On ‘Modern Times’ we hear an artist on the verge of international superstardom. Of course, that status would only last a couple of years for him. Basically, the mega hit ‘Year of the Cat’ from the album with the same name, was what made him a star. Then he went back to being a cult artist. ‘Modern Times’ – released only one year before said hit and album – is certainly much more pop/soft rock than folk rock, but I will review it anyway. It opens with ‘Carol’, which is simply uptempo, classic 70’s pop. It features a great melody. ‘Sirens of Titan’, ‘What’s Going On’ and the folky ‘Next Time’ are on the other hand mediocre songs in my eyes. They are all pleasant to listen to (actually, this artist is ALWAYS pleasant to listen to!), but they are not exactly classic Al Stewart songs either. And worst of all: They don’t engage me. But ‘Not The One’ is a hidden jewel in his catalogue. It features great lyrics, and a memorable melody. Then we’re over to side B on the original LP, and thankfully that is completely flawless. ‘Apple Cider Re-Constitution’ is catchy as all hell, and that guitar solo is just so… right! Wonderful stuff. And the two last songs are certainly among his best and most epic ever. ‘The Dark And The Rolling Sea’ showed that he had not forgotten his old folky magic. This is fantastic storytelling, and is ‘upliftingly melancholic’, if one can use such an expression. It’s just so wonderfully sung by Al Stewart, who is by the way a completely unique vocalist, and the melody is pure bliss. The same things can be said about the closing number, which could very well be my absolute favourite song by this great and criminally underrated artist. It’s progressive, it’s folky – and it rocks. The build-up of it all is pure genius, and then it all explodes with this incredible electric guitar solo by Tim Renwick (let’s not forget that Mr. Stewart had a whole band with him), before it all goes back to the gentle theme that introduce the song. Lyrically it’s about two people that accidentally meet each other in a bar in New York City. One of them is eager to reminisce about their common past, in a society and childhood that he now sees as innocent and pure and wonderful, while the other one just wants to be left alone so he can keep up with what he was doing up until this old and forgotten friend turned up: Drink the past away. This is great storytelling, and a perfect way to end the album. Because of the lesser songs on the first side (they are not bad per se), this album is a bit uneven. But the good songs on the first side are really good, and as I’ve mentioned: The second half of the album is utterly fantastic.
Al Stewart – Modern Times (CBS 1975)
