Al Stewart - Year of The Cat...C/D?

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Zero She Flies
Love Chronicles

is a superb trilogy... Love Chronicles is a masterpiece... with some great guitar work from Jimmy Page..

Al Stewarts early work is seriously under-rated.. probably tainted by a whole heap of bearly listening records in the 80's and 90's...

Actually I love this song. When the sax become a guitar... OH YEAH!
But, yeah, a cat. With a perm. And a shoe box.

Great strings.

It is a good song, with great strings, but Time Passages towers over it in every possible way.

I'm not sure I've heard it. As long as it's got no lyrics like, "The drum beats strains of the night remain/In the rhythm of the new-born day."

No, this song's lyrics namecheck Peter Lorre.

was this in a soundtrack recently (like last 3-5yrs)? maybe something indie-ish. wes anderson-ish. or like squid and whale?

uh, apparently this was in running w/scissors. but i don't remember that movie. nor do i remember liking it.

This live version doesn't quite do the song justice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcgxw0mSkoU&feature=related

Alfred, you've never heard this? O.M.G.!

Always thought "You know sometime you're bound to leave her" was "Innocent Tanya..." Lyrics to YotK are pretty oblique.

Great production; that Alan Parsons sure know how to make a record.

I found my parents' copy of the album, Daniel. Thanks. The song's okay.

Funny timing. I was just searching ILX for a good Al Stewart thread yesterday after listening to Modern Times.

The song's okay.

The warm glow of nostalgia enhances the song for me.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, your parents version of the album.

I am old.

How come none of you lot took part in this poll when I ran it a few months ago?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1FS7VdrEQQ

I can't seem to google this: are there any songs that use Time Passages for a sample? It seems like there must be...

Daniel is right.

What a great enunciator Al Stewart is!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMZdshwej-o

These make me want to learn the piano part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AazEMt0eoFg

sometimes, in the right mood, this feels like the best song ever written.

is it wrong to prefer "Time Passages"?

that's cool, i won't beef if we can all agree Al Stewart is one underrated magical motherfucker

Yeah "Time Passages" rules. I love the sound of those records he made with Alan Parsons. Everything after that is hit or miss; everything up to Time Passages is pretty great, though.

i went on a huge binge of these 2 records earlier this year (year of the cat and time passages) and i'm still not tired of them. still in disbelief that this guy's essentially been lost to time popularity-wise, i didn't even know who he was a year or 2 ago.

I would figure he's part of the same aging boomer generation on the cusp of thirty that made Gerry Rafferty a hit too.

Gerry / Al / Boz / Dan / Prefab

basically all you need in life.

xxpost Yeah, it's ridiculous that pretty much no one knows him anymore. If you can get your hands on a copy of the box set To Whom It May Concern, I would strongly recommend it. That's got his first three albums plus some early singles, all as good as Year of the Cat and Time Passages, if not better.

Also, he tours non-stop, and is worth seeing at least once.

Year of the Cat is great, Time Passages rather overrated. His best albums are the mid-period ones, Modern Times and Past Present & Future.

Yeah Modern Times is great, it has the same FM production vibe and awesome stuff like 'Sirens Of Titan' and 'Apple Cider Reconstitution'.

http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/11-15-12-23-17-al-stewart-from-signing-body-parts-to-album-covers/

"People would rather hear the music they grew up listening to because that is the sound of being young and, of course, if you listen to that music, you get to be young forever."

well said...

His best albums are the mid-period ones, Modern Times and Past Present & Future.

Also, the Dark Side bootleg has an unreleased track, "Sailing Into The Future", that sounds exactly like something Grant McLennan might've written.

had never heard of this dude until being mentioned on the destroyer thread but I'm listening to Modern Times and its pretty dece imo

i put "year of the cat" on the spotify version of mackro's apocalypse mix.

I'M NOT THE KIND TO DWELL IN THE PAAAHST

THE PICTURE IS CHANGING YOU'RE PART OF A CROWD
THEY'RE LAUGHING AT SOMETHING, THE MUSIC'S LOUD

jergins to thread

every time i have this song playing in my head, it turns into ABC's 'look of love' halfway through

YOTC is obv classic

I first heard Al when HBO used to play the "Time Passages" video all the time to fill in space between movies.

glancing at my player, peter white gets writing credits for both yotc and time passages.

Still at it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMZ9gEPgI9o

saw him live circa '83-84 (not my idea, but i didn't mind)

Booked my ticket for his Past Present & Future/Year of the Cat show in London this morning.

Year of the Cat is a small miracle of a record

why is this guy so underappreciated?

I love his historical songs - all of "Past, Present and Future" is brilliant.

for some reason that album doesn't seem to be on spotify but I'll check it out!

Year of the Cat sounds kinda like something John Lennon could have made if he was very ambitious

He's great, such a delicious fm rock sound and that voiiice

"Terminal Eyes" off of PP&F is very reminiscent of "I Am The Walrus", but other than that I can't say I detect any similarities between Al and Lennon. But Al is great nonetheless, so literate and wistful.

there's a great moment in the Beatles Anthology doc where George Martin goes through the A Day in the Life tracks, and after some studio talk where iirc it's all pretty advanced and more about the conceptual side of things, he gets to John's vocal track and can't say much more than: and then there's that voice

Lennon's voice is indeed beautifully unique, and I'd never mistake him for Al Stewart - but all the same there's something in the phrasing (I'd do an imitation if this were not a msg board), kinda like he's singing from the bottom of his mouth with slightly pursed lips, and also the guitar work reminds me of Harrison or early solo Lennon - have not done extensive listening, but that's what comes to mind in the first 60 seconds of opener:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu_z0xK6qYY

also sounds informed by Bowie, and other parts of the record channel Dylan for me

I saw it recommended on the Kaputt thread so that was my way into it

Year of the Cat is a nice record and all, but as Gerald says Past Present & Future is his masterpiece, closely followed by the follow-up Modern Times. After that he got signed to RCA, put out YotC and it was soft rock FM-land from then on, a few later killer tracks notwithstanding.

A few years ago I ran an Al Stewart albums poll here which garnered all of one vote, my own.

listening to PP&F now does indeed sound great

do love that FM land of soft rock though...

I considered posting to your poll thread but ultimately found it too sad

past present & future, modern times, year of the cat, time passages are all underappreciated classics imo. haven't really ventured further forward than that in his catalog though

Russians & Americans is probably the strongest one after that, but they all have a mixture of killer and filler on them. There's a v strong compilation to be made from those later records.

Go backwards!

Seriously, all of the albums before Past, Present & Future are so good.

i've heard all the early ones already they're good too

I know what you mean, niels i.e. Lennon's voice. It's the aspect that makes you want to stick out your chin a little if you try an impersonation.

If someone wants to cherry pick the best tracks, I'd love a list!

I'd say the strongest albums that followed Time Passages were 24 Carrots and Last Days of the Century. The latter has a late-80s sheen but the songs are great, esp the title cut, Fields of France, Where Are They Now and Antarctica. Russians & Americans was disappointing to me after 24C.

My father-in-law is a hardcore Al Stewart fan. Has seen him live dozens of times, brings him up in conversation regularly, and would not hesitate to say he never made a less-than-great album. I will try to hit him up for a post-Time Passages playlist.

Or, you know, you could just ask me, what with me also being a hardcore Al Stewart fan who has seen him live dozens of times.

My post-Time Passages playlist would be:

From 24 P/Carrots:

Murmansk Run/Ellis Island
Running Man
Merlin's Time
Rocks in the Ocean

From Russians & Americans:

Accident on 3rd Street
Russians & Americans

From Last Days of the Century:

Fields of France
Antarctica

From Famous Last Words:

Trains
Feel Like

From Between the Wars:

Three Mules
League of Notions

From Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time:

Coldest Winter in Memory (one of his greatest songs ever, yet it languishes on an outtakes compilation)

From Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time:

Coldest Winter in Memory (one of his greatest songs ever, yet it languishes on an outtakes compilation)

No arguments here. This one is fantastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR4-CvASpkI

I already recommended this song upthread but with the recent requests for suggestions, it bears repeating.

Or, you know, you could just ask me, what with me also being a hardcore Al Stewart fan who has seen him live dozens of times.

Cool! I think there will be a lot of overlap between his playlist and yours (asked him about it tonight before I saw your post), but I'll post it anyway when he gets it to me.

I remember really enjoying A Beach Full of Shells when it first came out but haven't listened to it in years.

1) I have heard "Year of the Cat" on my favorite radio station (87.7 MeTV radio!) and have enjoyed it but never knew who was singing because they rarely say (I know you can check the website but I don't look at the internet in the shower or while I am driving and I always forget to look it up)
2) Thanks to this thread I knew it is Al Stewart
3) The radio also tells me that Al Stewart is touring with the band America

here's what i don't know -- is there some connection between Al Stewart and the band America?

Al Stewart is English, which wouldn't necessarily preclude him from being somehow associate with America, but, no, I don't think they have any sort of history with each other.

Oof, my bad. He's actually a Scotsman.

he sounds kinda like robyn hitchcock

even if i watched this on mute i would have bet for sure he was from somewhere in the UK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckthyI3UQbI

here he is in 2014 -- he still sounds good imo!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMZ9gEPgI9o

I know what you mean, niels i.e. Lennon's voice. It's the aspect that makes you want to stick out your chin a little if you try an impersonation.
hehe, exactly

America and Al Stewart have the soft rock FM radio thing in common?

he's also playing the... Moody Blues Cruise aka Moodies Cruise http://moodiescruise.com/

had no idea how deep this dude's catalog is. been listening on spotify all afternoon.

i saw al stewart live last year, he's wonderful

Every time I've seen him he has been great, but it's almost always in a duo with this dude Dave Nachmanoff who probably Googles himself so I won't say anything else about him. He's been sporadically getting together with a backing band called The Empty Pockets and playing Year of the Cat in its entirety. I just found out last night that they're finally coming within driving distance in October, so I'm extremely excited for that.

this dude Dave Nachmanoff

that dude is extremely endearingly lame

oh wait lol i am definitely thinking of someone else

(sorry dave if you googled yourself)

xp are you sure? endearingly lame is super otm.

(also sorry dave)

someone praised him in the comments to the 2014 video! called him "fabulous"

America and Al Stewart have the soft rock FM radio thing in common?
i already know this, wondered if there was something else i was missing

Uh, who are musicians from the UK who later relocated to California?

Artists with animals in the title of their biggest hit?

Artists filed under "A" by record store clerks of less than average intelligence?

An Al Stewart listening thread might be esoteric but could also be fun someday.

i recommend just listening to 'apple cider reconstitution' 1000 times like i have

I love that song

Artists with animals in the title of their biggest hit?

― pplains, Sunday, August 6, 2017 8:46 PM (yesterday) Bookmark

i think we have a winner

there are a surprising number of these oldies tours in 2017

Btw LL I never thought about a voice timbre kinship between Stewart and robyn but there is something there. They are both double reeds but RH has more croak; if Al is an oboe robyn is a cor anglais

The big resemblance for me is al stewart/singer from pet shop boys. When west end girls first came out I was like wait what is happening?

Also I had completely forgotten about the al Stewart single Midnight Rocks even though, as a denizen of the K-Tel album Full Tilt, I must have listened to it a hundred times. Great verse melody.

The big resemblance for me is al stewart/singer from pet shop boys. When west end girls first came out I was like wait what is happening?

Ha! Totally hear that.

for some reason he also reminded me of this guy and this song (tom newman- sad sing)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYMWPD51XKE

Tennant got many Al Stewart comparisons in 1986, not always flatteringly.

i recommend just listening to 'apple cider reconstitution' 1000 times like i have

― ciderpress, Sunday, August 6, 2017 11:18 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I love that song

― harbinger of failure (Jon not Jon), Monday, August 7, 2017 7:30 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yes, if you could only save on Al Stewart song in a fire, that's the one.

I might go for "In Brooklyn"

heard this song this morning while getting my coffee in London, always a good way to begin a morning.

Oof, my bad. He's actually a Scotsman.

Grew up in England, hence the accent.

But, yes, Bert Jansch, Donovan, John Martyn, Al Stewart, there was a lot of them bumping around in Soho coffee houses at the same time.

Just found this, feel like I've been looking for this album for years without knowing it. I just walked into an apartment in North Beach in 1982 with a bunch of hanging plants, a Ganesha on the end table, smoking a gentle spliff and laughing about our plans to start a cult focused on good sushi and regular naps.

Thought the revive would be about the reissue box set that has just come out, remastered by Alan Parsons, 5.1 mix etc.

They're not gonna release a remastered vinyl, really?

There must be millions of copies of this LP lying about neglected, do consumers really care that much about remastering?

also the original sounds perfect tbh

This may not be the thread in which to pose this question, but am I the only one who loves the songs "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages", but finds his albums full of well-crafted banality?

Does anyone else mainly remember Time Passages from when HBO used to play the video to fill up time between movies?

xxp I love those songs too, and "Song On The Radio", but can't stand it when he gets all Lord Grenville

xp I do recall those Video Jukebox interludes. Chaz Jankel's "Questionnaire" was in pretty heavy rotation. (Didn't Showtime fill the movie segues with Aerobicise, aka soft-core porn masquerading as "exercise" clips?)

no it's CD only xposts

Love this song. Neil Tennant should cover it.

Just watched the Old Grey Whistle Test video of this, and was struck by how the guitar solo (clean) segues into a different guitar solo (distorted).
And then that segues into a sax solo.

Classic.

Anyone seen Al recently? Wonder if he's still got it or no. The man is 78!

“Year of the Cat” surfaces at a key moment in The Shards, the Bret Easton Ellis novel from earlier this year.

I was going to say that I’d seen him recently but after checking I realise it was way back in 2015. Eight years ago he was still worth seeing if that helps.

he played at the venue attached to my workplace within the last year but i did not catch his performance unfortunately

He did this extremely comprehensive 50 CD BOX SET a few years ago, and my first question was "why? who is this for? Al and his family? Who in the world needs 50 CDs of Al Stewart?" The answer is probably not many, because it's reguarly onsale on Amazon for quite a bit less than original price. But I also admire him for having the guts to do it, and I guess if you're one of the select few who needs all of this material, there it is.

https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/al-stewart-the-admiralty-lights-complete-studio-live-and-rare-1964-2009/

i mean if nothing else, you do get "Year of the Cat print individually SIGNED by Colin Elgie" along with it

Yeah I'm a Stewart fanatic but even I baulked at that box set.

Only went to number 31 in the UK charts, just HOW did this song become so well known??

What’s his best song that isn’t Year of the Cat?

Time Passages

which is kind of the same song but you know

A better song.

i was going to say "a shorter song" but they are both 6:43

From Real Gone Music, who are real good, in my experience (thanx again to Alfred's Pitchfork coverage of Dusty's The Complete Atlantic Singles)

https://realgonemusic.com/cdn/shop/products/8540348299132769f77b7cb555c69174_1024x1024.jpg?v=1689092710

Al Stewart Songs on the Radio Complete U.S. Singles 74-81 CD
$ 17.99

he Vietnamese Lunar New Year identifies 2023 as The Year of the Cat…and the timing couldn’t be better! Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records are proud to announce a definitive, first-ever singles collection from legendary singer-songwriter Al Stewart. In 1976, Stewart took “Year of the Cat” to the top ten of the Pop and AC charts, inaugurating a run of timeless hits still heard on radio today. Now, for the very first time, each and every one of the British troubadour’s seminal A- and B-sides from his halcyon period has been brought together. Songs on the Radio: The Complete U.S. Singles 1974-1981 brings together 20 tracks which catapulted the artist from folk clubs to the mainstream. Often in collaboration with producer-engineer Alan Parsons, Stewart bridged the gap between FM rock and AM pop. He brought his passion for historical events and flair for lyrical invention to these singles originally issued on the Janus and Arista labels, including “Nostradamus,” “Carol,” “On the Border,” “Midnight Rocks,” “Year of the Cat,” “Song on the Radio,” and the record-breaking, chart-topping “Time Passages.” And the B-sides (“Terminal Eyes,” “Sirens of Titan,” “A Man for All Seasons,” “Merlin’s Time”) are every bit as compelling as the A-sides! Every track is presented in its original U.S. single version (most of which are new to CD and not even included on Stewart’s massive The Admiralty Lights box set) as newly remastered by Mike Milchner at SonicVision. The deluxe 20-page booklet features Joe Marchese’s extensive interview with Al Stewart as well as rare photos and memorabilia. As a special bonus, the unique U.K. single edit of Al’s signature song “Year of the Cat” is also included. With vivid lyrics, captivating melodies, crisp guitars, and, yes, smooth saxophone, these Songs on the Radio celebrate the remarkable discography of a master musical storyteller. Limited edition of 2500…and they’re gonna go fast!

1. Nostradamus
2. Terminal Eyes
3. Carol
4. Sirens of Titan
5. Year of the Cat
6. Broadway Hotel
7. On the Border
8. Flying Sorcery
9. Time Passages
10. Almost Lucy
11. Song on the Radio
12. A Man for All Seasons
13. Midnight Rocks
14. Constantinople
15. Paint by Numbers
16. Optical Illusion
17. Running Man
18. Merlin’s Time
19. Indian Summer
20. Soho (Needless to Say)
21. Year of the Cat (UK Single Version)

Only went to number 31 in the UK charts, just HOW did this song become so well known??

He was getting both Adult Contemporary AM radio and Album Rock FM airplay at that time, he managed to appeal to both audiences.

Yeah, that’s in the US though where it was a big hit. I’m not old enough to remember UK radio in the 70s but I know Ken Bruce played “Year of the Cat” and “On the Border” quite often on BBC Radio 2 until he left this year.