Singer: Of Times Past

On this CD:

1. Tribute to Raoul Wallenberg for voice & orchestra, No. 1, To be Brave is All
Composed by Jeanne Singer
Performed by Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Bratislava with Austin Miskell
Conducted by Robert Stankovsky

2. Tribute to Raoul Wallenberg for voice & orchestra, No. 2, Avenue of the Righteous
Composed by Jeanne Singer
Performed by Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra with Austin Miskell

3. Nocturne for clarinet & piano
Composed by Jeanne Singer
Performed by Jeanne Singer, Joseph DePalo

4. Recollections of City Island, for oboe, viola & piano
Composed by Jeanne Singer

5. Sweet Stacy Suite for violin, clarinet & piano
Composed by Jeanne Singer

6. Legend for flute & piano
Composed by Jeanne Singer

7. Green Mountain for violin, clarinet & piano
Composed by Jeanne Singer

8. Grandmother's Attic for flute, oboe, violin & cello
Composed by Jeanne Singer

9. Galgenlieder (5) for voice & piano, No. 1, Der Rabe Ralf
Composed by Jeanne Singer
Performed by Jeanne Singer, Austin Miskell

10. Galgenlieder (5) for voice & piano, No. 2, Der Chaukelstuhl auf der verlassen Terrasse
Composed by Jeanne Singer
Performed by Jeanne Singer, Austin Miskell

11. Galgenlieder (5) for voice & piano, No. 3, Das Hemmed
Composed by Jeanne Singer
Performed by Jeanne Singer, Austin Miskell

12. Galgenlieder (5) for voice & piano, No. 4, Galgenkindes Wiegenlied
Composed by Jeanne Singer
Performed by Jeanne Singer, Austin Miskell

13. Galgenlieder (5) for voice & piano, No. 5, Galgenbruders Frühlingslied
Composed by Jeanne Singer
Performed by Jeanne Singer, Austin Miskell

Tracks:

You Don't Even Know Me
Amsterdam
Songs Out of Clay
News from Spain
I Don't Believe You
Once an Orange, Always an Orange
I'm Falling
Night of the 4th of May
Old Admirals
Warren Harding
Soho (Needless to Say)
Last Day of June 1934
Post World War Two Blues
Roads to Moscow
Terminal Eyes
Nostradamus

Tracks:

Swallow Wind [*]
Carol
Sirens of Titan
What's Going On
Not the One
Next Time
Apple Cider Re-Constitution
Dark and the Rolling Sea
Modern Times

Album Details

The Entirety of all Three Albums (Plus a Bonus Non Album Single B-side) Are Presented Here on a Two CD Set. Beautifully Packaged, the Booklet Includes Full Annotation Along with all the Lyrics and Full Instrumental Credits.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent value package of three essential Al Stewart albums.......2004-10-02

This remastered collection of three complete albums (plus one bonus track not originally on an album) is an essential addition to the range of Al Stewart albums available on CD. In particular, it is significant in being the first time his acclaimed conceptual album `Past present and future' has been available on CD in Britain. The three albums were Al's fourth, fifth and sixth original LPs, dating from 1972 to 1975, the latter half of his period with CBS Records. They document the development of Stewart's distinctive sound and songwriting style as he moved away from being a Dylan-influenced `folk' singer towards the greater musical sophistication and commercial success of his late 70s albums.

`Orange' and `Past present and future' were produced by John Anthony, who had been working at the time with bands as diverse as Genesis and Lindisfarne, whilst `Modern times' was produced by Alan Parsons, who would also work on Al's subsequent albums `Year of the cat' and `Time passages'. The albums are generally dominated by acoustic guitar rhythms, augmented by tasteful electric and classical guitar work, keyboards and orchestration, and they include several epic 6 to 10 minute long narrative songs (such as `The news from Spain', `Old admirals', `Roads to Moscow', `Nostradamus' and `Modern times') which are among Stewart's most memorable work. In the `Modern times' album particularly, under the guidance of Alan Parsons, the recording sound becomes more ambitious and diverse, culminating in the soaring orchestra and lead guitar ending of the title track (courtesy of Andrew Powell and Tim Renwick), which proved to be a dry run for the even more memorable climax to `Year of the cat', recorded a year later.

In addition to the music, what adds to the appeal of this package is that the complete lyrics, credits and liner notes from the original albums are included, together with a detailed and informative essay. My only very minor criticism is that the original album covers are reproduced only in miniature, and no other original artwork is included (it would have been particularly interesting to see again the evocative `car and mansion' photo which was used on the cover of some early editions of the `Modern times' LP). But altogether, this is an indispensable addition to the CD collection of any Al Stewart aficionado, and serves as a welcome reminder of the quality work produced in the early 70s by this often underrated and overlooked artist.

Good Value.......2004-03-31

Much to my disappointment several of the advertised tracks were missing. Instead of "Once An Organe, Always Orange," the disc I received had the more familiar "Once an Orange, Always an Orange." Also missing were such heretofore unheard of tracks as "Past World War Two Blues" and "Nat the One." Despite Amazon's eccentric spelling, with the addition of the bonus track "Swallow Wind," the songs on this set are just as they appear on the albums. (Edited to note that Amazon has since corrected its spelling.)

Disc one contains the complete "Orange" and "Past, Present & Future" LPs. Disc two starts with the "Swallow Wind" bonus track and then moves on to the complete "Modern Times" album. The only thing that you don't get with this set that you would get if you bought the CDs individually are two bonus tracks from the BGO release of Modern times--the single version of "News From Spain" and "Elvaston Place," which was the B side of "News from Spain." Since the album version of "News Form Spain is included on "Orange," you only give up one song by buying this set rather than the individual CDs, and that song isn't one that anyone is likely to miss.

The set comes nicely packaged with a booklet that contains the lyrics to all the songs, plus an essay about the three albums. I did not notice any difference in sound quality between this release and the other CD versions that I have heard. That may be because there is no difference, or it could just be me.

The three albums in this set represent a transitional between Al Stewart's early albums (collected in the set "To Whom It May Concern") with their folk-rock relationship angst and his more pop-oriented 70s hits "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages." The albums included in this set are "Orange" (1972), "Past, Present & Future" (1973), and "Modern Times" (1975).

A lot of people think "Orange" is a great album. I am not among them. Fans of Stewart's early work would certainly like it.

A lot of people also think "Past, Present & Future" is a great album. I would have to agree, and it is the one that earns this set most of its stars. It is definitely among Stewart's best work.

"Modern Times" is a bit of a let down from "Past, Present & Future," but still a very good album with some very good songs. This was the first of three Al Stewart albums produced by Alan Parsons--the others being "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages." It's not as good as the albums that would follow, but still a very respectable effort.