Al Stewart signed with RCA (UK) and immediately bowled everyone over with the album ‘Year of the Cat’, arguably the masterpiece effort of his career. His previous two albums had effectively been rehearsals, implementing the formula, and getting the balance just right. The album is missing a central story arch, but retains a strong sense of continuity and cohesion via Parsons’ exquisite production and Al Stewart’s sensory provoking narratives, which both enchant and captivate the listener. The aforementioned title track ‘Year of the Cat’ was the best of a great bunch. It hit the U.S. charts in late ‘76, and went on to peak at #8 in early ‘77. Australia succumbed to the song’s spell soon after (#13), but the U.K. proved less receptive (punk had just exploded), and ‘Year of the Cat’ could only claw its way to #31. The album ‘Year of the Cat’ achieved platinum certification in the U.S. (#5), and hit the top 10 in Australia (UK#38). The follow up single ‘On The Border’ (US#42) dealt with some weighty issues, challenging the listener to contemplate matters of a political, temporal, and metaphysical nature - it’s a credit to Stewart and Parsons that potentially disturbing themes were presented in an engaging package. For all the complex rumination of ‘On The Border’, Stewart was able to keep it simple on a song like ‘If It Doesn’t Come Naturally, Leave It’, which means no more than the literal interpretation of the title.Following the huge acclaim for ‘Year of the Cat’, Al Stewart switched U.S. labels from Janus to Arista, with the unintended consequence of a protracted legal dispute. That aside, Stewart recorded the follow up album ‘Time Passages’, released in September ‘78. Once more Parsons was in the production booth, and in concert with Stewart, the result for the ‘Time Passages’ album was even more refined production, and a soft rock tint to things. Stewart’s elegant, finely crafted historical vignettes were again enhanced with cinematic arrangements and slick production values, but the tracks retained a freshness and simplicity, at paradoxical odds to the complexities lurking beneath the smooth surface. The title track was released as the lead out single, and soon delivered Al Stewart his second U.S. top 10 hit (#7), also charting well in Australia (#36). Stewart wrote ‘Time Passages’ with his keyboardist Peter White. The song reflected Stewart’s ongoing fascination with the concept of time, and humanities perception of it. Stewart often utilised this ‘fourth’ dimension as a central theme in his work. The ‘Time Passages’ album earned Stewart his second platinum accreditation in sales - US#10/OZ#15/UK#39 - and spawned another US top 30 single with ‘Song On The Radio’ (#29) in early ‘79. For a change, Stewart didn’t have any greater lyrical ambition with ‘Song On The Radio’, than to attempt to get the song, played, on the radio. Thanks to a catchy chorus hook, he managed to do just that.It was almost two years before Stewart returned (possibly via a time passage) with the 1980 album ‘24 Carrots’. Commercially, the album was a relative disappointment (US#37/OZ#51/UK#55), though it had the explosive new wave movement to contend with. The only single from ‘24 Carrots’ to chart was ‘Midnight Rocks’, which was just too radio friendly to ignore (US#24/OZ#85). Producer Alan Parsons was no longer on the album sleeve credits, but regardless, Stewart managed to come up with a strong effort, thanks mainly to his rich writing vein still flowing freely. One of the highlights was another Stewart/White composition ‘Merlin’s Time’ - not Merlin of the Camelot variety, but rather a 6th century Scottish warrior poet.In part due to ongoing contractual problems, Al Stewart didn’t record any more studio material over the next three years, but did release a couple of live albums, including ‘Indian Summer (Live)’ (OZ#50). Stewart’s backing group, who had taken on the name A Shot In The Dark, released an album and scored a US#71 hit in 1981 with ‘Playing With Lightning’. A Shot In The Dark comprised Krysia Kristianne (vocals), Adam Yurman (guitar), Bryan Savage (sax), Peter White (keyboards), and Robin Lamble (bass). Stewart’s 1984 album ‘Russians And Americans’ (UK#83) was an overtly political album, from cover, to song titles, to lyrics. In this case the politics overwhelmed the music, and it was Stewart’s first album to miss the U.S. charts in nearly a decade.Once more Al Stewart found himself hamstrung over the next four years, as he continued to be embroiled in contractual issues. When he resurfaced again in 1988, he did so with the album ‘Last Days Of The Century’. The only track I’ve heard from the album is ‘King Of Portugal’, which I purchased on vinyl 45. It’s an engaging mid-tempo pop-rock song, that opens with a searing trumpet, and flows quite smoothly among swirling synthesizers and Spanish guitar. Once again Stewart’s lyrics are strongly engaging and evocative. ‘King Of Portugal’ didn’t ascend to the charts, nor did ‘Last Days Of The Century’, which was said to be inconsistent on the whole. The album did feature the song ‘Fields Of France’, written about World War 1 fighter pilots, possibly one of the few modern songs to address that subject - if you discount ‘Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron’. As happens with the so many great singer/songwriters, Al Stewart’s golden age appeared to have gone from future, to present, to past. 1988 also saw a return to touring for Stewart, for the first time in several years, with his 1988 acoustic tour, captured for the eventual 1992 release ‘Rhymes In Rooms’.Stewart found a new label stable at EMI for his 1993 release ‘Famous Last Words’, dedicated to the late Peter Wood who co-wrote ‘Year of the Cat’ with Stewart. Waning sales confirmed Stewart’s days of being a resident on the pop charts were behind him. Still, with less demands on his time for publicity appearances, and a reduced touring schedule, Stewart had more time to devote to his increasing passion for wine collecting. On 1995’s album ‘Between The Wars’, Stewart began his collaboration with former Wings guitarist Laurence Juber, who also took on production duties. The album was an out and out concept affair, and focused on major historical and cultural events from the end of WWI to the beginning of WWII - fingers on the buzzer, your time starts now!1996’s ‘Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time’, received limited distribution, then Stewart returned to work with Jauber on another concept album in 2000’s ‘Down In The Cellar’. Now I’ve already given a clue earlier in this post as to what the subject matter for this album might have been - well, yeah it seems bizarre, but Al Stewart recorded a concept album about wine. Well, if you’re a dedicated wine connoisseur like Al Stewart, there’s nothing bizarre about it, and there’s much to be considered on the subject. Over the last decade Stewart has continued to tour the U.S. and Europe on occasion, and has released two more albums, ‘A Beach Full Of Shells’ (2005), and ‘Sparks Of Ancient Light’ (2008).With a career spanning more than forty years, and a swag of intelligent and engaging albums to his credit, Al Stewart’s work is sure to continue traversing time passages well beyond the next ‘Year of the Cat’.
The early to mid 70s was a (possibly the) golden era for the singer/songwriter, and produced some of the most memorable songs of the last half century. Some of the bigger names like Elton John, Billy Joel, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens and Don McLean take care of themselves in terms of an enduring profile. But there were so many more, who struck once, or maybe twice, with absolute gems, before fading to the background. One of the songs that burns brightest in my memory from that era is ‘Year of the Cat’ by Scottish singer/songwriter Al Stewart.
Like so many singer/songwriters Al Stewart knows how to tell a good story. ‘Year of the Cat’ evolved from an earlier incarnation titled ‘Foot of the Stage’. The earlier version was written about the late British comedian Tony Hancock, and featured alternative lyrics. But Stewart and co-writer Peter Wood (Stewart’s keyboard player), decided to re-write the lyrics to recount the tale of a stranded tourist in the Casablanca of Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre. The hypnotic opening piano sequence acts as a curtain raising on a cinematic world. Stewart’s lyrics are rich and evocative, conjuring up intensely vivid imagery. The central character is left stranded, and succumbs to the allure of a mysterious, beautiful temptress - “She comes out of the sun in a silk dress running like a water colour in the rain”. Our tourist is left to stay for a year, the ‘Year of the Cat’ (derived from Vietnamese astrology - the Year of the Cat occurs every 12 years). Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, the mercurial Alan Parsons produced the mid-tempo ballad ‘Year of the Cat’, and married crystalline guitars, piano, and a searing saxophone solo, seamlessly to heighten the cinematic quality of the song. Al Stewart’s sublimely smooth vocals apply the final layer of brilliance. My favourite lyric is “You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre, contemplating a crime”, in reference to the legendary screen bad guy of the 30s and 40s. By the end of six and a half minutes listening to ’Year of the Cat’, I liken the feeling to walking out from a darkened cinema after two hours in front of the silver screen - the song truly does envelop the senses. ‘Year of the Cat’ became the biggest hit of Al Stewart’s career, when it was released in late 1976, but as brilliant as the song is, it was but a passing moment (though memorable) in the evolution of Al Stewart, musician and songwriter.
Al Stewart arrived in Glasgow, Scotland in 1945 - exactly half way between two separate ‘feline’ years. Stewart was raised by his widowed mother, and by his teenage years turned to learning the guitar for solace. He learned guitar alongside Robert Fripp (future core member of King Crimson) on an instrument he purchased from Andy Summers (future Police), and after leaving home Stewart became a budding rock musician, though struggling to begin with. Stewart played solo, and with a local bands in the Bournemouth region. Like so many others, Stewart’s musical ambitions were influenced by seeing Bob Dylan in concert. Stewart began writing his own material, and adopted a softer, more folk oriented style. He once shared a rooming house with another (then) struggling folkie, Paul Simon (and for a time Art Garfunkel). In July ‘66 Stewart released his first single, ‘The Elf’, on the Decca label - the song featured a young session musician called Jimmy Page on lead guitar. Stewart spent the next year performing in a variety of London folk club venues, and was no doubt playing some of the same venues as another young singer/songwriter around that time, Steven Georgiou (Cat Stevens).
Stewart was signed to the CBS label in 1967, and released his debut album ‘Bed-Sitter Images’. It was the archetypal introspective piece, focused on angst-ridden confessions and naval gazing. Sales were poor, but the suits at CBS saw enough potential in Stewart, that he was offered a shot a redemption on 1969’s album ‘Love Chronicles’, which was the only one of Stewart’s first four albums to gain a U.S. release on Columbia. The album took the brooding, contemplative premise of the first album, and centred on tales of doomed romance, ‘In Brooklyn’ being the strongest example - thoroughly uplifting stuff. But musically Stewart was really hitting his straps, and with studio assistance from the likes of Jimmy Page, the album was critically well received. ‘Love Chronicles’ even scored the gong for ‘Folk Album of the Year’ from Melody Maker magazine.
Stewart’s 1970 album ‘Zero Flies’, became the first of his albums to crack the mainstream charts, peaking at #40 in Britain. The album continued Stewart’s folk style, with occasional rock flirtations, but he broadened the subject matter of the songs, to include tracks addressing historical themes and events, such as the track ‘Manuscript’. The song takes some of the same personal issues but places them against historical events, to set up intriguing contrasts and parallels. In a way Stewart places himself, or a first person character, into an historical setting, setting up an interesting dynamic - ‘Manuscript’ served as a stylistic template of sorts for Stewart’s later work. The ‘Orange’ album (1972) revealed the first indications that Stewart was about to make the leap into a more folk-rock area, but the album didn’t contain anything too different to the last - Yes keyboard genius Rick Wakeman did play on a number of tracks, including ‘The News From Spain’, giving hints of a prog rock sound. Al Stewart would later distance himself from the first four albums of his career, preferring to focus on the shift in style and subject matter offered up by his subsequent work.
Stewart signed to the Janus label (for U.S. distribution), and in 1973 released a breakthrough album with ‘Past, Present & Future’, both musically and thematically. Stewart traded in the first person songs of love and loss, to fully embrace the historical saga. Thankfully Stewart didn’t go overboard on the prog-rock musical accompaniment to these epic tales - not that prog-rock is necessarily a bad thing, but Stewart’s voice and delicate treatment may have been lost in translation. To give some insight into the weighty material Stewart dealt with in his lyrics, ‘Road To Moscow’ is set within the context of Hitler’s invasion of Russia. It tells the tragic story of a young Russian soldier captured by the Nazis. After Berlin falls to the Allies, rather than being repatriated, because of Stalin’s reputed paranoia about former prisoners-of-war, the young soldier is banished to a transit camp in his own country. The closing track on the album ‘Nostradamus’, focuses on the book ‘The Centuries’, with Stewart cleverly weaving himself into the tales of prophecy. But they weren’t all historical epics, and in the song ‘Soho (Needless To Say)’ he recalled his early days living and working in London in the mid 60s. Stewart suddenly found that his music was being played on FM radio in the U.S., and soon the singer/songwriter located Stateside to concentrate on taking his career to the next level.
1975’s ‘Modern Times’ (US#30) was Stewart’s final album with CBS. Stewart brought in a new backing band, at that time called Home, comprising Gerry Conway, Simon Nicol, Pat Donaldson & Simon Roussel. Producer Alan Parsons also came on board, and immediately lifted Stewart’s work to a new level of richness, with lush and layered production, edgier in places, augmenting but not overpowering things. Stewart continued to construct sweeping historical tales, in exotic locales, yet maintained a personable, accessible feel. More importantly, the melodies were better than ever. No doubt Stewart had evolved from bare bones folk, to a more elaborate folk-rock style, and all signs were positive.
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Al Stewart signed with RCA (UK) and immediately bowled everyone over with the album ‘Year of the Cat’, arguably the masterpiece effort of his career. His previous two albums had effectively been rehearsals, implementing the formula, and getting the balance just right. The album is missing a central story arch, but retains a strong sense of continuity and cohesion via Parsons’ exquisite production and Al Stewart’s sensory provoking narratives, which both enchant and captivate the listener. The aforementioned title track ‘Year of the Cat’ was the best of a great bunch. It hit the U.S. charts in late ‘76, and went on to peak at #8 in early ‘77. Australia succumbed to the song’s spell soon after (#13), but the U.K. proved less receptive (punk had just exploded), and ‘Year of the Cat’ could only claw its way to #31. The album ‘Year of the Cat’ achieved platinum certification in the U.S. (#5), and hit 
the top 10 in Australia (UK#38). The follow up single ‘On The Border’ (US#42) dealt with some weighty issues, challenging the listener to contemplate matters of a political, temporal, and metaphysical nature - it’s a credit to Stewart and Parsons that potentially disturbing themes were presented in an engaging package. For all the complex rumination of ‘On The Border’, Stewart was able to keep it simple on a song like ‘If It Doesn’t Come Naturally, Leave It’, which means no more than the literal interpretation of the title. Following the huge acclaim for ‘Year of the Cat’, Al Stewart switched U.S. labels from Janus to Arista, with the unintended consequence of a protracted legal dispute. That aside, Stewart recorded the follow up album ‘Time Passages’, released in September ‘78. Once more Parsons was in the production booth, and in concert with Stewart, the 
result for the ‘Time Passages’ album was even more refined production, and a soft rock tint to things. Stewart’s elegant, finely crafted historical vignettes were again enhanced with cinematic arrangements and slick production values, but the tracks retained a freshness and simplicity, at paradoxical odds to the complexities lurking beneath the smooth surface. The title track was released as the lead out single, and soon delivered Al Stewart his second U.S. top 10 hit (#7), also charting well in Australia (#36). Stewart wrote ‘Time Passages’ with his keyboardist Peter White. The song reflected Stewart’s ongoing fascination with the concept of time, and humanities perception of it. Stewart often utilised this ‘fourth’ dimension as a central theme in his work. The ‘Time Passages’ album earned Stewart his second platinum accreditation in sales - US#10/OZ#15/UK#39 - and spawned another US top 30 single 
with ‘Song On The Radio’ (#29) in early ‘79. For a change, Stewart didn’t have any greater lyrical ambition with ‘Song On The Radio’, than to attempt to get the song, played, on the radio. Thanks to a catchy chorus hook, he managed to do just that. It was almost two years before Stewart returned (possibly via a time passage) with the 1980 album ‘24 Carrots’. Commercially, the album was a relative disappointment (US#37/OZ#51/UK#55), though it had the explosive new wave movement to contend with. The only single from ‘24 Carrots’ to chart was ‘Midnight Rocks’, which was just too radio friendly to ignore (US#24/OZ#85). Producer Alan Parsons was no longer on the album sleeve credits, but regardless, Stewart managed to come up with a strong effort, thanks mainly to his rich writing vein still flowing freely. One of the highlights was another Stewart/White composition ‘Merlin’s Time’ - not 
Merlin of the Camelot variety, but rather a 6th century Scottish warrior poet. In part due to ongoing contractual problems, Al Stewart didn’t record any more studio material over the next three years, but did release a couple of live albums, including ‘Indian Summer (Live)’ (OZ#50). Stewart’s backing group, who had taken on the name A Shot In The Dark, released an album and scored a US#71 hit in 1981 with ‘Playing With Lightning’. A Shot In The Dark comprised Krysia Kristianne (vocals), Adam Yurman (guitar), Bryan Savage (sax), Peter White (keyboards), and Robin Lamble (bass). Stewart’s 1984 album ‘Russians And Americans’ (UK#83) was an overtly political album, from cover, to song titles, to lyrics. In this case the politics overwhelmed the music, and it was Stewart’s first album to miss the U.S. charts in nearly a decade. Once more Al Stewart found himself hamstrung over the next four years, as he continued to be 
embroiled in contractual issues. When he resurfaced again in 1988, he did so with the album ‘Last Days Of The Century’. The only track I’ve heard from the album is ‘King Of Portugal’, which I purchased on vinyl 45. It’s an engaging mid-tempo pop-rock song, that opens with a searing trumpet, and flows quite smoothly among swirling synthesizers and Spanish guitar. Once again Stewart’s lyrics are strongly engaging and evocative. ‘King Of Portugal’ didn’t ascend to the charts, nor did ‘Last Days Of The Century’, which was said to be inconsistent on the whole. The album did feature the song ‘Fields Of France’, written about World War 1 fighter pilots, possibly one of the few modern songs to address that subject - if you discount ‘Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron’. As happens with the so many great singer/songwriters, Al Stewart’s golden age appeared to have gone from future, to present, to past. 1988 also saw a return to touring for Stewart, for the first time in several years, with his 1988 acoustic tour, captured for the eventual 1992 release ‘Rhymes In Rooms’. Stewart found a 
new label stable at EMI for his 1993 release ‘Famous Last Words’, dedicated to the late Peter Wood who co-wrote ‘Year of the Cat’ with Stewart. Waning sales confirmed Stewart’s days of being a resident on the pop charts were behind him. Still, with less demands on his time for publicity appearances, and a reduced touring schedule, Stewart had more time to devote to his increasing passion for wine collecting. On 1995’s album ‘Between The Wars’, Stewart began his collaboration with former Wings guitarist Laurence Juber, who also took on production duties. The album was an out and out concept affair, and focused on major historical and cultural events from the end of WWI to the beginning of WWII - fingers on the buzzer, your time starts now! 1996’s ‘Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time’, received limited distribution, then Stewart returned to work with Jauber on another concept album in 2000’s ‘Down In The Cellar’. Now I’ve already given a clue earlier in 
this post as to what the subject matter for this album might have been - well, yeah it seems bizarre, but Al Stewart recorded a concept album about wine. Well, if you’re a dedicated wine connoisseur like Al Stewart, there’s nothing bizarre about it, and there’s much to be considered on the subject. Over the last decade Stewart has continued to tour the U.S. and Europe on occasion, and has released two more albums, ‘A Beach Full Of Shells’ (2005), and ‘Sparks Of Ancient Light’ (2008). With a career spanning more than forty years, and a swag of intelligent and engaging albums to his credit, Al Stewart’s work is sure to continue traversing time passages well beyond the next ‘Year of the Cat’.
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