| | Al Stewart Modern Times CD Al Stewart Discography of CDs
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Surely the title is a bit of an allusion to the Past, Present and Future of its predecessor, but Modern Times also brought Al Stewart into the present, establishing his classic sound of folky narratives and Lennonesque melodies, all wrapped up in a lush, layered production from Alan Parsons. Hearing this production makes it clear that this is what was missing from Past, since it gives epics like the title track a real sense of grandeur that makes their sentiments resonate strongly. But it's not just the improvement in production that makes Modern Times the beginning of Stewart's classic period -- his songwriting has leapt up and met his ambitions, as it retains the historical sweep of his earlier material but melds it to a melodic sensibility that's alternately comforting and haunting. This skill is apparent throughout Modern Times, and is married to a sound that is its equivalent, making this an exquisite pop-prog gem. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London. Originally released on Janus (7012). Includes liner notes by Stephen K. Peeples.
Personnel: Al Stewart (vocals, acoustic guitar); Simon Nicol (acoustic guitar); Stuart Cowell (electric guitar, dobro); Tim Renwick (electric guitar); Isaac Guillory (guitar); Graham Smith (harmonica); Peter Wood (keyboards, accordion); Peter Wingfield (keyboards); George Ford, Peter Moss (bass); Barry DeSouza, Gerry Conway (drums); Tony Carr (percussion); Chas Mills, Brian Bennett, Neil Lancaster (background vocals).
Q (7/93, p.114) - 3 Stars - Good - "...like all Stewart's work [the album] is pretty and civilized...`The Dark And The Rolling Sea' has epic scale, with the somehow cozy exoticism which is Stewart's trademark and a satisfyingly lilting, sea-shantyish tune..."
Dirty Linen (Apr/May 93, p.75) - "...Stewart brought together many of the best elements from the previous albums for 1975's MODERN TIMES...very good..." Modern Times Music Review Purchase Modern Times CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Al Stewart Zero She Flies CD (1970) Bonus Tracks
Modern Times
 $10.45 
Al Stewart's third album wasn't much different from the territory he had claimed, with reasonable success, on his prior effort, Love Chronicles. Narrative tales of romance and experience, sometimes third-person and sometimes autobiographical, set the mood, complemented by mild folk-rock arrangements and Stewart's ...
| | Al Stewart First Album (Bed-Sitter Images) CD (1967) Bonus Tracks; Reissue
Modern Times
$10.45 
Although the orchestrations have been criticised as over-elaborate, there is no denying their impact on the title track and songs like "Swiss Cottage Manoeuvres" and "Scandinavian Girl" manage to shine through. Also of interest are the delicate instrumental "Denise at 16," the Procol Harum-like "Beleeka Doodle Day," and "The Carmichaels," an account of a loveless marriage that looks ahead both lyrically and stylistically to his next album. Perhaps the highlight is "Samuel, Oh How You've Changed," which matches sensitive lyrics to a pretty melody. In the wake of subsequent critical success Stewart's debut was reissued ...
| | Al Stewart Love Chronicles CD (1969) Bonus Tracks
Modern Times
$10.45
The 18-minute title track, a chronicle of amorous exploits, attracted attention for including the word "fucking" (then taboo in pop songs) as well as alluding to impotence. The five shorter songs are uniformly excellent, from "In Brooklyn," the account of Al's first visit to New York, to the grim Soho tale "Old Compton Street Blues," and the wry "You Should Have Listened to Al." Particularly vivid are the lyrics of "Life and Life Only," which deal with personal relationships as observed by a child, who concludes "and I was feeling small, sitting on the wall / looking at them all and ...
| | Al Stewart Orange CD (1972) Bonus Tracks
Modern Times
$10.69
This is a transitional Al Stewart album. After stretching the boundaries of song length and language with Love Chronicles, he was in a something of a holding pattern on Orange, without any obviously profound inspiration or moments of daring. "Songs Out of Clay," however, does reveal the first signs of the mix of acoustic and electric guitar sounds that he would perfect on his next album, Past, Present and Future, two years later, while "The Fourth of May," a six-minute personal story-song, gets something of the beat and the sound that Stewart would refine in achieving ...
| | Al Stewart Live: Indian Summer CD (1981)
Modern Times
$10.45 
| | Al Stewart 24 Carrots CD (1980) Bonus Tracks
Modern Times
$10.45 
"Here In Angola," "Pandora," and "Indian Summer" were originally released on the LP INDIAN SUMMER.
24 CARROTS is folk-rocker Al Stewart's 1980 album, recorded with Shot in the Dark. This reissue features five bonus tracks, "Here in Angola", "Indian Summer", "Pandora", "Delia's Gone", and "Princess Olivia".
The pun of the title of 24 Carrots -- the first overt signal of humor Al Stewart has displayed in years, possibly ever -- illustrates that a lot has changed since 1978's Time Passages. The loosening of his wit is perhaps the most evident, but the most significant is the departure of producer Alan Parsons, who collaborated with Stewart on his mid-'70s triptych of masterpieces. In truth, 24 Carrots isn't far removed from those high points, because he is indeed still writing at a remarkably consistent pace. No, this record isn't quite at the high standard of the previous three albums, but it does have a number of brilliant moments, from the opening "Running Man" through the silly but effective "Mondo Sinistro" and the gorgeous "Midnight Rocks." Though there are some songs that don't quite click (something that did not happen on the aforementioned trio), overall the record coheres nicely, thanks not just to the uniform classiness of Stewart's songs, but to his production with Chris Desmond. Although the production ...
| | Jimmie Davis Nobody's Darling But Mine CDs (1998) (Import) Germany
Modern Times
$125.79
Jimmie Davis' music is a strange mix of sentimentality and double-entendre, serious devotional songs juxtaposed with utterly raunchy (and playful) blues and novelty tunes. This five-CD box consists of Davis' sides for Doggone, Victor and American Decca between July 1928 and December 9, 1937. Few performers, especially in pre-war country music, could have juggled the range of repertory here for very long without offending someone and killing a chunk of their careers; instead, Davis used his music to get to the Louisiana governor's mansion twice, once in 1944 and again in 1960. Disc one opens with Davis' earliest sides for Victor in 1929, which were heavily influenced by the work of Jimmie Rodgers. Disc one ends with Davis' four 1928 sides for Doggone. The sides show serious wear and surface noise, but their main drawback is that Davis is trying to sound like Bing Crosby as he covers a quartet of then-contemporary hits. Disc two opens with a trio of hobo songs. In content and delivery, Davis' blues sound uncannily like contemporaries such as Furry Lewis, especially on this session, where most of what follows the hobo material is straight blues or novelty tunes with a risque edge. Disc three opens with a pair of ...
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