Arc Of A Diver

While You See a Chance sounds like a TV theme song and the production sounds like a Tim & Eric parody of 80s synth pop. Arc of a Diver is smooth in an 80s yuppie way. The lyrics are awkward and bad. Second-Hand Woman is either a too-late disco song or an early inspiration for Japanese City Pop. Slowdown Sundown has a nice mandolin part but the production makes this too corny to enjoy. Really sappy stuff here. It reminds me a bit of Baby, I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton. More Tim & Eric synth vibes on Night Train.

Nice, chill, relaxing.

lo peor de ser hortera es no ser consciente de ello

jack antonoff, ets tú?

Un truño como un puño

Good vibes Faves - arc of a diver and while you see a chance

Favorite Song: Arc Of A Diver

Now while I enjoyed the occasional yacht rock, going to take a lot for it to make it onto this list. Even if it is 1001 albums.. again, enjoyable for what it is, easy to have on in the background, but forgettable.

Absolutely disliked this one by Whinewood. 80s music is just a hit or miss for me.

🎧If enjoying the heck out of this album makes me a basic-ass white guy, so be it

Can we hear Phil Collins instead? I feel like this is a second rate copy of PC. Cool usage of the moog but the material isn't quite up to scratch. 2/5

"second rate phil collins" - manualex. would have been 100% better if every song had the moog in it.

Polished, mid-tempo blue-eyed soul / pop rock built from tidy synthesizer lines, soft drum-machine grooves, smooth guitar accents, and clean, carefully controlled vocals moves like sitting through a long elevator ride in a luxury hotel—pleasantly produced, but so restrained and repetitive that it becomes intensely boring before the ride is over.

This is a remarkably unremarkable record that sounds exactly how you would expect a Steve Winwood record to sound. I'd never heard it before now but I could probably have hummed the whole thing before I'd even listened. Musically, it's really not dated well - he clearly got a synth for Christmas that year. On the right songs, I quite like his voice, and there are some nice bass lines, but this album just sounds like a collection of incidental background tracks from a forgotten 80s daytime TV drama.

Why?

Really enjoyed the first half, not your typical rock sound and i think it benefits from the influence of the 70’s blended with the forward thinking of the 80’s. A nice middle spot, but just like her looks, the love faded and by the end of the record i was not as excited. 6/10

Really nothing impressive here

Yikes, this is bland and a bit naff. Now there’s a word I haven’t used in forever. Very much of its time and that keyboard sound is kind of annoying. For some reason I keep thinking I bet Patrick Bateman would like this

So fun, loved every song. Great for throwback or chill rock. Tiene un aire a Phil Collins.

What does this album have in common with LZ IV? I find both totally annoying.

Definitely really impressive that basically everything you hear on this album is Winwood himself - it's not often you find a one-man album, especially of this quality. Perhaps as a result of this singular effort, all the tracks kind of have the same sound to me. With all the context of when and how this album was recorded, I would rate it 5/5, but subjectively to my own taste it's going to be a 4/5.

Cool Matisse-inspired album art. The music itself isn't as cool. I find it pretty average.

So the Wikipedia article says he played everything on this album. I think that’s pretty cool.

Meh, too much 80s synth and drum machine in here.

this is roller skating music

This must be one of the best 80s pop albums ever made. Yes, it has synths and drum machines, but it does sound very classy and not cheesy in the slightest. Songs are long but very well structured and not boring at all, I would say that quality wise is in the same ballpark as Phil Collins solo outings, and the singing style is very similar. Top notch stuff. It is overlooked probably because it's too soul prog rock for synth heads, and too electronic for old rockers, but it doesn't deserves to be compared with real 80s corny drivel like Dead or Alive, George Michael, Whitney Houston, and too many others to count.

Favorite Track: While You See A Chance

A little dated. Some great songs. Love Steve Winwood. 3.5/5

Enjoyed this one a lot more than I was expecting. When this album popped up, my immediate reaction was “what the hell is this gonna be?”, but then I listened to the first track and I was like “hey I know this”. Sounds very similar to Phil Collins/Peter Gabriel. Very much enjoyed it.

Great opener. The rest sounds like it’s being played in a haunted gym from the 1980s.

Dit is een beetje ‘groovy’ muziek voor mensen die geen groove hebben. Alles is zo ontzettend niet losjes (even stevie wonder comparison en je snapt het gelijk). Alles is te strak. Niemand kan hun heupen losgooien op deze muziek. Terwijl hij duidelijk wel iets met een groove probeerde te maken, dat is faliekant mislukt. Toen ging ik het het googelen en zag ik dat het ook wel blue eyed soul heten (witte mensen soul). Ik ben geen essentialist, witte mensen kunnen ook groovy zijn (denk aan muzikanten op thriller, zoals toto), maar dit is wel toch echt heel wit. Ja nee, niks voor mij

Whilst listening to this album, I couldn't help but feel like this was a worse version of Phil Collins. Is that entirely fair? Probably not. Does that make this a bad project? Definitely not. But it does make it a solid 3-star album.

ja love Steve Winwood. niet m'n favoriete plaat van hem dus 4 sterren

mja zeker een blue eyed soul album. ik zal niet te racistisch zijn tegen steve winwood maar ja je krijgt wel het label "slechtere soul" opgeplakt

Limp soft rock that fails to make use of Winwood's voice or what appears to be second generation synths that the producer could not get enough of. But the real problem is there are not really any good songs on this record, including the big hit. Just straight up profoundly uninteresting.

I have a soft spot for this yacht rock (not what it would have been called at the time, I know) soul vibe. If only the rest of the album was as locked in as the first three songs.

I went in with an open mind and the first song was decent but I became so bored the rest of the way. Rating: 1.7

nice beat. wasn’t a huge fan of the vocals or lyrics. night train was lovely tho

Incredible songwriting and production

I like what Daft Punk did with the sound 20 years later. The hit is fine, but wow, most of this is conventional schlock (with synths!). He has a very distinctive voice, but is largely modulated up and down - there’s no chill, more of a musical/theatre performer. I could see having some patience for this material, but the songs are sooo long.

8.5/10

A true disappointment. The Casio-like synth arrangements sound incredibly dated. When You See A Chance and Night Train are great songs. The rest grew on me upon a second listen. Except for Dust, which is a treacly way to end an album. I'd love to hear these songs played with a real piano or Hammond B3 organ.

So cool its frigid. Or is it ice hot?

very characteristic 80s sound honestly. eh tapi seru yaaa!! im enjoying the tasteful synths.

Listened a couple times! Great voice, easy listening, some elements of 70's singer-songwriter with synths, funk, and much more.

Very poor. The 1980's worst bits in one album. Heavy synth and cheese with no irony.

Like it 3/5

Its ok.

Not really my jam. Felt like I was stuck in a TJ Maxx.

I know this was a breakout album for Winwood, but it's still boring music.

I don't normally find dated production too distracting but this sounds like an 80s pastiche. Badly mixed, budget sounding instruments, and singing that sounds like even he finds it boring. At least most of the other bad albums on this list are people trying to do something interesting, this even fails on that front

There are some nice songs on this record, but it's a bit too "easy listening" for me to take it seriously as art.

nice background music

Boring

There are a lot of synths. By any measure, TOO MANY SYNTHS. In fact, this album has many questionable production choices that illustrate the fine line between 'talented multi-instrumentalist' and 'no one wants to come to my English farmhouse recording studio'. Regardless, this is a pop confection. 1980 must have been a hell of a confusing time for a musician. Favorite song: Arc of a Diver

This is proper nondescript, overly-produced, 80's yachty Dad pop. I've already forgotten it. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ Boring ★★☆☆☆ (4/10) Total reviewed : 227 Already owned : 52 Purchased : 12 To buy list : 2 Nope : 161

While some of this sounds like yacht rock circa early 80's, there are some really good songs on here. "While You See a Chance," the title track, "Spanish Dancer," and "Night Train" are all quality but the others are instantly forgettable and kind of dull. A lot of solo Winwood is wallpaper-like and, with its Casio keyboard flourishes, sounds very dated.

Endearing moments and I like While You See a Chance, but far too sleek and perfectly polished for me. He's got the vocal chops of Peter Gabriel but squanders it with a fraction of the lyrical or musical creativity, these songs are the definition of playing it safe. There's just a real soullessness to it all. Overall it has a time and a place - some rich douchebag's yacht back in 1980.

Right on the edge of goofy and good

Winwood, having partnered with Clapton at times in their careers, shares a lot of the same type of blues-inspired easy listening that sucked up (frankly, too much) of their 80s output. But, because he sounds so much like Clapton I have such a soft spot for it. It's good, it's become cheesy but there's masterful work underneath it all.

It was okay. Very 80s

Overall not very enjoyable album. First song is the best. Goes downhill from there. There were interesting bars in certain songs, but they came and went all too soon. Fun fact, in the middle of listening to the album, my iPhone alarm went off. I'd forgotten to turn it off the night before. As it went off, I was thinking, oh, this album got better and more interesting. Then I noticed it was actually my alarm playing over the music.

Pretty good. Great singer, musician.

This album doesn't even have Higher Love on it. And "Night Train" is not a cover of the Guns 'N Roses song. What it does have is a lot of dated keyboards and synthesizers and some real sensitive singing.

Mann FUCK I was so ready to hate this album, but I immediately was having fun from the first track. Sure the whole thing is corny, sure the second half of the album starts to drag, but fuck it if this wasn't a joy to listen to. Steve Winwood has some really enjoyable vocals, mixed with the synths creates a beautifully goofy and sincere album. Let a white boy catch a vibe. Fav track: 1 - While You See A Chance Best Three Track Run: 1, 2, 3

Glætt og kjedelige greier. Noe saftige og cheesy synthsoloer trekker opp

Multiinstrumentalist kan du være så mye du vil. Men lag no nåkka bra. Ga mæ veldig lite.

Slit veldig med sjangeren og klare ikke ta det seriøst. Han e sikkert veldig flink.

Hørt i stua hjemme en kveld. Snakk om å utnytte synthesizeren sine muligheter på mest mulig irriterende måte. Noen høydepunkter: spanish dancer, night train. Ellers ligner Dominic Sessa helt sykt mye på en ung Winwood.

Hyggelig musikk, men i bunn og grunn veldig mid.

This couldn't be further from a win, and I wood like never to listen again

A bit of fun but not a whole lot of substance

Фил Колинс ама не е

It's fine, but it's not the vibe I was feeling today.

Some decent, fairly catchy tunes. Not a big fan of the synth work (mostly in the first half of the album), but overall I didn't mind listening to this.

Couldn’t remember a thing about it. But it didn’t offend me or anything

Very good album Song I like: Arc of a Diver, Sundown-Sundown, Night Train

I played at a wedding a few years ago and heard that Steve Winwood would be in attendance. I didn’t know who he was then and this is the first time I’ve listened to his music. In rehearsals I threatened to get drunk and goad him in to coming on stage and seeing if he could do better. Now I’m confident he would have crashed and burned, so good thing I didn’t do it in the end. STEEEEEVE!!!

I’m a big fan of how music was developing in the early 80s, but most of this feels a little dated and out of step with the time. The first three tracks don’t do much for me, and some of the keyboards sound like Steve is squeaking out a tuneful fart. The music gets a little better starting with track 4, where we get some more traditional instruments he sounds more comfortable with. I figured I was headed for a 2/5 here, but Spanish Dancer was a huge surprise — the first time I’m hearing something really interesting and good. Solid groove, much better keyboard sounds. Actually makes me think of stuff from Robert Palmer’s “Clues.” This track alone makes me feel a lot better about Arc of A Diver, even though it might be the only track I return to.

It’s not particularly exciting but who doesn’t like a bit of yacht rock? Well, quite a few of you based on the average rating.

Seems to be a lot of negative reviews for this album. Don't quite get it. Some songs we're not that great, maybe, but otherwise I don't think this album was bad at all! It's funny, whenever an album is different, e.i. uses non-diatonic chords or melodies, modulates or whatever, people typically seem to dislike it. What a shame. It's not an amazing album per se, but I remember feeling it was done mostly in good taste imo.

Fun

Background noise, funky at times

One hit wonder for a reason

His voice is odd, but in a good way. And some of the music is a bit dated, but I really like this album!!

Even though I grew up absolutely hating this style of music, I do want to go sailing.

I’m not familiar enough with Steve Winwood’s catalog to confidently call this yacht rock, but it definitely lives in that smooth, breezy neighborhood. The whole album has a polished, laid back feel that makes it really easy to listen to without fading into background noise. While You See a Chance is still a straight up banger. It also might be one of the best uses of synth before the 80s completely wore that sound out. Everything feels tasteful and restrained instead of flashy. Clean production, strong songwriting, and a vibe that holds up better than I expected.

Some decent tracks

Love Winwood's work, but maybe not my favorite era of his. Still some cool, genius pop sensibilities to this.

Good enough

Not the best Steve Winwood hits bur an enjoyable listen for people named Carly

Not terrible 80s synth pop à la Phil collins

I get why it can be considered a milestone, but this is not my style.

As smooth as it is forgettable. I think Steve Winwood has written some good songs, but I think all of these missed the mark.

Slowdown Sundown is good. The rest are not for me.

Extremely boring. There is no “wow” factor whatsoever with any of these tracks and to make it worse, many of the tracks are 5 minutes+. Nothing is bad per se, but the whole album is a drag to listen to.

Loved the opening tracks but the slower ones held it back a little, will be listening to more Steve

-damnn ok there’s something i kinda like about this… might even prefer it to both Traffic albums i’ve heard -doesn’t seem to be one of his more esteemed albums necessarily and it diiiid feel a little aimless ig, but it was definitely doing something for me. very groovy very vibes. 3.5 -Favorites: Second-Hand Woman, Spanish Dancer, Night Train

Oh yeah! While You See A Chance is an absolute banger! Good album overall!

Post disco synth based pop music. This was probably a breath of fresh air in 1980.

Quite progressive, cool 80’s instrumentation without being cheesy. Good background music but wouldn’t really listen actively again.

Fue como escuchar la intro de Alf una y otra vez.

Couldn't care less. Felt generic 80s music. It was ok but going to forget it pretty soon.

It's impressive that Steve Winwood was able to intentionally craft music that would become the soundtrack of wandering a large store with a numbing world weariness that leaves you questioning the viability of a human civilization. Even with normal headphones on I'm imagining this coming over the tinny speakers of a largely empty KMART or Ames circa 1991.

you guys know i love synth pop but unfortunately i did not love this

Artiste inconnu. Pop/rock pas désagréable, mais sans rien d'original, à part le fait qu'il joue tous les instruments. Aucun morceau remarquable, je n'y reviendrais pas. =>2/5

Elevator yacht pop

Fun when it gets funky or electronic, but a bit easy listening otherwise

Ligner litt Phil Collins

BEST SONGS: - Second-Hand Woman - Night Train

I'm being generous with my 3-star rating because I have a soft spot for Steve Winwood and because I think it's quality is hampered by the synthesizers which defined so much of production when this album came out. Remaster this album without the electronic syth? It's a solid 3, maybe a bit higher. While You See a Chance is a solid opener that still resonates as a strong pop song--although on re-listen it's clear that Winwood's Valerie--another favorite of mine--is almost identical, Spanish Dancer is a commendable ballad, and Night Train has a great groove. These songs without synthesizer? Long-lasting pop songs. The other tunes would all be improved by a similar re-mastering, and all have good bones. Okay, enough belabored justification for an overly generous rating. :)

Phil Collins sounding ass I thought it was about to go crazy from the first 15 seconds but oh boy was i disappointed. It was alright. Nothing i hated, nothing i liked

Carino dai

Not my favorite of his, it has not aged well

This album was good. I liked the electric feel but it all blended together

Fine to keep on in the background but not my thing, really. The instrumental version of Night Train was by far my favorite, real funky.

unfortunately it's not my type

The quality of this album takes a dive after the first song, which was really charming. It is unfortunate that it just devolves into unimpressive yacht rock afterwards.

I enjoyed this, but it seems more than inessential

Chillig

I feel pretty neutral to this. Some more interesting moments in the beginning of the album. Later in the album dragged on a bit with several songs overstaying their welcome and being too repetitive. Meh. 2.5/5 -> 3/5

chato pra caralho filho puta merda

é, não eh bom não. não foi desagradável, só chato mesmo. algumas músicas se estendem demais e são só paia.

Great, but his previous album is even better.

Nahh I was abit bored tbf

5/10

Relentlessly playing on soft rock stations your parents probably enjoy at the office.

It’s ok

Mais uma que lembra músicas do Ragnarok. Começou divertidinho. Álbum todo com uma vibe boa dos anos 80, me imagino andando numa cidade pequena dos Estados Unidos, indo tomar um sorvete na esquina com uma jaqueta de couro. Bom álbum. 3*

You would have thought Steve Winwood was Canadian by how much they played this on the radio when it came out in 1980. The Muzak adjacent While You See A Chance was a monster hit mixing Phil Collins pop with a catchy disco beat. Mothers in the grocery would sing along while they morning shopped the cereal aisle with their children. Because, of course, it’s all on you. While you see a chance take it find romance. This, at least in my mind, was when I knew that we had entered the New Wave - the rough production of the 70’s had faded and white people trying to get funky-lite were being played on the radio. Arc of A Diver is more of the same. What is undeniably true about this record is that Steve has a voice that is smooth and pleasant and mist importantly earnest. The smooth jazz solo seems cliched now 46 years later but the production and songs on this record can transport you back to 1980 when I was a mere lad if 20. Id already made my music choice at thus point - punk rock had won me over - DOA, Subhumans, Pointed Sticks and Active Dog along with the more famous- but Steve had a place as music for meeting the ladies who loved to dance to pop disco and Steve Winwood was exact that. Safe, poppy and seemingly hipper than you. Second Hand Woman is more of the same and so is the rest of the record. Light safe bouncy pop music for the masses. Impressively, Steve is the only musician on the record having played all instruments. Not all of it works, Slowdown- Sundown is a bit of a dirge as is Spanish Dancer. 2nd half could have used some editing as the songs are a bit too long. Dust, the closer, being the best of this half primarily because Steve’s vocals are pretty earnest giving it some life. Not my cup of tea but not a stinker. 3/5

Winwood is a music giant, this is classic sound, melodies and arrangements a bit too eighties

Phill Collins bibes

Naur

an ok album

Arc of a Diver starts off strong with "While You See a Chance," which co-incidentally makes me tear up 50% of the time I listen to it. This song is arguably Steve Winwood's best. The rest of the album stands strong, but also there's no competing with that song. Still, Winwood provides great music. Some of this album is solemn, but with his lovely voice, he's reassuring and loving. "Slowdown Sundown" starts off slow and tender, but the second half's tempo picks up with the synthesizer. It might be my favorite new find! "Night Train" has an instrumental section that, according to my notes, slaps. And I already mentioned Winwood's voice, but his voice is special and powerful in the closing track of "Dust." A masterpiece without any skips (though I listened to "Slowdown Sundown" on repeat a few times). This album is almost entirely created by Winwood. At times he had a co-lyricist, but this man provided all vocals, instruments, and arrangements while producing and mixing. I'm flabbergasted, because Winwood pulled a Prince! Arc of a Diver sounds so confident and complete in its final format that it's unbelievable it was all done by one person. I'm genuinely surprised Arc of a Diver is on this list, when Back in the High Life was a smash hit, but Arc shows Winwood's shift from his first solo album and work in Traffic, Blind Faith, and the Spencer Davis Group. His sound on Arc is pure eighties, even without the synthesizer. Winwood is extremely talented on the keyboards and pianos, so his frequent use of the synthesizer in Arc created a new image for him. His guitar work is frequently underrated, in my opinion, when he receives well-deserved acknowledgement for his piano work. His guitar work is solid and reliable, which allows his piano work to truly stand out. That being said, Winwood is still Winwood on Arc and that's worthy of its placement on the list. Moreover, I'm genuinely surprised Winwood is not enjoyed much by this group of people. Typically I don't hold much against other people when we all have different music tastes, but y'all are missing out on this man's beautiful voice and soulful music. Winwood was THE iconic pop/rock sound in the eighties, and I'm sorry if you can't see that.

Apparently we have a lot of yacht rock haters doing this project. I personally enjoy yacht rock, and I enjoyed this inclusion from Steve Winwood! I think "yacht rock" became rather synonymous with laid back songs with somewhat laid back lyrics. Here, though, Winwood puts a lot of thought into his lyrics, and each come across as meaningfully written. The music is classic yacht rock, though Winwood still excels even here with masterful arrangements. Speaking of the masterful arrangements, it is worth noting that Winwood did nearly everything here -- sung, played all the instruments, and did all the mixing. That's incredibly impressive! A fantastic album that, in my opinion, deserves more praise!

This was a bit of a honey trap with track one being really interesting and cool sounding before it mostly goes boring

Enjoyable, lightly soulful with cool jazz guitars. Get a bit of an elton john vibe from the songwriting. Very pleasant.

Good vibes. Nothing overly notable though

Neither great neither offensive; wouldn't take a 2nd listen.

Miserable, forgettable, an insult. So boring I kept forgetting it was on.

Easy to hate, easy to love.. production levels could have been better maybe? 2.5/5

Aika laimeaksi jäävä kasaripoppistelu. Avaushitti nousee esille jopa hieman ärsyttävällä synasaundilla, mutta muuten erittäin unohdettavaa.

This album really annoys me. Not because it's poorly made, and some songs are radio friendly (or were, 40 years ago), but because it is soooo.... damn... vanilla. It's the epitome of1980's pop music that hasn't aged well. This synths, the vocals, it's all very faint and pathologically inoffensive. I get that some people enjoy this, but from an artistic and influence point of view I think this definitely does not belong on the "must hear" list.

Great little album if you like 80's soul, pop rock, especially. There is a lot of talent and amazing composition and playing here, but a lot of people may dismiss it for just the 80's part. Still, Winwood played all the instruments and wrote some amazing hooks and parts that come together here in a fun and interesting way.

Not a bad soft rock album that screams 1980s. Highlights: "Slowdown Sundown" and "Night Train"

Started in a positive mood but omg it's so bland and occasionally irritating. Definitely does not belong on this list. The worst of the 80s basically here, cheesy, synth heavy, and self-important. Can't give it a 1 though, I don't hate hate it, but I'd never listen to it again. Fuck yuppies, and fuck any yacht rock that isn't steely dan, and to a lesser extent, hall and Oates. 03/01/25

Album cover is beautiful. But it was so boring

Not viewed particularly favourably on the 1001 site - and to a certain extent, I can understand why, as the production job and synth work date it a hell of a lot, and it's very typically quirky and corny for the early 80s period. One of the top reviews remarks that it's a "cut-rate Peter Gabriel knock off" album, and in some ways I wouldn't disagree. However, I'm a fan of Peter Gabriel and have an inexplicable soft spot for cheesy 80s rock, so I largely enjoyed this, even if I wouldn't actively plump for it over the latter. It's perhaps not quite purchase material, but not far off.

Eh. A few interesting tracks, but mostly something I don’t see myself revisiting

Eighties-rrific! And refreshing. Yes some parts sound dated or even cheesy but there's something awesome about this record. 3.8

< The Beatles There are albums that sound exactly like this but better

So I can blame this album for bringing synthesizers into mainstream rock. I guess it created the sound of the 80s... Personal enjoyment: 2 Relevance to this list: 4

A very chill album

Первый

Soft, easy and groovy tunes. The electronic instrumentation is a bit cheesy (typical 80s), but it matches the Phil Collins doppleganger. Nothing too exhilarating or inspirational on this one for me, but it’s listenable.

A fine start, some easy listening, nothing that particular about it. Impressive that everything was done by Steve, playing the instruments, singing, writing, producing and engineering all of the songs, buuut that's still not a reason for being an album you HAVE to hear before you die. I have no idea how much of an influence on music this had had, but idk this is just not it for me. It's kinda average, I'd play this as background music, nothing more though.

If you’re after the earthy charm of Traffic, this isn’t it. Winwood goes full synth and drum machine here, and the result feels a bit sterile. Strong voice, decent tunes, but those keyboards dominate everything. Leaves you wondering what he was aiming for.

I didn’t think this was bad, but understand why this may not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, I don’t understand the vitriol from some of the reviewers…geez! Anyway, other than a couple of stinkers, I thought this was OK. Three stars.

Too cheesy. I liked Spanish Dancer and Night Train though.

An enjoyable listen. I didn’t know any of these, but will likely return to them.

pleasant but completely forgettable sorry stevie 2/5

Imagine my disappointment when I quickly figured out that this isn’t the album with Higher Love on it… Steve went to the club, got turned inside out and came up with this album during the hangover. & This album would’ve been ten times better if he got a better drum machine!! Still not a fully terrible output so I’ll give it a 3.

la cosa più anni 80 mai esistita

Blues & cool

Ehh, not offensive, but could do without this.

Парень молодец, сам все сыграл спел и записал

Some good tunes that I haven't heard in years

Sounds like a bunch of 80s sitcom music

Steve Winwood was my first date with my wife. A great album.

It’s just very average, reminds me of a crappy version of Peter Gabriel's solo albums and an average version of anything from phill collins after Peter Gabriel left Genesis, it’s really, really tepid the very middle of the road 3/5

3/5

C'est creux ça a vieilli !

C+

An album filled with yacht rock goodness, but not greatness. As someone who has recently gotten into yacht rock more, especially since it’s like a spiritual cousin to city pop, I hadn’t heard this album yet. Like I said though, the album is good, not great. While an overall fun album, I feel like there are better examples out there that could have been chosen. 3.75 / 5

Respect to the man, but this album did precious little for me. Night train was decent in a Duran/Roxy kinda way, but the rest of the time I was unengaged.

This screams 80s so bad I can smell the school bus. So flat and hollow. No real instruments except MAYBE a piano. The drums sound like cheap Casio samples. It's just... no. 2/5

3.5

Sad that they did not pick the album with the song Valerie.

*1980. *The first track (While You See a Chance) was great, and I was ready to be totally in on this album. But then the rest was pretty forgettable. RATING - 6.5/10

The first song sounded familiar, like from a movie or TV show but a quick search discovered it wasn't used for theme but I wasn't the only one who that it was. Overall, nothing else stood out. Generic mellow soft rock

Mediocre soft rock

Winwood is hit or miss for me. Most traffic is a hit. Most winwood solo is a miss

2.5 stars. Mostly sounds like knockoff Phill Collins, not very into it. Except for "Spanish Dancer", that song was great.

Damn I really liked the first two songs. Synthy and boppy and both actually a lot more my speed than "Higher Love" which I also enjoy. I'm rating this a four because I just love those first two songs so much and they're 29% of the album. The rest is a vibe. Maybe I just love music these days, IDK.

Cool early 80s sound

I’ve never felt more like Dennis Reynolds.

Me debato entre ponerle 3 o 4 estrellas. Siento que Arc Of A Diver es un álbum al que perfectamente le quedaría un 3.5 de calificación. Es muy padre, sin llegar a lo genial, per que seguro conectará con los que crecimos en los ochenta escuchando power ballads como las que suenan aquí. Inclusive llegué me pareció que la voz de Winwood sonaba igual a la de Peter Cetera cantando Glory Of Love. Las canciones están bien y se pasa un buen rato. No sé si podría enamorarme del disco, aunque sí lo escucharía de nuevo. En fin. Tres estrellas, supongo.

Boring

All the classic rockers have their regrettable 80s album.

0.42

80er

Super slick production, not sure it had any songs that really blew me away, but there's no bad ones either. Nice length of album, overall not bad, not amazing.

154/1001 Steve Winwood - Arc of a Diver Heard Before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ This is what I deem as everything bad in 80s music. It's cheesy as hell and not in a good way. It's not offensively bad, just bad.

Not bad

No one takes this shit seriously right...RIGHT??

3. Not nearly as good as I remembered.

yeah, very 80s lol. Despite the corny lyrics all throughout i did enjoy some songs. "Night train" is my favorite from the album, sucker for a good bass line and doesn't overstay its 7 minutes run time. Other than that though, the song are just too long even the ones i like. On average they are 5 minutes. And the 80s cheese music makes the sacharine and corny lyrics just stand out even more. It was endearing for the first few songs but weared out over time. The song "Second Hand Woman" also soured my taste for the narrator as well, calling this woman as "society's slave" but still wanting to satisfy his desire for a one night stand at least. I don't know just kind of sleezy and makes all his other attempts of reminicising a good past relationship and what not seem hollow. Also, "spanish dancer" is not a good song to dance to lol despite the singer's desperate attempts for the audience to feel the beat under your feet lol. Think will give this album a 2 out of 5 stars. I did enjoy some songs but the most of the album just does not work for me.

4.14/5 Stars Top Songs: Second Hand Woman, While You See a Chance and Night Train

If nothing else, he played every l instrument on the album. I just wish the instruments on the album didn't sound like poo poo. Favorite Track: "Second Hand Woman".

The worst sounds of the 80s.

Ah, off to a good start with farty 80s synth. Weird how that's happened on several 1001 albums so far. Nah, "While You See a Chance" turns into a decent song though. Ooh, the bass gets a little farty too! Honestly though I'm kinda vibing with this. Perfectly cromulent soft rock. Solid listen.

7/10

While you see a chance is still a great song. The rest…..meh. Steve was still sharpening his knives on this one until he produced my favorite album of his, Back In The High Life.

I expected to enjoy this when I saw the reviews saying it was cheesy yacht rock, but unfortunately it didn’t have the level of catchyness I wanted. I was expected an album of Higher Loves, but that wasn’t even on this record FFS. Quite boring in the end.

# Playlist Track - While You See A Chance # Notes - Kind of a generic 80's sound, for sure. But I really dig the synths and jazzy sounds. - Opening track is a certified banger! - Rest is kind of forgettable, good for background noise. - But I still enjoyed it, and I'm giving one extra star for the SICK cover art.

The year and period of transition of this albums creation, and Steves obvious wish to record this album himself in a home studio using modern technology, means that this is very much of its time and would date almost immediately. Some of the sounds are truly nauseating but even on the title track the song lifts beyond the cheese and has many charms. The bad sucks (second hand woman in particular, what a vulgar hook line), but there a three great songs in "while you see a chance", "Spanish dancer" and "night train". Shame not to be able to give it 3.5 ⭐ here but on 1001 this is a...

If it was possible to apply fabric conditioner - gratuitous quantities of it - to music, this would be the result.

Album #977 Pleasant adult contemporary synth pop-rock with a good singer. For me, I enjoyed it enough, but it wasn't anything special. Maybe a high 3/5. Best track: While You See a Chance, Take It.

Ну в общем ничего, достойная музыка и исполнение, но не для меня

I wasn't a big fan of 1980s Soft Rock, and could take it or leave it. This is album is OK, with my favourite tracks being "While You See a Chance" and "Spanish Dancer", but I prefer his previous self-titled album.

Winwood’s voice is inviting. But what are with these songs?! Long, ponderous, and uninteresting. “While You See a Chance” is still radio-worthy, of course. But its (near-kazoo-level) instrumentation is so dated. This album is not essential now. I doubt it ever was. 2.5?

Mall Food Court Music

Cool keyboards. Very 80s soft rock.

Solid

7/10

The worst kind of 70s pop-slop from someone with shallow rock cred.

Way too 80s for me

Sounds pretty dated.

Some good tunes.

Pleasantly mellow, but it all sounds very similar - early 80s like Paul Simon

Þessi vinnur á. Misskemmtileg lög, en ég er sérstaklega hrifinn af titillaginu, While you see a chance, Spanish diver. Hitt er solid 80s adult contemporary. Ég er adult contemporary, já já.

Honestly I'm rating this high for the fact that the guy did it all. Like, everything. All vocals, all instruments. This was a one man operation. I'm sure there were engineers and technicians involved, but this is a Steve Winwood joint. That's it. The songwriting is strong, if not a little dated. But I think it and a lot of Winwood solo stuff holds up to classic pop/rock standards. I can see a track or two (not much more) landing on a playlist or two.

Every aspect of this album is cheap and forgettable. The synths sound like a child’s toy and the singing has that pseudo inspirational, I’m soaring with birds sound that puts me to sleep. I am usually pretty forgiving on music, but there doesn’t seem to be a silver lining for this one.

Snooze fest

Le presté bastante poca atención pero suena guay. A veces está bien el concepto de señores mayores blancos jugando a hacer synth pop. Creo que me podrían gustar bastante las vibes en escuchas sucesivas pero de primeras no llamó demasiado mi atención aparte de un par de temas.

Decent 2,5

Love the first song of the album. The rest is ok but not so special

Sounds like cheesy mom music to me. WTF is with the lyrics of Second-Hand Woman tho.

I can dig some 80s cheese every once in a while, and I honestly enjoyed most of this album. Sort of a less-complex, overall-worse Phil Collins vibe. And you gotta put some respect on an artist who plays all the instruments you're hearing on the recording. But, I can only rock with synth-drums for so long, and once again I find myself just wishing I were listening to Genesis instead. Fave tracks: - While You See A Chance - Arc Of A Diver - Spanish Dancer - Night Train

I remember when Steve and Len Houmous accidentally got married when they were trekking to Machu Picchu. That’s actually what the strokes wrote the song about. 4.0 6/7 Night Train

great vibes

It's fun to listen to but I am missing something special to give it the 5

It was fine. It had a familiar energy that wouldn't be unappreciated at a live show, but I personally wouldn't reach for it in an album.

That bassline in Night Train SLAPS

Nix

so sweet and nice

Osamdesete su vrlo rano počele za našeg stevea

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.

While You See A Chance

Steve Winwood nahm Arc of a Diver (1980) in seinem eigenen Netherturkdonic Studio in Gloucestershire auf; er spielte alle Instrumente, schrieb die Stücke und übernahm Produktion und Engineering. Der englische Musiker verbindet auf dem Album Soft Rock, Blue-Eyed Soul und Pop, geprägt von klaren Synthesizer-Arrangements und mehrfachen Overdubs. Besonders prägnant sind „While You See a Chance“, der Titelsong „Arc of a Diver“ sowie „Night Train“ und „Spanish Dancer“, die zwischen eingängigen Melodien und ausgedehnteren Groove-Passagen wechseln. Klanglich wirkt das Album kontrolliert und fokussiert — handwerklich sorgfältig, in der Wirkung eher zurückhaltend als demonstrativ.

Ootasin Steve Winwoodist enamat. Aga tulemus on igav synth pop kohutavate vokaalidega. Kahju.

I know that other musicians love little Stevie Winwood. Nothing wrong with this album, just a little too mellow for me. It's solid, just not my jam.

That opening song can only take you so far.

Yeah, it’s alright I suppose. Well executed but still middling. 2.5 stars.

Platonic idea 80s plastic synth yacht rock to the point where I wonder if he actually invented that particular sound... considering he played every instrument on this he probably did. I like this dad rock genre tbh, maybe I am a dad inside really. Great lyrics, a gentle kind of groove, writing isn't exceptional but it is super well executed. Some songs do make me cringe though

I was hoping this was the album with “higher love”, but it wasn’t. That’s the only S. Winwood song that comes to mind

sophisticated, soulful

The generation of synth adult contemporary? Traffic is so good and this is so boring.

Why are people on the site comparing this album to Peter Gabriel's solo work? If you're looking for a Genesis comparison it's clearly solo Phil Collins. To be clear, that is not a compliment. Souless, "yacht pop" easy listening that's just a step up from elevator music. At least it was short at 7 songs in 39 minutes. 2⭐️

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 …

The guy from traffic cosplays a progressive solo artist. The result is a pile of nothing

too damn long and I don't like it

An album with a song called Second Hand Woman turns out as bad as I imagined. A lot of those guys from the 60s/early 70s tried to update themselves in the 80s. They got new haircuts, fashionable clothes and spent a load of money on the latest gear and made some awful unlistenable records. 1980 - Prince, Bowie and Kate Bush all put out albums out that year that could be on the list instead, and that's just off the top of my head.

Classic

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

Actually really dug this, even though "Higher Love" wasn't on it. Only note: include "Higher Love" next time.

Not bad, but nothing really stood out to me.

Very dated sound with keyboards and strange effects. Winwoods voice sounds good but this is not great. Short album but this seems unnecessary

It was ok, nothing more. There were no standout tracks, and nothing that made me squirm or cringe. I don't know why this is on the list really.

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.

I am not impressed. I hoped for more but it’s not that good.

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 to confess that a part of me enjoys this greatly. But that part is dumb, and the larger part of me can’t with any honesty call this an album that everyone should listen to before they die. (If you have a baffling affinity for yacht-rock and soulless 80s pop like me, though, it’s pretty good shit.)

Winwood a legend, of course, but this is pretty much yachtrock. I am not really happy with the term "soft rock"--why bring rock into it at all? It's as if you brought your boring uncle to the party, tries to talk to everyone and they are politely listening to him but not really engaging. I have trouble getting through any of these cuts. Sorry, Steve.

Stevie - never been a fave - it’s all a bit meh for me but I appreciate the talent.

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.

Music to shop by.

Damn...a perfect album.

Due to the synth and drum sounds, this is reminiscent of a bunch of other 80s pop rock. But then you realize this was released in 1980. That's years before Synchronicity, "Forever Young," or So, just to compare it with some similar "artsy" 80s pop. This doesn't make it better necessarily, but supports what you can guess from the music: this isn't just a trend-hopping "rock musician goes pop" album. Most everything here is subtly groovy and smooth, nothing is overblown or clumsy. The best tracks are the groovy ones, especially the first three and "Night Train" (shame about the lyrics on "Second-Hans Woman" though). The slower moments like "Slowdown Sundown" work much less well, though the closer's smooth hooks end the album on a high, though sad, note. This is really close to a 4 and might get there if it had just a bit more of a groove in its duller moments.

guess this is what people participating in this challange wants albums from weezer, QOTSA, charli xcx and other modern artists to replace. aka cheesy boomer trash. robert dimery are you listening? take this out next time. change it to stop making sense. or lincoln. or songs for the deaf. the first song is the only good song. 2/5

Primero que todo: portadón. Segundo que algo: señor corny con sintetizadores y progresiones sorprendentemente interesantes. Tercero que nada: Música de padre divorciado de 53 años, me gusta como suena, no tanto lo que dice (Second-hand woman...) Eso suman 3 estrellas. Favs: Arc of a Diver, Night Train

Más allá de la primera canción, que tiene su aquel... Uninteresting voice, uninteresting character, uninteresting melodies, uninteresting lyrics... uninteresting album Sorry Favs: la primera I guess

I like Steve Winwood! He writes some toe-tappers! He also tends to meander and several songs sound samey. But he has a knack for finding grooves, and stands as one of the top Tolerable Guys in the Geddy Lee Club.

Eh, it was fine, pretty non-objectionable background music. I didn't dislike it enough to bump it down to two stars.

Bit of a pleasant sounding snooze fest

3/5

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"

you know what this album reminds me of? Outrun, the videogame. It's something about the synths, cheap sounding and all, that just takes me there. Nostalgia is funny like that.

this guy sounded a lot like Peter Gabriel, songs were okay but again it didn't really blow me away.

Ok you played all the instruments well done. This is just... Generic and derivative. Where is the personal signature. Boring. 2

Not necessarily bad, just not a memorable in my opinion

makes me feel nothing at all lol

not bad at all IMO many forgettable songs but they were still pleasant enough and when the songs are good i really enjoy it, it feels like the outdated sounds should be much more grating than they actually end up being Fav song: While You See a Chance or Second-Hand Woman

It's just a mocktail Phil Collins. Lionel Ritchie, sans the Lion. Where's the oomph? Where is the sledgehammer??? This is more like a squeaky mallet.

Irgendwie ne Mischung aus Genesis und Bruce Springsteen, hat mich nicht so abgeholt

I’m not actually sure what “yacht rock” is but there is some suggestion that this is it. This is pretty cheesy 80s synth pop in my book, and I think maybe it would just be better to listen to Peter Gabriel than this.

2.5

I hadn't heard the term Yacht Rock before now, so this album has taught me at least one thing. Turns out, Yacht Rock is a slick, artificial, soft rock sounding disco turd, sliding slowly down the bow of a small sailing vessel. Some people really like this. Some don't. Hello.

A half-based opinion - his album might actually be better as an instrumental album. The vocals add nothing, but without them it could be like a cool spin on a video game mega man type album. I'm sure 80s fans can see inspirations of other 80s albums in this, but I just hear bad writing and meh melodies.

Huh. One of those artists of whom I'm aware, but don't really think much about. Listening notes: -Liked the synth intro, but it just gave way to some very generic 80s pop sounds. -Pretty boring anodyne stuff. Cool instrumentals though! Yeah. This is fine, forgettable pop rock fromthe 80s.

There is a time and a space for yacht rock. That time is now. That space is wherever I am. So from a personal perspective, 4.5 stars. But from a more objective perspective, this isn’t that exciting, novel or great. So it’s probably closer to 2.5, rounding up to 3.

Dear old father, fellow traveller on the Project and the man most responsible for much of my musical heritage, is a big Winwood fan, and I can definitely see the appeal on this. He's a tremendous singer - with, although I'm not always great at judging this, a huge range. It's not earth-shatteringly great, but it's certainly very nice.

Досить приємний альбом, такий собі непоганий фоновий прикол або музика для радіо в машині. Не можу сказати, що без цікавих шматків чи достойних пісень, проте не настільки щоб до нього прям повертатись. Не всі тексти сподобались. Перебування в цьому списку мене трохи здивувало

Я наче і люблю такий стиль (блю айд соул, АОР, оце все), але цей альбом доволі нудний. З іншого боку дуже сподобалась Spanish Dancer.

"nå haha Steve, det var meget sjovt lige at trykke lidt rundt på presets på din nye synthisizer... skal vi finde seriøs lyd vi kan bruge til når vi optager?" "hvad mener du? Har vi ikke optaget hele tiden?" Jeg kan faktisk meget godt lide hans stemme. HBO dokumentaren om yacht rock var ret god

Meget lækkert men også lidt en snoozefest

Well this was boring. I can't think of a time where I would ever put this on ever again. I am impressed that this was made all by Steve. Steve seems competent. Steve just doesn't make good music.