I first heard this album on the Janus Label back in 1974. This was a time when it was considered "progressive rock" and was music for "people in the know". His music could not be played on traditional stations due to their length and frankly, the rest of the world had just not matured enough to hear it. It is one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Artisticly pure right down to the cover. Whether Janus, Arista, Rhino or an old Eight Track it is still artistically viable. Now, thirty years later it is still going strong and validates everything anyone has ever said about it. "Roads to Moscow" is legend. The other works are interesting and memorable. I strongly recommend this album for anyone uninitiated to any of Al Stewart's work. Most will respond "Year of the Cat" but this and "Modern Times" best implies the genius of the artist.
I bought this album after hearing "Roads to Moscow" on the radio in 1990. Not only do I agree that it is one of the best songs ever written, but the rest of the album is also very strong. It took awhile to get used to "Old Admirals", and "Post World War II Blues", but the strength of "Soho (Needless To Say)", "Roads to Moscow", and "Nostradamus" keep you coming back. I also just wanted to say that Al Stewart's lyrics got me more interested in learning about history that even my most inspirational teachers in high school and college. Do you know what happened on June 30th, 1934? I do.
I just got online and I'm surprised how many people love this album. I thought I was the only one who even knew of it. I found it in an old box of tapes of my brother's, and I was just taken away by it. Since then, through twenty years, it's been my own private masterpiece, which I've foisted on writers, history enthusiasts, and guitarists alike.
It starts off with "Old Admirals," a great paean to the golden age of sail, chronicling one sailor's rise through the British Navy:
I can well recall the first time I ever put to sea,
It was on the old "Calcutta" in 1853.
I was just a lad of fourteen years, a midshipman to be,
To make my way in sailing ships of the Royal Navy.
And in typical Al Stewart style, he finds the emotional core that others would miss, and has this verse after WWII.
But the war, it ran its course, they could find no use for me.
And I live in the country now, grandchildren on my knee.
And sometimes think, in all this world, the saddest thing to be -
Old admirals who feel the wind and never put to sea.
"Warren Harding" and "Soho" are upbeat romps, leading to the rollicking "Post World War Two Blues," and then we get to "Roads of Moscow." Not only is the orchestration haunting, but listen to these lyrics:
They crossed over the border the hour before dawn,
Moving in lines through the day.
Most of our planes were destroyed on the ground where they lay.
Waiting for orders we held in the wood - word from the front never came.
By evening the sound of the gunfire was miles away.
Ah, softly we move through the shadows, slip away through the trees,
Crossing their lines in the mists, in the fields, on our hands and our knees,
And all that I ever was able to see -
The fire in the air glowing red silhouetting the smoke on the breeze.
Along with Dylan, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen, Al Stewart excels in nailing authentic detail and drama, creating compelling movies with his lyrics.
The album then goes through the trance-like beat of "Terminal Eyes," and finally ends on "Nostradamus," which even beyond its spellbinding lyrics is an acoustic guitar stunner.
So thanks to everyone for chiming in behind this album, and for those who wish to know more about the songs, you can find the history behind them on Al Stewart's site.
Prior to getting this album, YOTC had been a sentimental fave of mine, getting consistent play on the old turntable, but I had never heard anything else by Al Stewart. I found an old vinyl PP&F at a Goodwill and picked it up for 99 cents. What the hell, right - if I get even 1 decent track out of it...
What I heard simply blew me away. This album is a classic by any definition of the term: lyrically, musically, conceptually. "Roads to Moscow" is quite likely the most erudite rock/pop/folk tune ever recorded. The plea of "Oh call me back, call me back" from the aging admiral in "Old Admirals" is gut wrenching. And I can't say enough about the power of words set to music in "The Last Day of June, 1934". There isn't a weak spot on this album.
Needless to say, I now have this on CD, and with over 250 in the collection, this one may be the crown jewel. I now have the rest of Al's catalog, and for sheer excellence among all of Al's work this one is perhaps matched only by 1995's Between the Wars.
Best .99 I ever spent - unbelievable that something this good ended up at a Goodwill to begin with. Give it five stars plus.
To be honest, I don't know what exactly led to my buying this CD. I do know that I'd read a lot about Al and his music online, and that probably intrigued me enough to buy the CD. I was very certain that I'd like it but that turned out to be the understatement of the century. What a beautifully crafted work of music! The music is put together with all the nuances and attention to minute details normally found only in progressive rock (Yes, Kansas, Rush, etc) or classical, the lyrics are very evocative, and of course there's Al's unique voice. Make some quiet time for yourself, put the disc in and slip some headphones on, close your eyes and let yourself be immersed in the tapestries - you'll find yourself living the life of Admiral Sir John Fisher, or that of a carefree unnamed Frenchman or Briton in the early 1930s, or perhaps feel the despair (and determination) of a Russian private soldier falling back towards Moscow before the advance of the seemingly unstoppable Wehrmacht in the summer of 1941.
