AL STEWART : TIME PASSAGES

 

Disc One (48:46)

  1. Time Passages
  2. Valentina Way
  3. Life In Dark Water
  4. A Man For All Seasons
  5. Almost Lucy
  6. The Palace of Versailles
  7. Timeless Skies
  8. Song On The radio
  9. End Of The Day
    Bonus Tracks :
  10. Tonton Macoute

Disc Two (57:17)

  1. Time Passages
  2. Song On The Radio
  3. Tonton Macoute
  4. Life In A Bottle
  5. The Palace Of Versailles
  6. The Hollywood Sign (on St. Stephen's Day) (Timeless Skies)
    The Chicago Radio Concert - 27th October 1978 :
  7. On The Border
  8. Soho, Needless To Say
  9. Midas Shadow
  10. Broadway Hotel
  11. If It Doesn't Come Naturally, Leave It
  12. Time Passages

Disc Three (63:57)

  1. One Stage Before
  2. Life In Dark Water
  3. Roads To Moscow
  4. Sirens Of Titan
  5. The Palace Of Versailles
  6. Valentina Way
  7. Year Of The Cat
  8. The Pink Panther Theme
  9. Song on the Radio
  10. Carol

Label : Esoteric Records

Venue (Bonus Concert) : WKQX-FM Studios, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Recording Date (Bonus Concert) : October 27, 1978

Release Date : 1978 (Original release) / October 22, 2021 (Deluxe Edition)

Review (AllMusic) : Year of the Cat brought Al Stewart a genuine worldwide smash with its title track, and for its successor, he did make a few concessions. These, however, were slight - just a slight increase of soft rock productions, an enhancement of the lushness that marked not only Year of the Cat but also Modern Times. These happened to be welcome adjustments to Stewart's sound, since they increased the dreamy continental elegance at the core of his work. And that's why Time Passages is the equal of Year of the Cat - it may be more streamlined, but the adjustments to his sound and the concessions to the mainstream just increase the soft grace of his eloquent historical pop epics. It's possible to view this as too precious, because it is pitched at an audience who believes the common-day concerns of pop are piffle, but this is exceptionally well-crafted, from Stewart's songs, where even three-minute songs seem like epics, to Alan Parsons' cinematic arrangements and productions. This added concentration on the texture of the recording, ensuring that it was clean, spacious, and gentle, with a welcoming surface. Of course, this means that Time Passages can work very well as background music, but it also reveals much upon concentrated listening - enough to make it stand proudly next to Modern Times and Year of the Cat as one of Al Stewart's very best albums.

Review (Cherry Red) : Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a four-disc deluxe limited edition boxed set (comprising 3 CDs and a DVD) Of ‘Time Passages’, the legendary album by Al Stewart first released in September 1978. This new deluxe edition of this special album has been newly remastered for the very first time from the original first-generation master tapes by Alan Parsons and also features his stunning new 5.1 Surround sound mix from the original multi-track tapes. In addition, the set includes single edits, an album session out-take, four demo tracks recorded in Los Angeles in August 1977 and for the first time the complete concert recorded at the studios of WKQX-FM in Chicago in October 1978. This limited edition boxed set also features an illustrated 68-page book with a new essay featuring an interview with Al Stewart and a facsimile promotional poster and a set of four postcards and is a fitting tribute to a much treasured and legendary masterpiece by a consummate songwriter and performer.