Time Passages

Artist: Al Stewart
Label: Arista
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 078221834223
EAN: 0078221834223
ASIN: B000002VDW

Release Date: 1990-10-25

Time Passages

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General

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Tracks:

Time Passages
Valentina Way
Life In Dark Water
A Man For All Seasons
Almost Lucy
The Palace Of Versailles
Timeless Skies
Song On The Radio
End Of The Day

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Customer Reviews:

terrific--brilliant songwriting & great production.......2004-11-08

To a certain extent, it's not that surprising that certain fans will somewhat write this album off, being as it was, along with "Year Of The Cat", Al's commercial peak--in the US, the album reached the Top Ten on the album charts & went platinum within a year of its original release in September/ October of 1978. Granted, Al has lots of excellent work from before as well as after this album, yet "Time Passages" demonstrates a genius at an absolute peak. Al's songwriting on track after track is so melodically rich & full of outstanding, incisive lyrics, it's hard not to be envious of his ability. Also, his understated, precisely-phrased, clearly enunciated vocals complement the material perfectly. As much credit as Al deserves, you can't deny the contributions of producer Alan Parsons for the album's lush, warm sound, & all the great musicianship, including guitarist Peter White who co-wrote the beautiful, timeless title track (& the final track--everything in between was written by Al himself). Some fans seem to find the sound of the album too bland/ soft-rockish/ radio-friendly, which is being very harsh. His folkier side is very much represented on "Timeless Skies" and "Almost Lucy", the latter of which is one of his patented 'mysterious woman' songs. Maybe it WAS radio-friendly for its time, but listening today it sounds arguably even more impressive than when first released in the sense that there's none of the overdone, overly slick, lifeless production that's heard all too frequently on much 1990s/ 2000s music. The album is so rich & complete--you could go on at length discussing the individual tracks... The thing that really drives it all home making the album so extra-special is the emotional resonance of the material--the majestic title track, "Timeless Skies" (with a great "rainy" acoustic guitar part), and the relaxed "Song On The Radio" are all wistful, breezy, and wonderful; the haunting story-song "Almost Lucy" is also a terrific, deeply affecting track. "The Palace of Versailles" with its great synthesizer melody, & the punchy uptempo rocker "Valentina Way" are a couple more gems from the album. Al said in an interview over 20 years ago he doesn't expect listeners to fully understand his often historically-based lyrics, and that some of it elludes even himself. Having attended a Stewart concert this past June, playing solo with acoustic guitar, his humbleness is readily apparent, and as much as he clearly enjoys piling in the little details into his lyrics for the fans who love trying to decipher it all and to point out any historical inaccuracies, he is overwhelmingly effective in his attempts to communicate feeling. This album was reissued on CD by Rhino Records in April of 2004, and it's preferrable to this older Arista CD release; however, if you already have this version or if you see it cheap, it will get you by just fine since the sound quality here is solid in its own right and the Rhino reissue doesn't feature any bonus tracks. If you're new to Al, this is a great album to start with--this is one of those truly special albums that belongs in any serious listener's collection.

A Desert Island Disc.......2003-11-15

Right now, in 2003, this music is just so hopelessly U N H I P it isn't even funny. It's almost like you have to apologise for liking it! Well, to me this album has been like a faithful friend for almost 25 years now. It's an album I often return to. After a stressful day, it's like balsam to my soul more than any other album i know about. And for those very inspired moments, it's everlasting.
I believe this is Stewart's best album. I haven't heard them all, but I do think it's better than "Past, Present and Future" and "Year of the Cat". Stewart has just the nicest, most sympathic VOICE in the entire history of pop music. "Time "Passages" has a more "symphonic" touch than other Stewart albums I have heard, and it pays off. There's not a single weak song on the album. I've heard some people dislike "Song On The Radio", but I really don't understand why. When I go for a drive on a sunny day, I can't think of any better soundtrack than that song.
I LOVE this beautiful album, and I would definately take it with me on a desert island.

Good story telling.......2003-06-21

This album was released after the very sucessful YEAR OF THE CAT. Some good stuff here, but not as engaging as YEAR OF THE CAT. It's been said that SONG ON THE RADIO was written specifically to get radio airplay, yet it's still a good tune. Other highlights: VALENTINA WAY (has a great driving beat) and the Title tract, TIME PASSAGES (sort of an ode to nostalgia) are really good. The rest is good story telling, but not much Rockin-n-rollin'. If you like songs that give you the feel for the story they're telling, this is for you!!!

Great Travelling Music.......2003-02-24

Some have praised this album while downplaying the two hit songs it contains, but I think they each fit in nicely. "Time Passages" is the perfect opener, inviting you, the listener, to open up your mind and listen to Al tell some stories. "Song on the Radio," while it may be a bit of a stretch thematically, provides a nice uptempo kick near the end of the album, gently bringing us back into the here and now. I was not a fan of either of these songs when they were hits, but after buying the album years later I was able to appreciate them much more.

And they are not the only great songs here. "Palace of Versailles" and "The Man for All Seasons" are excellent examples of how Stewart was able to fuse American folk and rock styles with distinctly European themes. "Almost Lucy," "Acadian Skies," and "End of the Day" are mostly acoustic, and harken back to Stewart's earlier, more personal work.

I love to listen to Al Stewart's music, particularly this album, while travelling. Stewart is obviously an observant, enthusiastic traveller who also has an appreciation of the comforts of home, and his attitude is infectious.

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