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Al Stewart was born in Greenock, a small town west of Glasgow, Scotland on 5 September 1945, but grew up near Bournemouth, a holiday resort on the South coast of England. After an early career playing electric guitar with various dance hall bands, he moved to London in 1965 and bought an Epiphone acoustic guitar with which he played Bob Dylan songs, and acted as compere, in folk clubs such as Bunjie's (which sadly closed down in 1999) and Les Cousins, gradually adding in his own songs. His first solo single, The Elf, was issued in 1966, but in 1967, managed by the late Roy Guest, he gained a contract with CBS records and issued his first album, Bedsitter Images, which featured a chamber orchestra. Later, Al was to regret the style of this album, and a remixed version was issued in 1970 with two tracks replaced.
Al soon gained a following on the burgeoning student scene, with his troubadour lifestyle and his songs about his friends in Soho and tales of his own love life, culminating in the title song of his next album, Love Chronicles (1969). The song, which told his life story and detailed his current love affair in eighteen minutes, managed to offend the establishment by the use of a so-called obscenity. Musically, by this time Al had latched on to the folk-rock movement, and several members of Fairport Convention played on the record. Zero She Flies (1970) , his third record, followed on in similar style, but contained one song, Manuscript, comparing a day in Al's life with events in World War I, which sowed the seed of his future development.
After one more 'confessional' album, Orange (1972), Al turned his full attention to history with Past, Present and Future (1973). An ambitious attempt to write a song for each decade of the twentieth century, the album includes two epics, Nostradamus and Roads to Moscow, which he had been working on for some time. The record gained a cult following, and helped to bring Al to the attention of US audiences. The follow-up album, Modern Times (1975), was less thematic and more folk-rock based, and although considered by many to be one of his best records, it marked the end of his association with CBS, who refused to renew his record contract.
Making a new home in California, Al worked with producer Alan Parsons on his next project, Year of the Cat (1976). The title song, with its enigmatic lyrics and memorable guitar and saxophone solos, gave him a world-wide hit and ensured his financial security. Released by Janus in the US and RCA in Britain, the album, with its wistful soft-rock songs, some maintaining the history theme, was followed by two more in similar style, now issued in the US by major label Arista. Time Passages (1978), with its hit title song picking up the saxophone theme of Year of the Cat, was followed by 24 P/Carrots (1980), a more guitar-based record. Al's creativity seemed to flag after these studio-created works, and his next and final Arista album, the double Live/Indian Summer (1981), contained just one side of new songs and three from his earlier material recorded live. A significant part of Al's income from these albums went towards building a collection of vintage French wine, on which he is an acknowledged expert. Many fans have fond memories of the concerts of the 1970s, featuring a great team of backing musicians, several of whom have gone on to have hits of their own.
The next album, Russians and Americans (1984), saw him embrace synthesizer technology on some tracks, while retaining an acoustic style on others. The lyrics express his views on world politics interspersed with some short-story songs. This was a difficult time for Al, due to legal and contractual problems, and he was able neither to either earn income from Russians and Americans nor to release any new material. Bitter experience inspired a 'protest song' — License to Steal. Eventually, a new contract with Enigma records produced Last Days of the Century (1989), another acoustic/electronic record which continued a number of Al's favourite themes. Tragically, Enigma records also folded, killing any chance of a follow-up album, although some work had already been done. This included a historical epic, Coldest Winter in Memory, which eventually emerged some years later. By this time, Al and his band were often found playing in Nevada casinos, which paid well even though the audiences could not be called devoted fans.
As the 1990s dawned, Al took to touring the world either solo, or as a duo with pianist and guitarist Peter White. A live album, Rhymes in Rooms (1992), preserves his concerts with Peter and offers new versions of a number of well-loved songs. Signing with Mesa records, Al was able to get together a band of good friends to make the album Famous Last Words (1993), so called because he thought it would be his last-ever record. The result, in an acoustic-rock style, is a masterpiece, showing Al's happiness with his recent marriage and including an eight-minute song, Trains, which harks right back to the style of Manuscript and retells Al's early life story in contrast to a century of wars.
Around this time, a group of fans founded the Al Stewart Mailing List on the Internet, which quickly grew to over 400 members. Perhaps this group, whose wide-ranging, intellectual discussions Al sometimes followed on his own computer, gave him a new enthusiasm, for in 1995 a new album appeared. Between the Wars, composed entirely of songs about the history of the period, was produced by virtuoso guitarist Laurence Juber, once a member of Paul McCartney's Wings. Despite its wonderful period-style melodies and enlightening words, however, the record did not sell well, perhaps because there are few radio stations catering to Al's audience. A limited edition CD of out-takes and rarities, Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (universally referred to as SLAGIATT) appeared in 1996. Al continues to play live in his favourite clubs across America, his surreal spoken introductions playing their part in the show as always, and with Laurence also made concert tours of Britain in 1995 and Holland in 1996. A tour of Spain and England in late summer 1997 was very successful, followed longer tour of the UK in 1998, 1999 and 2001.
The record label problems which have plagued Al through his career continued into the new century. Mesa Records closed down, taking his last two albums off the US market. By 2000 Al had found a new home with Miramar records, alongside his old producer Alan Parsons. Inspired by his lifelong interest in wine, and ably assisted again by Laurence Juber, he created the finely-crafted album Down in the Cellar, all songs related in some way (sometimes rather tenuously) to the world of wine. Sadly, before the record had been officially issued in the US, Miramar records also closed down, and it was left to EMI in Europe to release and promote the album, which they did very well. Sales have been healthy, thanks partly to orders from across the Atlantic.
In 2001, at age 56, Al lives in Marin county, California with his wife Kristine and young daughters Violet (born 1994) and Daisy (born 22 March 1998) and is looking healthier than ever. EMI have released a '25th anniversary edition' of Year of the Cat to coincide with a UK tour including a concert in the 2000-seat Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, but it is to be hoped that Al never turns himself into a nostalgia act.
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