Reviews (page 6 of 7)
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.
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
"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.
Great voice wasted on this plodding release
Like a sleazy midday electro shit.
I recognise the talent, but this wasn't my thing.
So mediocre. I lost all respect for him when his singles became North American beer ad soundtracks. Liked Songs Added While You See A Chance
This is held up as a classic, and yes, I can hear it has some good songs—but I simply can’t get over that awful, quintessentially ’80s sound.
Boy, I haven’t heard this in ages. It brings back memories of bad hair and colours on clothing that shouldn’t be together. It doesn’t wear as well as I thought it would.
80s yachty, smooth dad music *shoulders shrug*
The list of late ‘60s and 1970s rock stars who struggled to find their footing at the dawn of the ‘80s is a long one. Punk and even disco had set fire to what came before, and the political power axis of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan underlined the stark shift in prevailing cultural winds. So here comes Steve Winwood to launch his solo career with an album of synth-buffeted soft rock in which he played all the instruments himself and recorded at his Netherturkdonic Studios. You can see where this is going on that information alone. I can’t not hear this as music for yuppies who were settling into lucrative careers and child-rearing, their wild hippie days long behind them and having quietly cast their ballots for Ronnie. With its pillow-soft bass drumbeats and indiscriminate and dated synth squawks, this album delivers a whoosh of moussed hair, pastel-colored blazers, shoulder pads — the whole, sordid early-80s shebang. There are a few echoes of his far-better work with Traffic (“Slowdown Sundown” being one example), but I don’t ever want to hear this again.
Like a blander version of Steely Dan. I've already forgotten what was on this lp 24hours later (other than the lead single). I'm tempted to dock it another point for making me praise Steely Dan in comparison.
The Arc of a Diver ends very suddenly, after what feels like a pretty aimless but pleasantly good-natured swim through a selection of pop music styles from the late 70s and early 80s. Its a time capsule of the turn of that decade, with disco bass and zany synths combining forces with sometimes fun, sometimes nauseating results.
Yeah a solid 2 for winwood from me , some nice smooth melodies in there but I can’t hack the synth and drum sounds, and it really takes me out of the music The same tunes played by Blue Nile would really hit the spot for me
Nice voice, but found this kind of boring.
Solid opening track. The rest of the album feels stale and sterile. Not something I'll likely revisit.
Didn't care much for this. It's like if you think Steely Dan or Rod Stewart was too hard rock or something. Ugh. 2/5
Look out, someone discovered MIDI... FM Radio in the 80s must have been unbearable
On dirait du mauvais Peter Gabriel. 2/5
Sumptuous layered production that sounds like it set the template for pop soul of the 80s. More restrained than the likes of Lionel Ritchie, Wet Wet Wet and New Romantics. Some flashes of greatness for me: Favourite track: Arc of a Diver
Really like the cover and the title. Do not like what I'm hearing though. Feels like a proper sledgehammer of all the things I find unappealing about 80s music.
Standard 80s TV series soundtrack here
Lallet bras.. Meter vare og ikke noget for mig.. Den gør ikke ondt, men heller ikke godt...
man this was cheesy. like a bad peter gabriel rip off.
I guess it's well made, but good god do I never want to listen to that again.
huh
A little long for what it is but there are a couple of jams on here
Now this is boat music
The most ‘80s sounding album dropped in 1980. Gotta respect that.
Started off quite strong but went downhill into mediocrity quite quickly.
This one is just really boring and stereotypically 80s yacht rock. I'm not a fan of albums like this. It just feels like the same carbon-copy of plastic pop rock artists from the day. It's okay at best but other than that, it just has nothing to offer at all. No originality nor difference. Favorite Tracks: While You See A Chance Rating: 2/5
As someone who can get on board with yacht rock this did not float my boat..
The only reason you'd have to listen to this album is if it is 1980 and you possess a radio and you have no choice. Otherwise no thanks.
Couldn't give it a fair listen all the way through for fear it was retraining Spotify's recommendation algorithm. What I heard was not appealing to me. I like that Spencer Davis Group tune "Glad" and some Traffic is cool and Steve gets credit for playing on Hendrix's Voodoo Chile. But also some Traffic is very uncool and I have no faith in Blind Faith and by the 1980s, I really wanted this guy to stfu and make way for fresher talent.
It was nice to hear this album. I was surprised by the sounds and different Melodies.
I can’t even really imagine digging an album like this. It’s not like, repulsive. But it’s so far from the kind of vibe I can enjoy. So smooth. Frictionless. No thanks.
background music
I didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would but I still didn’t like it
5/10
80% generic early '80s drivel, 20% amazing synth runs that will be burned into my brain from now on. Truly inconsistent album, hopping between cuts I'll most certainly be coming back to and others I couldn't wait to be over. Highlights: While You See a Chance, Night Train
A couple of good song (While You See A Chance & Night Train) by multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood but most of these atmospheric songs leave me feeling a bit cold.
Maso
Boring and generic lyrics
Another no
Yep, definitely a Steve Winwood album. Honestly, this was going to be a 3 but the last two songs bored me so much it’s dropping to a 2.
Winwood is a talented singer and songwriter whose skills shine in other settings (e.g. Traffic, Blind Faith) but there's no justification for using those selfsame skills to make this glossy, bloodless pastiche of R&B. The production on this album is state-of-the-art (or at least it was for the time) but confuses the notion of "sounds good" with "is good".
The instrumentals would be fine in a Mega Drive game.
Interesting sounds for a forefront 80s album. Slick but forgettable melodies. Decent but nothing too impressive 2/5
No real thoughts.
this was not good
another ok album, another album where i can't see why this is a "must listen to"
I know the name, but I'm not sure I've ever heard any Steve Winwood. You definitely know, you are in the 80's from the first note. Something about the cleanliness of the sounds I don't like, but that could be my own 80 bias even though this is only 1980. Reminds of Peter Gabriel, but maybe it should be the other way around. 2.5 rounded down Heard before? No Owned: No. 1/1001, 1/8 (12.5%) Will I get? No Recommend: No
A bit cheesy, very 80s production which sounds horribly dated. Not my cup of tea. A shame, as his 60s stuff was excellent
Genre: Pop Rock I like Steve Winwood. My dad was a Spencer Davis/Traffic guy, so Winwood has always been around since I was young. But this album is pretty mid. There are moments here and there that pulled me back in, but overall, a pretty bland experience. Very odd, kind of niche, choice for this book. Won’t revisit. 2/5
On Arc Of A Diver, Steve Winwood has achieved something that I guess I just assumed impossible: he has created "advanced listening" level yacht rock. This is a genre designed to deliver cheesy rock music to upper middle-class vacationers (as far as I'm aware), so it honestly felt like everything was always laid bare. However, the aggressive square wave synths, *deeply* '80s production and like 6 minute long songs kind of turns this into an acquired taste. Frankly I'm not that into this, but it's trying *very* hard, like a dog that someone trained to do a backflip. And I'm trying to figure out if it's endearing in the same way. I will say there was something about the first two tracks that I kind of liked, even though they definitely are cheesy and clunky and a little overlong, it seemed like maybe there was something here, and I could kind of see the vision. The little production inelegancies on these songs kind of come together to make them feel intentionally stylized, and the melodies are just good enough that they end up decent. However, this very quickly became a *slog*, I don't really like the rest of these songs, and on top of it, these are pretty much all like 6+ minute yacht rock tracks, so even though this is a theoretically brisk 40 minutes, it really does feel like time prison. Second-Hand Woman just isn't there in the way that While You See A Chance and Arc Of A Diver are. The aesthetic quirks and songwriting can't overcome the clunky cheesiness. Slowdown Sundown tries to give us some variety by injecting the album with some dusty Americana, but I just don't find it especially convincing. After this, we get to side 2, where this thing feels roughest to me. These last 3 songs aren't interesting compositions to me, and the fact that they are all well over 5 minutes, without enough corresponding substance, has me watching the clock. There are some upsides here: a couple of decent songs, some cool moments, and I think the lyrics are often kind of neat, but it just can't pull it together. I didn't really like this, but there's at least enough here to save it from a 1.
No thank you. The 80's sucked and this hasn't aged well. The first burst of synths just turned my brain and heart off immediately.
This reminded me of Steely Dan - whose appeal I still don’t really understand - but worse and less catchy. Or maybe Phil Collins is a more apt comparison? I’d never heard of Steve Winwood before. The title and cover are cool, and I was disappointed that this was something totally different to what I hoped. 2.5?
Always a soft spot for Winwood's synth flourishes. At least two solid tracks on this album. High 2s.
Me aburrió. Creo que solo el segundo tema estaba piola Con tanto sintetizador (y sacando las voces) parece la base de un juego de sega
Um disco simples e previsível de Rock de Yatch. Deve ser um acompanhante maravilhoso pra uma tarde de verão jogando golfe com seus sócios e amigos. Não é meu caso. Pra mim, é apenas um álbum levemente entediante, mas ultimamente inofensivo. Este disco exala aquela aura tosca da década de 1980, bem decadente, sem vergonha nenhuma, com esses sintetizadores baratos e os vocais melodramáticos com letras completamente vápidas sobre qualquer coisa. Steve Winwood tem uma bela voz, ele canta bem, e eu suponho que ele possa compor canções melhores que as daqui. Um disco curto e inconsequente. Certamente você não precisa ouvir ele antes de morrer. Mas não me feriu nem me traumatizou como alguns outros da lista. Não foi uma total perda de tempo, ao menos. 2.5/5
poppað eitís, áhrif frá sálarmúsik og svipar til skútumúsíkar. ekkert sérstaklega hrifinn.
So the first track was EVERYWHERE for years radio wise. I swear it's been in a few movies as well. It's not even his best song but it was a right song right time thing. It's also a killer song, so that's nice. It's a one hit album. It's not bad it's just another album of one banger and a lot of the other songs sound alike. If you are a fan of the 80's you will love it.
An 80s era Steve Winwood album that has no bangers like "Valerie" or "Higher Love". No thanks... He was not back in the high life yet and he got no friends in the low places.
Shopping mall music. Worst Song: Second-Hand Woman. Best Song: Slowdown-Sundown Added to Liked Songs:
Fine. Not special.
Meh. A standard 80s vibe. Decent at times.
Very low-mid early 80s
“Alexa, define vanilla” Like a poor man’s Peter Gabriel. This would struggle make my 10.001 albums list, and I cannot unearth a reason for its inclusion as it is so ridiculously mediocre without a single stand out tune.
Mid. Fave song: Spanish Dancer
Not bad but not good either. The singing often leaves something to be desired. But the sounds of the synth(?) on Spanish Dancer sound pretty fucking good, love the feel.
Generic, boring pop music. Everything sounded about the same to me, and everything is so... Safe. Definitely not my jam. 2 stars and not 1 because atleast the music was played competently.
2.5
Pop/soft rock. First track sounds like Phil Collins but not as good. Second Hand Woman has that sound famous in Valerie. Is is a guitar with heavy FX or a synth with bends? There's not much else here of interest though Best track - Second Hand Woman 2 stars
First song I liked. Got repetitive after that
Not really great but not too bad. Definitely sounds too much like collins/gabriel Will I listen to again: 3%
Steve Winwood was in Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith, and Traffic before going solo and other than 'While You See A Chance' which would become a big hit the rest of this falls flat and for the life of me I can't understand why this is a 'must listen'? Well, I know but that can't be the only reason, can it? 2/5
The best part of this album is the cover. The first track is tolerable, in a smooth jazz/rock early 80s kinda way. But the rest of the album is a slog.
Did not care for the style or songwriting. One star given for being groovy; would be fine in the background at a party.
After the title cut... boring
Blah blah blah. He sounds like Peter Gabriel only perk.
Parts of it I wanted to like and a couple songs were ok but I think there's better yacht rock
The first song is the uplifting hit tune I'm familiar with, the rest of the album is what you'd expect from listening to an album with one hit tune you're familiar with; a lot of mediocre filler with no real opportunity to leave a lasting impact on your mind, just leaving thoughts about what could've been The filler parade at least sounded kind of nice, maybe it was a little cool for its time, maybe Steve Winwood's voice is sort of powerful and grabbing, though it's just all not enough Still a good opening song though
Nah
Look, I don't hate this. The soft rock yachty vibe is fine. It's we'll put together, and Winwood is a great instrumentalist and an adequate singer. But an album is too much, and I'm rating the album. 2.5/5, a rare rounding down to 2 (rather than a gentleman's 3, a knaves 2) because I just wanted to FEEL SOMETHING.
While You See A Chance - LOVED the instrumental at the start before it descended into quite a generic song. Second-Hand Woman would have been so good with a different tune and singer; the backing is amazing. SAVAGE title, though. Incredibly dull songs overall, tune wise, but some cool backings that just about scraped 2 stars for this album.
It was ok. Some nice music in there, but nothing that really stood out to me. I love Steve Winwood's Valerie, but this album felt like mostly background music. Best song: Spanish Dancer
So very dated. So very 80s. I'll give some credit where credit's due: 1) It came out in 1980, so at least it's ahead of the 80s curve. 2) He played everything on this album. That's always impressive. But man, those keys and the recording style are so dated. Getting past all that, the songs are just ok (like, even if you modernized the sounds, it would probably still just be ok). Nothing bad, per se, but not all that good. What was good: While You See a Chance (sure, I knew this one), Spanish Dancer (dated, but I like the vibe...problem is it goes on for too long).
it is Steve Winwood. Not bad, but it gets repetitive
En platta med Gäsper Gäspersson.
2-2.5 dated
It’s the soundtrack for a yawn before a nap.
Title track has a pleasing guitar and bass interplay, with some interesting synths and other stuff over it. Quite a fun and groovy song. Some instrumenting segments of instrumentals and vocals throughout, but doesn’t really grab me. Night Train definitely does something fun and funky with the synths and the bass line.
Decent, nothing special
Mature Cheddar
1.9 Sounds a bit dated an not really up my alley. Side note -There was this show on Canadian Tv called cock'd gunns (If you can find it, give it a watch, pretty funny stuff). The main character went through a blue eyed soul phase and it sound pretty similar to this offering.
For some reason I was expecting jazz from the album name and cover art, but the gentle, electronic synth, like an orchestral Kraftwerk or something which opened this album was a lovely surprise, transitioning into a fun, upbeat head-nodding tune, was great. Then, one minute into the album, the vocals began and I lost all enjoyment. I will be forever grateful that this style of singing has dropped out of fashion.
This is the soundtrack to every receptionists' lobby you've waited in for the dentist to drill your teeth or to experience some other painful medical procedure. Easy Listening at it's most basic.
I have a lot less tolerance for Dollar General 80's soft rock. To me, "While You See a Chance" is the poster child for once-interesting artists devolving into cheesy banality. I like Winwood in general, and this record just barely gets to 2.5 stars on the strength of his voice, the title track, and a few other interesting moments, but the appeal of this overall sound is completely lost on me. 2.5/5
I liked a few songs here , a good listen generally but gets repetitive and does not carve a unique space in my head
Tää levy oli vähän ajanhukkaa mulle… Ihan kivat kasarisyntikat kyllä koko ajan.
Sovitus, instrumentaatio, tuotanto... huh. Tästä kaikesta huolimatta levyllä on selviä merkkejä, jos ei inspiraatiosta, niin ainakin innoituksesta, ja kuuntelukokemus on ihan tyydyttävä, kun ottaa huomioon, miten heiveröinen yhtye Traffic oli. 2,5
The sound of Peter Gabriel taking a wrong turn
It wasn't until the 5th track that I realized this actually wasn't Stevie Wonder and I could stop wondering why it is so... flat. Like asking an AI to generate some 80s flavored human music.
It's a warm album, but I'm unsure if I can say anything more about it. Easy to listen, but I'm unsure if lovable.
I just do not get along with the 80s. There's nothing terrible here, but it just feels like they forgot how to make good music for a decade.
Not bad. Yacht rock transition....
Synthesizer extravaganza from a sappy emotional dude.
Nothing much here to inspire. It's fine.
Reminds me of Phil Collins. Not really my thing.
Couple Winwood wins but most the tracks fell flat.
Had to listen twice as the first listen sent me to sleep.
I just found this kind of boring. I had no problem with it but it just felt like it wasn’t doing anything interesting or worth talking about
2.5
Weird mix of post disco and early 80s synths. I’m good.
Weak. Pleasant enough but wishy washy.
Rakastajamies, rakastelija. Tämä mies osaa rakastaa. This man oozes sexuality. Raw sex power... Kun alkaa laulaa niin sexjumala tulee esiin. Todistan! Winwood witnesses... Mooses jakoi punaisenmeren, Winwood voi halkaista persläpeni kahtia ja sanon KIITOS KIITOS KIITOS! vittu pane mua vittu pane mua VITTU PANE MUA VITTU PANE MUAA A VITTTTTUUU!!!(imposs for me to satisfy Winwood probably...) ja albumi on suhteellisen paska btw. night train
The worst yacht truck has to offer.
Heard some of Steve's songs before (thank you for your accidental contribution to electronic music). This album is quite boring though. It's like somebody tried recreating Peter Gabriel's music from memory 2/5
Music so cheesy I'm going to have the aftertaste for days, and so uncool it's probably responsible for global warming.
it was a synthesizer time
I have never heard of this person. This is some adult contemporary yacht rock shit. Not my thing. Some tracks have some funky instrumentation (disco on Second-Hand Woman, soul/folk on Slowdown Sundown, bass line on Night Train) but the weird 80s synth and wailing vocals ruin it for me. The second half of the album is definitely stronger, but if we’re judging it on first impressions I probably would have switched off.
Bland
First track is the well known one, but after hat it just didn't seem to go anywhere. He's a talented musician with a good reputation, surely this can't be his best work? 2
Electric gazoo boogaloo. Being called a ‘Second Hand Woman’ can’t be very flattering. I bet he was a hit with the ladies. All very dated, but weirdly enjoyable in a funky groovy 1970s American Cop Movie soundtrack kind of way. ‘Night Train’ the standout for the great guitar work.
A lot of really gross sounds
Did very little for me. Some of the tunes were catchy, but only in an 80’s sitcom theme song sort of way. Not something I’ll try to listen to again.
This was so 80's cheese that I was waiting for an episode of Family Ties to start playing. 3/10. Could be fun in the right mood.
First? 2,5/5 Again? 1,5/5
Not for me
It had a touch of Phil Collins about it
Gibt echt nicht viel Ist n netter listen 👂👂 mehr Credit gibts nicht
1.5
HUGE traffic fan so i'll give it some extra love. This was very ok - good background music, i guess?
Outside of the opening track, the rest of this album is still caught up in 70s cheesy soft rock that is boring with songs that are way too long and drawn out. I never liked Winwood and was always a hard fast dial turn away whenever his stuff came on the radio or MTV. Even though I can appreciate the level of talent here given he played every instrument and engineered…and produced, I still don’t like it.
Wait, are we getting multiple Winwood records on this?
This sounds like a late 80s sitcom. Soft rock is blasphemy
Adult alternative soft rock bullshit. How we gonna get Steve Winwood and not Higher Love which I presume is his one and only decent song? 1.75/5
Mid-80s to a T and the first two tracks are pretty good. After that it's like a Bryan Ferry solo album when the musicianship, textures and production are all top-notch and cover up for the lack of top-quality tunes. Also each track probably a minute too long. 2.5
Classic 80’s sound, budget Peter Gabriel.
Super cheesy eighties stuff; this doesn't hold up. Steve Winwood's voice is another of those which, although a decent voice, is one that doesn't work for me.
272/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
Klingt wie generischer happy Phil Collins mit Nintendo Synthezisern. Wenn ichs nicht gehört hätte hätte ich nix verpasst.
Arc Of A Driver seems to start on a high note, and then kind of settles down afterwards. It’s very heavy on the synth, which at times is fun, and other times it gets pretty cheesy. Regardless of cheese, there’s definitely a lot of talent on display. Overall, it was okay, but I wasn’t feeling it much. Maybe it deserves another visit.
I don't think it's possible to find an album that sounds more 80's than this... Which is impressive considering how early in the decade it was. I imagine the conversation with the producer went something like this... How much Moog are you gonna add on the album Steve? Steve: Yes
Nope
This is terrible. I loved every minute of it. Favorite songs were While You See A Chance and Night Train
The album title is the best thing about the album. Rest is very bland sub Phil Collins 80's pfaf.
1.57
So, considering what was going on in the post-punk era of the late 70s and the early 80s this is quite a dull and plodding album, and I don't think it has stood the test of time. It all seems a bit bland AOR. It's not offensive, but it comes across as a bit soul-less - maybe because it was all played by Winwood as overdubs. I liked the LP sleeve design.
Hmmm Can’t decide if those synth tones have aged in a good way or not.
Poor
pure 80s cheese
I do like Yacht Rock and this kind of soul but not my cup of tea
Meh.
Bit boring
Ye synths! It reeks of 80s tho. So no.
Never listened to Steve Winwood before. Probably won’t listen again. But enjoyed a few of these.
You hear that farty-sounding synthesiser track and you know it’s a Steve Winwood jam. Is that something you must hear before you die? It is if you need more instruments that sound like flatulence in your life. I give this album a bonus star for Winwood playing all of the instruments and engineering the hell out of this thing. I think his next album - Talking Back To The Night - is more iconic. That’s what I’ve got.
Steve Winwood is an insanely talented musician. He was in three influential bands in the 60s and has worked with just about everyone in the music biz. However, this solo album (he played everything on this) falls flat for me. It’s amiable jazz-funk, but it suffers from weedy 80s home studio production and lacks a bit of oomph. The highlight is an unlikely collaboration with Viv Stanshall (of Bonzo Dog fame) who provided lyrics for the title track.
A great voice. And the song (not the track, the song) While You See a Chance is really strong. Beyond that, this album is one cringe-inducing element stacked on another. This is the precise moment when synths went from mind-blowing, other-worldly, and exotic to limp and feeble. Synths could still be fascinating - hear what Peter Gabriel or Greg Hawkes (Cars) are doing at the same time. But those guys were spending time and energy programming their sounds. SW showed the music industry that you could sell albums by being lazy; punching up the canned sounds on a Yamaha. So that's what we got for the rest of the 80s. The lyrics on Spanish Dancer are like an average SNL skit - no one could write these in earnest so they must be intended to be funny, but they aren't. They're just really dumb. The only track that doesn't sound painfully dated (thanks to those Yamaha synths) is Slowdown Sundown; but it just sounds like Van Morrison. (I would say watered-down VM, but VM is pretty watered down to begin with.) Great voice though. Imagine if he'd teamed up with a great musical partner/instrumentalist. (If you need a demonstration of how bad this album is, listen to the Spencer Davis Group...)
The poor man’s Peter Gabriel
meh
Cheerful classic pop rock, I enjoyed it. But its emm ordinary.
This kinda just sounded like uninteresting 80s grocery store music. I can appreciate that it was probably sorta innovative for the early 80s, but it was unfortunately pretty underwhelming
Head empty, no thoughts
Incredibly unmarkable but not bad I guess
Not actively trash, but why is this here
Chill, uplifting album. Impressive all the instrumentation and writing is one person. Sounds like it could be movie music. After a few songs it gets pretty dull; there's not much variation.
2. He's done much better albums.
https://youtu.be/CiehMELBpME?si=B3NkZ5OhFryKYXPS Stealy Dan
So bland and nondescript it’s confusing to think someone has deemed this worthy of being one of the top 1001 albums of all time. It’s seems odd that it was even considered alright when it came out.
Nothing that caught my attention. Nothing bad either, just not something that I would recommend to others.
Meh
https://youtu.be/CiehMELBpME?si=D4ax39msYq-FDs_5 Enjoy it, Coach Dick and Balls. On a related note, wasn’t a fan.
I liked his work in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith and Traffic, but this solo album is very different from the music he made earlier. It is a quite unmemorable pop album - it sounds like he wanted to cater to the more pop-oriented/middle-of--the-road audiences with this type of music. The production is very 1980s which is not my favorite either. I wanted to like this album, but I couldn't get into it.
Great opening track and decent title track. But quickly downhill after that, sounding now like another generic 80’s record.
Absolute snooze
70s guitarist does 80s synth pop, yay (rolls eyes and looks into distance)! Sounds awfully dated, as most 80s music does. There was some ok songwriting on there, Spanish Dancer and Night Train get a nod. The latter was the best one, as the tempo was upped and guitars brought to the fore, and hey presto. Stick to what you’re best at Steve.
The CIA turned Indonesia into a plantation dictatorship to produce a bass tone this rubbery. They armed generations of Saudi monarchs to secure access to the petroleum byproducts needed to create these synth sounds. They made Colombia into a narco state to produce the cocaine mindset that made this seem like a good idea. It undeniably worked. But was it worth it? Probably not.
p469. 1980. 2 stars. Pros: one of the great white soul voices on show. One great song. Cons: dated 80s production, and a lot of filler. No-one needs multiple tracks >5+ minutes.
Even though this album is only 40 minutes (which I love) it still feels like it drags on. It's just that soft rock that just sounds so dated.
its going its going its going its still going its gone
Not for me !
The awesome cover art deserved a better album. This was pretty cheesy and definitely an 80's sound. "Spanish Dancer" and "While You See A Chance" were pretty good but they weren't enough to save this one. 2.5/5
It was okay, nothing special
# 293 : I don't love it, I don't hate it, I can listen to it, a couple of things stood out. Mainly track one. 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, but one classic does not make a good album. Favourite track : While You See A Chance
Cheese city
Add this to the “one big song so the album should be on the list” list. 3/10
It's perfectly listenable, but hardly essential.
Overall not something that I'd return to, but there was one track here that I absolutely loved. So it was worth going through this album just for the result of discovering that great song
I felt bored listening to this
Do you find Bruce Hornsby just a little too edgy? Well, have we got an artist for you!
Nothing special. Not bad, but nothing special.
Not sure what to say about this, it's alright but unremarkable
The 80s music scene genuinely thought it was on to something. I’m not sure which electronic device produced the sound (Prophet-5, Minimoog, or Yamaha CS-80), but It’s featured throughout by Winwood here, supplying high pitched lead lines. It distinctly identifies this album with the timeframe. Not necessarily a good thing, but there is a certain nostalgic aspect in play. I am impressed that Winwood played all the instruments on the album. Gotta respect that. Night Train is the highlight of the album for sure. The bass line is great. Too bad there weren’t more tracks like it.
Not for me, dull.
This is the kind of stuff I grew up listening to in the back of my parents station wagon. That’s not a good thing.
While you See Chance and the title track are decent tracks, the rest of the album is forgettable bland 80's adult contemporary. Hard to really give this more than 2.5.
Why is this in here? It’s just not a great record. It’s fine but forgettable.
Fine. Drags a little.
Strong opening track, the rest is kinda blah.
Yeah, not bad. Didn't knock my socks off, but I'm glad I listened to it.
Why does this exist?
One good song.
2.5
It's, like, too chill... 4/10
Pleasant listening, but this felt like of like elevator music to me.
Good musician but i found it quite boring. Night train was the best on the album
I can't fathom why anyone would ever choose this album over the front to back collection of bangers that is "Back In The High Life"
It’s not that this isn’t well composed, or that the synth is the featured element. It’s that it sounds like department store rock, from the 80s. There’s really nothing to appreciate.
Farty-synth era blue eyed soul is generally bad. This is no exception though a few tunes are catch enough to merit two stars.
Cool I guess but not really a lot of thoughts lol
Not my cup of soup
Nice voice and opens with an ok track, before the… unpleasantness… Cheesy, radio-friendly soft rock/pop. Mad to think this guy was in Traffic.
It was too "yacht-rock" for me.
When the first track gets going you can hear the structures of a decent song but the instrumentation is very off-putting. It's all programmed drums and synthesizers. It's like they are utilising the latest technology just for the sake of it. I get the feeling this would sound a bit better if done with traditional instruments. The other things that hits me is how it all sounds like Phil Collins / Peter Gabriel / Marrilion. All very prog rock but probably not the best example of it. Like many albums I've had so far, I don't see what is so significant about this that I had to hear in my lifetime. 2- Stars.
Very generic
Bit of a letdown.
Ok.
Very much a guy fucking around by himself in the studio. Many tracks have promising vibes, but end up being either too cheesy or not really working out. At several points, Winwood adds unintuitive progressions to otherwise straight forward tracks. Steve Winwood is however no Stevie wonder, and these attempts at musical interest do mostly not really serve the track they’re on. Second-hand woman is the best track. 1.9
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Steve Winwood before. Some of the melodies I enjoyed. But every song is too long and outstays its welcome. Plus I felt that each song sorta sounded like a rough draft for a 1980s sitcom. 2/5
Good production value on this record but the music didn’t hit me.
The keyboard sound didn’t stand the test of time.
Bonus points for Winwood playing all the instruments. But this is a tepid, drab affair that is so middle of the road, Christopher Cross got jealous.
nothing objectionable. Night Train was the standout for me.
This one is weird. I had a good idea of what to expect, but as a fan of Traffic, I still found myself a bit disappointed. I was even thinking the negative reviews were harsh, but quickly realized there was some justification. Most of these songs sound and feel like they needed a little more time to bake. They have strange mixing, texture choices, lack some good grooves, and ultimately feel flat. Perhaps the sound of someone trying too hard to do something different with too many (at the time) new tools but not knowing how best to put the pieces together. Some positives: Gotta give Steve Winwood for essentially doing all of this himself, Night Train is kind of a jam, Slowdown-Sundown, sounding the most like Traffic, is pleasing, and in all it's cheese, I like the title track just enough. I'm probably being a bit more critical because I was hoping for a bit more.
On the opening song of this record, I realized I have heard it a million times and it was super popular when I was kid. Reminded me of the a.m. radio and is a solid tune. Though I don’t recall hearing any of the other songs before, the whole record is solid. It could get an award for how consistent it is, with no deviation in style throughout. Unfortunately, I just didn’t find it very interesting. Not bad, just not anything I really want to listen to.
Pretty boring
OK. opens with a breezy 80's track - feelgood nostalgia. a reminder of a simpler time and the quirks of the pop music of the era. Q: does the rest fo the album carry the same impact? A: a few sleepy tracks that feel like lobby/elevator music now. A bit too sleepy and for me, frustratingly slow - A top album? no. more a curio now, that is maybe interesting for someone for its use of organs and stereo effects 80s style. but it might sound better sped up! like Night Train does... but I confess this sounds like a slow soundtrack to a straight to video 80s american crime thriller.... man gets out of TransAm and walks inot convenince store in a run down town, where somethign is about to happen. but not enough "happens" on this album. Yet another "old white man nostalgia album from a wood veneer listening room with wall to wall carpet". Its deifnitekly not the best of the 80s. take it off the list now,
I’ve loved Steve Winwood since he emerged as the lead singer of The Spencer Davis Group. He had been 14 years old when he joined the band in 1962, 16 years old when they released their first single in 1964 & 17 years old when I first heard him on their hit single Keep On Running in 1966. He would follow that in 1967 with Gimme Some Lovin & I’m A Man before splitting to form Traffic when he was still a teenager. I loved Traffic & the supergroup he formed with Clapton, Blind Faith. We called my littlest sister Stevie after him because she had a head of long red hair, looking very much like Winwood’s hair at the time. Why am I telling you all this? Because I really never liked this album. Winwood wrote the music played everything & engineered & produced the album, but had 3 different songwriters write the lyrics. I was a big fan of the opening track, which had been a big hit single & I didn’t mind the title track (the only lyric provided by the great Vivian Stanshall, best remembered as a member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band & the MC heard on Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells). But I find the rest of the album a bit limp. An exercise in demonstrating how talented Winwood is, but dud songs don’t help.
Steve Winwood has played and sung on some really great records over the year, as a front man of the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic or Blind Faith, or as a featured player, such as his terrific playing on Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland album. And I really rate his playing. But the things I really love about him are not quite as evident on this album. The keyboard playing is mostly (then cutting edge) synthesizers, and the soul seems largely absent from his vocals. I know this was a self-produced, home recorded effort, that was his last shot at a career before he gave up to drive cabs. And I don't begrudge Steve his success, after spending his whole life on the road. But.... this album set out the tone and sound of a whole decade of over-polished, synth-heavy, recorded-to-the-click albums that followed. Given how it was recorded, it is remarkable how polished it sounds, but the polishing smooths off the feel, the soul, the swing of it. It is middle of the road, easy listening pablum, which (opening hit single aside) I find really tedious. He credits this album for saving his career, but really, did he do much of note following this? This album helped establish the sound of adult-oriented 'rock' for the 80s, and I'm not convinced that was a good thing. Dust off the B3, Steve, and crank out some soul covers for us. I'd much prefer that.
Very 80s. Quite liked the bass lines on some of it. Night train in particular. Think I might have recognised the opening track, felt familiar Overall though not my thing and won't be back
Just blends into the background. Forgettable.
In the middle
Meh. Didn’t hate it. Kind of annoying background music.
Feeling a bit like a negative nancy. Just boring. Could be the headache and the studying and the midterms, but this wasn't what I needed, and I'm not sure it will ever be what I need.
Very mediocre, poor sound, there is just no energy or excitment anywhere, all rather bland
I thought I might like this one, but no. The songs were quite boring, and especially the vocals sounded surprisingly weak.
This didn't make a significant impression after two spins.
I dunno it’s a bit meh, it’s very listenable but do care for any of it, I don’t think so
Three cuts got a far amount of airplay over the years. The rest of the album is forgettable
ehhhh
This definitely an 80s album. I had never heard of the artist or any of the songs. Nothing was particularly catchy. It was relative short but many of the songs were way too long.
Good first song. The rest was elevator music
The song or two I knew was good, but then I just tuned it out. Nothing unique.
I thought I'd like this more than I did. First song is known and great. The rest just didn't really do it for me.
Sja. Het is muziek. Goed voor de achtergrond I guess.
2 Whenever I think of Steve Winwood, I think of that episode of Always Sunny where Dennis and Dee try to change the music at a spin class and ultimately leave the instructor with a Steve Winwood album as a parting gift. Great show… not as great of an artist. Respect to the dude for playing every instrument here and self-producing, but I think this may be one of those rare instances where it would have benefitted from having more cooks in the kitchen. As is, it sounds like a white dude trying to do a Stevie Wonder thing with maybe a splash of Peter Gabriel thrown in there for good measure, but any of the fun attributes of either of those artists are completely boiled away. Like, it’s not objectionably bad music, but it just doesn’t work for me - I find it incredibly uninteresting, soulless, and ultimately, a slog of a listen. Is Always Sunny doing a meta joke that its terrible characters have terrible taste? Don’t really have anything else to say on this one - there’s not much this album does that’s particularly commentable, and there isn’t any one song or moment that I would say is better or worse than any other. Oh well, after writing a novel with my last few reviews, I’m probably due for a shorter one anyway.
Its okay, some songs were good but other wise it's average
The synth is so heavy and grating - otherwise I'd rate it a 3
I liked the mellow vibe, but found the album as a whole a bit boring. It's pleasant background music rather than something you'd seek out to listen to
He was certainly talented, but this is such a product of its time that I cannot help but be a deeply bored child again when I hear it.
Had hoped for more - he's a super talented artist but seemed here he just wanted to play with some new synths and do some yacht rock.
Cheese 80s blah
Goofy ahh record that sounds like a soundtrack of some of some antique animated movie from the start of the digital age that I'd find on a dusty forgotten CD at the back of a mother's CD shelf. Certainly evokes a certain peculiar nostalgic feeling, but I'd need to be in a very specfic mood to find this truly enjoyable. For now it just gives me this vibe of frivolous superficial detachment from reality. Naive and oblivious. I wouldn't really say I like it very much + the guy's voice sort of reminds me of that of Randy Newman, who I find extremely irritating. Not really my jam, but it could be worse and it's certainly an interesting music branch to know about, so I'll give it 2 stars at least.
There's clearly skill on display here, but this is hold music that I would probably turn down or hope for a callback.
Hilarious way to start the day but got pretty sick of it by the middle
Not my thing at all. 80s keyboard extravaganza. Very samey.
Didn't like the sound of this one, hard to enjoy as a result. Had a very 80's, day-time South-East Radio feel
Boring
Songs I mostly remember, but they aren't memorable. Never been a fan for some reason. It's me, not him.
Sounds like an annoying, sanitized version of Japanese city pop.
Eeeeh
Corny but sweet. Can't see myself going back to the whole album as most of the songs are pretty similar. That being said I will go back to "While you see a chance" because that song is great. 2.5/5
Tried a few times to be a Steve Winwood fan. A little too soft for me I think. Genuinely great and soulful parts to this album however. 2.5/5
I feel i should like this, cause I like Others of this style, but I don’t 2
I can only describe this as dull and a sludge to get through. There was only a single song I somewhat enjoyed, the others I waited for to be over. The genre was hard to place. A little jazzy, a little pop. A forgettable voice with forgettable lyrics
I liked Slowdown-Sundown, but this seemed like an album you'd hear over the mall speakers in the 80's. pretty generic.
Spanish Dancer is a good one. The rest is pretty forgettable 80s synth pop
When Peter Gabriel, in a career slump, gets hired to sing over the top of a mid-80's Saturday morning cartoon theme song soundtrack album.
Oof the synth, the lyrics, the sound of his voice. I think my mom added this one to the list.
This sounded like Phil Collins singing bad songs. Spanish Dancer was kinda enjoyable and the cover art is great but overall this was a stinker. Winwood more like Losewood 2 stars
Just not my thing.
How on earth did this album end up here? Boring, boring, boring.
Okay, so there's no Phil Collins on this list, but there's this album? What a joke.
I listened to this but don't even remember what it sounded like
The synth keyboard is horrible. 2 stars
Too much cheese.
This was a fine listen, albeit a bit background noisey as it went on. I enjoy Steve Winwood's voice and approach, but I pretty much find myself wanting to hear most of these tracks performed by Traffic instead. Favorite track: Night Train
Have always been a fan of Higher Love and Back in the High Life Again but unfortunately neither of those tracks are on this album.
oK.
Dull. Could have been the soundtrack to Beverley Hills Cop 3. I much prefer his earlier work.
Really not my kind
I liked the music. The lyrics and vocals….not so much
No me gustó, para nada. Re insulso, me hizo acordar a Phil Collins.
Never heard of the guy before now, seems like the type of music people’s parents would have listened to on holiday in Majorca in the 80’s. Night train was funky enough, reminded me of a vice city kind of song.
5/10 Inoffensive Highlights: Night Train
I mean, I guess Steve Winwood should be represented as a "sound of the 80s" kind of thing. But I dont think that this album would be anything that anyone would say everyone should hear before they die. 2/5
1/7, 14%
Easy listening
starts good after the middle it's pretty filler
Not my style but not bad for the 80s soft rock
Digger albumarten dåe
Whitest music ever made
It’s not for me. Every song melded into the other and I lost interest throughout parts of this. I’m sure there’s an audience for this brand of boring rock. Those people are probably going to love it!
Well, this was a nice and safe record wasn’t it. Not much to report on this one I’m afraid. Will I ever seek it out? Nope.