Al Stewart: Where Did You Come in?

What a singular talent. Did it "his way" to a far greater degree than Sinatra, and for that matter, any other enduring musician I can think of.

And what odd bookends (really the big plump middle) do his favored themes comprise. Highly personal songs of romance and longing paired with deeply felt songs about historical topics from the cataclysmic to the obscure.

All this would be fascinating enough had he not also have been gifted with an ability to summon a seemingly infinite supply of wonderful tunes to accompany his thoughts.

Didn't check in until Year of the Cat and "The Early Years" shortly thereafter. Pretty much instantly became one of my four favorite recording artists.

Many peaks and scarcely few valleys over the course of a singularly -- there's that word again -- remarkable career.

 

I came in the Fall of 1975 with Modern Times. I probably have 60-70 AS cds and several dvds.

 

I haven’t kept up with his releases since his hit days in the 70’s, but those are great works IMHO, and I still enjoy listening. I saw him at the Bottom Line in New York sometime in the late 80’s, wonderful show.

I’ll have to peruse his catalog on Spotify and then pick up some more music once I’ve found what I like.

 

I came in with Love Chronicles, loved it and never got any further

 

Came in with Year Of The Cat and got hooked on pretty much everything before and after that.

My three favorite albums are the ones produced by Alan Parsons, Modern Times, Year Of The Cat and Time Passages.

Saw him live in 2012. Just him, another guitarist (Dave Machnamoff) and a bass player. Fantastic show.

 

nostrodamus

 

Love Chronicles. Left soon after.

 

Only discovered him via "Year of the Cat" on the radio when it was new.

I bought that album and then Time Passages when it was new. Started working my way through his earlier discography around 1979. Followed him since.

 

I first heard A Small Fruit Song on the Fill Your Head With Rock sampler. Subsequently, I picked up his early albums. Fortunately for me, he plays In Dublin fairly regularly so I have seen him in concert several times.

 

Probably Year of the Cat, which is a fine LP. I have a few others from just before and just after it.

At some point, and I believe it was before Year of the Cat emerged, I heard Swiss Cottage Manoeuvres on the radio and became rather enamoured of it, lush orchestra and all. But it was three or four decades before that To Whom It May Concern 2-CD box of early material came out.

 

Year of the Cat, but I first heard it almost 15 years after its initial release. I liked it. Many years later, I heard an interview in which he described his entire career eloquently. They played some of his more recent material, with bits of real history woven in to the lyrics but also with really great music and melodies. I started collecting the more recent stuff and was utterly captivated. I've since gone back to earlier material, but I think his most recent 2-3 albums have perhaps the best writing of his entire career.

 

I owned the "Year of the Cat" 45 when I was a kid and it was a hit.

That's when I came in - and when I left! Never got into Al beyond the single!

 

I first heard him when Year Of The Cat was released. The only album of his that he released after that which I enjoyed was Time Passages. However recently I've been working backwards from Year & have enjoyed everything up to & including Orange.

 

Probably similar for me, Year of the Cat, then Early Years, then everything else I could find.

 

Past, Present and Future and it's still by far and away my favourite of his albums

 

Started listening to him 10 years ago. Love it all. Heart "Upon the Midnight Rocks" on the radio yesterday of all things. Still sounds great.

 

I used to volunteer at a hospital radio station in Swansea during the late Eighties and in their record library, they had the single Lori, Don't Go right Now, which was brilliant so I checked out its parent album (the UK version of Russians & Americans) and haven't looked back. He remains in my top three singer-songwriters, along with Dan Fogelberg & Gordon Lightfoot.

Famous Last Words is probably my favourite album with Time Passages being the only one I'd rank as low as 3/5.

Seen him live many times happily but never with a full band. Delighted to be able to remedy that when he tours the UK with The Empty Pockets in the Autumn.

 

Back in '76 my coworkers and I were big fans of Year of the Cat...mostly because we worked at GRT/Janus Records' mailing house. We sent out promo copies and a few (ahem) ended up in our record collections. I liked Time Passages as well but lost track of Al after that.

 

I have Love Chronicles and Year of the Cat. I like them both.

Scott

 

Year Of The Cat...

 

I don't know much about his deep catalog, but Year of the Cat was very different from any other popular song at the time it was released. Still is. It defies categorization or pigeonholing. It kind of exists on its' own plane.

On an a more base level, it has a vibe that puts me at ease while I listen, but it's not "sleepy". I would call it pleasantly hypnotic.

I now wonder if I should explore his material more.

 

Same here. Won it at a local carnival in 1974. Still love it to this day.

 

I saw Al solo at Kingston Polytechnic in 1972 (maybe 1973) and was charmed and won over immediately. I bought all his LPs as soon as I could afford to and have kept up with the catalogue over the years. I have seen Al live maybe 30 or more times since and he has only once disappointed. I have also met him a few times and he is unfailingly charming, erudite and polite.

In recent years I have returned to vinyl (like some of you!) and discovered that the LPs without fail sound much better than the CDs. There are some poor sounding CD versions out there!

Modern Times is my favourite album.

 

I came in on Modern Times. Have sought out every phase ....and grew to love them all.

Sparks Of Ancient Light was 2008.
It's been ten years since Uncorked.
Far too long to wait. Someone get that man a pen!

 

1975 Modern Times on FM radio (Carol was the first song I heard) still find a lot of dark magic there.
The others are very worthy as well, of course. I love hearing On the Border from Year of the Cat, it
makes me feel as in flight - just soaring through the night sky.