The Stranger

Confidence is the key to Billy Joel’s finest studio album. Pitching himself somewhere between Elton John and Paul McCartney for melodic invention, he delivers songs that demand a muscular rock backing but are happy to flirt with Broadway sparkle to get their point across. And that’s not counting The Stranger’s two tentpole ballads—"Just the Way You Are" and "She’s Always a Woman­”—each strong enough to fend for themselves in anyone's greatest hits.