has anyone else in teh world ever heard of Al Stewart? he’s a wonderful musician, extremely underrated, and so rare i can’t even find his shit on Napster! Tell me someone out there knows who he is so I don’t lose all respect for mankind.
Thank you
Rob
I saw him in concert many years ago.
“The Year of the Cat”, right? IIRC.
He was great!
Scotti
Wow, what memories!! Year of the Cat, and Time Passages!
I thought ‘Napster’ was closed down by the courts, ** flup, ** is that incorrect?? But, hey, there’s always CDNow and you can click on a lil bit of the songs using either RealPlayer or I think there is a thingie with Windows too.
I’m a’hungerin’ for some Stephen Bishop now!! Off to CDNow, [they still have cassettes, know how rare those lil dudes are getting??? Like hens teeth, folks! ;)]
Ahh, at least he gets some recognition. It pains me so, however, that he is so known for Year of the Cat and Time Passages. Possibly two of his worst songs. But oh well. I think he’s retired now but I would kill to see him in concert. And I’m 19…
“I was born too late…”
forget it…
As for Napster, it is alive and well, she has about a month of breath left in her as I recall. But I am prehaps wrong.
Ah well
flup
“Year of the Cat” brings back fond childhood memories for me, too. I never understood what the song was about, however, and I haven’t bothered to figure out what it means since I got older. Any insights?
Yeah, I love Al Stewart. I agree that, like most artist, he is best known for his least interesting work (lowest common denominator at work there). “Year of the Cat” and “On The Border” were better than “Time Passages” or “(You’re on my Mind like a) Song on the Radio”, and I think that is the total sum of his radio hits. But his lesser-known work is far better.
Yes, Al Stewart. Popular in the 1970s and early 1980s, and best known for “Year of the Cat,” and “Time Passages,” as others have said.
But his other material, while somewhat obscure, is far better, IMHO. If you can, look for an album called “Past, Present, and Future” from 1974. Most of the songs on there have some kind of of historical angle to them (one song, “Roads to Moscow” is about Hitler’s attempted invasion of Russia), though the album’s final track, “Nostradamus,” is look at the future through Nostradamus’ eyes. Indeed, Stewart quotes Nostradamus’ predictions in the lyrics. Rather interesting.
My copy is on vinyl, sadly, and my old turntable is buried in the basement. I don’t know if it’s on CD. But if it was, I’d pick it up in a minute, just to hear “Nostradamus” again.
Spoons, both “Road to Moscow” and “Nostradamus” are on the Best of Al Stewart CD, along with a nice live recording of “On the Border”.
Love Al Stewart. Need to get some CD’s. The ‘Chronicles’ cassette was in my road trip box, and I absolutely wore it out. I was just thinking of him last week, when I repeated a favorite trip. Missed hearing ‘On the Border’
Thanks for the tip, lucie. I’ll get a copy of the Best Of CD.
Nuthin to add except links:
Al Stewart page
Pollstar concert dates: Al Stewart
Oh, yeah…I like “A Man for All Seasons.” Have to dust off those old LPs.
I love Al Stewart, which isn’t an easy thing for a 16 year old guy to say. “Time Passages” reminds me of my childhood, since my mom loves to listen to his music and other songs from around that time. She likes listening to it too, since it reminds her of the time she spent with me, and the times she went out with Dad, and when they got married… So “Time Passages” is in my CD collection, even if it’s buried under Barenaked Ladies and Foo Fighters and Toad the Wet Sprocket and other stuff to mislead my friends into thinking I’m not into music that’s more than 10 years old. 
Oh yes, this is the stuff I’m talking about. I think Modern Times is his best Cd, followed by Russians and Americans closely. Neither of which, I have noticed, has any songs on the Best Of CD. Apple Cider Reconstitutin is one of my all-time favorite songs, as is Cafe Society. He is one of music’s all-time best lyricists as well. Anyone heard of his earlier stuff, like The Elf, Turn Into Earth, or Clifton in the Rain?
Actually, Spoons, technically Roads to Moscow is about a Russian soldier who was victimized by Stalin’s paranoia and was sent to Siberia for fear that he was brainwashed in the 24 hours of his German captivity. But who’s counting? 
and SanibelMan, fear not. I’m 19, and I love his stuff. NExt to the Smashing Pumpkins, he’s my favorite, in fact. He deserves lots more recognition than he gets.
oh, BTW, everyone. ALL my Al Stewart stuff is on vinyl. I inherited them from my mom who went CD. Know what I did? I listened to the records on my player (yes, a 19-year-old with a record player!) I even paid $25 for a new stylus. so NO EXCUSES!
flup!