Last Days of the Century [Import]

Al Stewart | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 4, 2000)
• Original Release Date: 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Europe
• ASIN: B0000246VQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,629 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Prelude

2. Last Days Of The Century

3. Real And Unreal

4. King Of Portugal

5. Red Toupee

6. Where Are They Now

7. Bad Reputation

8. Josephine Baker

9. License To Steal

10. Fields Of France

11. Antarctica

12. Ghostly Horses Of The Plain

13. Helen And Cassandra

Editorial Reviews

Import only reissue of the folk-rock artist's 1988 album, originally released in the U.S. on Enigma. Highlights include, 'Real & Unreal', 'Antarctica', & 'Fields Of France'. EMI. 1997.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, January 15, 2002

By 

John Mattern (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Days of the Century (Audio CD)

I first heard this album played late at night on a radio staion in Soiux City, Ia in 1989. I was more of a hard rocker back then, didn't give any mind to Al Stewart and had the radio on in the background. But each song kept getting into my head and I really started listening to it. I went out and bought it and this CD has been a priceless gem to me ever since. I never bought another Al Stewart album, mainly because I never thought any of his recordings prior or since would be along these lines of this type of music. I always thought of him as more restrained and melodic(perhaps wrongly), but this thing has tracks that rock and the ones that are more his "style" are extremely catchy. Maybe the production is overly slick, but every note on the album is perfectly played and I think Peter White did an amazing job. You can't categorize this album according to any other band or probably even Stewart's other works, but if you want to own a great album, I recommend it highly.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential part of the Stewart oeuvre, October 15, 2003

By 

Eric J. Anderson (Ankeny, Iowa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Days of the Century (Audio CD)

There are four great albums in Stewart's career so far, and this is one of them. Some have called this overproduced. Perhaps it is, compared to Between the Wars (another of the four great Stewart albums), but that one is UNDERproduced.

I felt that the thickly-layered instrumentation and production added to the grandeur of these literate and melodic materpieces. My only criticism is that they tried to do an Alan Parsons-type production on the cheap, using keyboard synthesizers and string machines, whereas Parsons would have used more acoustic instruments and a real orchestra. No doubt this had partly to do with budgetary constraints.

Whatever its debatable flaws might be, I can't think of any album released in the past two or three years that comes close to this kind of artistic quality, though Norah Jones' debut was adorable, and surprisingly a hit as well. (How did THAT happen?)

If you like melody, if you like literate music that tackles subjects beyond moon-spoon-June love songs or their more vulgar modern counterparts, and if you like intelligently and intricately arranged pop music, then this ought to appeal. Yes, Al Stewart can entertain with just a microphone and a guitar slung over his shoulder. He can play the stripped-down folkie. But he also shines in this environment, as the central voice in orchestral pop -- and the material here is equal to Year of the Cat.

All I'm trying to say is, "This is just GOOD!"

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an amazing recording, September 20, 2003

By 

Nothintosay (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Days of the Century (Audio CD)

This one by Al is very tough to find , but well worth the effort.
I've read other reviews on this stating that its over produced.
The cd itself is great, the title track , Antarctica, Fields of France and Where are They Now are standouts, but it's the recording itself that makes this cd. I own about 7000 cds and this is at the very top as far as sound quality goes. If youre an audiophile and enjoy hearing the subtleties in the background of a recording , it doesnt get any better than this . theres all kinds of stuff going on - stuff you'll only hear on an Al Stewart recording.