Search - Al Stewart :: 24 Carrots

Beginning to Slide, but Still a Worthwhile Listen

J.Espresso | Portland, Oregon | 09/15/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"24 Carrots really marks a point where the listening public was beginning to tune out from Al Stewart. The album is a step down from the last four Al Stewart studio releases - Past, Present & Future, Modern Times, Year of the Cat, and Time Passages - all of which are excellent. It also reveals a different sound, as whereas all of those previous releases were steeped in folk rock, 24 Carrots showcases Al collaborating with a louder backing band - Shot in the Dark. There is a much heavier electric guitar sound to this album. For the first time since Modern Times as well, Al would be without Alan Parsons behind the soundboard, replaced by a relative rookie, Chris Desmond - and it shows.



That said, 24 Carrots is not a terrible album. There are more than a few good songs here which would have benefitted from better production. The highlight is Murmansk Run / Ellis Island which shows Al true to form - intelligent historically inspired lyrics backed by a great musical riff. This is really the standout of the album and it's worth a purchase for this alone. There are also some fine moments with Merlin's time, a beautiful medieval acoustic piece that showcases Peter White on guitar and that wouldn't sound out of place on a John Renbourn recording. The closing track, Optical Illusion, also has some great metaphorical poetry and ends the album on a nice note.



None of the rest are terrible.



Running Man seems to be loosely based on the manhunt for Josef Mengele, consequently, a timely subject for 1980 when this album was released, a time when many thought he might still be found alive somewhere in a South American jungle, and whose myth had fueled a cottage industry of films and TV specials. Midnight Rocks and Rocks in the Ocean are pleasant, but lyrically, below what we've come to expect from Al. Constantinople suffers from the opposite - great lyrics, this time about the Crusades, but the musical direction on this one doesn't do it justice. Mondo Sinistro is a comical throwaway which I had hated at one time, but have actually come to like since seeing Al do a very tongue-in-cheek version of it at a concert in Bellevue, Washington in 2006. Even Al has conceded in concert that Paint by Numbers sounds like a Blue Oyster Cult tune - and it does. But with better lyrics. This song works much better when performed acoustically in concert than it does here where its plugged in and amped up.



As for the three bonus tracks, they are all lousy. Yank this one from your CD player after Optical Illusion - where the original album ended - and you'll be much happier. I've come to realize that the vast majority of the time, there are very good reasons why these "bonus tracks" never made it to the original recordings.



In sum, 24 Carrots is not Al Stewart's finest moment, but neither is it his worst. One can only wonder what it could have been had Al been receiving better musical advice at the time and had a more experienced producer.







"

24 Carrots

J. Lindner | Gem Lake, MN United States | 03/28/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"A lot of forces were working against this album from being another in a line of successful albums by Al Stewart. I like Al's music a lot, I would put him among my favorites, but there is obviously something missing from this effort.



One major absence was Allan Parsons, who worked on Al's more famous productions. In fact Allan Parsons is credited with giving Year of the Cat and Time Passages their popular appeal. Chris Desmond, who engineered 24 Carrots could not work his own magic into the recordings.



The backing band, Shot in the Dark, seems to be a mismatch for Al's style. Peter White, a frequent collaborator with Al in writing songs headed this band, but their influence is more rock than folk and it took many of Al's fans by surprise when the songs here were more rock oriented.



By 1980 Americans were buying different styles of music, so perhaps even if other forces kept Al on track with his earlier recordings, this one may have still missed the mark. Face it, most people don't have any inkling of historical events, so to record them into songs is a risk for any mainstream songwriter.



The end result is more of a disappointment than anything else. Certainly not all songs are saddled with the problems stated above, but the overall effort is not remarkable. Some of the songs easily could have been included on albums like Past, Present and Future, or Modern Times, but still hold their own on this album, but others clearly are way different. This album also has bonus tracks, and I agree with another reviewer who said there's a reason these didn't make the original release. However, I swear I heard one or two of these songs the two times I've seen Al perform live. At least they sounded familiar and where else would I have heard them?



Bottom line is if you're an Al Stewart fan, you'll find it possible to accept this album for what it is. If this is your first encounter with Al, don't judge him until you've also listened to PPF, Modern Times, and YOTC. Those are Al at his finest."