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A Beach Full of Shells
 
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A Beach Full of Shells

Al Stewart
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews) | More about this product
List Price: $17.98
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Frequently Bought Together

A Beach Full of Shells + Sparks of Ancient Light + Down in the Cellar
Price For All Three: $44.95

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  • This item: A Beach Full of Shells ~ Al Stewart

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  • Sparks of Ancient Light ~ Al Stewart

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  • Down in the Cellar ~ Al Stewart

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Product Details

  • Audio CD (June 21, 2005)
  • Original Release Date: June 21, 2005
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Appleseed Records
  • ASIN: B0009K8L8O
  • In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #77,000 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Samples
Song Title Time Price
listen  1. The Immelman Turn 4:39$0.99 Buy Track
listen  2. Mr. Lear 3:00$0.99 Buy Track
listen  3. Royal Courtship 4:10$0.99 Buy Track
listen  4. Rain Barrel 4:00$0.99 Buy Track
listen  5. Somewhere In England 1915 6:56$0.99 Buy Track
listen  6. Katherine Of Oregon 3:07$0.99 Buy Track
listen  7. Mona Lisa Talking 4:26$0.99 Buy Track
listen  8. Class Of '58 4:11$0.99 Buy Track
listen  9. Out In The Snow 2:51$0.99 Buy Track
listen10. My Egyptian Couch 2:18$0.99 Buy Track
listen11. Gina In The Kings Road 3:49$0.99 Buy Track
listen12. Beacon Street 2:20$0.99 Buy Track
listen13. Anniversary 2:53$0.99 Buy Track

Editorial Reviews

Knight Ridder Newspapers syndicate, June 2005
"…Finessed with his distinctive, old-world sound and history-minded imagery. B+"

Product Description
For a singer and songwriter whose work is suffused with history and detail, Al Stewart follows no creative timetable. It’s been 10 years since his last US CD of new material and almost 30 years since his "Year of the Cat" single and album became unforgettable international hits.

"A Beach Full of Shells," Al’s Appleseed debut and first new US release since 1995’s "Between the Wars," finds Stewart in timeless form, presenting 13 new songs that span centuries and continents, autobiography and fiction. As he nears the 20-album mark, Stewart remains a distinctively literate and vivid storyteller, time-traveling and teleporting from World War I battlefields to Sixties bedrooms, from ships to airplanes to ice floes, from the specific to the mysterious.

Musical settings that encompass electric folk-rock and acoustic ballads, colorful dabs of classical and Eastern music, and even a touch of Little Richard-style piano pounding, are as varied and imaginative as Al’s subject matters. The CD’s producer, Laurence Juber has enhanced Al’s elegant Scottish drawl, nimble acoustic guitar-work and keyboards with his own Grammy-winning guitar playing, string arrangements and percussion and a flexible rhythm section.

"The Immelman Turn" kicks off the CD in a style reminiscent of Fairport Convention, with spirited violin and barbed electric guitar sweeping us into the tale of a doomed pilot’s last flight. Then we fall down the genteel rabbit hole of "Mr. Lear," a tribute to the 19th Century nonsense poet, before landing in the veiled intrigue of "Royal Courtship." Elsewhere and elsewhen, we are taken "Somewhere in England 1915"; into the freezing bleakness of "Out in the Snow"; to visit party girl "Gina in the Kings Road"; to the frenzied rock ’n’ roll past of "Class of ’58" and a peaceful, nostalgia-filled old age in "Katherine of Oregon." And that’s just part of the tour on "A Beach Full of Shells."

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Customer Reviews

52 Reviews
5 star:
 (36)
4 star:
 (10)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (52 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars You MUST have this album!, July 15, 2005
By Jodi Oli (Midwest) - See all my reviews
Lovely, lyrical songs and music...definitely one of Al's best.

There are no songs to dislike on this album, and many to love. Right now I am humming "Katharine of Oregon", while my son is singing "Rain Barrel" (which I seem to recall as a real historical event, but cannot remember the details).

"Mr. Lear" is also a favorite. My kids and I loved Edward Lear's works, and Stewart deftly captures the wistful playfulness of his works.

The song which contains the title words, "Somewhere in England, 1915", is hauntingly beautiful; it brought tears to my eyes.

But, as I said -- they are all good.
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44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A crowning jewel of a great career, June 22, 2005
By Benjamin Henwood (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I've been a fan of Al Stewart since I heard "Carol" on the radio in 1973 or 1974 or so, and have become very familiar with his work since then. After all these years, I didn't think that I could be surprised by anything he did because I already had such high expectations, but frankly this new recording (released in the UK and the USA on 21 June 2005) has left me amazed. From the very start of the opening cut, his creativity shines in lyrics, tone, instrumentation, and variety. His voice is in the best form in many years. Al seems to have found something from within that is both inspiring and fresh, perhaps a reconnection with his own folk rock roots, that has elevated his music in many ways. Laurence Juber, the acclaimed guitarist and producer, did a superb job bringing this great collection of songs to life. The entire recording is a joy to play, and I think over time it will become viewed by many as Al's finest. I can't help but be reminded of Roy Orbison who had a huge surge in creativity later in his career.

This CD comes with a very attractive lyric and photo booklet.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Welcome Return, August 15, 2005
Quite a few years have passed since Al Stewart's last release so A Beach Full Of Shells marks a welcome and refreshing return to the public ear.
I have been a fan of Stewart's ever since the lyrical wizardry of Past, Present and Future delighted my senses nearly forty years ago. And its all still here: Stewart's rich and unmistakeable voice, the unparalleled scope and depth of his lyrics, and his musical prowess.
The problem (some may say its his delight) with Stewart though is that he sometimes really seems to plumb the depths of the past in order to come up with what he feels is a suitable subject for a song. The Immelman Turn is just such a song. Barnstorming is a very obscure topic and in the course of the song Stewart himself seems at a loss to find much of anything to say about it. But that song and the silly Class of '58 aside, Stewart has turned out his best album since The Last Days of the Century.
My favorites are the whimsical Mr Lear, the tongue-in-cheek take on some of the absurdities of diplomacy in Royal Courtship, the mysterious Rain Barrel, the cozy Katherine of Oregon, the phantasmic Out In The Snow, the dreamy My Egyptian Couch, the rocking Gina In The King's Road, and the imaginitive story of a suicide in Anniversary.
Overall, A Beach Full Of Shells is a fine album that should please even the most discriminating of Stewart's fans.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Trying hard to like this one
I am a long-time Al Stewart fan, and have seen him in concert many times. I have most of his CD's (except for some of his earliest works), but I have to say that
"Beach... Read more
Published 17 months ago by J. G. Schwerdt

5.0 out of 5 stars Among my favorites
I got interested in Al Stewart back in the 70s when "Year of the Cat" became a pop hit, but quickly discovered I far preferred his earlier works. Read more
Published 18 months ago by N. Kirk

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Al's best.
You know how some artists, when they start out, they are hungry, put out their best work, and over the years have a good song here and there, but the fire is no longer there. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Dave Rittenhouse

5.0 out of 5 stars Lyricist, Novelist, Poet
I write novels for a living and so does Al Stewart. The difference is that he sets his to music. Lyrically and melodically beautiful, full of evocative imagery and significant... Read more
Published on June 9, 2007 by Keith Spence

5.0 out of 5 stars A good Al Stewart album...
...if not quite up to the standards of his classic albums from the late '60s and early '70s. One of the things that impressed me most is that Al's voice has really not changed... Read more
Published on February 12, 2007 by William M. Feagin

5.0 out of 5 stars Al Stewart's Best Album Ever.
Yes, it is better than his landmark albums Year of the Cat and Time Passages. Who would have thought that someone could put out his best work nearly 30 years after falling out of... Read more
Published on August 14, 2006 by Kurtiss A. Jacobs

5.0 out of 5 stars This one calls for 6, maybe 7 stars
Ever wake up in the middle of the night, delighted, or agitated, by a song going around in your head? Here's a dozen of them for you. Read more
Published on July 21, 2006 by Fredward

1.0 out of 5 stars Pass this one up......sorry Al
With all due respect to all the Al Stewart fans out there, this CD is simply awful. As of Al's loyal fans since 1973, I can say with all due respect that this one is well below... Read more
Published on April 20, 2006 by Maureen Swierupski

4.0 out of 5 stars Mostly pleasant, with a few standouts
Al Stewart is responsible for three or four albums that stand at the pinnacle of popular music achievement. Read more
Published on April 18, 2006 by Eric J. Anderson

5.0 out of 5 stars Stewart and Juber, A winning combination again!
This is another wonderful album from a great artist, a very literate and intelligent man, the genius Al Stewart. Read more
Published on April 9, 2006 by Robert Miller

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

A Beach Full of Shells
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