Time Passages

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. The album, like 1975's Modern Times and 1976's Year of the Cat, was once again 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 also reached #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts for 10 weeks.

Time Passages
Studio album by
Al Stewart
ReleasedSeptember 1978 (US), November 1978 (UK)
RecordedJune 1978
StudioDavlen Studios, Los Angeles
GenreRock, soft rock, folk rock
Length44:38
LabelUK: RCA (original release)
EMI (1991 reissue)
US: Arista (original release)
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (audiophile release)
Rhino (2004 remaster)
ProducerAlan Parsons
Al Stewart chronology
Year of the Cat
(1976)		 Time Passages
(1978)		 24 Carrots
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

A digitally remastered version of the album was released in 2004.

Track listing

Songs written by Al Stewart unless otherwise noted.

  1. "Time Passages" (Al Stewart; Peter White) – 6:41
  2. "Valentina Way" – 4:04
  3. "Life in Dark Water" – 5:49
  4. "A Man for All Seasons" – 5:50
  5. "Almost Lucy" – 3:43
  6. "The Palace of Versailles" – 5:20
  7. "Timeless Skies" – 3:34
  8. "Song on the Radio" – 6:22
  9. "End of the Day" (Al Stewart; Peter White) – 3:11

Historical references
  • "A Man For All Seasons" refers to Sir Thomas More, statesman under Henry VIII of England (misidentified by Stewart as "Henry Plantagenet"[2]) 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)

Charts
Chart (1978) Position
United States (Billboard 200) 10
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 15

Personnel

Artwork

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". The front cover photograph was taken at Indian Route 42, Monument Valley, Arizona.[4]

References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. Nichols, Thomas M. (Spring 2001). "Soldiers and War: A Top Ten List". International Journal. Canadian International Council. 56 (2): 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.
  3. 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.
  4. http://www.musicalmaps.com.au/search/label/timepassages



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