A record where saxophones trump guitars and the piano is nearly the cradle of civilization, The Stranger cut against any number of grains in the era just after disco and punk had broken out—this song cycle details a guy dissatisfied with the surrounding mediocrity, but it also takes sanctuary in gentle nostalgia, cocktail-lounge noblesse and the Jersey-guy values of hard work and no bullshit. Today, Joel is Broadway to the bone, but listen to the then-new songs on the 1977 bonus concert disc or check the DVD with a subsequent TV set and you can hear desperation. Don’t hate on the Muzak constant “Just the Way You Are”: This is great songcraft and restlessness moving toward and away from the mainstream. It’s like a Fountains of Wayne CD fronted by Kevin Costner—you wish the lug singer had a sense of humor, but few have as great an eye for storytelling, detail and melody.

Download “Movin’ Out,” “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,” “Only the Good Die Young”