Overlooked in what way? It was 1979s #1 song of the year on the Adult Contemporary Chart and reached #7 on the Billboard chart. It was played on every radio station at the time.
Thank you for using proper "phraseology". So many would just lob out "underrated" when anyone who truly iunderstands music knows Al Stewart was HUGE all up and down his hits list.
My late girlfriend introduced me to Al Stewart. She'd found him by accident when she walked into the wrong gig at Lancaster University in the early 1970s. He was playing The Small Fruit Song: a quirky song with a very long guitar intro and then just one short verse. On this occasion, he played and played and played and played for about ten minutes without getting to the verse, then eventually stopped and said "I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen, but I'm lost: I'll have to start again." She was instantly charmed and became a lifelong fan. Many years later, after my girlfriend had died (we played Time Passages at her funeral) I found out that Al was playing in Ashton (near me) so I took my friend, a nervous wannabe singer-songwriter, to see him. On this occasion he launched into a long, complicated song about the Treaty of Versailles (League of Notions) and got lost, so he enlisted the front three rows of rabid fans to help him through it and they finished it as a group singalong with a huge cheer at the end. My friend was gobsmacked: she thought that if you screwed up on stage you were finished, so the idea that you could recover and keep the audience on-side by making a self-depreciating joke out of it was a revelation to her. Getting signed merch afterwards, she thanked him and I told him about my girlfriend becoming a fan by seeing him screw up back in the '70s: he laughed his head off and said "well at least I'm consistent..." Lovely bloke. Still going too: last saw him play in the UK in 2019.
I had a chance to skip out on work one frigid rainy night in Pudget Sound, about 17 years back and hop the ferry from Bremerton to downtown Seattle and catch this amazing artist. Stupid me thought he would be back around whenever and I have yet to think about seeing if he is live performing in my area ever since. What an idiot move by younger me...
Most English musicians from the 60' and 70's tend to be much more entertaining and personable than most U.S. based artists of the same time frame. My POV is based upon my childhood, 12 of my 18 yeays of youth were spent living in West Germany in the 70's and first half of the 80's. I can say, 36 years later (all but 6 months), living in the U.S. I still have more endearment to the Western European culture than I do with "American" culture. I went to see Ian Anderson in 2008 and Nick Mason "A Saucerful of Secrets" last October and EASILY had a much better time than I did for the four American bands I have paid to see live. That being said, I woukd kill to hear Bob Seger perform live, even if it were a super small venue...
Thank you for sharing such a poignant story. I doubt I'll ever meet Al, but he does strike me as a very gentle soul. His music has picked me up many times
This song is one of my favorites and my affection for it increases over the years. As I head toward my 70s I find myself more frequently casting my line into those time passages, catching memories of people and places from long ago.
I am about to turn 64 and have been a fan of Al Stewart's music for at least 50 of those years. Someone else mentioned Song on the Radio for a long time my favorite song of his. I became a fan of classic rock right about the time the British invasion began with the Beetles and Stones as well as the more mellow sound from the Momma's and the Pappas, Fleetwood Mac and as the seventies hit Al Stewart and even the disco era had it's share of good tunes plus ABBA, wings the eagles there has just always been such great music that has served to mark the passages of all our lives. School, marriage, family, my service in the army at the end of the cold war...81-89. I was stationed in Germany (still west Germany at that time) when great hits like 99 luftballons and Falco came out. Part 9f NENA's video was filmed at Grafenwohr where we did our live firing ( M109 self propelled howitzers ) I was part of the FDC fire direction center when the excercise was over the gun crews burned off the left over powder, that is what you see in the video she filming while we were there but we had never heard of them lol. Just a short distance away the commies were watching us from their guard towers. My mom passed away then and I came home shortly after got married. Stewart's music always helps to make things better. For years I worked two jobs, one was as a pizza delivery driver!!! I remember dashing down the road listening to Song on the Radio. 2014 my wife passed on and those hauntingly sad melodies have helped me get through the years since. I will always be grateful for those tunes they have been a part of my life almost as far back as I can remember! Thank you Al for always being there!
When this song first came out, my life sucked. I was 16 and my dad had died from a heart attack at age 40. 40. Something about the combination of the guitars, saxophone, and Al Stewart's voice reassuring you that time was not just linear and inevitable, but could also be fluid, going back and forth between where you were and when you wanted be. When my mind couldn't stop racing, this would calm me down and provide hope that I could hold on to the past but there could be better days ahead. Thank you for discovering and sharing this gem.
I know a lot of fans automatically mention Year of the Cat, but this is my fave Al Stewart song. Ironically, the song itself brings me back to my childhood listening to this on a tiny transistor radio. My own Time Passages. LOL
Me too! I was in 8th grade or freshman in HS and felt the emotions but the lyrics of course didn't make full sense until much later. Nowadays...... The memories....
@Will Dwyer I only own a best of and "Year Of The Cat" album. What would you consider his best? I'm always looking for great albums and songs that I missed.
This song is like a time machine for me. Every time I hear this song especially on the sax solos, it takes me away to my childhood back in the 1970's. I was 8 years old when this song came out. I remember hearing this song being played on radio at that time. Such a true classic!
Great to hear more Al Stewart. Some other good songs of his are "Song on the Radio", "Midnight Rocks", "On the Border", "Running Man", and if you really want to be ambitious, his epic song "Roads to Moscow"
I was in HS when this released. Beautiful song. Gets me crying. Such a dreamy and wistful piece. The orchestration is delicious.. Mom is 90 (as of 2 weeks ago) and gradually fading. I'm here taking care of her as best I can. This song is especially heart wrenching at this stage of our lives. Every note, word, string, riff of this outstanding song is pulling at my heart. Beautiful.
I was a freshman in high school when this came out and the music struck me. Now all these years later the lyrics struck me. Simply gorgeous song . If this song doesn't move you check your pulse because you may be dead already
Al Stewart’s full talent is so apparent in this song. By the way, a saxophone is not a horn. It’s a woodwind instrument. Very distinctive sound, played through a reed. A horn has a mouthpiece where your lips have to buzz through to make a sound. This song is beautiful because of the sax and the strings on top of the guitars. Excellent musicians in his band!
And the saxophones are in what is called “the horn section” and have been generally called horns by jazz musicians, so I think she’s just fine calling them horns.
Jay and Amber, the arrangement behind this song is priceless. I fell in love with this song when I first heard it back in 1978. I hope that you will love this song as I do.
This is from a time when music was much, MUCH more than just a fat beat. I love all Al Stewart's songs as they are Beautifully Crafted and each one tells a Beautiful Story.
Words just can’t do it justice. If you’re having a bad day, play “Time Passages” and try to remember why you thought that way... Al Stewart is good medicine.
Al has said in interviews that he hates this song. After Year of the Cat was a huge hit, the record company told him to do another one like that. He threw some stuff together and it was also a huge hit, cause he’s a genius.
I love the whipsaw of the opening of On the Border. Dreamy, poetic..the boats go out across the evening water….then, Wham! Smuggling guns and arms across the Spanish border. Gritty, hard, tense. Genius.
"Roads to Moscow" is an absolute must. Before he moved into this kind of orchestrated sound, he was just a brilliant songwriter who told stories with a guitar, and that song is probably his greatest achievement. It's mesmerizing if you listen to the story.
The song also appeared on HBO's The Sopranos which Al Stewart in an interview joked when his manager phoned in and said that we have a check from the Mafia😂😂😂.
Oh to be 6teen again !! And back i school with my friends. Unfortunately, many of them are no longer with us. To you younger folks, enjoy it while you can!
I absolutely love this man's voice. It is so soothing and lovely as is the music. I just closed my eyes and listened as it brought back so many memories of days gone by. Thanks for all the great music.
The strings on this song were arranged by Andrew Powell. He did a lot of work with the Alan Parsons Project. Another artist I highly recommend checking out.
When he sings “ you reach out your hand but you’re all alone” , it gives me a vibe like Doc Graham in Field Of Dreams when he says to Ray “it was like coming this close to your dreams,then watch them brush past you like a stranger in a crowd”
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One of the smoothest tracks of the 70s. Way overlooked.
I certainly agree!
_#dreamy__ !_
Overlooked in what way? It was 1979s #1 song of the year on the Adult Contemporary Chart and reached #7 on the Billboard chart. It was played on every radio station at the time.
@@MarkCucchiara This song was often played on radio stations in NZ 📻in those years
Thank you for using proper "phraseology". So many would just lob out "underrated" when anyone who truly iunderstands music knows Al Stewart was HUGE all up and down his hits list.
My late girlfriend introduced me to Al Stewart. She'd found him by accident when she walked into the wrong gig at Lancaster University in the early 1970s. He was playing The Small Fruit Song: a quirky song with a very long guitar intro and then just one short verse. On this occasion, he played and played and played and played for about ten minutes without getting to the verse, then eventually stopped and said "I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen, but I'm lost: I'll have to start again." She was instantly charmed and became a lifelong fan.
Many years later, after my girlfriend had died (we played Time Passages at her funeral) I found out that Al was playing in Ashton (near me) so I took my friend, a nervous wannabe singer-songwriter, to see him. On this occasion he launched into a long, complicated song about the Treaty of Versailles (League of Notions) and got lost, so he enlisted the front three rows of rabid fans to help him through it and they finished it as a group singalong with a huge cheer at the end.
My friend was gobsmacked: she thought that if you screwed up on stage you were finished, so the idea that you could recover and keep the audience on-side by making a self-depreciating joke out of it was a revelation to her. Getting signed merch afterwards, she thanked him and I told him about my girlfriend becoming a fan by seeing him screw up back in the '70s: he laughed his head off and said "well at least I'm consistent..." Lovely bloke. Still going too: last saw him play in the UK in 2019.
Great story and experience, sorry for your loss though. Thanks for sharing.
What a great story! Sounds like he's got a good sense of humor & can laugh at himself!
I had a chance to skip out on work one frigid rainy night in Pudget Sound, about 17 years back and hop the ferry from Bremerton to downtown Seattle and catch this amazing artist. Stupid me thought he would be back around whenever and I have yet to think about seeing if he is live performing in my area ever since. What an idiot move by younger me...
Most English musicians from the 60' and 70's tend to be much more entertaining and personable than most U.S. based artists of the same time frame. My POV is based upon my childhood, 12 of my 18 yeays of youth were spent living in West Germany in the 70's and first half of the 80's. I can say, 36 years later (all but 6 months), living in the U.S. I still have more endearment to the Western European culture than I do with "American" culture.
I went to see Ian Anderson in 2008 and Nick Mason "A Saucerful of Secrets" last October and EASILY had a much better time than I did for the four American bands I have paid to see live. That being said, I woukd kill to hear Bob Seger perform live, even if it were a super small venue...
Thank you for sharing such a poignant story. I doubt I'll ever meet Al, but he does strike me as a very gentle soul. His music has picked me up many times
This song is one of my favorites and my affection for it increases over the years. As I head toward my 70s I find myself more frequently casting my line into those time passages, catching memories of people and places from long ago.
I am about to turn 64 and have been a fan of Al Stewart's music for at least 50 of those years. Someone else mentioned Song on the Radio for a long time my favorite song of his. I became a fan of classic rock right about the time the British invasion began with the Beetles and Stones as well as the more mellow sound from the Momma's and the Pappas, Fleetwood Mac and as the seventies hit Al Stewart and even the disco era had it's share of good tunes plus ABBA, wings the eagles there has just always been such great music that has served to mark the passages of all our lives. School, marriage, family, my service in the army at the end of the cold war...81-89. I was stationed in Germany (still west Germany at that time) when great hits like 99 luftballons and Falco came out. Part 9f NENA's video was filmed at Grafenwohr where we did our live firing ( M109 self propelled howitzers ) I was part of the FDC fire direction center when the excercise was over the gun crews burned off the left over powder, that is what you see in the video she filming while we were there but we had never heard of them lol. Just a short distance away the commies were watching us from their guard towers. My mom passed away then and I came home shortly after got married. Stewart's music always helps to make things better. For years I worked two jobs, one was as a pizza delivery driver!!! I remember dashing down the road listening to Song on the Radio. 2014 my wife passed on and those hauntingly sad melodies have helped me get through the years since. I will always be grateful for those tunes they have been a part of my life almost as far back as I can remember! Thank you Al for always being there!
I'm right behind you 3 years from 70. I love on the border with Peter White Live
When you get older it hits like sledgehammer, heard this as a young man and it gets more beautiful with passing years.
When this song first came out, my life sucked. I was 16 and my dad had died from a heart attack at age 40. 40. Something about the combination of the guitars, saxophone, and Al Stewart's voice reassuring you that time was not just linear and inevitable, but could also be fluid, going back and forth between where you were and when you wanted be. When my mind couldn't stop racing, this would calm me down and provide hope that I could hold on to the past but there could be better days ahead. Thank you for discovering and sharing this gem.
That's so profound Dave. Ad astra! To the stars we all eventually journey. Blessings brother. 40 years young, way too soon 💙
The power of music indeed. Be well
When I was 16, I descended into hell. We are connected. Find joy wherever you can.
Sorry for your loss!!! This song also takes me back, was 19, now 64, when this came out...to a simpler time when we had no responsibilities!!
Sorry for what you went through. I lost my daddy early too, but not that early. I hope your road has taken you forward.
I know a lot of fans automatically mention Year of the Cat, but this is my fave Al Stewart song. Ironically, the song itself brings me back to my childhood listening to this on a tiny transistor radio. My own Time Passages. LOL
Me too! I was in 8th grade or freshman in HS and felt the emotions but the lyrics of course didn't make full sense until much later. Nowadays...... The memories....
This and "On the Border" absolutely gorgeous songs. I still love YotC.
"Song On the Radio" is another brilliant, upbeat Al Stewart classic!
Yeah Song-on-the-radio has always been my favorite Al Stewart tune. On-the-Border is is also a really good one. oh yeah, & obviously year-of-the-cat.
Please don't do it to this fine couple.
Agree. Song on the Radio and On the Border are the two next best choices.
OMG...I'm 60 and haven't heard this song since a kid. I forgot how much I love this song.
Great song, as Al is as good as it gets for this classic style of music! This and Year of the Cat were two of his best!
Most popular, but not his best.
I agree. Love both the single and album.
@Will Dwyer I only own a best of and "Year Of The Cat" album. What would you consider his best? I'm always looking for great albums and songs that I missed.
@@seanswinton6242 "Time Passage" (1978) is his best Album!
INCREDIBLE song !!!!!!
This song is like a time machine for me. Every time I hear this song especially on the sax solos, it takes me away to my childhood back in the 1970's. I was 8 years old when this song came out. I remember hearing this song being played on radio at that time. Such a true classic!
Al Stewart has a warm comfortable feeling when he sings. Very calming music. His style of singing is very catchy. Killer tune.
Great to hear more Al Stewart. Some other good songs of his are "Song on the Radio", "Midnight Rocks", "On the Border", "Running Man", and if you really want to be ambitious, his epic song "Roads to Moscow"
"Roads To Moscow" is an absolute Masterpiece!
"Running Man" is one of my overlooked favorites.
@@kenoerkvitz2573 Agreed, great song.
Roads to Moscow. Check out this live version of Nostradamus. With Stephen Recker and Peter White.
ruclips.net/video/qardpWj9SPM/видео.html
Flying Sorcery
My favorite musician since 1975.
Again, great guitar work by Peter White, one of nicest guys in the music industry.
One of Al's best songs! All of his songs are lyrically poetic and musically gorgeous!
Al packs his songs with historical and literary references. No one else does it as well as he does.
@@RandoReport absolutely, similar to Gordon Lightfoot in some ways.
Yeah, the lyrics (the sentiment)always brings tears to my eyes🥹
Al Stewart's BEST song...
Thanks for doing a fabulous reaction to one of my all time favourite songs.
The sax solo is incredible!
Absolutely fucking great. Just great.
This song takes me back… driving down the highway, looking at the Sunset….
Get off the road. You are going to fall asleep.
Beautiful song! Beautiful lyrics! The instrumental is just outstanding!
The Year of the Cat is awesome too.
Al Stewart is a master class in song writing, structure, and sound texture. Some really brilliant stuff. ♥️
I was in HS when this released. Beautiful song. Gets me crying. Such a dreamy and wistful piece. The orchestration is delicious..
Mom is 90 (as of 2 weeks ago) and gradually fading. I'm here taking care of her as best I can. This song is especially
heart wrenching at this stage of our lives.
Every note, word, string, riff of this outstanding song is pulling at my heart. Beautiful.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I was a freshman in high school when this came out and the music struck me. Now all these years later the lyrics struck me. Simply gorgeous song . If this song doesn't move you check your pulse because you may be dead already
Al Stewart’s full talent is so apparent in this song. By the way, a saxophone is not a horn. It’s a woodwind instrument. Very distinctive sound, played through a reed. A horn has a mouthpiece where your lips have to buzz through to make a sound.
This song is beautiful because of the sax and the strings on top of the guitars. Excellent musicians in his band!
True, but did you know that the flute is considered a woodwind instrument but has no reed. ♡
And the saxophones are in what is called “the horn section” and have been generally called horns by jazz musicians, so I think she’s just fine calling them horns.
With the way things are today, I find myself jumping in time passages often! This came out around 1978, when things made so much sense!!
Great Song crisp and clear by Al Stewart
"Time Passages" is definitely my favorite Al Stewart song.
Jay and Amber, the arrangement behind this song is priceless. I fell in love with this song when I first heard it back in 1978. I hope that you will love this song as I do.
This is from a time when music was much, MUCH more than just a fat beat. I love all Al Stewart's songs as they are Beautifully Crafted and each one tells a Beautiful Story.
And they're intellectually grand!
Great song by Al Stewart…played by this beautiful couple…Jay & Amber…Time Passages 👍👏👏👏🎼🎶🎵♥️♥️🌺🌹🥰
Time Passages! What a song!
Al Stewart's music is my time passage
His songs have such a nostalgia feel. Transports me back to the days pre real job and no real worries.
Love this n your video footage is beautiful n clear
Yesss all the instruments..luv the 🎻 violins..
Thanks for reacting to my favourite Al Stewart song.
One of my favorite songs of all time
Words just can’t do it justice. If you’re having a bad day, play “Time Passages” and try to remember why you thought that way... Al Stewart is good medicine.
Beautiful song, a lot of great memories. Thanx so much, keep smilin', Peace
Both albums didn't have a bad song, everyone was a gem!
Another Al Stewart great is "Song on the Radio". Incredible sax with attitude.
Al has said in interviews that he hates this song. After Year of the Cat was a huge hit, the record company told him to do another one like that. He threw some stuff together and it was also a huge hit, cause he’s a genius.
He was sorta right the first time.
It's structured very similarly to Year of the Cat. Still excellent, IMO.
He can hate it all he wants......I LOVE IT!!!! 🥰
I didn't know he'd said that, but he still plays it at his concerts so I'm happy!
Billy Joel has always said he despises his own song " my life". I agree with him, I don't agree with Al about this song lol
So cool to see you just lean back and enjoy the ride.
Love, love Al Stewart! You should listen to "Song on the Radio."
'On the Border' is another huge song from Al Stewart
Al is so mesmorising.
One aspect I enjoy about Al Stewart is how his accent comes through. English accents sometimes get flattened when singing.
You'll never hear another artist/musician like this again...
one of my all time favorites- this is awesome....
The melody sounds like an opening song for a ‘70s TV show. In a good way.😊❤️
I was living in Germany in the 70’s when I first heard Al, I was hooked.
The sax is amazing! Smooth and beautiful!
Mr Phil Kenzie
Love the ending, pure beauty!
And a great song to get in your car and drive out into the country listening to... a classic road song.
I love this guy. Smooth as butter!!
'On the Border' is another of his songs where the instruments are a master-class of space and dynamics.
I love the whipsaw of the opening of On the Border. Dreamy, poetic..the boats go out across the evening water….then, Wham! Smuggling guns and arms across the Spanish border. Gritty, hard, tense. Genius.
One of the great songs and singers of the 'Seventies.
This song has been a constant on my playlists over many years.
Perfection. You should listen to interviews of Al Stewart. Fascinating approach to music. Genius
LOVE this song!
So beautiful and I love his excellent pronunciation. Just wonderfully sophisticated.
Great song and one of the greatest sax solos in a pop song.
"Roads to Moscow" is an absolute must. Before he moved into this kind of orchestrated sound, he was just a brilliant songwriter who told stories with a guitar, and that song is probably his greatest achievement. It's mesmerizing if you listen to the story.
"On the Border" is also one of their great songs!
The song also appeared on HBO's The Sopranos which Al Stewart in an interview joked when his manager phoned in and said that we have a check from the Mafia😂😂😂.
What a great song. Brings me back. Like a trip into the past. Of good times people I loved and miss
This song was way ahead of its time
Taking me way back to high school with this one….👍
On The Border is another Al Stewart favorite of mine. What a storyteller.
Love this song!! Been a fan since I first heard him.
Oh to be 6teen again !! And back i school with my friends. Unfortunately, many of them are no longer with us. To you younger folks, enjoy it while you can!
He was a great poet and musician
On the border and song on the radio also road to moscow are great Al Stewart sings. Such a wonderful story teller. Paints the picture so gracefully.
there are some songs that just take you there, this song takes me there
Another Request Answered thank you for reacting to this song you guys rock
You reach out your hand, but you're all alone. Killer lyric.
What a treat to hear my favorite music rediscovered. Was sad to experience it fade away. Just to beautiful to be forgotten😢
So perfect! This is another song that takes you on a journey! It is literally music to my ears and soul! So glad yall got to this one!
First up! Hi from Sacramento
You can't miss with Al Stewart. On the Border and Road to Moscow(not as upbeat) are also great.
I absolutely love this man's voice. It is so soothing and lovely as is the music. I just closed my eyes and listened as it brought back so many memories of days gone by. Thanks for all the great music.
He's not afraid to embrace his English accent. Unlike other English artist who sound American.
The strings on this song were arranged by Andrew Powell. He did a lot of work with the Alan Parsons Project. Another artist I highly recommend checking out.
One of my favorite artists, a skilled storyteller who I think has gotten greatly overlooked by all but his hard-core fans which I am one of.
When he sings “ you reach out your hand but you’re all alone” , it gives me a vibe like Doc Graham in Field Of Dreams when he says to Ray “it was like coming this close to your dreams,then watch them brush past you like a stranger in a crowd”
Love this one, the dreamy quality is definitely timeless.
Okay, the respect you demonstrated, I just subscribed. Thank you
AHHH,. 70's soft rock!!!
Amber is very good at recognizing the nuances of music and lyrics.
Year of the Cat and On the Border are two other must listen songs from Al
Al Stewart is an all-time favorite of mine! He has a lot of great songs. I HIGHLY recommend Electric Los Angeles Sunset or Roads to Moscows
Essa música é magnífica!
Great mellow song. Very peaceful. No one enjoys such a tune and goes out to look for a fight or cause trouble. 😊
One of the most poetic songs in history in my opinion. "The picture is changing now your part of a crowd" such a deep line
I did high school & College in the 70’s. I wouldn’t trade it for anything! What a great time to come of age! Seems like a much saner time.
Bringing back childhood memories
My Favorite Al Stewart song!!!
Another yacht rock classic from the late 70’s - early 80’s era- the golden era of yacht rock. A Billboard year-end hot 100 from 1979.
A truly beautiful song. Thank you both for making me smile today
Thank ya'll, ya'll are playing my kind of music! Soft rock!