Greatest Hits

Al Stewart is practically peerless; there really isn't anyone else who does quite what he does musically and lyrically. He is as brilliant a songwriter as has been produced in the past 40 years and his distinctive nasal whine cuts clear into the consciousness of the listener; not painfully, but certainly memorably. When one hears an Al Stewart song, whether from the late 1960s or from a more recent vintage, one knows immediately that it is Al. This CD makes a valiant effort at capturing Al's best work...sadly, with Al's various record company adventures over the decades, it's a virtually impossible task. Still, it makes a nice introduction to Al Stewart for the casual fan. The great, radio-friendly hits are here, as well as classic album cuts like "Roads to Moscow," "On the Border," and "Merlin's Time." I was pleasantly surprised to find "Last Days of the Century" included here from Al's late 80s Euro-pop album of the same name...but I was curious as to why the radio hit "King of Portugal" from the same album wasn't included. Other songs that could have been included are "Life in Dark Water," "Russians and Americans," "Nostradamus," and "Indian Summer." Of course, that's just one fan's subjective opinion. One day, we could look forward to a comprehensive box set that collects Al's best work from all of his various eras...especially some of his incredible material for Mesa with Laurence Juber. Until then, check out this CD.