Chronicles

Steve Winwood

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 30, 1990)
• Original Release Date: September 18, 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island
• ASIN: B000001FSW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Winwood's finer solo things, May 20, 2001

By	Gavin Wilson - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Will Steve Winwood be best remembered for his solo output? Steve has been involved in several of my favourite albums of the past thirty-odd years. His keyboards contributed to John Martyn's classic 'One World' and Talk Talk's transitory 'Colour of Spring', to name but two. He even played organ on the epic 'Voodoo Chile' on Hendrix's 'Electric Ladyland'. One of his most wonderful collaborations was with Stomu Yamashta, Mike Shrieve and Al DiMeola on the still-unreleased space-synth odyssey, 'Go'. His versatility constantly shines through on Traffic's 'On the Road'.

This Island compilation was released before Winwood escaped to Virgin and recorded the 'Roll With It' and 'Refugees of the Heart' CDs. But for me, it has most, if not all, of Winwood's catchiest pop songs: 'While You See a Chance', 'Valerie' and 'Vacant Chair' in particular. 'Wake Me Up on Judgement Day' is also a classic track. As another reviewer notes, there's perhaps too much of the 80s-genre crashing drum sound which fell from grace in the 90s. But despite that, there are some superb songs here.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In, Out, Possibly Back To High Life w/Winwood' s Greatest, May 2, 2000

By	Anthony G Pizza "trivialtony" (FL) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

When "Chronicles," was released in 1987, Steve Winwood was enjoying crossover success much like Carlos Santana enjoys today: Grammys, #1 hits, sexy videos, commercial endorsements, public and critical acclaim. After 20 years' hard work, Britain's most soulful voice and bluesiest organist was finally back in the high life.

"Chronicles" explains and justifies that success, but leaves clues to its eventual, inevitable end. The music is delightful and immaculately crafted, melodically twisting and turning where least expected (most notably "Higher Love," "Arc of A Diver," "Valerie," slightly remixed here). Production was state-of-the-art and featured tasteful, fitting roles by stellar guests (James Taylor, James Ingram, Nile Rodgers, Chaka Khan). Winwood ruled a new strain of AC rock that included many of his contemporaries (Clapton, Stewart, American Billy Joel, etc.).

But Winwood's sound (jazzy synth lines, big drums) fell from favor as aggressive, guitar oriented rock shouted British R&B rockers (Winwood, Joe Cocker, the younger Paul Young) off the charts). Rod Stewart and Eric Clapton sustained with "Unplugged" sets; Winwood's studio craftsmanship made that impractical. Thus, Steve Winwood has not charted a hit single in 10 years.

Here's hoping a new generation of musicians appreciates Winwood's influence enough to join him in creating a megahit album like Santana's "Supernatural." That, and an update of this set, would successfully update Steve Winwood's legendary, if dormant, rock career. Nonetheless, a recommended set.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to one of Britain's rock legends, August 7, 2001

By	Pete Walker (Church Stretton, Shropshire, England) - See all my reviews

This compilation from Steve Winwood's first four solo albums on Island Records was issued in 1987 to capitalise on his success the previous year with 'Back in the high life'. It includes the memorable 'Vacant chair', from his first solo album (in 1977) and three tracks from each of the subsequent albums before he changed record labels after hitting the big time with 'High life'. Winwood's urgent, soulful vocals are instantly recognisable, and the songs chosen here are all excellent examples of his style. His distinctive organ and synthesizer soloing is also well in evidence. Interestingly, the three selections from the 'Talking back to the night' album have been specially remixed by Tom Lord-Alge, who mixed the immensely successful 'High life' album, and as a result they have a more powerful, commercial sound than the original versions.

The album runs to 55 minutes and only 10 (albeit long) tracks, and it's a pity that more songs were not included. It can't be described as a 'Greatest hits' because there are only really three hit singles on it ('While you see a chance', 'Higher love' and 'Valerie') so this would have been an ideal opportunity to include perhaps an extra track from each of the four albums. However, it gives a good overview of the first 10 years of solo recording by one of Britain's most respected R&B vocalists.