Customer Reviews

Al Stewart - Greatest Hits

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Al Stewart is practically peerless; there really isn't anyone else who does quite what he does musically and lyrically. He is as brilliant a songwriter as has been produced in the past 40 years and his distinctive nasal whine cuts clear into the consciousness of the listener; not painfully, but certainly memorably. When one hears an Al Stewart song, whether from the late 1960s or from a more recent vintage, one knows immediately that it is Al. This CD makes a valiant effort at capturing Al's best work...sadly, with Al's various record company adventures over the decades, it's a virtually impossible task. Still, it makes a nice introduction to Al Stewart for the casual fan. The great, radio-friendly hits are here, as well as classic album cuts like "Roads to Moscow," "On the Border," and "Merlin's Time." I was pleasantly surprised to find "Last Days of the Century" included here from Al's late 80s Euro-pop album of the same name...but I was curious as to why the radio hit "King of Portugal" from the same album wasn't included. Other songs that could have been included are "Life in Dark Water," "Russians and Americans," "Nostradamus," and "Indian Summer." Of course, that's just one fan's subjective opinion. One day, we could look forward to a comprehensive box set that collects Al's best work from all of his various eras...especially some of his incredible material for Mesa with Laurence Juber. Until then, check out this CD.

I was going to buy "Year Of The Cat", and noticed this compilation from Rhino for less money. I figured that Rhino always does quality stuff, and jumped atthe opportunity to get a broader selection of Al Stewart's work. I'm thrilled with this disc!

This has the big hits from the 70's, along with songs which I remember listening to back then: 'Roads to Moscow', 'On the Border', 'Soho (Needless to Say)' and 'Lord Grenville' are all outstanding.

This CD stresses the '74 through '78 time period, for obvious reasons. The 4 records released in this span account for 1/2 the CD, and all of the Al Stewart tunes I knew going in. The 4 albums before '74 are represented with 1 song each. All are good, but reflect an artist not QUITE at his peak. The post-'78 period also provides 4 songs, which are all stong.

Not quite a perfect compilation (I wish it had 'Nostradamus'), but it's pretty close. Certainly rounds up to a 5!

This "greatest hits" album does not follow the usual toll of the bell that sounds the end of an artist's career. Rather it is a collection of tracks from early and obscure works combined with his most popular tunes. As a previous reviewer has stated there is nothing new here for any Al Stewart fan who is familiar with previous recordings. It is a great CD for people who have not followed Stewart closely and are unfamiliar with his work outside of "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages". For almost 30 years now you can still hear those two tunes and perhaps "Songs on the Radio" being played in Supermarkets, Drug Stores, Doctor's Offices and Elevators. Al's work still gets public attention, but he is really an unrecognized genius whose best work lies in previous releases prior to "Cat". The new "Border" CD contains more serious displays but this should satisy the general public as a "generic" Al Album suitable for play anywhere. Includes the famous "Roads to Moscow"! (Thank God) Keep Al on the Air!

Like many Americans, I first heard of Al Stewart after the release of "Past, Present and Future", which featured his majestic story-song of the WWII Russian campaign, "Roads to Moscow". And a legion more of us knew of him after his biggest smash, "Year of the Cat". So it's a joy to be introduced to some of his earlier works in this collection, as well as to hear the old favorites again after two or three decades. Though, as with virtually all one-disc collections, there are puzzling omissions (no "Nostradamus"?) this is a well-conceived collection (as most Rhino collections are), perfectly remastered, and very reasonably priced. Stewart's albums were always lushly produced (thanks in no small part to Alan Parsons), and his sweet, sunny vocals were always easy on the ear. Add to that his estimable songwriting skills, and solid studio support by everyone from members of Fairport Convention to Tori Amos, and you have a collection of songs that satisfies from beginning to end. I always liked Al Stewart, but this release exceeded my expectations.

Trying to buy just one Al Stewart album can be a tricky thing. Though a variety of imports offer Al's output from 1966-1970 (tentative voice at work surrounded by precocious orchestrations), from his CBS-U.K. years (getting better) and from his Arista output (all the big hits but none of the great early tracks), nothing captures all of it in timely fashion and in a single setting. Rhino's 2004 Greatest Hits (R2-78064) comes awful close. Sandwiched between "Bedsitter Images" and "Last Days Of The Century" are the songs Al's become famous for: "Soho (Needless To Say)", "Roads To Moscow", "Carol", "Year Of The Cat", "On The Border", "Running Man" and more. Longtime fans have this stuff already and certainly, there's nothing here for them. But casual buyers will enjoy this compilation without feeling guilty or unsatisfied by missing content (though personally, I wish "Nostradamus" had been included: too long I guess). Al's notes are great reading, the sound is pristine and yes: it's the full length studio versions that appear (some of the imports occasionally serve up "live" tracks of the songs they can't license, so caveat emptor!). The end result is a great primer and...needless to say...a superb release that'll have you hitting "repeat play" every time.

A fine disc for the beginner, or casual fan. All the hits are the full-length album versions.

As is unfortunately the current style today the music on this CD is too compressed / limited. It sounds squashed and tinny to my ear. The sound quality of the original CD releases of "Time Passages" and "Year of the Cat" beats the sound on this CD hands down!

I've always enjoyed Al Stewart's occasional contributions to the radio and other than YEAR OF THE CAT and TIME PASSAGES I was not that familiar with his work. I always find a greatest hits a decent way to get an idea of an artist's other works. What I found was basically more of what I had heard on those two albums, pleasant vocals with perfect pronunciation, interesting guitar work with an occasional flamenco like flourish and songs that dealt with a variety of subjects from the historical "Roads To Moscow" to the romantic fantasy of "Year of the Cat." Stewart did have some topical range, but there is a mellow link to them all and this makes all the songs hummable but not necessarily memorable. This is probably all the Stewart I need for my collection but if you're a fan he's still out there recording new stuff not found on this package where the material stops in 1988.

I really like Al Stewart's style - he has an easygoing, yet catchy style that is definately his own. He's a little like Gerry Rafferty, a little bit Beatle-esque and a tad bit like Bob Dylan, but he's got his own great style. This compilation is very good, it hits all the high points and has excellent sound. My favorite songs of his were always "The Year Of The Cat" and "Time Passages", but all of the songs are very good and listenable. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who likes good folk/soft/pop rock.

Further to the reviews already posted, this album contains the full length album versions of all of the songs listed. Some other collections have live versions - these are all studio versions. The one exception is Last Days of the Century - the original 1988 release on Enigma is the version here. The EMI UK reissue from 1997 has a longer version of this song.

Excellent collection for casual fans and a must for completists.

My only criticism is that this album does not contain any songs post-1988, and Al has released three full length studio albums after 1988. There are also no songs featured from the 1984 album Russians & Americans.