Customer Reviews

24 Carrots

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I came to see about getting this on CD now that my album, bought the day it arrived in my local record store, is now worn out. It is typical that it is not in print. Holden Caulfield considered his brother, writing for Hollywood movies, to be prostituting his talent. ...

As I don't give grades like candy, my rating of 4 should not be taken lightly. 24 Carrots is Stewart just below his best (Past, Present, and Future: a clear 5) and equal with Year of the Cat and Time Passages. The lyrics are intriguing, provoking, occasionally stunning; they expect us to know more than our bellies and genitals and to care enough to learn even more. The guitar work is precise. The combination guarantees that Stewart's work will not sell in this era of garbage in charge.

'Constantinople' is especially relevant today. 'Merlin's Time' shows me that Stewart might be well served by going a long way toward the Celtic traditional music revival. Its fans certainly love and honor both intelligent lyrics and sharp picking.

24 P/Carrots surprises, and pleases, even after all these years. Musically, this could be Al at his most playful, comfortable with Peter White and Shot in the Dark providing great musical backing. Witness the very opening track - Running Man features a GREAT instrumental opening that hooks the listener, and mysterious lyrics that can't help but intrigue. The songs are strong, with lyrics that paint detailed pictures: Merlin's Time, Midnight Rocks, and Murmansk Run will remain with you. Mondo Sinistro is hilarious, and evokes memories of Dylan's humorous tracks, while Paint by Number is a stinging indictment.

The original album was excellent, but the bonus tracks are three of the studio tracks are fine additions from that era. (Originally on Indian Summer (Live at the Roxy), included on this CD is Here in Angola, Indian Summer and Pandora.) Enjoy! This album actually is "24 Karats."

I'm not going to bother reveiwing this most excellent and underated album as that has been done already. I will say that in June of 07 this album will be reissued again with bonus tracks!!! The cost? $12.99! So please, please, please dont pay the absurd prices some rip off sellers are charging! $30-$100 for a cd? Come on, get real! When the expanded version becomes available, they wont be able to give them away. By the way, The new bonus tracks sound great!

This is the first review I've ever written, and my motivation is simply that this album is one of my favorite Al albums, and having but a single, marginal review does it a grave injustice. This is a great album full of catchy tunes, some of which recieved decent radio play - all with Al's trademark guitar and voice, and Year of the Cat era pop sound. If I had to sellect 1 Al Stewart album for the fallout shelter it might well be this one (I don't hear any sirens so I don't have to overthink it right now). If you like anything by Al, you'll like this.

'Jar?' Merlin's Time? I'll admit the album liner wasn't exactly high poetry, but unless you're looking for an album where every song sounds exactly the same, which is apparently what that reviewer was after, you'll find plenty here to get you going... INCLUDING Merlin's Time.

Al Stewart has long been an artist that does NOT deserve public recognition. He is too good to be grouped with "popular artists". For me to say his words paint pictures is a gross understatement. His lyrics are excellant, mostly historically based, that create an entire setting to a story. His magic continues from lyrics into outstanding musicianship. The production on this album is as good as I have ever heard on any album. This is a complete musical experience. Enjoy!

Al Stewart struck gold with me with "Modern Times", then againd with "Year of the Cat". "Time Passages" left much to be desired, but all that was desired has been recieved with "24 Carrots". From beginning to end, this is clearly Al's best. It opens with "Running Man" (quite a bang) this and others such as "Midnight Rocks", "Rocks In the Ocean" and "Merlin's Time" stand out.

24 Carrots really marks a point where the listening public was beginning to tune out from Al Stewart. The album is a step down from the last four Al Stewart studio releases - Past, Present & Future, Modern Times, Year of the Cat, and Time Passages - all of which are excellent. It also reveals a different sound, as whereas all of those previous releases were steeped in folk rock, 24 Carrots showcases Al collaborating with a louder backing band - Shot in the Dark. There is a much heavier electric guitar sound to this album. For the first time since Modern Times as well, Al would be without Alan Parsons behind the soundboard, replaced by a relative rookie, Chris Desmond - and it shows.

That said, 24 Carrots is not a terrible album. There are more than a few good songs here which would have benefitted from better production. The highlight is Murmansk Run / Ellis Island which shows Al true to form - intelligent historically inspired lyrics backed by a great musical riff. This is really the standout of the album and it's worth a purchase for this alone. There are also some fine moments with Merlin's time, a beautiful medieval acoustic piece that showcases Peter White on guitar and that wouldn't sound out of place on a John Renbourn recording. The closing track, Optical Illusion, also has some great metaphorical poetry and ends the album on a nice note.

None of the rest are terrible.

Running Man seems to be loosely based on the manhunt for Josef Mengele, consequently, a timely subject for 1980 when this album was released, a time when many thought he might still be found alive somewhere in a South American jungle, and whose myth had fueled a cottage industry of films and TV specials. Midnight Rocks and Rocks in the Ocean are pleasant, but lyrically, below what we've come to expect from Al. Constantinople suffers from the opposite - great lyrics, this time about the Crusades, but the musical direction on this one doesn't do it justice. Mondo Sinistro is a comical throwaway which I had hated at one time, but have actually come to like since seeing Al do a very tongue-in-cheek version of it at a concert in Bellevue, Washington in 2006. Even Al has conceded in concert that Paint by Numbers sounds like a Blue Oyster Cult tune - and it does. But with better lyrics. This song works much better when performed acoustically in concert than it does here where its plugged in and amped up.

As for the three bonus tracks, they are all lousy. Yank this one from your CD player after Optical Illusion - where the original album ended - and you'll be much happier. I've come to realize that the vast majority of the time, there are very good reasons why these "bonus tracks" never made it to the original recordings.

In sum, 24 Carrots is not Al Stewart's finest moment, but neither is it his worst. One can only wonder what it could have been had Al been receiving better musical advice at the time and had a more experienced producer.

I can't believe that this CD is available again. I had looked for it for years, and finally got an original CD in an online auction for $88 (still worth it to me.) This was my absolute favorite Al Stewart album. Constantinople, Merlin's Time, Paint by Numbers ... terrific music. Now you all have the opportunity to get it for next to nothing. What are you waiting for?? Buy it while you can. Next time you look, it might not be available.

I've been an Al Stewart from the beginning of his arrival in the US. Seen him in concert many times. This band, A Shot in the Dark, was so underrated at the time. The composition of the music and the execution of the style is far above most music that we hear today (2010). Of all the Al Stewart Albums this is by far the best!