Year of the Cat - Al Stewart
Track List:
Lord Grenville
On the Border
Midas Shadow
Sands in Your Shoes
If it Doesn’t Come Naturally, Leave it
Flying Sorcery
Broadway Hotel
One Stage Before
Year of the Cat
I believe this is my first ever listening to any composition by Al Stewart. The cover art is at least intriguing. I don’t know how much I will type here today. I honestly feel a bit out of it today.
Lord Grenville
The vocal style reminds me of The Beatles. The lyrics tell a story of either mutiny of the navy from under Lord Grenville or the tale of Lord Grenville’s crew as they realize they are in a hopeless situation.
On the Border
Stylistically seems quite different from the last song, more a pop beat with a Spanish style guitar. The song sings about gun smuggling across the Spanish border. I suspect this is talking about a Spanish colony and their fight for independence against Spain. Perhaps this has something to do with the previous song. I didn’t check to see if this was a concept album but we do have a naval theme going on here.
Midas Shadow
I like organ intros.Well I think I am going with this being a concept album or at least explorations of some similar themes. The story here seems to be following a man who is searching a tropical area for riches or gold and he is not fully comfortable with all the accommodations.
Sands in Your Shoes
This is a pop song. The narrator is saying goodbye to a lover. The relationship is ending on a positive note, circumstances just happened that they must part.
If it Doesn’t Come Naturally, Leave it
I think this is a song about being closeted. There is a line “And I put on a smith and I tried all the while to be straight” which, taken at face value, is pretty telling. But the story, the narrator and a woman have gotten together but it doesn’t feel right. The girl opens up that she doesn’t feel comfortable in the world that she is expected to live in (same old four imaginary walls). The narrator tells her that “Nothing that’s forced can ever be right [and] if it doesn’t come naturally [then] leave it”. The instrumentation is overwhelmingly 70’s sounding. I could see this one being a single. It does remind me of Big Shot by Billy Joel.
Flying Sorcery
Well this is much different, more singer/songwriter. It’s like a mix of Jim Croce and The Beatles. The song is about a lover who would fly planes. She appears to have disappeared while flying at some point with the call “Are you there” throughout the song. He also relates the subject to Icarus.
Broadway Hotel
I don’t think I get this one fully. The lyrics seem to be about a hotel and talking about love. I am thinking that he is meeting escorts but the song doesn’t make sense for that fully, there is room service which I wouldn’t normally think of if you are staying at a no-tell hotel. It could be a hotel that allowed a safe space for same sex couples or a meeting spot for an affair, I think both could work with a lyric like “Just a reveal away” Given I think “If it doesn’t come naturally leave it” was also about being closeted I think this could be the same but I honestly have no clue.
One Stage Before
This one really reminds me a Harry Chapin with the instrumentation, composition and diction. The singing still reminds me of the Beatles. The Guitar solo is not in the style of Chapin. The lyrics almost seem to lament the life of a performing musician.
Year of the Cat
Pop beat after the piano intro. Let’s exit with fun? A song about an eagerly awaited reunion with a love. Upon the reunion it’s not exactly what was expected however is accepted. The poetry in this song is amazing. The entire opening stanza is fantastic. I really like the image of “She comes out of the sun in silk dress running Like a watercolor in the rain” just fantastic.
Post listen thoughts:
With how I feel I believe I missed quite a bit here and may be way off based with some of my conjecture but conjecture and thinking or overthinking lyrics is part of the joy I get out of this at times. I am overall pretty impressed with this album. I am curious to explore some more of Al Stewart’s songs as I really like how he writes lyrics. He adds flourish to his lyrics similar to the way Oscar Wilde does when describing affluent and beautiful people.
