“The Stranger”: The Album That Saved Billy Joel’s Career (and His Hairline)Let’s rewind to Late September 1977: Disco ruled the airwaves, punk was snarling in the gutters and Billy Joel? That’s right, before The Stranger dropped, Joel was circling the drain, creatively and commercially. Three previous albums had floundered commercially and Joel’s sound wasn’t exactly trending in a post-Zeppelin, pre-MTV world. Let’s be real, Billy Joel’s career would’ve been toast. So pour yourself something stiff, drop the needle and remember: without The Stranger, Billy Joel might’ve been just another forgotten name in a dusty crate at your local record shop.