1988 - Last days of the Century

Last days of the Century

Al Stewart

Last days of the century - 6:17
Real and unreal - 3:32
King of Portugal - 4:22
Where are they now - 5:55
License to steal - 3:50
Josephine Baker - 4:11
Antarctica - 4:04
Ghostly horses of the plain - 2:26
Red toupee - 3:34
Bad reputation - 4:54
Fields of France - 2:52
Helen and Cassandra* - 4:44

*Bonus track not on the original vinyl.

Collectors' Choice 2007 CD release Bonus Tracks:

Ghostly Horses of the Plain - 3:29
Ten Cents - 4:05
Dreaming - 4:16

Audio CD 29 September, 1997

According to the press release:

Last Days Of The Century follows the metaphysical path that Al Stewart forged in 1973, with the release of Past Present And Future, that dealt with such topics as the prophesies of Nostradamus and the First World War. His lyrics show a conscious desire to translate literature into a musical form.

"I'm more of a folk rock historian," notes Stewart. "Last Days Of The Century" came about from reading a lot of Barbara Tuckman, specifically 'A Distant Mirror'. She was making a comparison between the calamitous 14th century and the 20th century." While Stewart agrees that the new album is the best work he has compiled in a while, he sees it as a throwback to one of his most popular efforts.

"Last Days Of The Century reminds me of Year Of The Cat, basically because it's more of a bright album, with more of an up-tempo feel to it," says Stewart. "In the way that Year Of The Cat didn't have a central theme, it dealt with the usual historical things like Lord Grenville and On The Border, this one does the same thing. The only difference that's happened in the last ten years is that I've become more geographical because there is a woeful lack of supplying information on it in the American education system."

While Past Present And Future remains a favourite of Stewart's faithful followers, he is a bit leery of how the general public would accept a sequel "Eventually I guess I'll go back and do Past Present And Future, Part II. I have accumulated enough historical material."

Musicians:

Al Stewart - vocals, guitar
Peter White - accordion, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards
Tim Renwick - electric guitar
Steve Farris - electric guitar
Steve Recker - acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Tim Landers - bass
Vinnie Colaiuta - drums
Steve Chapman - drums on Helen and Cassandra, percussion
Dave Camp - flute, saxophones
Phil Kenzie - saxophones
Lee R. Thornburg - trumpet
Robin Lamble - background vocals
Tori Amos - background vocals
Carroll Sue Hill - background vocals

Produced by Joe Chiccarelli for Enigma

04 January 2022 |

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