Orange

Artist: Al Stewart
Label: Sony
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

EAN: 5099748444127
ASIN: B00000JAXU

Release Date: 1999-10-28

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Tracks:

You Don't Even Know Me
Amsterdam
Songs Out of Clay
News from Spain
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Once an Orange, Always an Orange
I'm Falling
Night of the 4th of May

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Customer Reviews:

Early Musings.......2004-08-03

My love affair with the music of Al Stewart began with the issue of Past, Present and Future. Then, I was fresh out of high school with every cent needed for living expenses. Money to go and buy earlier albums of artists I had come to like was scarce.
Now, after years of listening to Stewart, buying all of his post PPF albums, and hearing him a number of times live, I have become curious about his earliest recordings. So I took the plunge and picked up Orange.
My first impression was that it is pretty mediocre when compared with some of Stewart's future offerings. But then I forced myself to think in terms of the times in which this first appeared and compare it with other music coming out at the same time. When I looked at it that way, it rose in my estimation.
Three songs in particular stand out here: Songs Out of Clay, The News From Spain, and the instrumental Once An Orange, Always An Orange. Songs Out Of Clay presages the development of Stewart as a modern troubador and as a wordsmith and storyteller without parallel. News From Spain is a great early example of a Stewart love song sited in an exotic locale. The rare Stewart instrumental features a silly name, but some tasty chops.
I also like Al's rendition of Bob Dylan's I Don't Believe You and his own composition The Night Of The 4th Of May, another love song written in his inimitable way.
Among the standout musicians featured are Tim Renwick, who is to work with Stewart for many years, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and 60s legend Brinsley Schwarz. Though this CD may never have mass appeal, it is recommended to any Al Stewart fans who missed it. Now that I've heard how good some of his early musings are, I will seek out his first three albums.

ALMOST THERE.......2003-06-14

Here we find Al in 1972. He's almost to that point of really really great songwriting all the way around (He took brief moments in earlier albums on songs like "Clifton In The Rain" and "A Small Fruit Song"). On ORANGE, his songs are still mostly love confessions, but still well worth hearing as he is beefing up his sound. Highlight songs "Songs Out of Clay", "The News From Spain" and "Amsterdam".

Many hours of great listening........2001-02-25

I think this is a classic, and songs like "News from spain", "Amsterdam", "songs out of clay" and all the others are hard to forget. This is folk, british folk at its best, and besides his voice he's different here than n his more famous songs from Year of the cat and the 80's. The sound of the cd is very good, and for once I can say it is very close to the vinyl.

The lyrics are in the booklet, good move. Now, it's your turn, buy it.

Many hours of great listening........2001-02-25

This is the first Al Stewart LP I ever heard. My cousin in Madrid had it and I listened to it on my trip to Spain in 1975. Then I bought in 1977 a used copy of it in "Cheapo Cheapo" in London, so it's all memories and many hours I spent in my adolescence hearing Stewart's difficulties with women, instead of dating them. "And it was no sense at all/ or too much sense/ that brought me to the bridge of impotence".
I think this is a classic, and songs like "News from spain", "Amsterdam", "songs out of clay" and all the others are hard to forget. This is folk, british folk at its best, and besides his voice he's different here than n his more famous songs from Year of the cat and the 80's. The sound of the cd is very good, and for once I can say it is very close to the vinyl. The lyrics are in the booklet, good move. Now, it's your turn, buy it.

Last of the Personal.......2000-04-11

Orange is the not the easiest of albums; the most personal of all Al Stewart's work, but also the last of his truly autobiographical albums; his next phase was more experimental, more historical - and yes - more commercial.

Orange was an acquired taste - many fans saw it as a sell out (at the time), as it was so smooth and professional compared with the first three.

And smooth it is; a polished performance of well-written, intelligent lyrics with a backing from fine musicians.

Many of us, born within a year or three of Al, could (and did) relate to his angst. Almost uniquely in my experience, this album seemed to talk equally to both male and female listeners.

Finally, and this must be recorded for posterity, this is the album that spawned the 'Al Stewart Joke' on the UK folk club circuit: "Tragedy - Al Stewart has a new girlfriend. [pause] That means another album." They were only jealous!

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