Billy Joel nights can't be forced, they just happen. When it's a beautiful night and your riding the train home talking about the world and your place in it, when suddenly it occurs to everyone that, yes!, the night should be concluded with a beer and Billy Joel.
While I'm not over the moon about all of his repertoire, it's completely necessary to own The Stranger in its entirety mainly because you can't hinge Billy Joel night on She's Always A Woman alone (even if it is by far and away his very best and even rivals Bruce, whose blue collar storytelling was clearly a huge influence on Joel for this album). The tempo picks up with “Only the Good Die Young” and “Movin' Out” (now currently a huge broadway show which I can not even fathom and am choosing to ignore).
If you need some convincing to have a Billy Joel night of your own, watch the Carded and Discarded episode of Freaks and Geeks which features songs from 52nd Street and Glass Houses (neither of which are as solid as this album, but it will get you in the mood). You'll find yourself drawn to the strange little man and his cheesy music despite yourself.
Let's face it, despite his eventual decline into the “River of Dreams” hell, there was a time when the man could bring out the best in the worst you can be.
But what do you think?