Life and life only (Al Stewart) (LP 3977 - 3986)

Al Stewart  Love Chronicles (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1969) ***  

Al Stewart  Zero She Flies (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1970) *** 

Al Stewart  Orange (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1972) *** 

Al Stewart  Past Present and Future (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1973) **** 

Al Stewart  Modern Times (Vinyl, Janus Records, 1975) *****

Al Stewart  Year of the Cat (Vinyl, RCA Records, 1976) *****

Al Stewart  Time Passages (Vinyl, RCA Records, 1978) *****

Al Stewart  24 Carrots (Vinyl, RCA Records, 1980) ***

Al Stewart  Live/Indian Summer (2Vinyl, RCA Records, 1981) ***

Al Stewart  Russians & Americans (Vinyl, RCA Records, 1984) **

Genre: Folk-rock, pop 

Places I remember: Record shop in San Luis Obispo, Amoeba Music, Real Groovy Records, Record shop in Denver Colorado.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Year of the Cat

Gear costume: Post World War Two Blues (Past Present and Future), Carol, Apple Cider Re-Constitution (Modern Times)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: In terms of collecting, I have circled back to the start of Al Stewart's recording career. Yes, it was Year of the Cat (the song and album) that originally kick started me. The great thing is that his music is easily found in the sale bins at Real Groovy Records in Auckland and elsewhere - so he's one of the artists in my collection where I only have vinyl. No CDs.

I don't have his first album (yet), so we start with album number 2 - Love Chronicles (named folk album of the year in 1969 by Melody Maker). The album is named after the 18 minute song/story of his love life. It's pretty damn fine as a song and album.

Given it's only his second album, he has a pretty amazing set of musicians appearing on it - Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones plus four members of Fairport Convention. That helps create a really cool folk-rock album.

Zero She Flies is in the same style, although he does feature the first of his historical reference songs - Manuscript. This was a style he'd continue on subsequent records. Orange (his next album) expanded on that idea with The News from Spain - a breakthrough kind of a song.

Orange (his fourth album) has input some more fantastic supporting musicians including Rick Wakeman, Tim Renwick and Brinsley Schwarz. A cover version of Dylan's I Don't Believe You is pretty cool.

Stewart believes that Past Present and Future was his first major album. It's not hard to see why. As he said, "My first four albums have been, for me, an apprenticeship. The new album.....is my thesis". 

There is a lovely variety to the arrangements and the concentration on the historical subject matter feels more solid than the love songs of the earlier albums, good as they are. There is also some fun word play mixed in with the sober historical stuff.

Modern Times is his sixth album. Alan Parsons was the producer so it's sonically great! Critics saw this album as the start of his 'classic period' and he certainly hits on a winning formula on this album - poetic stories, great production and lush arrangements that develop melodically into songs that captivate my attention.

That all starts with first song Carol and he just keeps that high standard of song-writing going. Oh, and Al plays some beautiful guitar throughout as well.

Side note re the front cover - the woman in the picture is David Gilmour's first wife, Ginger. The car Stewart is sitting in belonged to Jimmy Page.

Year of the Cat was the big one in 1976 - that title song became huge and certainly overshadows the rest of the album. Smart move by Al putting it as the last track.

Alan Parson's expertise is also well evident on the sonic texture (he produced and engineered). The songs are all of high quality and On the Border, also released as a single, was another classic slice of Al Stewart. The AllMusic critic sums things up well: "Stewart is detached from his music, but only in the sense that he gives this album a stylish elegance, and Parsons is his perfect foil, giving the music a rich, panoramic sweep that mimics Stewart's globe-trotting songs".

The follow up to what many believe was Al's masterpiece was the equally impressive Time Passages in 1978. No long layoff as the artist agonises over what to do next for Al.

Alan Parsons was again the producer, and again, together, he and Al make a terrific combination. The songs were also still flowing. The title track was another big hit. The album has a more rock feel, so it feels like a progression. Al's philosophy is to never consciously repeat something. He'd moved from love songs to historical dramas very successfully. On Time Passages, Al makes it four great records in a row. Impressive!

24 Carrots found Al with a new band - Shot in the Dark, plus a plethora of drummers. It also was his first for a while without Alan Parsons. No matter - Al continues the momentum built up from those last three albums on 24 Carrots. While it's not quite up there with those ones, it is still a good collection with Running Man, Midnight Rocks being standouts.

His association with Shot in the Dark continued with the hybrid live/studio album - Live/Indian Summer. Side one has the studio tracks. All songs were recorded in 1981 and yes - there are synths on the studio set. 

The whole thing feels a little flat. The studio tracks are okay but nothing great and the live workouts don't feel particularly inspired. So, this album is interesting, but it's not an essential part of his catalogue.

If the Indian Summer tracks had some synths, then Russians & Americans is awash with them, and the dreaded eighties drum sound rears its head. All conspire to drown these songs in unnecessary and obsolete tech. The subject matter is the (bad) relationship between Russia and America in 1983. Given all that, it has dated mightily. Luckily, I paid $5 for it at Real Groovy Records. It has made me wary about his later albums.

Where do they all belong? I have yet to come across his last few records from 1988 onwards (as well as that first one - Bedsitter Images). So, I will keep an eye out for cheap editions of Last Days of the Century, Famous Last Words, Between the Wars, Down in the Cellar, A Beach Full of Shells and Sparks of Ancient Light.