Search - Al Stewart :: To Whom It May Concern

Great value for money

Tariq | Bahrain | 04/11/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is how collections should be. This has his entire first three albums all on two discs, and reprints of the cover sleeve, albeit in smaller sizes, in the CD booklet. The music is also excellent. I agree with other reviewers that Al is one of the most underrated songwriters of all time but I don't agree that most of his best work was in his early days. Unlike most acts that began in teh 1960s Al still produces brilliant albums. His 2000 album was very good but his 1995 album Between the Wars was a masterpeice just as good as his early stuff. However, To Whome it May Concern is not the best starting point for people wanting to get into Al Stewart. The best place to start is Year of the Cat, which is his most commercial and also his most accessible (although Al's music is not very hard to get into). His first three albums, which are contained in this set, are very introspective. Later on he would go on to write less about himself and more about history and other subjects. Almost all the songs are excellent but standouts include Beleeka Doodle Day, Life and Life Only, Electric Los Angeles Sunset, Manuscript and the extended masterpiece Love Chronicles which is a true (and humerous) account of his love life."

Can't live without this collection

D. Frades | Snowy Plover Bay, CA | 07/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Years and years ago, around 1984, in high school, I was introduced to Al Stewart by way of a Swedish foreign exchange student who swapped cassettes with me in art class. It was a homemade cassette, but included a few early numbers and a bunch of stuff from the mid '70s. I was hooked. I bought a couple used LPs and even found a weird blue cassette of "The Early Years" that I listened to until it started to wear out. Thank God for CD!Something happened to Al around 1976, when he pumped up the band, the production and became a big star with Year of the Cat. Now, that and Time Passages are outstanding. Then there were other albums that were identifiably Al, but not particularly something you'd want to put on with your friends around. Then he ditched his corduroy jacket and fogbound English libido and started hanging around in California, playing wineries and whatnot, losing his hair and his edge -- and God bless him for it, it's his life and he's still -- but to really know Al, you've got to dig into his beginnings. This is the place to begin.There are a few duds on this collection (e.g., the first half dozen songs, when he was coerced (?) into heavy strings and annoying orchestration (he was just a kid, so I don't care), but then it really gets going.A lot of the savage lead guitar was done by Jimmy Page, of all people. The lyrics are great, and there's a sort of rockin', folky, poetic, coffeehouse feel to it. Al's voice has always been a bit flimsy -- nothing he can do about that -- but at least in the old days, he compensated with some severe lyrics. There's a little of that historical epic stuff he got into later, but a lot of the songs are very personal, rough, artsy and great. Gethsemane Again, Zero She Flies ... man, those are among the best. And the stuff that's from the '70s is so '60s, I don't know whether Al was way ahead or way behind. Either way, this is one musician who needs to get a lot more credit than he has. I guess to include the invaluable "Orange" on this collection would have taken another CD, but fortunately that's now available, too.It's hard to believe I can now listen to almost all of Al's songs on crystal clear CD, after so many years of tracking down albums from Japan, or listening to my worn-out cassettes.Buy it! Buy it now!!"

Have waited 20 years for this, and its worth it!

greenwoodscs@juno.com | Charlotte, NC | 10/18/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I deeply loved Al Stewart and his music when I was in college in the late 1970's. My girlfriend and I were both enamoured with him, and shared some beautiful times while listening. One particular favorite album was "The Early Years", which had selections from his first four albums, then out of circulation. It was a hard album to find and I gave it to the woman when she left. I have been wishing for 20 years that I could listen to "Mary Foster", "Love Chronicles", "Electric LA Sunset" and "Manuscript" again, as well as all the others. I am now 41 and appreciate it more than ever.Thanks Al."