Reviews (page 6 of 8)
I thought I was going to love this album, but I'm not sure why, I think his name was steeped in nostalgia. I listened to the album twice (accidentally) its such a cheesy, average bunch of songs delivered in a cheesy way. He has an awesome voice, but a bit like Lou Gramm from Foreigner, probably too perfect, sounds like an auto-tuned instrument, which doesn't help the 80s super saturation. Disappointing Meh. Unfortunately, I also listened (twice) to the radio track interviews track (56 mins) on the deluxe edition. What an absolute wankfest.
How to make 40mins sound like 4 hours - not in a good way.
I feel like finding good yacht rock is tricky. The songs need to be both good songs and breezy and cheesy in just the right way. You fail at either and they become tedious. A few songs here land in the sweet spot, but a lot also miss the mark.
Forgettable dad rock.
2.5
I knew the first track, which is, in a way, ok. The rest is forgettable and very dated.
Man... you could've added Back in the High Life. That one at least has a hit, unlike this.
dude
RATING: 4/10 HIGHLIGHT: Spanish Dancer LOWLIGHT: Dust
While there are a handful of catchy melodies, on the whole this is disposable, 80s era, adult contemporary pop that sounds incredibly dated. A curious choice for this list.
Meh
155. ok
This just feels a bit goofy. Not because he intended it that way, but the quirky synths just have a shoulder dancing vibe while drinking a glass of rosé (with an ice cube) in the suburbs. It's like the 80's theme song to every family sitcom of the era. If I ever hear this again, I'll pop that rosé and get my shoulders loose.
2/5. Only two things keeping me from lowering this to a 1 is that I quite liked a lot of the bass lines on the album and the synths aren’t as awfully produced as they are on a lot of other 80’s pop albums. Beyond that though I got nothing out of this one. I really just don’t like this style of vocals, they’re just so cheesy and not in the fun way. And outside of the basslines the instrumental arrangements on here are in one ear and out the other, nothing offensively bad, but also nothing of particular interest.
On paper it's pretty impressive, frankly, if you know anything about music production it's very impressive, this is a real one-man-band. There's a slight funk which evolves even more choppy from here on out. As far as the actual sound he produced, I'm not a huge fan, funky blue eyed soul still feels like it's missing the 'soul' part. 2.4/5
Started out cool but the instrumentation and songwriting got pretty weak as the album went on.
Too light for me. ★★
It was okay
There were two go to session piano players in London: Nicky Hopkins and Steve Winwood. Winwood played with everyone from Howling Wolf to Hendrix to Paul Weller. He was in two hit making groups; Spencer Davis and Traffic, as well as two "Super Groups": Blind Faith and Ginger Baker's Air Force. (Three Super Groups if you count the band Townsend put together to support Clapton in his come back Rainbow Concert.) So what happened here? As a solo artist he proves to be a sort of less interesting Phil Collins, just as Collins is a less interesting Peter Gabriel. The first song - While You See a Chance - is perfectly fine, but after that it just becomes a dull soup of synths, keyboards and assorted instruments. Winwood plays and sings every note and you have to give credit for the virtuosity. But it's a pretty dull affair.
Not my style idk.
Reminds me of Peter Gabriel, just not as good. The only songs I know from Steve are Valerie and Higher Love, both really catchy numbers. Neither are on this album. 2/5.
I literally have nothing to say about this album. Ok....cool album cover
Windows is a great musician, no doubts about it. But this was unfortunately boring
I think I have decided that you can only start a song with an organ if your name is George Michael. I’ll be honest, the first track of this album (While you see a chance) sounds like the generic backing tracks you would get on a keyboard (which I incessantly played with at the age of 10 to the chagrin of my parents). It gives knock off Daft Punk? I definitely prefer the more soulful songs like Arc of a Diver and Second Hand Woman and the more groovy Night Train. At the same time, the album gives divorcée seduction, nostalgia, but an acceptance that your best years full of youthful excitement are behind you.
One okay song. The rest are tolerable and/or irritating. Spanish Dancer is downright cringey. 2.5
That’s a gift for you, bumblebee. Enjoy it, Coach Dick-and-Balls.
Actually forgot about it *while* listening to it.
I have to imagine this was squarely in the bargain bin by 1981. The 1001 is really testing my patience again.
i remember the hit
Phil Collins but mid
I like the more experimental 80's music. This style is not for me. Just boring, similar sounding soft rock/pop.
Amiga 500/Comodore 64/ Spectrum ZX vibes in the first 20 seconds of track one. Sadly, that was the best bit.
If you told me this was Peter Gabriel I would have believed you.
Cliché is especially bad when it's incoherent, as the following snatch from the first track brings to light: 'Stand up in a clear blue morning / Until you see what can be / Alone in a cold day dawning / Are you still free? Can you be?' It's hard to tell what that means, tho you know it's not much & not all that interesting. I quite dig the Steve Winwood of Blind Faith but confess to knowing little about his work w/ Traffic or the Spencer Davis Group. On this record, he gets more and more annoying, especially that high tenor voice, which had been endearingly soulful w/ Clapton, Baker, & Grech. Often, he just sounds like a far less poignant Van Morrison. Also, you know that cat Bobby Caldwell J Dilla sampled for 'The Light'? That guy's better as well.
I know Steve Winwood can make songs I love—higher love, Valerie—but these were all just fine. Spanish dancer gets a point for putting DJ to sleep.
Steve could do a lot better than this.
I was expecting to like it more tbh
There’s a certain effortless polish to 𝘈𝘳𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳, but that’s also its biggest problem — it’s almost too smooth. The album drifts along on soft grooves and glossy production, feeling distinctly yacht-adjacent without ever becoming particularly engaging. While Winwood’s musicianship is undeniable, the songs themselves feel oddly weightless, lacking the spark or emotional pull you might expect for an artist of his stature. It’s pleasant in the background, but rarely compelling in the foreground.
Sax in the first song was great. Everything else was a snoozefest.
Synthy, yacht album. Not noteworthy. This list needs to stop celebrating mediocre white people albums. 2*
Nah. Not s'much.
I don't know what I expected this to be, but I was wrong in the worst way. I don't really know what this is. Yacht Rock? Disco? 80s bubblegum pop? I had heard one of the songs and it's fine. The rest of the album is not.
In the early 60s Stevie Winwood sold his soul for talent, musicianship, and for entry into the world of Rock and Roll. And though no one thought it was possible, he bought it back for an 80s music production kit and produced this album. It's as if all his musical peers were turned into ones and zeros and said yes to every bad idea Steve ever had. I suppose that if you have never heard of The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, or Blind Faith, you might think this is excellent music (especially if you're in the dentist's waiting room). However, if you care at all about music, you'll know that this album is on this list only as a cautionary tale about what can happen when you deal with the devil and/or embrace the 80s music production kit.
Another worldwide hit, but I find the rest only mediocre.
A Peter Gabriel knockoff sorry Steve
Sorry but no thanks!
The bastard love child of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel and as musically tepid as you'd expect. 2 stars.
Incredibly dated synthesiser sounds, missing a signature song to unite the album, it sounded like a poorer version of mid eighties Genesis
algo de rock, algo de jazz se va haciendo largo conforme avanza y no me atrapo
You know, that's a long way from Blind Faith
4/10. Fav Track - While You See A Chance I listened to this one twice because honestly I wasn't sure how I felt after the first go. I have a good time listening but it always comes down to "Do I want to include any of this in my main playlist" and unfortunately I didn't.
Steve Winwood's works are the epitome of easy listening. He is the master of muzak, the earl of the elevator, a wizard in the waiting room, the great one of the grocery store. Arc of a Diver is not his best album in my opinion but with his break out hit "While You See The Chance" on here, he made a name for himself. That track is one of his bests but I think "Spanish Dancer" sneaks in and steals the top spot on the record. I had not heard that one prior (or any of the others). Steve has a pretty epic musical past that I knew little about as well, teaming up with Clapton and Baker. I like that he had become a truly solo artist at this point in his career though, playing all the instruments on this one. Not the most ground breaking but enjoyable...dives in at 2.36 stars.
While I was enjoying the first couple songs off this album, it wasn't able to sustain the momentum it had through the back half of the album. Opening track While You See A Chance was the highlight of the album for me, and while I also liked title track Arc Of A Diver, it can genuinely say it was pretty much downhill from there. Steve Winwood has some great stuff in his bag, but he also has quite a bit of skippable filler. When it all comes together effectively it perfectly scratches that smooth easy-listening itch that puts a smile on your face. The remainder of the collection ends up becoming easily ignored background music. I like Steve Winwood but feel he works best as a greatest hits artist. When it all wraps up Arc Of A Diver is just OK and lands in the middle of the pack. 2.46 stars
Fine. Could see where he was going with the music, but he didn't get there with the vocals.
Pretty good but not my vibe
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
Not really my jam. Felt like I was stuck in a TJ Maxx.
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
Boring
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
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
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.
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.
Фил Колинс ама не е
It's fine, but it's not the vibe I was feeling today.
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!!!
One hit wonder for a reason
Even though I grew up absolutely hating this style of music, I do want to go sailing.
I get why it can be considered a milestone, but this is not my style.
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.
Post disco synth based pop music. This was probably a breath of fresh air in 1980.
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
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
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.
é, não eh bom não. não foi desagradável, só chato mesmo. algumas músicas se estendem demais e são só paia.
Nahh I was abit bored tbf
Relentlessly playing on soft rock stations your parents probably enjoy at the office.
Naur
This was a bit of a honey trap with track one being really interesting and cool sounding before it mostly goes boring
Good vibes. Nothing overly notable though
Neither great neither offensive; wouldn't take a 2nd listen.
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.
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
< 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
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.
Too cheesy. I liked Spanish Dancer and Night Train though.
pleasant but completely forgettable sorry stevie 2/5
Ehh, not offensive, but could do without this.
Парень молодец, сам все сыграл спел и записал
Sounds like a bunch of 80s sitcom music
C'est creux ça a vieilli !
C+
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
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.
I’ve never felt more like Dennis Reynolds.
Boring
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.
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.
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".
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.
Ну в общем ничего, достойная музыка и исполнение, но не для меня
Mall Food Court Music
Way too 80s for me
Decent 2,5
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
That bassline in Night Train SLAPS
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.
Yeah, it’s alright I suppose. Well executed but still middling. 2.5 stars.
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
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⭐️
The guy from traffic cosplays a progressive solo artist. The result is a pile of nothing
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.
I am not impressed. I hoped for more but it’s not that good.
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.
Music to shop by.
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
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
Bit of a pleasant sounding snooze fest
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
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
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.