AL STEWART : THE BEST OF AL STEWART

AL STEWART WITH DAVE NACHMANOFF : UNCORKED

Last Days of the Century / Constantinople / Last Days
Coldest Winter
Warren Harding
News From Spain
Bedsitter Images
Midas Shadow
Running Man
Palace of Versailles
Auctioning Dave (story)
Princess Olivia
Life In Dark Water
Carol
Old Admirals

Label : Wallaby

Time : 62:18

Release Date : September 29, 2009

Review (AlStewart.Com) : With the release of Uncorked, Al and musical partner Dave Nachmanoff take a trip through Stewart's musical back pages, both in terms of the musical catalogue (they did have nearly 20 albums' worth of songs to pick from), and in terms of performance style. After all, Al made his bones in the massively fertile folk scene that was London in the late '60s, and he numbers among his contemporaries the likes of guitar wizards Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, singer-songwriters Roy ("Hats Off To") Harper and Richard Thompson, and a former flatmate named Paul Simon, who went on to some celebrity upon returning to America. Recorded live during a springtime East Coast swing, Uncorked is the first live acoustic disc Al's done since 1992's Rhymes In Rooms, and both he and Nachmanoff made a conscious decision not to replicate any of the tracks from that disc, even if it meant leaving off such standards as "On the Border" and the two aforementioned Top 40 hits. "Because I've learned all of Al's songs, we had an opportunity to revisit some of the tunes that hadn't been featured in more recent years," says Nachmanoff. "I think at this point, we can actually do three or four full shows and never play the same songs twice. And while Al usually comes in to a gig with a set list in mind, often times, we'll just throw it out and go with the flow." As a consequence, it sounds like the duo isn't merely playing well (fact is, Al's guitar work is actually even better now than it was back in the day, thanks to the acoustic touring configuration that brings his musical contributions more to the fore), it sounds like they're having fun. And if the title tracks from albums like Last Days of the Century and Bedsitter Images don't immediately conjure images of major-label milestones, that's just fine with Al. "It's much more enjoyable for me to hear myself and for the audience to hear the words," says Stewart. "And the audience seems to agree. The way I look at it, if I can still get everybody on their hind legs at the end of a show cheering, then I've won." Like Uncorked itself, that's vintage Al.

Review (Only Solitaire Blog) : Stewart's penchant for guitar-sparring as a major artistic incentive continues with a new twist: at the end of the first decade of the century, after Peter White and Lawrence Juber, his new partner is Dave Nachmanoff, a somewhat obscure, but critically respected folk musician / singer / songwriter with a PhD in philosophy and, most likely, numerous other fine qualities that remain hidden from the general public. The newly-formed duo's first joint appearance on record is with Uncorked (another transparent allusion to Al's wine cellars which, judging by all sorts of merry jokes the two engage in on this album, have been strongly tampered with) - an all-acoustic live album that repeats the experience of Rhymes In Rooms, but to even better effect. First and foremost, because, as fine as Peter White was on guitar, Nachmanoff is an even stronger player. If you are afraid of or usually bored with «unplugged»-type concerts, Uncorked may change your attitude - Dave can shift from languid and subtle to loud and brutal in the wink of an eye, and his technique seems sometimes to be specifically geared towards proving that there really are no things you can do with an electric guitar that cannot be reproduced, or at least efficiently substituted on an acoustic. for instance, as they launch into 'News From Spain', Al remarks that "Dave has the unenviable task of trying to cover Rick Wakeman's piano solos on the guitar", but actually, Dave rises to the challenge, and even if it is not really possible to completely reinstate the turbulent sea storm atmosphere that Stewart, Wakeman, and others created on the original, they still come very, very close - with nothing but one acoustic rhythm guitar and one acoustic lead. And it's not merely «impressive» - it's overwhelming if you play it loud enough. Second, the set list is anything but trivial; since the album is obviously geared towards a small group of hardcore fans - most of the outside world already has trouble remembering who wrote 'Year Of The Cat', let alone anything else - the track selection firmly excludes all of Al's «biggies», with the arguable exception of (a much shortened version of) 'Old Admirals', and is almost completely unpredictable; and yet, most of the songs are so pretty that no neophyte, accidentally discovering Stewart through this concert, would ever want to think of the man as a «one-hit wonder» or «singles artist». Personal favorites include 'Bedsitter Images', bringing us all the way back into 1967, with Nachmanoff perfectly nailing that admirable piano / strings ascending melody; 'Life In Dark Water', stripped down and consequently restored to the status of a melancholic Al Stewart ballad from that of an ice cold Alan Parsons prog-pop epic; the already mentioned 'News From Spain' (Al doing a number from Orange? Unbelievable!); and the happiness of 'Princess Olivia', with its 'Ode To Joy' quote at the beginning unforgotten. But really, it's all good; even the two songs from Last Days Of The Century, which, come to think of it, really needed this sort of re-recording to redeem them from the production excesses of Al's worst period. And, despite the obligatory humbleness of it all, Uncorked may, all the same, be the most dynamic live album in Al's career, if only because it is so transparently clear that these two guys are simply going for the fun of it, not out of some troublesome «rock star obligation» to the fans and managers, or out of financial reasons. Add to this that the clarity and youthfulness of Al's voice in 'Bedsitter Images' makes it sound like it could have well been recorded in 1967, and Uncorked completes its transformation from a cute late-period curio from a folk rock veteran into a near-must-have recording not just for grizzled Al Stewart fans, but for everyone who appreciates clever songwriting, pretty singing, and masterful guitar playing as such. Thus - yet another thumbs up for the running man. The only bad news is that there is no accompanying DVD release.

Review (Bowling Joe) : In 1992 Al Stewart and his then-guitar accompanist Peter White recorded a live acoustic CD called Rhymes in Rooms. On the disc, Stewart and White performed eleven songs including "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages", which were top ten hits in the late 1970s. Fast forward to 2009: Much to the delight of their fans (and those who might be about to become fans) Al and his current touring guitarist, Dave Nachmanoff, have just released their own unique collection of live acoustic songs that richly draw from Stewart's vast breadth of work, called Uncorked (a nod to both wine - Stewart is a wine expert - and being "unplugged"). The first thing I noticed upon reading the track listing is that it's a set of music longtime fans can truly enjoy. The live versions of these songs consist of material originally recorded from 1967 ("Bedsitter Images") through 1988 ("Last Days of the Century"). There's also a rarity thrown in for good measure ("Coldest Winter"). No hits or anything that came close to a hit appears on the disc. And I'm more than good with that. Lyrically, Uncorked plays to Al Stewart's strengths. Intelligently written, historically based songs such as "Palace of Versailles", "Warren Harding" and "Old Admirals" are solid choices. I remember them as examples of songs that sent me scurrying to the library to learn what they were about, in days well before the internet reduced exponentially the time required to do such a thing. As for the music side of things, Stewart's voice may have a few more rough edges compared to the "smooth as glass" sound from twenty years ago, but he's still easy to listen to. Nachmanoff's nifty guitar work sails through the set adding texture as though he's been playing Al's songs his entire life. Well, actually that's because he has. . He handled parts that were once done with a piano decades ago ("The News from Spain") with his acoustic guitar and didn't miss a step. On other songs, I wondered how he could get his instrument to make such varied and unique notes ("Midas Shadow"). Recorded at three different venues during a Northeastern U.S. tour in 2008, the production is clear and crisp, as good as or better than being there in person. . One of the pleasures of experiencing an Al Stewart/Dave Nachmanoff concert is the witty repartee in between songs. There's a sampling of that on this disc called "Auctioning Dave". Having heard a large number of Al's stories over the years (many of them several times, in fact), I did enjoy the quirkiness of this segment but also wondered whether there may have been another choice that would connect with the listener to a greater degree. (Although there just might be a hidden dialogue track at the end of the last song on the disk, wink wink). Ultimately, Uncorked is a solid and timely effort both in terms of Al Stewart's long career and as a showcase of Dave Nachmanoff's talent as a guitarist. The disc is well worth owning whether you're an Al Stewart completist or someone who wants a good representation of what it's like to be in the audience at an Al Stewart/Dave Nachmanoff concert.