Al Stewart - (A Child's View Of) The Eisenhower Years

Al is always fun, and this one has the added plus of hitting home. I was born in the Eisenhower years, and Al has the uncanny ability to bring those memories up to the forefront – recalling the cars my dad drove, the primitive TV we watched, etc. Nicely done. The Ear Of The Night starts off as a beautiful instrumental, but part way through this hilarious line joins the party: “you put your tongue in the ear of the night.” Once you get by the humor, the song has a serious message in line with the concept of the album. I’m also shouting out Elvis At The Wheel because it reminds me of what we’ve lost as a society the past 10 years. “There’s an independent bookstore, the last one that remains. All the others you might look for have been eaten by the chains.” I guess it’s simply time for those of us with good memories of all the mom & pop stores that were a joy to visit to just leave the earth and find our peace in eternity. I’m reasonably sure there’s no Starbucks or canned cake icing in heaven. The arrangements sound just like Al Stewart, with tasty guitar work and memorable background flavorings. Al Stewart