Time Passages
| Time Passages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 September 1978[1] | |||
| Recorded | June 1978 | |||
| Studio | Davlen Studios, Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | Soft rock, folk rock | |||
| Length | 44:38 | |||
| Label | UK: RCA (original release) EMI (1991 reissue) US: Arista (original release) Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (audiophile release) Rhino (2004 remaster) | |||
| Producer | Alan Parsons | |||
| Al Stewart chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [3] |
Time Passages is the eighth studio album by Al Stewart, released in September 1978. It is the follow-up to his 1976 album Year of the Cat. Like "Year of the Cat" and 1975's Modern Times, it was produced by Alan Parsons. The album's title track (which, when edited, reached #7 on the Billboard charts) and "End of the Day" were both co-written by Peter White. The title track occupied #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts for 10 weeks.
A digitally remastered version of the album was released in 2004.
Artwork
[edit]The album's front and back cover were designed by Hipgnosis. As Storm Thorgerson stated in For the Love of Vinyl: The Album Art of Hipgnosis, "For Al's Time Passages we showed a radio being tuned on the shelf of a kitchen window but at the same time "tuning" the view of the landscape outside the window".[citation needed] The front cover photograph was taken at Indian Route 42, Monument Valley, Arizona.[4]
Track listing
[edit]Songs written by Al Stewart unless otherwise noted.
- "Time Passages" (Al Stewart; Peter White) – 6:41
- "Valentina Way" – 4:04
- "Life in Dark Water" – 5:49
- "A Man for All Seasons" – 5:50
- "Almost Lucy" – 3:43
- "The Palace of Versailles" – 5:20
- "Timeless Skies" – 3:34
- "Song on the Radio" – 6:22
- "End of the Day" (Al Stewart; Peter White) – 3:11
Historical references
[edit]- "A Man For All Seasons" refers to Sir Thomas More, statesman under Henry VIII of England (misidentified by Stewart as "Henry Plantagenet"[5]) and a Catholic martyr.
- "The Palace of Versailles", the former residence of the French Kings and a key site in early days of the French Revolution. The lyrics contain specific allusions to many events and figures of the revolution.
- "Life in Dark Water" – references the Mary Celeste, questioning the usage of the inaccurate term "Marie Celeste". (Also see J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement)
Personnel
[edit]- Al Stewart - guitars, keyboards, vocals
- Peter White - guitars, lead guitar (tracks 1, 2 and 9), keyboards, accordion
- J. Peter Robinson - grand piano, organ on "Valentina Way"
- Peter Solley - synthesizer on "Palace of Versailles"
- Peter Wood - keyboards, organ, piano
- Tim Renwick - electric guitar, lead guitar (tracks 3, 4, 5 and 6)
- Robin Lamble - bass guitar
- Mark Goldenberg - rhythm guitar on "Valentina Way"
- Phil Kenzie - alto saxophone on tracks 1 and 8
- Stuart Elliott - drums (except track 2)
- Jeff Porcaro - drums on "Valentina Way"
- Al Perkins - pedal steel guitar
- Bill Linnane - guitar
- Art Tripp lll, Lindsay Elliott - percussion
- Brian Huddy, Joe Puerta, David Pack, James R. West, Krysia Kristianne, Jeff Borgeson - backing vocals
- Andrew Powell - string arrangements
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
Certifications and sales
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[13] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[14] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "BPI".
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 672.
- ^ "Musical Maps".
- ^ Nichols, Thomas M. (Spring 2001). "Soldiers and War: A Top Ten List". International Journal. 56 (2). Canadian International Council: 312–323, 317 n.1. doi:10.2307/40203558. JSTOR 40203558.
In a 1980 interview, Stewart lamented his reference in the song about More to Henry Plantagenet when he meant Henry Tudor. How many of his fans caught the error is unknown.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 294. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Al Stewart – Time Passages" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Al Stewart – Time Passages" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Al Stewart – Time Passages". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "Al Stewart Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1979. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "British album certifications – Al Stewart – Time Passages". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "American album certifications – Al Stewart – Time Passages". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
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