Title:
Past, Present And Future
Artist:
Al Stewart
Performers: Alistair Anderson - Concertina; Francis Monkman - Moog Synthesizer, Synthesizer; Richard Hewson - Strings; Krysia Kocjan - Vocals (Background); Haim Romano - Mandolin; Dave Swarbrick - Mandolin; Peter Woods - Accordion, Keyboards; Bob Andrews - Keyboards; Peter Berryman - Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic); Luciano Bravo - Percussion; B.J. Cole - Guitar (Steel); John Donnelly - Vocals, Vocals (Background); Isaac Guillory - Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic); Tim Hinkley - Keyboards; Lennox James - Percussion; Brian Odgers - Bass; Michael Oliver - Percussion; Kevin Powers - Vocals, Vocals (Background); Tim Renwick - Guitar, Guitar (Electric); Frank Ricotti - Percussion; Bob Sargeant - Keyboards; Al Stewart - Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Keyboards, Vocals; Roger Taylor - Percussion; Bruce Thomas - Bass; Rick Wakeman - Keyboards; Mick Welton - Vocals, Vocals (Background); John Wilson - Drums; Peter Wood - Keyboards As good as portions of it were, Orange was essentially a transitional effort, the necessary bridge to Past, Present & Future, the record where Al Stewart truly begins to discover his voice. This is largely through his decision to indulge his fascination with history and construct a concept album that begins with "Old Admirals" and ends with "Nostradamus" and his predictions for the future. A concept like this undoubtedly will strike prog warning bells in the minds of most listeners but, ironically, he has stripped back most of the prog trappings from Orange, settling into a haunting folk bed for these long, winding tales. If anything, this results in an album that is a bit too subdued, but even so, it's apparent that Stewart has finally found his muse, focusing his songwriting and intent to a greater extent than ever before. Now, the key was to find the same sense of purpose in record-making -- he didn't quite get it here, but he would the next time around. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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Catalog #: WWRHI10452
UPC: 081227104528
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