Time Passages - AL STEWART***

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

Veteran singer-songwriter Al Stewart was at the height of his popularity at the time of the release of Time Passages, but his appeal would soon quickly diminish. Features the US No. 7 title track. (US:10 UK:39)

“This is my favourite Al Stewart album. It's got everything in the right measure. No filler, superb production by Alan Parsons, inspired songwriting throughout with melancholy, yet feel-good music.”

“The title track is one of Al Stewart's best songs with great guitar playing and alto sax solo. Valentina Way is the closest he has ever come to rock and roll, while Life In Dark Water sounds like a song by the Alan Parsons Project.”

“Here we have Al Stewart continuing with the successful formula of Year Of The Cat. All in all, I find this album pretty equal in quality. Literate songwriting, such as Life In Dark Water and The Palace Of Versailles is Al's specialty, and he doesn't disappoint here. His explorations of love, and especially the sad, and lost kind are also evident here, as in Valentina Way or Almost Lucy. Though the production is a little too slick, this is probably his last great album.”

“By the time Al Stewart got to this album, his creative juices iced over to be replaced by this easy listening background music. This seemed to happen to many folk-based musicians around this time.”

“From the opening track to the end, he just keeps getting better. Al Stewart was smart and lucky enough to have Alan Parsons again produce this album and have a great collection of very talented musicians to work with.”

“If you like acoustic music that is well-crafted and highly melodic, you will thoroughly enjoy this excellent set of compositions. It is a shame that more people don't know about this incredibly talented and intelligent songwriter.”

“If only Al Stewart and Alan Parsons were working together again - they were perfect musical soul mates. Al is really a folkie troubadour, and I'm convinced that these tunes wouldn't be anywhere near as fleshed out if it weren't for Alan Parsons musical guidance and sound expertise. The end result is a sonic masterpiece.”