Arc Of A Diver

Editorial Note: I’ll be doing a preemptive review before listening and a second, post-listen review of this record. Pre-Listen Review: Oh, jeesus - a Steve Winwood record from 1980. That’s like drinking milk 12 years after the sell-by date. Post-Listen Review: Refer to Pre-Listen Review.

I did not enjoy this cut-rate, Peter Gabriel knockoff, Casio keyboard, yacht rock turd of an album. The opening track, "When You See A Chance" is considered Winwood's best work and, friends, I gotta be honest. That's not a compliment. It's bad. The drum sounds are cartoonishly fake and the synths are bad even for the time. I tried really hard to find something good here but, the more I listened, the more frustrated I became that THIS is what Winwood decided to do with his solo career. So much talent just... gone to waste.

Average reviewer on this site: The guy from Traffic released an extremely plastic sounding yacht rock album 🙄 Me, a paragon of taste: The guy from Traffic released an extremely plastic sounding yacht rock album 😍 Four stars.

1001 albums to hear before you die.. I feel like death is preferable to listening to this again

I can go for this type of 80s cheese sometimes. I have no particular nostalgia for this album but I was familiar with the lead track. Some of the choices of synth tones are a bit cringey at times. Where I start to have a real problem is on "slowdown sundown" - it sort of breaks the sound he had going for this folksier/rootsier thing and it sounds really out of place. I like "Spanish Dancer" alright but it is mixed so weirdly with those hyper prominent synth notes that it's kinda off putting. "Night Train" probably works best for me overall? By the time it got to the last track I just wanted it to be over (and it's not a long album). I like some individual tracks by him but I can't hang with it for a whole album. 2.5 down to 2.

straight heat 🔥 set my ears on fire from the first ten seconds 10/10

Guy is good. Cant deny it.

Spotify lists Steve Winwood as a 'slick upscale mainstay of adult pop' which makes me feel like a real square because my dad would definitely make fun of me for liking this album. This is 'normcore' in the sense that this album is so normal and palatable that you have to go out of your way to feel anything about it, but this album makes me feel like a mid 80s yuppie in the best sense.

Traffic pleasantly surprised me. This... this is horrible. Tepid arrangements and ugly synth pads make this yet another embarrassing entry in this shoddy list.

A fine album that finds Winwood with a new confidence thanks to his writing partnerships. The result is a strong group of songs in which Winwood plays all the instruments. Highlights include the title track, the catchy While You See a Chance, and the soaring album closer, Dust.

Terrible right out of the gate. I hope the rest of the album isn't this bad. Yep. This is rough.

This is just the third artist on this list so far that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live in concert. Steve Winwood opened for Tom Petty in the Saddledome back in 2008, and I’m still genuinely not sure who put on a better performance, both were phenomenal. But I’m not here to review live shows, I’m here to review this particular album, Arc Of A Diver. This is a soft yacht rock record that I really enjoyed listening to. Steve Winwoods voice is smooth, slightly soulful, and very pleasant. The songwriting is insightful and shows a clear talent. Musically it’s exceptional, my favourite aspect in that regard is the organ that’s played throughout. There are moments of funk that keep popping up all throughout this record, but there’s moments where it feels like you’re in a disco in 1977, and others where you’re sitting in a lighthouse staring out at the ocean. It’s a really cool fusion of styles and feelings. My only complaint about this record is that it doesn’t contain the song “Higher Love”. Aside from that, it’s truly excellent. 5*.

What do you even call this? Easy listening? Adult contemporary? Blue-eyed soul? Yacht pop? Whatever it is, it’s delicious and I want more of it. I was pretty much sold on this album from the moment the synths come in about 30 seconds in to the opening track, and the remainder of the album did not disappoint. The vibes are immaculate. Listening to this album I imagine myself lounging wealthily in the kind spacious beachside 80s home in Miami or Southern California where the interior is all white with lots of glass blocks. The first two tracks, “When You See a Chance”, and “Arc of a Diver”, are both just so good. I love the shimmery vaguely exotic tune of “Spanish Dancer”. “Dust” is the track on the album which best showcases Steve’s vocal talent. Throughout the album, the lyrics have a particular mystique and sophistication. Musically this album takes so many small, unexpected twists and turns without ever veering from its lovely distinct sound. I’m impressed but unsurprised to learn that Steve was solely responsible for producing the album and playing *all* of the instruments. It sounds like one person’s clear vision, beautifully executed. I listened to this album twice before writing my review and it will definitely continue to get lots of rotation in the future. This is the best totally new discovery from this project for me so far. 10/10

8/10. Over the past few days, I've been getting into Peter Gabriel's music, and this album felt very reminiscent of it. I enjoyed it very much. I'm feeling a 4/5, but I have a feeling inside me that I'm going to regret not giving it a 5/5 later on. Perhaps I will regret giving it a 5/5 instead of a 4/5. Whatever, 5/5 it is. It's New Years Day, and I'm exhausted.

This has been copy-pasted to my subconscious as a rare instance of an album staying on for most of the day, eternal repeat. The opener immediately made me happy as a hit from early childhood long-forgotten but immediately pleasing; the rest feels like an idealised middle-age soundtrack, which suits me. And he did the lot! A note on the lyrics: yesterday I slagged off Chris Martin’s flimsy big vibes style, but while this shares Coldplay’s aversion to actual life detail, Winwood comes off more as a hippy friend trying to cheer you up rather than Bono.

Just great, soulful pop music, nicely done. "When You See a Chance" is the obvious classic track here, worth the price of admission just for this song. "Arc of a Diver" and "Slowdown Sundown" are lovely as well. Nothing on here I didn't like. "Second-Hand Woman" was probably the weakest song overall. Yes, the top-of-the-line-for-1980 synthesizers are admittedly a bit dated. But it's forgivable thanks in large measure to Steve Winwood himself. You can't shortcut his talent as a vocalist with a machine, that lovely soulful and timeless voice. Bonus star for the fact that Winwood plays all the instruments on this album, and adeptly so. Fave Songs: While You See a Chance, Arc of a Diver, Dust, Slowdown Sundown, Spanish Dancer

Big fan of Winwood. Not his best album but a classic of the 80s.

Good but not overly memorable album. I got massive Phil Collins vibes from it throughout.

Arc of Diver Big ‘Today on Pebble Mill we’ll be interviewing Birmingham’s busiest Postman!’ with While You See a Chance. Steve Winwood has a genuinely interesting career and I like a lot of his stuff, and I am very partial to a bit of easily palatable soul inflected AOR/pop, but I wasn’t entirely convinced by this one, at least on first listen. The songs themselves are fine, if a little unmemorable, but the synths are pretty intrusive, on occasion sounding unintentionally amusing, and the whole thing sounds quite strangely mixed - a lot of the keyboards and guitars as well as the synths are way too prominent in the mix and can feel quite jarring. It did grow on me on repeat listens though, I actually liked some of the songs, and the sound beneath the unbalanced mixing. While You See a Chance is a nice song, I really liked Second Hand Woman, a great bit of uptempo disco influenced pop-soul, Slowdown Sundown has nice Traffic like energy and feel, and Spanish Dancer is actually an excellent bit of slow burning bit of soulful rock-pop. It does definitely tail off after Spanish Dancer, but overall I found this pretty enjoyable if a bit patchy. If you want a nice bit of plasticy sounding adult pop there are probably some more consistent places to look, but this is a solid album. I would definitely listen again, but I not actively seek it out. Square in the 3s then. 🥽🥽🥽 Playlist submission: Spanish Dancer

Winwood going synth would have seemed very odd in 1980, but in league with his blue-eyed soul songwriting chops the whole package works very well.

nah, not for me - figure this guy only had "higher love" and then there's a whole album without it on there, worries me that the other album will be in here too

Yes this album is corny, unfortunately corn is delicious especially when you but some smooth synth butter and some rock n roll salt This white boy can, in fact play that funky music. Extremely well at that.

Groovy, melodic, well-produed, diverse and just plain amazing! Steve Winwood is frighteningly underrated, and it's a crime that this is his only solo record on here. I am now going to listen to his whole discography as a protest against everyone hating on this gem (and not at all because I was looking for an excuse to listen through Steve Winwoods entire discography).

I'm a fan of Steve's work in Traffic and Blind Faith. I like this a lot too. The fact he plays every instrument on this album showcases what a major talent he is. Steve Winwood is so good that whatever he decides to play, I'm along for the ride.

excellent album

Loved this. What a surprise. Highlights were Night Train and Arc of a Diver. Hope we get more Winwood and Winwood projects.

Sometimes I really miss cocaine.

Interesting playstyle, some good riffs. I liked the atmosphere, remembered me back the time when I was travelling across the US in my 1965 Shelby mustang. Keeps rocking !

I don't usually give 5 stars to an album I heard for the first time, but today it happened, once again, that immediate connection that music gives me from time to time (I've been very lucky, because here on this site, this has happened a few times ) and it reminds me of the principles of everything: why I started listening to the albums on this site, why I listen and make music every day and why I love music so much. I feel really lucky! I already knew Steve because of Higher Love, but after this album today, I will definitely get to know his work in more depth!

A classic

A classic

Very 80’s, but an absolutely delightful listen.

I think I was in the perfect mood for this. I know a few of them anyway. My favourite Winwood song is Valerie, on his next album - so good that he is consistent. Second-Hand Woman, While You See A Chance, Night Train, and Spanish Dancer stood out. Thanks Steve.

Really groovy and exciting. 5 stars.

For better or worse, the '80s (and the '70s) had a lot of cheesy music. This genre of 'dad's playlist during a roadtrip' or 'uncle hitting the karaoke machine' might be my favorite. Steve Winwood does the grown-up soul-pop-rock hybrid really well, and even with the synths it doesn't feel gimmicky. Outdated maybe, but still a great listen. Plus, he has a great voice. I am giving everyone who worked on this record a massive side eye for creating a song like Second Hand Woman though, which just made me roll my eyes at how prehistoric it was. That aside though, I can't lie that this was banger after banger. Standout tracks are While You See a Chance and Arc of a Diver.

In 1986 I fell in love with Steve Winwood’s Back in the High Life. I played the heck out of that album. After several months I then bought Arc of a Diver. I fell in love with this album too, although it always ran a close second to the later release. One of the unexpected pleasures of this project has been the opportunities to revisit albums I already know with fresh ears. I really can’t remember the last time I listened to this album, but it could have easily been 20 years ago. It’s pretty cool to hear this moment where a seasoned artist re-launched his career… a solid foundation for Winwood becoming 80s musical royalty. Back in the day Steve Winwood was just an 80s star… I had no idea that I was witnessing a really impressive reinvention. I just loved the music. Although I still prefer Back in the High Life, I’m still very enthusiastic that this terrific album made it on this list!

I just really love the energy of Steve Winwood's voice, throughout this album and all of his music

FANTASTIC

excellent

80's GOODNESS. Not a bad song on the album dude. Absolutely grooving the whole time.

loved it

Most excellent indeed

Catchy melodies With unexpected dance grooves By seasoned singer

Jazzy/poppy, nice grooves

Good, but was it really outstanding? I'm not convinced, but I'll probably give it another whirl sometime.

wow that opening synth riff is STRONG. Sets a rad 80's tone right away. Obvious he and Phil Collins worked together from that track alone, and the rest of the album only solidifies that bond. It is disappointing that it trails off into mediocrity at the end. Looking at the Side A and B divisions, I'd give side A a 5 for fun synthy pop, and side B a 2.5. The whole thing gets a 4 because of what it almost was, but I'm left feeling disappointed.

I did enjoy listening to this, although couldn't really remember much about it afterwards. He played everything on the record, apparently, just like another Stevie W. Quite good, quite short, quite Peter Gabriel in parts

“Arc of a Diver'' sounds like an album made by someone older than 32. But Steve Winwood had been in bands since he was 14 (first in the Spencer Davis Group with his brother, Muff Winwood. Yes, Muff was a nickname. But why? Previously puzzled by the big muffs of John Martyn and Mudhoney, we learned about Harmonix fuzzboxes. But Muff Winwood’s muff was smaller. It was a 1950s children’s TV show puppet horse character named Muffin the Mule. What muff did to earn being nicknamed after a puppet horse we have no idea.)... where were we? After the Spencer Davis Group, Steve Winwood was in Traffic (the band, not the frustrating gridlock of cars on busy roads) and a brief supergroup with Cream’s Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker before his solo career got going in the 1980s. So he was quite the experienced veteran releasing “Arc of a Diver” in 1980. And “While You See a Chance” is a great opener for that decade. Winwood clearly shows he can hang at the yacht club with his soft layering of synthesizers, organs, and guitars. Impressively, he played every instrument on the album. But while that was a great intro to the 80s, it was Winwood’s 1986 album that couldn’t have embodied the decade better. What more 80s song is there than “Higher Love?” And on an album that also included “Back in the High Life Again” and “The Finer Things.” The soft, easy listening of yacht rock makes up much of the background soundtrack of my childhood. As the hippies turned to yuppies, Winwood and his contemporaries led the way.

"Whoa. Hang on. It's all good. I got a Steve Winwood CD in my car. I'll go grab that." - Dennis Reynolds (IASIP)

started out pretty fun, got kinda boring later tho

- Only knowledge of Steve Winwood before this was Higher Love or Dennis from Always Sunny - Boring 80s pop - Wouldn't listen to it again

This feels like it should be the music for like, the tourism board of a Disney World knock off in like. Mississippi. Like it feels familiar, but it’s not the same. In fact it fucking sucks.

Is this what people think they're hearing when they listen to Steely Dan and don't like it? They're wrong. It's not this. This is this. And it's bad. Maybe I'm allowing the try-hard that permeates every bit of it to colour my judgement, and it'd sound more winning if I got past that, but first blush is all I got.

I really enjoyed this album, even the album cover which is calming and abstract. He has the classic 80s soft rock sound, singing quite high but hitting lots of higher pitches that worked well with the album. Some good instrumental work in there too to create a tranquil tone. Reminded me abit of van morrison.

Classic

Damn...a perfect album.

Looking at the reviews, some people dislike this album because it sounds dated. That's funny, because for me this album is more appealing because of the retro sound. The synths on "While You See A Chance" aren't something we hear much of these days, and we are worse off for it. The album is a really fun listen overall. Favorite track: "Night Train"

Sweet sweet synth action right out of the gate, and continued nicely throughout the album. Didn't realize he was one of the singers in Traffic but makes sense after listening to it closer. Pretty funky bassline going throughout the whole album. This was a really unique one that was super enjoyable. Had this on a 4/5 line until the ultimate funklord of a song Night Train song pushed it over. Lower 5 but still an absolute baller of an album. If you told me this was Genesis I would have 100% believed you.

One of the top 1,000. Used to be top 100 then top 500 but I keep getting older and hearing more great stuff. This one’s been on the list since the beginning

Pretty rockin'! Have listened to the Clapton Winwood live album many times and enjoyed this!

Awesome album

i like this music its easy to listen to

I remember when and where I bought this! I’ve been a fan of Winwood a long time.

Really enjoyed this. Like a space version of yacht rock.

This album is just oozing 80's cheese and I am not going to lie I kind of love it. It's extremely synthy and would not feel out of place in the background of a montage. I kinda had a feeling I was going to be hooked in the first 10 seconds or so and I was right.

Incredible album of all the best songs, my reaction: https://images.app.goo.gl/bXxv3s3uRng8CrSY9 [surfer man tahiti paris 2024 olympics]

Love this album have not listened to it in years

I really liked this one! In the vein of Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, etc. Made some good endorphins. :)

Such a fun album. Second-Hand Woman is amazing. While You See a Chance is fantastic. Slowdown Sundown is a song I could picture my parents listening to in the living room when I was young young. Last few songs on the first disc kind of fall off but I will be coming back to Steve Winwood often. He has the added bonus of really reminding me of my parents' music. A nostalgia that will continue to tug at my heart.

Wonderful!

A great chill album!

Classic

Great album, great mixing, good to leave it on and listen for any occasions.

Great album and very nostalgic for me. Have recently got on vinyl. Great Tunes : arc of a diver, spanish dancer and while you see a chance which presaged Valerie on his next album

Love this album - both when it came out and to relisten today

Really hooks you in from the first song and doesn't let up. Such a great album and will have on repeat for a while.

banger!! i like the synths. favorite songs: secondhand woman, night train

Amazing

Great! I really enjoyed this album.

Really appreciated this y'day. Great music. A slightly generous 5

so sweet and nice

Osamdesete su vrlo rano počele za našeg stevea

sophisticated, soulful

I like both Traffic and Steve Winwood, in fact the first concert I ever went to was on his solo Roll With It tour, but there is no denying that this album is a little dated. I have never heard fartier sounding keyboards, and some of the songs hang around a bit too long, but I quite liked this. The first two tracks are great, and whilst it does drift away towards the end it’s still a strong collection. It seems not many people agree with me …

Steve Winwood of Traffic fame goes solo,for the second time.The cover is influenced by Matisse's Icarus i think,quite nice.Is a good album but the synth and pads should either be handled/mixed differently or maybe played by a session virtuoso musician.I've never heard this album before so as i listen let's see the songs one by one. When You See A Chance intro is heavy synth based,as it progresses is totally 80's style Yaht Rock as most describes it.Sometimes i get a Phil Collins vibe.Yes the synths might sound funny but hey there was a clumsiness back in the 80's in that area especially on how to handle vibrato synths or in this case synths in general. In Arc Of A Diver the resonance and loudness of the synth is turning somehow bad but overall is a good song.Remember Winwood plays all instruments here. Second-Hand Woman is pretty good,has funky as hell bass,and synths shine properly.Nowadays french disco house aims hardly for that sound.Groovy. Slowdown Sundown starts off folk-y and beautifully,i suspect the synth that pops up bit later could be better overall in all songs if he just changed the preset.Here he plays something like a lute as well which is very nice.The keys are always good so far. Spanish Dancer synth intro is quite good but bit loud and as it progresses almost covers the song and the vocals in particular.Funny thing is that the synth is fantastic here.If this was mixed and balanced properly maybe it could have been a favourite as i'm a synth lover.The pads really bothered me here though. Night Train as the videoclip also shows (in the intro,the train reference and sounds,the black and white usage) was heavily influenced by Trans Europe Express by Kraftwerk. I can see and hear some Bowie in this one as well.I really liked this one.It has something of a New Romantics sound in it. Could have been an early New Order song or a Hacienda hit. Dust is the last song and i feel like this album could have more.I am a sucker for such 80's songs.Great singing as well,i love Winwood's voice. I got to say i really enjoyed it.80's with it's imperfections but i can hear so many influences. 4/5 because the pads could be better sometimes they almost ruin the vibe,and for the synth handling.

Pretty cool album, I always thought While You See A Chance just appeared on radio dj desks to be mixed in forever. It is shocking that he did all of this album himself. A 3.5 for me, but bumping for respect.

Excellent late classic rock sound

Some days it is the list and other day its the participants. But this exercise proves to be challenging for mostly those two reason. Today its the participants. Steve Winwood is a phenomenal Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins adjacent pop song writer. There is so much heart and soul behind these pop tunes, with such phenomenal instrumentation (for its time), brilliant melodies and a relaxed pace that makes this a great album for study, work, or tasks. I'm impressed, a little slow at times but its short and sweet. Steve's hits are always great but a full album experience eas worth it also.

This album is now 45 y.o. so it's challenging to think about what the audience thought at their time of the soft, sophisticated and warm mixture of sounds and genres.

I have listened to this album countless times—was always a fave since it was first released. It has been a while, and I didn't quite get to a 5-star for whatever reason, but so many great songs, cool arrangements, even if it is choc full o' synths, and just a dreamy vibe. "While You See A Chance," "Arc of a Diver," "Spanish Dancer" — I just love the melodies and riffs (and bass lines) in those tunes.

this was super fun throughout!! super great use of that specific old synth sound

Very nice to listen to. Jazzy.

Div

Short, but great. You can tell who he has influenced

Holy shit, if you played this with no context, I might've guessed this was Genesis. Felt like this was just ok sounding until I got to Spanish Dancer and Night Train. Those 2 songs really brought some juice to the album. I think I can go Low 4 here despite the overt Phil Collins impression.

Well this was a nice surprise. Five solid funky/soulful synth jams sandwiched by two fat slices of 80s cheese. But even with as cheesy as the opener is, it is fine enough -- sounds like a bargain store Genesis song from the Collins era. Title track is kind of a jam. Still can't shake the discount store Phil Collins vibe. Some tasty guitar in here. Second-Hand Woman is a funky one too -- synths sound a bit cheesy, but they are tearing it up. Spanish Dancer is a standout. Love the synths throughout. Night Train is equally fantastic -- love the smoothed out guitar plucking that underlies this whole song. Gives it a vibe of space travel -- definitely have heard Lotus do very similar things during their jams, but this has a crusty soul to it that is so satisfying The cheese factor is through the roof on Dust. I mean, its on a _bad_ song, but it is far from a strong closer IMO. Not something I see myself giving a lot of re-listens to, but certainly had me jamming more often than not. I'll say this is a soft 4 in my book.

Another singer who sounds like he is in Genesis. Kinda falls into the low 4 category, but it's definitely better than Shack, so it gets a seat at the table.

Dennis Reynolds favorite artist! Why do all these random artists sound exactly the same? (Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Steve Winwood) Some of these are jams. Specifically loving the beginning of Night Train. Love that he pretty much did everything on this album. Safe but entertaining.

mightve got the tiniest bit repetitive near the end but gee wiz i like it!

Een beetje van die typische rock-muziek van weleer. Gemaakt rond de opkomst van de synthesizer volgens mij en dat vind ome Stef zo te horen godverdomme een gaaf instrument. Alles met toetsen komt hier eigenlijk wel voorbij heb ik het idee, van orgeltjes tot wat wij thuis altijd een keyboard noemden. En in de 2e helft geeft hij nog even wat gas bij ook. Veel improvisatiewerk, solo's, funk. Toch wel erg netjes hoor. Zeker aangezien het allemaal door de man zelf is gemaakt. Ik ken mezelf en ik ga compleet vergeten dat ik dit ooit geluisterd heb, dus over een week of drie vraag ik me af wat me precies bezielde, maar ik ga toch 4 sterren uitdelen.