Bed Sitter Images – AL STEWART***

Bed Sitter Images/Swiss Cottage Manoeuvres/The Carmichaels/Scandinavian Girl/Pretty Golden Hair/Denise At 16/Samuel Oh How You Changed/Cleave To Me/A Long Way Down From Stephanie/Ivich/Beleeka Doodle Day

Bed Sitter Images was the debut album from the British folk rock singer Al Stewart. His brand of introspective songwriting would become quite popular during the early 1970s.

“Al Stewart's debut is a choppy affair. There are a handful of genuinely great songs on here (Bed Sitter Images, A Long Way Down From Stephanie and the lovely instrumental Denise At 16) and a couple of really twee and embarrassing tunes too, particularly the clumsy Beleeka Doodle Day.”

“Stewart was just beginning to develop what was to become his unique style here, and there is quite a bit to like. My favourites are Bed Sitter Images where he reveals an early knack for a literate composition; the charming romance of Swiss Cottage Manoeuvres; a rare instrumental on Ivich, with faint gypsy undertones and Beleeka Doodle Day, in an epic style of storytelling upon which he would build his reputation.”

“This debut album by Al Stewart has always been hated by his fans. That's a shame, because his songwriting talent is very much in evidence here, even if it is obscured at times by the overly ornate arrangements. But I do think that the album is quite listenable if one is in the mood for quirky British pop.”

“Bed Sitter Images unveiled a promising but tentative folk-rock singer/songwriter. Al Stewart's songs already displayed his talent for observational storytelling, though at this point he was detailing ordinary lives of British people and autobiographical romance, rather than epic historical incidents. Most of the cuts used a full orchestra, and although the folk-baroque approach worked for some folk-rock artists of the era, here it seemed ill-conceived. The orchestration was twee, which made the already precious songs seem even twee-er.”

“This is where it all began. While the singing and the music much improved later, we can glimpse the humour and the rhythmic melodies here that would form the foundation for Al Stewart's later works.”

“Most of it is clearly low-grade 'me-too' irritating 60s pop. There are a couple of standouts, but listeners might be better served by a compilation of his earlier work.”