Customer Reviews

To Whom It May Concern

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4 star:		(2)
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This is how collections should be. This has his entire first three albums all on two discs, and reprints of the cover sleeve, albeit in smaller sizes, in the CD booklet. The music is also excellent. I agree with other reviewers that Al is one of the most underrated songwriters of all time but I don't agree that most of his best work was in his early days. Unlike most acts that began in teh 1960s Al still produces brilliant albums. His 2000 album was very good but his 1995 album Between the Wars was a masterpeice just as good as his early stuff. However, To Whome it May Concern is not the best starting point for people wanting to get into Al Stewart. The best place to start is Year of the Cat, which is his most commercial and also his most accessible (although Al's music is not very hard to get into). His first three albums, which are contained in this set, are very introspective. Later on he would go on to write less about himself and more about history and other subjects. Almost all the songs are excellent but standouts include Beleeka Doodle Day, Life and Life Only, Electric Los Angeles Sunset, Manuscript and the extended masterpiece Love Chronicles which is a true (and humerous) account of his love life.

I deeply loved Al Stewart and his music when I was in college in the late 1970's. My girlfriend and I were both enamoured with him, and shared some beautiful times while listening. One particular favorite album was "The Early Years", which had selections from his first four albums, then out of circulation. It was a hard album to find and I gave it to the woman when she left. I have been wishing for 20 years that I could listen to "Mary Foster", "Love Chronicles", "Electric LA Sunset" and "Manuscript" again, as well as all the others. I am now 41 and appreciate it more than ever.

Thanks Al.

Years and years ago, around 1984, in high school, I was introduced to Al Stewart by way of a Swedish foreign exchange student who swapped cassettes with me in art class. It was a homemade cassette, but included a few early numbers and a bunch of stuff from the mid '70s. I was hooked. I bought a couple used LPs and even found a weird blue cassette of "The Early Years" that I listened to until it started to wear out. Thank God for CD!

Something happened to Al around 1976, when he pumped up the band, the production and became a big star with Year of the Cat. Now, that and Time Passages are outstanding. Then there were other albums that were identifiably Al, but not particularly something you'd want to put on with your friends around. Then he ditched his corduroy jacket and fogbound English libido and started hanging around in California, playing wineries and whatnot, losing his hair and his edge -- and God bless him for it, it's his life and he's still -- but to really know Al, you've got to dig into his beginnings. This is the place to begin.

There are a few duds on this collection (e.g., the first half dozen songs, when he was coerced (?) into heavy strings and annoying orchestration (he was just a kid, so I don't care), but then it really gets going.

A lot of the savage lead guitar was done by Jimmy Page, of all people. The lyrics are great, and there's a sort of rockin', folky, poetic, coffeehouse feel to it. Al's voice has always been a bit flimsy -- nothing he can do about that -- but at least in the old days, he compensated with some severe lyrics. There's a little of that historical epic stuff he got into later, but a lot of the songs are very personal, rough, artsy and great. Gethsemane Again, Zero She Flies ... man, those are among the best. And the stuff that's from the '70s is so '60s, I don't know whether Al was way ahead or way behind. Either way, this is one musician who needs to get a lot more credit than he has.

I guess to include the invaluable "Orange" on this collection would have taken another CD, but fortunately that's now available, too.

It's hard to believe I can now listen to almost all of Al's songs on crystal clear CD, after so many years of tracking down albums from Japan, or listening to my worn-out cassettes.

Buy it! Buy it now!!

I have heard couple of the songs in this album before however I have never had the chance to listen to majority of the songs from this period of Al Stewart. What can I say? Magnificent can be the word to describe this album. Life and Life Only, Electric Los Angeles Sunset, Ivich, Bedsitter Images, Anna, My Enemies Have Sweet Voices and Small Fruit Song make this collection unmatchable. Al Stewart's voice, music and lyrics have always touched me. But this period of his career is seemed to me really different. It is pure and more experimental. This CD is a must not only for those who would like to explore Al Stewart's music but also for those who are looking for an immortal piece from 60s.

Before I bought this CD, I knew Al Stewart through his hit singles like "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages," which I loved as a teenager and still treasure for the beautiful songs they are. However, I was amazed by the sheer power of Al Stewart's early work, especially his first album "Bedsitter's Images." There, you get to hear Al Stewart's roots as a folk-singer and realize what a superb acoustic guitar player he is. There are many songs on that album that seem timeless--such as "Samuel, oh how you have changed!" "Cleave to Me," and "Clifton in the Rain"--which, in my opinion, which would suffer if polished by the high production gloss of some of his more well-known hits. I am reminded of the pre-Sergeant Peppers Beatles' songs. I was an Al Stewart fan before this CD, and now I am an infinitely greater Al Stewart fan. This is an essential CD, one that I think you will grow to love as I have.

I'd been waiting for this collection to be re-released for some 25 years now."Zero She Flies" is one of the most beautiful and poignant records ever recorded, and sadly has remained out of print until it appeared on this wonderful compilation. "Gethsemane Again", one of the finest tunes Al ever wrote, is a true highlight.A lot of people,particularly in the States, don't realize Stewart's folk troubadour origins and will forever associate him with late 70's AOR, so I encourage anyone who is interested to check out this fine retropsective of one of the more underrated performers of our time. Even after all these years, I'm still mesmerised by tunes like "Manuscript" and "Electric Los Angeles Sunset".

Many, if not most Al Stewart fans will tell you that his early albums contain the great majority of his best work.

The early offerings by Stewart had a sincerity,an earthiness and an emotional richness about them that he hasn't come close to duplicating for over a quarter of a century now. What a shame.

I wouldn't go so far as to say his later work is insignificant but it doesn't nearly measure up to the quality of song crafting you'll find represented on this album. Early Al Stewart was a major influence on me as I first began writing songs and albeit it still is. It's sad that Al just can't write them and perform them like that anymore.

It is my opinion that to ignore Stewart's work that is previous to 1976's "Year of the Cat" release would be akin to ignoring Bob Dylan's work before 1976, if not worse.

Al Stewart is one of the most underated artists from the 70's, no doubt about it. Especially in the folk/rock genre.

Twenty years ago I read an article that said Al Stewart never had a hit before Alan Parsons became his producer and he's never had one since they parted ways. While that's very true, the court of public recognition is often very wrong. If that's a good criteria to use for judging musical worth then "Kiss" is better than "Steely Dan" and "Snoop Doggy Dog" is much better than "Miles Davis."

Point is, just because this music didn't meet with popular acclaim doesn't change the fact that it's great stuff. Until this recent release that amalgamates the first three albums, they were all VERY, VERY hard to find. I'm so glad that they've become available again. It seemed ridiculous to me that the buying public had no access to such brilliant work.

I've always had the first three albums on vinyl. Now, I'm VERY happy to have them on CD. My LP's were sounding pretty bad from wear.

If you'd like an album that will sound fresh and different to you and that's full of great stuff that no one in your circle has ever heard before... This would be a good album for you to get.

I'm very glad Alan Parsons didn't work on these early projects, the sparse production values greatly enhance the raw folkiness of the songs.

Alan Parsons did do a great job producing Pink Floyd in the 70's but that doesn't mean that he was qualified to produce tremondously good acoustic folk pieces. With these songs less is soooo much more. Thank God they weren't recorded with 20 tracks of overdubbing.

If you like early Dylan, early CSNY, Joan Baez, etc., etc., I promise you, you'll LOVE this album. Contributing studio musicians (before they became famous) include, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Roger Meadows Taylor (Queen) and Rick Wakeman (Yes).

I have sevral hundred albums in my collection. Early Al Stewart is indeed one of my VERY favourite parts of that collection.

If you want to ignore Al Stewart's work after "Year of the Cat," (1976) you won't be missing much. Ignore the work before that album... And you'll be missing out on one of the very best and most underated artist's of the 70's.

It's hard to understand how songs of such quality and depth never found their way to the mainstream. But then again perhaps those are the very same reasons why this album can still sound refreshing and good to me.

An amazing genesis for a most gifted singer/songwriter. I played the living heck out of this album (CD-actually). All his younger songs have a message and a theme of what great things were to come from Mr. stewart. "Zero She Flies" absolutely rocks! The background piano in "Bedsitter Images" haunts me! "The Elf" starts the album (CD) off on a jovial note and it never lets go. "Life and Life Only" is absolutely brilliant. This is listening to the Byrds, Hollies and Buffalo Springfield before indulging in Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. It is listening to Rubber Soul and Revolver before hitting the White Album and/or Abbey Road. This is require listening for all Al fans!

Listening to this two disk set you can see how Al Stewart grew over the years as both a musician and lyricist. There are some gems here that have been unavailable to all but the most hard core fans for more then 20 years. A definate "must have" for anyone who appreciates Al Stewart's music.

So glad this is on CD. Al Stewart is truly an amazing songwriter and I love his early songs and was worried I would have to go without these tunes now that I am CD bound. This is a great compilation of songs from his earliest albums