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

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

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.