Customer Reviews

Last Days of the Century

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!"

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.

After RUSSIANS AND AMERICANS (released in the mid 80's), Al Stewart seemed to disappear from the music scene completely. I've been a fan of his since I first heard PAST,PRESENT AND FUTURE, back in the '70s. Then came FAMOUS LAST WORDS in 1993, and I was thrilled to hear such wonderful new songs from Al. It wasn't until about 9 months ago that I even knew this album (LAST DAYS OF THE CENTURY) existed, and once I found out I couldn't find a copy anywhere! What a pity! This is a great album!!
OH, I've heard the criticisms: too glossy...
overproduced...etc.; but I could not disagree more. Because I purchased this album recently I'm not influenced by the late '80s sound (this isn't the late '80s anymore). I can't believe that even the critics don't find LICENSE TO STEAL engaging (if you don't, you've obviously have never been jerked around by a Lawyer). Other great tunes are JOSEPHINE BAKER, RED TOUPEE, and ANTARTICA. I admit that this is not standard Al Stewart stuff, but it is I good album. Give it a listen.

This album is a great "driving" album, complete with some very contemporary sounding material. This is definitely not typical Al music, but Al fans will find this very interesting. It is evident that his record company at the time molded this album into what they wanted, which has a typical late 80's electronic air about it, but it is well produced. "King of Portugal" actually has a video for it, which you would not expect an Al song to be made into a video. "Helen & Cassandra", which was a bonus track for CD at the time, should have been a single itself. I'm not certain if this re-released CD has it, as I have the original 1988 CD. The rest is excellent, especially the title track, "Fields of France", "Josephine Baker", and "Antarctica".

Few albums were released by Al in the eighties, but I am glad that Last Days of the Century came along like a blast of fresh air. The sound of this collection is unlike any before or after due to the sound of the time. Yes, it may be a little overproduced, but every producer will give Al a different flavor. And that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Joe Chicarelli did take Al where I think he wanted to go at the time to try to acheive radio airplay, and it is obvious that radio detractors simply won't give Al the credit he deserves. The only jarring song on this collection, "Real and Unreal" seems out of place here, but it isn't so bad that it doesn't deserve some credit too. "Last Days of the Century", "King of Portugal", and "Josephine Baker" truly deserved radio airplay, and one can only hope that people will still discover and appreciate Al regardless. I wouldn't mind another Stewart collection produced by Chicarelli again, but we will go with Al wherever he feels it necessary to be for the time. Give it a listen, and see for yourself !

After a long creative hiatus, Al Stewart brought us this late 1980s classic. I had been feeling the Stewart jones for quite sometime and was very pleased when I popped this into the cassette player as it was clear that Al is back with a vengeance. The title cut is a good quick-paced opener. The best song on the album is "Where Are They Now" which expresses romantic conquest in military terms: "I sent my crack divisions in the early morning mist...you were powerless to resist". His feelings are overwhelming at the beginning, but finally she "slipped beyond the reach of my outstretched fingertips..." and the narrator is desperate to have her back but in the end, when their paths cross again he thinks of those former strong feelings and wonders "Where Are They Now?";. The power of this song is driven by Al's breezy vocals and the flowing acoustical guitar work of Peter White. It ranks with "Roads to Moscow"; as one of Al's best. Other great songs on the album are the hard-driving "Bad Reputation" which is about as heavy metal as Al will ever get; the joyful sing-along anti-lawyer "License to Steal" which galvanizes one to want to take a lawyer to "the court of no final appeal" the wistful "Fields of France" and the dreamy "Antarctica". Most of the other songs are decent. A couple are real dogs. "Red Toupee" is one of the swabbiest songs I have ever heard. Its jejune lyrics and tune singlehandedly knocked a star off the rating. "Josephine Baker" is the other I could do without. Lyrically it is OK, musically it is third-rate. The original album did not contain & "Helen and Cassandra" and nothing would have been missed if it were omitted here. Its just pointless, if pleasant, filler. On the strength of the better songs on this album, it comes highly recommended....

Al produced this work in the 1980's. It is a "different" album. Al was bringing out the swift rock here. In retrospect, it is a lesser known and appreciated work than material produced in later years. At the time, he was attempting to get back into the limelight of rock stations who had ceased playing his stuff after the phenomenal "Year of the Cat" in '76. There are some cuts that remind you of the old Al, "King of Portugal" for example. But "Last Days of the Century" was an attempt to put him back in the top 40. My favorite, "He's fresh out of Law school...he's got a license to steal" should have been used as background music for "The Firm" or put somewhere in a Gordon Gekko speech in "Wall Street". As time has gone by, Al has produced two excellent albums since this one, "Between the Wars" and "Beach Full of Shells", also one good piano album "Down in the Cellar". So this work will probably fall to a lower rung with "Russians and Americans" from '84. At least he survived and continued to plug away. It paid off! Songs from this album are almost NEVER sung at any of Al's concerts. I think because they require too many other instruments. I don't recommend this work for people who like Al's casual style. It was designed to be different and it may shock the uninitiated, especially if this was the only work of Mr. Stewart that they ever heard. (that WOULD be a crime!)

I am a guitarist and this album rates among my all-time favs. Not only did I get turned on to guitarist Peter White, years before his first solo release, but discovered one of the most clever of wordsmiths in Al Stewart.
Although, after discovering who played the majority of guitar on the project, I have purchased several of Peter's albums, this is the only Al Stewart album I have ever purchased; not too crazy about Year of the Cat or most of his other works either, but the combination of musicians and songwriting on Last Days of the Century is exceptional - like an off-the-menu entre at a small Italian restaurant that nobody else can hold a candle to.
I will be listening to this now and again for the rest of my life.

This guy was at his best in the early 70s.The time was on his side.Surely this album was made by the 80s thick layered synthesizer sound but Al's noble and breath taking pop skill is still alive here.The surroundings of the musical industry has changed a lot but Al's song writing skill and his beautiful melody sense never dies.Only listen to his voice without prejudice.You'll find yourself in a warm hearted dream world.