Customer Reviews

Time Passages

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To a certain extent, it's not that surprising that certain fans will somewhat write this album off, being as it was, along with "Year Of The Cat", Al's commercial peak--in the US, the album reached the Top Ten on the album charts & went platinum within a year of its original release in September/ October of 1978. Granted, Al has lots of excellent work from before as well as after this album, yet "Time Passages" demonstrates a genius at an absolute peak. Al's songwriting on track after track is so melodically rich & full of outstanding, incisive lyrics, it's hard not to be envious of his ability. Also, his understated, precisely-phrased, clearly enunciated vocals complement the material perfectly. As much credit as Al deserves, you can't deny the contributions of producer Alan Parsons for the album's lush, warm sound, & all the great musicianship, including guitarist Peter White who co-wrote the beautiful, timeless title track (& the final track--everything in between was written by Al himself). Some fans seem to find the sound of the album too bland/ soft-rockish/ radio-friendly, which is being very harsh. His folkier side is very much represented on "Timeless Skies" and "Almost Lucy", the latter of which is one of his patented 'mysterious woman' songs. Maybe it WAS radio-friendly for its time, but listening today it sounds arguably even more impressive than when first released in the sense that there's none of the overdone, overly slick, lifeless production that's heard all too frequently on much 1990s/ 2000s music. The album is so rich & complete--you could go on at length discussing the individual tracks... The thing that really drives it all home making the album so extra-special is the emotional resonance of the material--the majestic title track, "Timeless Skies" (with a great "rainy" acoustic guitar part), and the relaxed "Song On The Radio" are all wistful, breezy, and wonderful; the haunting story-song "Almost Lucy" is also a terrific, deeply affecting track. "The Palace of Versailles" with its great synthesizer melody, & the punchy uptempo rocker "Valentina Way" are a couple more gems from the album. Al said in an interview over 20 years ago he doesn't expect listeners to fully understand his often historically-based lyrics, and that some of it elludes even himself. Having attended a Stewart concert this past June, playing solo with acoustic guitar, his humbleness is readily apparent, and as much as he clearly enjoys piling in the little details into his lyrics for the fans who love trying to decipher it all and to point out any historical inaccuracies, he is truly effective in his attempts to communicate feeling. This Rhino Records treatment of the album, with the liner notes & outstanding sound quality, take an already must-have album that extra mile. If you're new to Al, this is an ideal starting place--"Time Passages" belongs in any serious listener's collection.

From Scotland, Al Stewart became recognized in the US with the 1976 hit "Year Of The Cat" and continued his success with 1978's "Time Passages", a truly overall light, mellow album with his trademark brainy lyrics, a light vocal delivery and a laid back, clean guitar style and texture. Produced wonderfully by the great Alan Parsons, this album delivered two simply superb, excellent gems that were FM staples at the time ("Time Passages" and "Song On The Radio"),a time where a nice, smooth excursion was needed from the late 70's disco craze.

Other highlights contain the cool under-water floating, personal-favorite "Life In Dark Water", as well as the cerebral "A Man For All Seasons", the just beautiful "The Palace Of Versailles" and "Timeless Skies" and the dreamy acoustic "End Of The Day".

This newly remastered CD version breaths new sonic life into these pleasant songs. Definitely an excursion for your peace of mind.

Sigh... if only Al Stewart and Alan Parsons were working together again - they were perfect musical soulmates not unlike Lennon/McCartney. When you get right down to it, Al is really a folkie troubadour; as such, I'm convinced that these tunes wouldn't be anywhere near as fleshed out if it weren't for Alan Parsons' musical guidance and sound expertise - and the end result is a sonic masterpiece. If you were to get only two Al Stewart CDs, it would have to be the ones where AP was working the soundboard - "Year Of The Cat" and this one. Highly recommended.

since the hits from this one, "Time Passages" and "Song on the Radio" are available on other CD's, along with companion tunes which are a bit stronger than the other seven tracks here. I must say, however, I like "Valentina Way" a lot. Al is mostly mellow, and often cerebral, sometimes obscure in his history sagas, but he enunciates beautifully, and the guitar-dominant accompaniment is always good on his albums. He did unique stuff, and his best compositions are truly remarkable and hold up well to repeated listening. If you are new to him, look for his "Greatest Hits" or the "Song on the Radio" compilation, then dig in to the originals from the '70's and '80's one-by-one.

TIME PASSAGES is one of Al Stewart's best albums ever. His music from this period has come under fire from the reviewers at MUSICHOUND, but it's their loss. Stewart had found a sympathetic producer in Alan Parsons, who added much-needed muscle to Stewart's music, and Stewart's folkie leanings also prevented Parsons from overdoing things. The second verse of the title track makes the point that living in the past can make it hard to focus on the present, a theme which I've expressed in putting my dream of looking good for any number of pretty actresses as a higher priority than going to Thanksgiving dinner and Graduation luncheon at my old school. "Song On The Radio" is also great, and if nothing else quite matches these two peaks, the rest of the album is nevertheless quite consistent. Stewart would put out two more great albums, 24 CARROTS and LIVE- INDIAN SUMMER, and then hit a dry patch musically before coming back in the last eighteen years with a series of excellent releases, including RHYMES IN ROOMS and FAMOUS LAST WORDS. The fact that some of Stewart's work has dated poorly takes nothing away from the lyrical power of this album and its direct predecessor, YEAR OF THE CAT.

Right now, in 2003, this music is just so hopelessly U N H I P it isn't even funny. It's almost like you have to apologise for liking it! Well, to me this album has been like a faithful friend for almost 25 years now. It's an album I often return to. After a stressful day, it's like balsam to my soul more than any other album i know about. And for those very inspired moments, it's everlasting.
I believe this is Stewart's best album. I haven't heard them all, but I do think it's better than "Past, Present and Future" and "Year of the Cat". Stewart has just the nicest, most sympathic VOICE in the entire history of pop music. "Time "Passages" has a more "symphonic" touch than other Stewart albums I have heard, and it pays off. There's not a single weak song on the album. I've heard some people dislike "Song On The Radio", but I really don't understand why. When I go for a drive on a sunny day, I can't think of any better soundtrack than that song.
I LOVE this beautiful album, and I would definately take it with me on a desert island.

I am a long-time Al Stewart fan and have stuck with him through his ups and downs. Time Passages is one of his most under-rated albums, very likely because of the ubiquity of the catchy but commercial-sounding title track and the truly lame Song on the Radio. But we've all heard the old admonition not to judge a book... That surely applies here. "Life in Dark Water" is a haunting song about the old ghost ship Marie Celeste. "Almost Lucy" is a fine song about Al's favorite type of woman: independent, mysterious, and inaccessible. For those who like history, Al this time gives us "Palace of Versailles", a somewhat somber tune about the falling of the old order and the terrors and uncertainties of the new. This tale of the French Revolution is one of the album's best cuts. Finally, "Timeless Skies" is Al's obligatory nod to mysticism, and very enchanting indeed. The unmentioned cuts each have something to recommend them. I never tire of hearing this album. Whether you like him fast-paced or mellow, there's something here for every taste.

To a certain extent, it's not that surprising that certain fans will somewhat write this album off, being as it was, along with "Year Of The Cat", Al's commercial peak--in the US, the album reached the Top Ten on the album charts & went platinum within a year of its original release in September/ October of 1978. Granted, Al has lots of excellent work from before as well as after this album, yet "Time Passages" demonstrates a genius at an absolute peak. Al's songwriting on track after track is so melodically rich & full of outstanding, incisive lyrics, it's hard not to be envious of his ability. Also, his understated, precisely-phrased, clearly enunciated vocals complement the material perfectly. As much credit as Al deserves, you can't deny the contributions of producer Alan Parsons for the album's lush, warm sound, & all the great musicianship, including guitarist Peter White who co-wrote the beautiful, timeless title track (& the final track--everything in between was written by Al himself). Some fans seem to find the sound of the album too bland/ soft-rockish/ radio-friendly, which is being very harsh. His folkier side is very much represented on "Timeless Skies" and "Almost Lucy", the latter of which is one of his patented 'mysterious woman' songs. Maybe it WAS radio-friendly for its time, but listening today it sounds arguably even more impressive than when first released in the sense that there's none of the overdone, overly slick, lifeless production that's heard all too frequently on much 1990s/ 2000s music. The album is so rich & complete--you could go on at length discussing the individual tracks... The thing that really drives it all home making the album so extra-special is the emotional resonance of the material--the majestic title track, "Timeless Skies" (with a great "rainy" acoustic guitar part), and the relaxed "Song On The Radio" are all wistful, breezy, and wonderful; the haunting story-song "Almost Lucy" is also a terrific, deeply affecting track. "The Palace of Versailles" with its great synthesizer melody, & the punchy uptempo rocker "Valentina Way" are a couple more gems from the album. Al said in an interview over 20 years ago he doesn't expect listeners to fully understand his often historically-based lyrics, and that some of it elludes even himself. Having attended a Stewart concert this past June, playing solo with acoustic guitar, his humbleness is readily apparent, and as much as he clearly enjoys piling in the little details into his lyrics for the fans who love trying to decipher it all and to point out any historical inaccuracies, he is overwhelmingly effective in his attempts to communicate feeling. This album was reissued on CD by Rhino Records in April of 2004, and it's preferrable to this older Arista CD release; however, if you already have this version or if you see it cheap, it will get you by just fine since the sound quality here is solid in its own right and the Rhino reissue doesn't feature any bonus tracks. If you're new to Al, this is a great album to start with--this is one of those truly special albums that belongs in any serious listener's collection.

Since this album first appeared it has received extensive play and continues to this day to be heard in shopping malls, supermarkets and department stores. "Time Passages" and "Song on the Radio" have proved to be undaunted by time. Now in this "tune up" CD it is evident yet again that Al Stewart is a great genius, only partially recognized due to his mega hit "Year of the Cat" and this album. I recommend this work for it's fame and strongly suggest that you also purchase some of his earlier and more obscure works, especially the legendary "Past, Present & Future" (also available at Amazon.com on CD) and immerse yourself in the art of this great talent. Well worth your time and investment!

There can be a sort of nervous caution, even trepidation, on the part of one who has encountered an album of the caliber of "Year of the Cat" which makes him or her hesitant to even listen to an artist's subsequent work for fear of ruining the opinion he or she formed of the artist. For anyone who might suffer from that sort of nervous caution, I would simply play Life In Dark Water once or twice. An ode to the Mary Celeste, the archetypal ghost ship whose crew disappeared without a trace in 1867, has such a unique underwater sound throughout that heightens the sonar-like tones of Tim Renwick's lead guitar work. While both Time Passages and Song On The Radio have had plenty of casual exposure on both radio and compilation releases, there are so many good songs here that one would never hear on the radio or find in a compilation. Life In Dark Water, Timeless Skies, Valentina Way, and End Of The Day are all imminently enjoyable upon the first or second listening, especially the latter. In addition to the Mary Celeste, the two other historical journeys unfolding before the listener are A Man For All Seasons, regarding imprisonment and execution of Sir Thomas More when Henry VIII declared himself supreme head of the Church of England, and The Palace Of Versailles based on "The Earle of Salisbury" by William Byrd.

Hearing "Time Passages" again does make me wish there could have been some way for Alan Parsons to produce just one more Al Stewart release. By 1978, Parsons was having even greater success with his partner, songwriter Eric Woolfson with I ROBOT and Pyramid which made it more difficult to give other artists the time they needed for their musical endeavors. And on that subject, good things must also be said of Andrew Powell's lush string arrangements on Time Passages as he was, according to Parsons himself, the third member of The Project. Regardless of the demands The Project placed on Parsons and Woolfson, Stewart soldiered on admirably with his songwriting partner Peter White. Their studio recorded material to come as well as presenting very satisfying live performances like Rhymes in Rooms are nothing at which to scoff. While Stewart's commercial pinnacle would come to an all too early end, his artistry not only lives on, it thrives!