channels, just a very good mix.

I'm on my fifth play now of this disc. An excellent start to the world of multichannel SACD. May there be many more discs like this.

Note : Earlier SACD versions of "The Stranger" were stereo-only.

Billy Joel needs no introduction to anyone who's followed pop music in the past 25 years. He's simply one of the most talented singer-songwriters of the past quarter century. With The Stranger, he reached the top of the charts and created one of his most enduring works at the same time. This Grammy award winning album contains "Just the Way You Are," one of the most honest and beautiful love songs of all time, but it also contains classics like "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" and "Only the Good Die Young." Joel surrounds himself with talented, but unpretentious musicians who wonderfully interpret his music. And Phil Ramone's original production gave this material a thoughtful, clean mix that accentuated the songs and the musicians.

This is one of the original single-layer Sony SACDs, which pale in comparison to new hybrids that are starting to find their way into the market. For one thing, we've come to expect an upgrade in packaging, not the redbook CD booklet with 1 or 2 lines crediting the remastering team. It ships in a traditional jewel case, and is otherwise indistinguishable from a traditional CD; however, once you pop this baby into your SACD player, you'll find yourself dazzled by the sonics, in either stereo or 5.1.

I won't spend much time on the stereo mix, except to say that a friend loaned me the remastered redbook CD and, while this is definitely a step up, there's nothing jaw-droppingly better about the stereo mix. It sounds marginally better, but not enough of a leap in quality to suggest you should replace your redbook edition.

However, if you are 5.1-capable, you should really consider buying this CD. The multichannel mix is outstanding. The lead vocals stand out clearly at the top of the mix from the center channel, and the instruments are spread generously around the 4 front and surround speakers, with the piano positioned FL. The LFE is given a lot of data, and produces a strong amount of well-defined low-end. Also, the instrument placement around the mix seems logical, giving the overall band an authentic "live in the studio" feel, with a strong, but not overpowering amount of ambient echo from the surrounds.

Where this mix really shines, though, is in the small moments that you might otherwise miss. Take "Only the Good Die Young," for example. What I never REALLY noticed on that song before is Liberty DeVitto's terrific work on the brushes, but this mix gives you a great chance to hear every swipe of the drumskin. Another example is "Just Like A Woman," which has a terrific arpeggio line by the acoustic guitars of Hugh McCracken and Steve Burgh. On the multichannel mix they sing through the mix to give the song a brighter tone. There are many other examples I could site, but I think you get the idea.

Bottom line? If you are a fan of this album and you are set up for 5.1, you absolutely need to buy this SACD. You won't be sorry.

On the strength of the reviews I read in Amazon.com, I purchased The Stranger on SACD. I have not been disappointed. All of the songs are mixed well, but I am especially impressed with the mix on some of the mellower songs like "Just the Way You Are" and "She's Always a Woman." The first of these is a song that I've been sick of for a long time, but the 5.1 channel version actually puts new life into it.

I only have two gripes, which have to do not with what is ON the disc, but what is NOT on it. First, it does not contain a CD layer. Why Sony refuses to release its SACDs as hybrids is beyond my comprehension. It is a stupid and greedy policy. Second, it does not contain any extras, neither on the disc itself nor in the packaging. For what it costs, an SACD should be a DELUXE edition of an album, with some bonus tracks and/or an expanded booklet. DVD Audio discs haven't been much better in this respect, but at least they throw us a few small bones.

All things considered, this is a worthwhile purchase that brings out some of the best of what multichannel SACD has to offer.

"The Stranger" propelled Billy Joel to the top of the charts in 1977/78, becoming the biggest-selling album in CBS's history at the time(until Michael Jackson's "Thriller"),producing four Top 40 singles, and establishing Billy as a major pop/rock superstar.And for good reason.Before "The Stranger",Joel's albums's had always sounded a bit thin sonically-which was part of the reason he had trouble establishing a reputation as a pop/rocker.But this record marked the beginning of a fruitful decade-long collarboration with Phil Ramone,who gave Billy's carefully-crafted songs some much-needed sonic muscle and radio-ready pop sheen.It also showed Billy at the top of his game,from the opening "Movin Out(Anthony's Song)to the last haunting piano-and-whistle strains of "The Stranger" reprise that closes the album.The 5.1/stereo SACD release is wonderful to say the least.It's rich,spacious,bassy sound gives such overplayed hits("Just The Way You Are","Movin Out","She's Always A Woman" and "Only The Good Die Young")and album tracks("Scenes From An Italian Resturaut" and the title song)brand new life,adding a warmth and clarity the standard 16-bit CD simply doesn't have.It is a must-have for anyone who has SACD-compatible equipment who wants to show off his/hers system.(Note:This will not play on a standard CD player!)

this is probably one of the best SACD's that I have. The music sounds like Billy Joel is sitting in my living room. I especially like the fact that the sound fills my living room. Especially given the fact that its multichannel instead of just stereo. Until I got SACD's, I didn't realize what a misjustice CD's do the music. I just wish more albums would get released on SACD (I'm talking to you Pink Floyd).

The 5.1 mix on this SACD is outstanding. A great album is given a great treatment. One thing that's unusual about the 5.1 mix is the LFE channel. One reviewer noted "The LFE is given a lot of data". In fact, the .1 channel on this mix is not purely a Low Frequency Effect channel. It has a Full Frequency Range. If you are able to send the .1 output to a regular speaker, you'll hear the bass guitar, vocals, drums (including cymbals), and the motorcycle at the end of track 1. It's interesting that this channel wasn't filtered to just have frequencies below 200 Hz. I'm not complaining, but I do wonder if my subwoofer enjoys receiving the higher frequencies. Anyway, this is one of my favorite SACDs to play.

I just got the new Oppo BDP-83 blu-ray player. Wanting to get an SACD player again, this was a great deal for me. When I put in this SACD I was completely blown away. I have a nice collection of SACD & DVD-A music but, thus far, Billy Joel's "The stranger" has beat them all. Incredible seperation and clarity of voice and audible note or flawless! I am so happy with this purchase, you won't be dissapointed!

Where did all the great songwriters go? It was astonishing, after all these years, to hear one great song after another, with arguably, one filler, instead of the other way around! If you like good old analog sound, you'll love this, especially "Only The Good Die Young". I don't care how many times you've heard "Don't Go Changin'" in your life, it is stunningly beautiful in SACD. A C.D. to die young for. The Piano Man, indeed.

Anyone who already is familiar with this fine album needs no introduction, but I want to say that this version, especially the 5.1 mix of it, is simply fantastic.
The producers really seemed to understand that a well executed surround version should approximate the live experience as much as possible, and they did that quite well.
No more are you limited to simply left, right, or varying combinations of the two, as you now have not just two rear channels added to the audio, but a center and LFE as well.
Anyone not already familiar with this stellar album should know that it is one of the very few rock albums out there with not a single bad cut, all A material.
"Always A Woman" is a beautiful song about the frustrations of love in a relationship that is not always perfect, the popular "Just The Way You Are" eloquently expresses every man's wish that the woman he loves will not get the itch to change, and my favorite "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," is a real sonic showpiece that fully exploits the 5.1 surround while telling a great story of a couple living life lived too fast, resulting in inevitable disaster.
My only complaint, if you want to call it that, is that this is a first generation SACD, NOT a hybrid SACD, which allows you to play the redbook CD version in your car stereo using the same high resolution disk as you can use in your home 5.1 system.
That was not even part of the equation with this to me, as I already had the remastered standard CD of this album.
Again, thanks to Amazon for their consistently speedy service.

This is simply a "must-have" item in your SACD collection. Stunning in every respect. While the surround effects are certainly filling and satisfying, they are in no way overbearing. This is the reference version of this album, whether you're a Joel fan or simply dig SACD/DVD-A hi-res surround albums. Kudos to the folks who handled this surround mix, they did a stellar job.