Love Chronicles – AL STEWART***

In Brooklyn/Old Compton Street Blues/The Ballad Of Mary Foster/Life & Life Only/You Should Have Listened To Al/Love Chronicles

Love Chronicles was the follow up album from British folk rock singer songwriter Al Stewart. The detailed account of his love life was not to everyone’s taste.

“This is pretty much all acoustic guitar driven singer-songwriter style folk ballads. I'm sure it holds plenty of promise for his fans, or genre fans in general. I can enjoy a good folk/rock album too, but not this one. Not that it's particularly bad, just hopelessly mediocre to my ears.”

“A strong and enjoyable folk-rock album nearly ruined by the eighteen minute pile of rubbish that takes up the bulk of side two. My problem with early Al Stewart is his high lyrical pretension at such a young age. He really tries to wrap himself up in the illusion that he is world-weary, or more precisely love-weary well beyond his years and it's just laughably unconvincing. The things that play in his favour are a) his charmingly lisped vocals which somewhat incorrectly give the allusion of feyness and b) the rather superb backing from Jimmy Page and Richard Thompson.”

“This one attracts high praise from the Stewart faithful, but to my ears it hasn't aged all that well, and there's something slightly unsettling about seeing that much of the man's personal life. Call me a prude perhaps.”

“The album kicks off with the delightful In Brooklyn, which may be the best song on here. I honestly don't pay too much attention to Al's lyrics, but I'll just have to take his word for it that he did some mighty fantastic things while in Brooklyn. The thing is though, the album is really repetitive. After the first song, you just get more of the same. But the epic, nearly 18-minute long title track is worth noting. Just Al spewing out line after line without any significant instrumental breaks. I really can't think of any song that better fits the dictionary definition of 'self-indulgent'."

“I like Al Stewart, and the first half of this album is pretty enjoyable, though not his best. As usual, it is a bit on the melancholy side. The Ballad Of Mary Foster deftly interweaves wry and detailed commentary and first person observation of middle class 20th Century British life. However, the 18 minute title track is truly beyond ridiculous - maybe worth listening to once, for a laugh.”