Billy Joel The Stranger Vinyl AlbumBilly Joel The Stranger Vinyl Album Originally released in 1977, Billy Joel's fifth studio album, The Stranger Vinyl Album, was his breakthrough and marked the first of a series of highly successful collaborations with producer Phil Ramone, whose mastery of the recording studio provided a sublime sonic context for Joel's timeless songs and classic performances. The Stranger went on to became one of the top selling albums of that year, peaking at #2 on