Sparks of Ancient Light

This is a very fine album of music. I played it three times the first day I got it, and will undoubtedly play it many more. Good, catchy, upbeat pop-rock tunes; it's among his best.

Well,once again Al Stewart has delivered a beautifully recorded and intelligent piece of work.Every album he has made are well recorded and proves that he is a master.

While mostly know for his song :Year of The Cat" Al has been turning out terrific albums since the early 70's.Why he is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame mystifies me.While I know that Al liked Year of The Cat i for one wish he never wrote the song.It has taken away from his true brillance and body of classics.

If you just listen to his lyrics,you will find a dedicated master of history and events that are stunning.His song writting ability is up there with the best our generation has prodduced.Al's use of intruments and poetry are brilliant yet not geared for a large market.

Sparks of Ancient Light grows on you with each listening.The wit and interwoven poetry coupled with telling tales of our vast history and mythlolgy is spellbinding.

I do not recommed that this be your first Al Stewart album if you have not yet discovered this master.However,for the Al Stewart fans out there we can only thank him for continuing giving us a reason to actually purchase a cd of new music.

Although radio - FM and satellite - continue to ignore him, Al Stewart keeps plugging away, pairing intelligent historically inspired lyrics with great folk-rock oriented musical craftsmanship backed by top notch musicians and production.

Sparks of Ancient Light (SOAL) does not disappoint in this respect. The songwriting is wonderful, and Al's voice sounds identical to the way it did back in 1978. Having seen Al in concert as recently as a few months ago, I can testify that this is not a trick of the recording studio.

The production of Sparks of Ancient Light is almost identical to A Beach Full of Shells (ABFOS)- which is not necessarily a bad thing, although I think if he were to do a third release with a similar sound production feel to it, he might run the risk of being stuck in a groove.

Indeed, Al must have thought very highly of ABFOS, as I don't think any two releases have been so similar in their overall sound since he followed up Year of the Cat with Time Passages. After Time Passages, I'd have to say that each release had it's own distinctive sound, but in this case, SOAL and ABFOS are so similar in their production they could pass for what we used to refer to as a double album. If you liked the last one, chances are you'll like this one too.

Overall, I like SOAL just slightly less than it's predecessor ABFOS. It is definitely a worthy addition not only to the collections of Al Stewart fans, but to those who appreciate the folk-rock sound and intelligent lyrics.

Where to begin with Al Stewart.....I became a fan with "Love Chronicles" and grown up as a fan. Every time he slips from my attention for a moment, here comes another album/CD. Wow, this one really came to my attention.

"Sparks" is his best work in years. As I say that, I really can't think of a bad release. "Cellar" was a little quirky but not bad.

The first song that hit me was "The Eisenhower Years". While historically, those years were a little before my time, I am old enough to know people who did live through them. As with most of Al's songs, the music and lyrics fit the mood perfectly.

"Sleepwalking" is intensely satisfying with a mood, too.

Aww, nuts, I'm not going to go through each cut and critique them. I'm just going to say that Al does not disappoint. Being a fan, I listened patiently for his bombshells and was very satisfied with every cut.

It's a good CD, especially if you are an Al Stewart fan. His talent is put to good use here. Buy it and enjoy!

The lyrics, with few exceptions, are among the strongest of his career. Laurence Juber's production is stellar throughout: the Purcell-like trumpet in "Lord Salisbury" beautifully evokes the sea-girdled isolation of pre-Edwardian England; the guitar lines in "Elvis At The Wheel" invest a song that could have easily become a lampoon with the strange mix of piety and paranoia that was Elvis Presley. There are some mildly weak moments: (A Child's View Of) The Eisenhower Years" is in some ways just an American reworking of "Post World War Two Blues", with a melody borrowed from "Another Face In The Crowd", a song that's been kicking around unrecorded since the "Time Passages" days. "Football Hero" plays like it was written and performed by people who think sport is very silly, indeed. But the rest of the work -- the beautiful, jazzy intro to "The Ear of the Night", filled with Juber's tasteful playing, the lyrical brilliance of "Shah of Shahs" and "Lord Salisbury", the infectious melody of "Hanno The Navigator" -- make this an album to be treasured. "A Beach Full of Shells" was a masterwork, showing Stewart at the height of his lyrical and musical powers. This record is a worthy companion to its predecessor.

Thirty years removed from his commercial zenith, Al Stewart is writing the strongest, most interesting music of his career. This is an outstanding record. It deserves a wide audience.