Arc Of A Diver

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.

Not good.I don’t enjoy his vocal style and the songs are just plain boring.Feels like a waste of time.

EHHHHH: I mean this albums exists, don't know who is listening to it but it's here for sure. Not sure what to even write for this bc it was just so underwhelming. I felt bored throughout this whole album with none of the songs necessarily getting me going or loving it. Just not a very good album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__jiz18l84U

I feel like I was transported into an 80s romcom movie while listening to this

I think you had to be there at the time for this one. It's a little Phil Collins, but without the talent or ego. I respect the songwriting. And the fact that he's a multi instrumentalist. But this did nothing for me.

What a waste of talent. The man made some great music in the 60s and then he made this. It doesn't sound very original or very good.

end credits stock music

Arc of a Diver // Slowdown Sundown //

Imagine what people think of when "boring 80s music" pops into their mind, this is it. Although I will say, Winwood does have some talent in playing all instruments.

Good moments but too much fluff.

2.4/5 not bad but just basic 80s

Like an off-key, cheesy, pale version of Talk Talk. 2.3

Perhaps the album I have the least amount of thoughts and opinions so far. The final song nearly dragged it down to a one star, but I like the synths in the first just enough for it to die in the "forgettable" pile.

It was wild how a lot of 60s stars returned to relevancy for hits they had in the 80s. And boy is this album very 80s. I love me some Steve Winwood, but give me Traffic or Blind Faith. I could do without this.

Not feeling this one

Windwood never managed to catch me with his music, even when it was new.

Nothing special

The arc of this album is only so so. It starts off with its strongest track and then kind of nosedives from there.

Sleepy cheese

80s fuck sakes

Heavily synth/pinao oriented pop, the sound of which firmly places it into the late 70s/early 80s. Which I usually like. But where are the standout elements? Where are the hooks? Not to mention melodies ... Without any of those, this is a lackluster excuse for a good album of that era. 2/5

The production is slick, even if it sounds dated now. I liked the optimistic energy of the opening track and when the synths were deployed to create spacey soundscapes, like on Spanish Dancer, but many of the tracks didn’t really move me in any way. 2.5

Not bad background music, not something I'll choose to listen to again.

Steve Winwood goes adult contemporary with mixed results. For me Spanish Dancer (the most "Traffic-sounding" song) is the best song on the album with a lot of MOR pop oriented stuff that tends to put me to sleep. 2.5 stars

Overall it was boring but fine. It didn't seem to age well - just sounds like a relic of the 80s. A few cool synth riffs but overall just disappointing.

I really don’t like this album. It’s so basic and forgettable. But I guess in the background it isn’t terrible

Song all sounded the same

Bit boring over all

Only the hit stands the test of time

2.7 - If this record were maybe 15% worse it’d be within that realm of “so-bad-it’s-good.” As it is, I find the arrangements messy and slapdash with lots of ham-fisted attempts to meld synthesized sonics and acoustic instruments. “Spanish Dancer” epitomizes these shortcomings with its lame nylon-stringed guitar voicing over repetitive chords on synth. Winwood’s voice is one redeeming feature but it’s a pity that the lyrics and melodies are also weak.

So 80's it sets my teeth on edge. Its by far from the worst offender of that decade because despite all the twee minimoog Winwood does manage to bring a soulful edge to it, which is actually quite impressive because it manages to break through all the awful synth stabs that put it firmly in its time. till most of the time it seems tailor made to be either 1. The soundtrack to a particularly forgettable episode of Magnum P.I or 2. Sung on a cruise ship. It gets elevated to a 2 because, to its credit, it didn't make me keep checking how long until the end.

Han satsa på en sound, den vartet ikke

all of these songs sound like the music over the rolling credits of a film featuring paul hogan.

Fine. Perfectly pleasant with a nice atmosphere but nothing that stood out and made me really pay attention.

I really have no idea what to make of this! It was a bit all over the place I thought, started off with very cringey 80s synths then took a completely different direction by the time we got to Spanish Dancer. Wasn't my bag at all. A touch irritating

loada rubbish, boring, cheesy

Dull 80’s rock, sounds a bit like Phil Collins.

2.5/5

I enjoyed the first couple of songs, the music was pretty fun, but I really tuned out after that

Prefs: While You See a Chance, Arc of a Diver Moins pref: Second-Hand Woman

Steve Winwood is one of those names I know well but I couldn't name a song he sang. After hearing the first song, which was the single, I was glad I knew his name rather than his songs. The album got better and it's impressive that he plays all the instruments. I like his guitar and bass playing.

Did a dad make this list? What a snooze.

Some great bits but a bit too ‘background music’

A classic 80's sound with keyboards and a squeaky clean production to match. Which is a shame as Winwood's voice is more suited to something a little more authentic. There are some great songs in here waiting to be set free. But the music doesn't match the emotion. Night Train has a nice groove going on. A hint of what was to come.

Not bad but never was my type of music

Blah

quite dated, sounds like every other song of the era. Is this the same pewrson that sings return to sender

it's a bit groovy. but not my taste.

Cut price Phil Collins.

meinlaust

Not a fan

It was some generic easy listening. It wasn't helped by the fact that Traffic was on the list 2 days prior for me.

Listenable but not super enjoyable or memorable. Favorite: While You See a Chance

Nice, but not fantastic

The kind of album that sounds like it was written for every 80s teen romance movie... and not in a good way. It reminds me of a more generic Phil Collins. There's nothing offensive here - it's even pleasant at times - but the overuse of synths and cheesy lyrics sound a bit dated to my ears. In general, I really enjoy 80s synths, but the sound isn't working for me here. There just isn't a whole lot unique about its execution. Maybe that's unfair and this album was in fact a trendsetter at the time, I really have no idea - but listening to it in 2022 without that history, it's just not standing very strong on its own. Standout tracks: "Second-Hand Woman" and "Night Train"

Mostly boring

Wasnt too impressed but May need to relisten to catch anything I missed bc I was fairly distracted

Big ol' meh. Night Train was okay tho.

Inoffensive but indifferent Saturday morning listening really. Like having Smooth Radio on or something.

Not for me

Not a big fan of synthesized music but I do enjoy Steve Winwood.

A little too eighties for my taste

Music for dorks by a dork.

What a big load of 80s synth cheese. It's like they deliberately picked the tritest synth sounds. Too bad he wasn't keeping up with developments by Bowie and Gabriel. No edge to it at all.

Steve Winwood writes nice intros to songs

Steve Winwood manages to cling on to relevancy into the 1980s, mining the dominant sounds of synth-pop and channelling his songwriting down an easy-listening, distinctly bland avenue. After spending time as the leader of the Spencer Davis Group, multi-instrumentalist of Traffic and Blind Faith, Winwood had his solo breakthrough with "Arc of a Diver", after several years in obscurity. Perhaps in an effort to be popular and current again, he covered the album in an unmistakeable 80's sheen, occasionally pulling it off. The most enjoyable groove is "Night Train" with its rock-solid beat, popping percussive synth sounds, fretless bass vamps and tight rhythm guitar. Despite being the longest track on the album, it justifies its length and allows each instrument room to breathe. "Second Hand Woman" boasts about the catchiest chorus on the record- I'd even go as far to call it soaring. But that's most of the praise I can afford this album. Across the rest of it, there are glimmers of greatness- a lick here, a synth line there- but in truth, these are few and far between. They're all played well, but it's just relentlessly bland: locked into formula, with no edge to any of it whatsoever. This might be forgivable if the songs were at least catchy, or had something worth remembering about them: but most do not. This is adult contemporary to relax to, to be wistful and reminisce about the older days, to soundtrack your divorce or mid-life crisis... you name it. Yes, Winwood played all the instruments on his own and deserves some credit for that. But while that's a nice bit of trivia, it doesn't help to improve the actual songs. Winwood's vocal, once a powerhouse of 60s rock, is by now a well-worn jumper: still reliable and polished, but lacking edge. The instrumentals are dominated by obnoxious synths: it would have been nice to hear more guitars, or acoustic instruments. The synths here are too brash, too in-your-face, with some harsh tones and cheap, dated sounding leads. Take "If You See A Chance", the lead single here and the one that was apparently a hit. After being plastered with a tacky synth lead for its main riff, it then bridges into a meandering verse and a chorus like a limp handshake. Knowing that Winwood played the drums on it as well as the guitar and that talky-fizzy synth sound doesn't help me enjoy it any more. After crawling through a set of similar experiences toward the finish line, we're given "Dust": a cloying ending with characteristically insipid lyrics ("A feather duster's no substitute for the real thing; and the dust you left behind is settling still"). Whatever the "real thing" might be in music, Winwood definitely seems like a feather duster here.

Lata 80 atakuja kolejny raz, tym razem atak prosto z wysp od spiewaka, multiinstrumentalisty, teksciarza, calkowiscie mi nieznanej postaci swiata muzyki Steva Windoowda, arc of a diver to drugi album w jego dyskografii wydany w 1980, krotki acz ambitny material, bo jest to solowy solowy krazek, nie ma tutaj zadnego feautra, nawet w postaci inzyniera dzwieku, jedynie jeden pan jest jako co inzynier, ale jako takim producentem byl pan Steve, wiec jest ambitnie, ale te wielkie ambicje rozbijaja sie o gatunek jaki podejmuje plyta, bo jest to rock w edycji popowej lat 80, wiec synthami ostro po kablach rzuca, az przychodzi fragmentami na mysl still life of Pat Metheny Group i zwlaszcza ich jojowy last train home, album tak solowy, ze pan Steve sam sobie musial robic z chorki, ale nie ma zle, bo przeciez wojsa tez mozna pusicic z efekciarskim efektem i tak jakby nowy glos sie narodzil, z czego jest korzystane na plycie, jak na solowy album to jest masa instrumentow i nie ma miejsc, ktore bylby niewykorzystane instrumentalnie, wiec czapki z glow za taki projekt w latach 80, gdzie jeszcze wszystko trzeba bylo robic na drutach, a nie klepiac w komputr, jak przystalo na album mocno popowy trakuje on w calosci praktycznie o romansach, co juz sie nawet rzuca w oczy z samych tytulow, nie wymeczyl mnie ten 40 minutowy seansik, bo tylko 7 trakow, ale raczej nic mi w glowie po nim nie zostanie, jedynie poza informacja, ze tak solowy material znalazl swe miejsce na liscie, ale to pewnie przez wyspiarskie pochodzenie plyty, na plejke leci second-hand woman, takiego okreslenia na babe jeszcze nie slyszalem i mocno z niego zgnilem, polecam serdecznie

Sting would punch this dude in the throat.

Meh

Okay, first of all: what a cool cover! Damn, how I miss album art. I remember most of these songs from when they were popular in the 80s. They are harmless but don't do much for me. I can hear how talented Steve Winwood is, no doubt, but stylistically and aesthetically these songs are just not my thing.

boring

Poor man’s Phil Collins. Sounds like theme music to an 80s sitcom or Beverly Hills Cop or something.

sincere 80s musicianship that i am in no way interested in or the music is relevant to me

só gostei mesmo de night train.

Couldn't get past the mechanical sound of it which diluted the heart of the record.

Onneks oli lyhyt levy.

Inoffensive 80s pop-rock

Steve Winwood wrote & produced this album almost entirely by himself - in fact, all of the instruments you hear were performed by him alone. This was his second album and a breakthrough album as well. Steve went with more of a rock vibe for this album and it paid off. The first track actually made it to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100! The music is groovy and easy to get lost in, because there are so many different sounds & lyrics.

Maybe it was unique at the time, but now it's just generic 80s

Le voy a dar un punto más de lo que me gustó porque me recuerda a Alf

Not my favorite Winwood, a little too much keytar for my taste. Still a couple of top notch tracks on there.

It’s fine, it’s nice, but it’s not my cup of tea. Nothing on the album particularly stood out to me and I have no intention of revisiting

All perfectly nice 80s synth stuff but not for me

There's nothing worse than being inoffensive

Really? To paraphrase an old joke, the worst thing about Traffic is Steve Winwood. Or maybe it's the best thing about Traffic. Either way, at least this isn't "Roll With It" I guess. All preconceived biases aside, not a bad listen at all. "While You See A Chance" is a great song. The rest of the album is fine. I guess it's fine to be on a list of 1,001 albums I need to expose to my ears before dying. Winwood played all of the instruments on the entire album, so there's that. Still, meh.

As a fan of the band Traffic this album had a lot of moments that reminded me of that music. But the overall “easy-listening” feel of it turn me off.

Actually kinda decent. Very 80s vibe

energetic synth pop.

meh

mom can we have stevie wonder. no, we got stevie wonder at home

He gets a full star for the album art. This album is generally groovy but also not that wowing for me. And he didn't blow me away with the implications behind Second-Hand Woman.

Zu viel 80's. Nicht so meins.

Vielleicht fehlt die Poolbar und der Schirmchen-Cocktail. Richtig präsentiert an einem schönen Sommerabend würde ich bestimmt mehr Punkte vergeben.

It's not too bad but style too synthetic 80's for me. While the songs are not that bad, I really only enjoyed the first one.

Most songs sound like they could be opening themes to bad family sitcoms in the 90s

Very 80's and quite boring. Only interesting thing about this was the album art. Night Train had a bit of a groove going, but not sure if having to listen to all the tracks before it was worth it 🤷

Nothing stands out and its so short! Probably a three for being meh but gets a 2 because of the lack of songs

4

meh. This is soft rock plus cheese synth 2 tracks in. Yea this kinda sucked eggs.

Fine

Meh. In the mid-to-late eighties, I won a copy of this on cassette, as a door prize at a bar. I gave it to my mother.

Not interested.

Did not realise it was playing...

Not great. I rather listen to Genesis instead

Ive never heard of this guy, i'm sure I've heard his songs somewhere before, but the album was pretty good. it started out lame, though "Second Hand Woman" was both dated AND jazzy smooth though. hands down my favorite track was "Slowdown Sundown"; did it need a synthy jazz keyboard solo? no, but i wouldn't kick it out of bed for eating crackers. "Spanish Dancer" was a great track, a close second for best track, but god damn the last tracks were WAY too long. I'm all for a cool, funky groove, but 8 minutes to basically loop the same thing is way too fucking much! though, to be fair, i give him points for playing literally every instrument on the album, no one except for Beck, or Dave Grohl does that! One final note, the cover album looks like a guy diving head-first into a pile of shit....which, could be how some viewed this album, ya never know.

I didn't know much if anything about Steve Winwood and I decided to read about him before listening to the album. Kind of got my hopes up - child prodigy, playing in bands at 8, record deal at 14, played with Clapton, Hendrix, Muddy Waters, B.B. King... but all that lead up led to a big disappointment. The music is so soft rock, pale R&B, made for daytime radio. I kind of wanted to punch him during "Second-Hand Woman." His voice reminds me of - sorry for this Jon - Phil Collins, in a bad way. I did not like this album.

This dude loves his synth

this kinda sounds like some shit from a musical idk why this just gives me bad vibes, was okay ? 2.5

Not really my bag. Tinny production on Unfun songs

80s cheese to the max. Soft-pop-rock. The only redeeming quality is it's hilarious since it's so straight. I'd love it in a cheesy 80s movie, but I'd never ever want to listen to it beyond that. I guess a time and a place. In some ways I can respect it for how uncompromising it is. This is one I turned on "Private Listening" on Spotify so it doesn't ruin my algorithm. I guess I have heard the track "Valerie" and "Higher Love" but those are on different albums.

Very average

Gefälligster eighties-pop. Mehr weiß ich dazu auch nicht zu sagen.

Look I'm sure this guy is talented, I'm sure stuff like this was interesting in 1980. Honestly though, it's boring. It's boring and I want my time back.

Fun, but dated. Loved the organ opening, but wow the synth sound has not aged well. At least for this kind of music, I think I like it in other places.

I have a playlist called Seventies not-rock for songs like Billy Joel etc which are more mainstream/ yachty than my normal taste but which are undeniably great. Not a single track from this album will make the list, I'm afraid. I thought it was boring and, tbh, pretty poor. I don't even like his voice. For now, Higher Love remains the only Steve song that I actually don't mind.

What a pile of 80s turd.

This list could be 5005 albums long and this STILL wouldn't make the cut

Didn't realized how soulless, boring and bland this album is until I sat down and actively listen to it. Guy sounds like a bootleg combination of Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, or basically any guy from this style and that time. The music is incredibly tame and dated as well, being basically melodramatic and slow pop rock with not so great sounding synths. Another crime of this album is how long the songs are. Why the need to make them last for 5 to 8 minutes long when there isn't anything interesting happening???? Only positive thing I can think of is some maybe decent bass lines here and there, but that's it. So yes, quite the terrible experience.

1001 i shouldn't listen to?

Oof.

this suck ass

From start to finish just trash.

It's been a while since I listened to such a neutered and diluted music... abysmal dogshit. Compositions are boring, the vocals are anything but catchy, and the instrumentals are absolutely typical for that era.

You know in Die Hard there’s that character Harry Ellis, a sleazy coked up businessman who tries (and fails) to sell everyone out to Hans Gruber? If they developed Ellis’s character more, it certainly would have turned out that this was one of his favorite albums. This is music for the worst person you know. It’s total ass. Sometimes I get the feeling this list is a psychological experiment to explore the sunk cost fallacy. Like yeah there are some good things on here for sure but there’s also so much stuff that completely sucks, has no lasting influence or impact, but I keep on plugging away at it day after day instead of listening to something I will actually enjoy because I’m a couple of hundred albums deep.

Comically bad.

Q: Why did you listen to hard rock and rap in the 80's? A: I present you Exhibit A. I guess this light rock shite was a progression from the prog rock shite of the 70's. As an ex young person of the 1980s, this sucked then too.

very 80's synth. Really not my thing

This record had very few redeeming qualities, and I had made up my mind about the score I would give it after 2 songs.

Ohhhhh fuck I have to fart

"Oh look, there's some paint drying that needs watching" - my excuse to leave if this gets played near me again.

Hueva

Que dire de plus qui n’ait déjà été résumé par cette note couperet ? Un sur cinq et encore, c’est cher payé... C’est cher payé pour ce qui s’apparente à un véritable naufrage auditif, un encéphalogramme plat musical qui s'écoute avec la même excitation nerveuse que celle procurée par le bruit monotone des essuie-glaces sous une averse de novembre. Je me suis imposé cette écoute, et je le regrette déjà amèrement tant le vide artistique y est vertigineux. Car on parle ici d'un disque qui aspire toute énergie vitale pour la remplacer par un ennui tiède. Pourtant, sur le papier, l’artisan derrière la console n’est pas le premier manchot venu, on connaît le CV. Mais en cette année 1980, l'inspiration semble être restée définitivement au vestiaire, promptement remplacée par un cahier des charges d'une pauvreté affligeante et d'un opportunisme commercial flagrant. Ici, l’artiste fait tout tout seul : claviers, guitares, voix, batterie, basse et c'est précisément là que le piège se referme. Car si l'autarcie a parfois du bon, ici elle accouche d'un monstre de complaisance. Tout est à jeter sans sommation : les arrangements au synthétiseur d’un goût plus que douteux, la production lissée jusqu’à l'écœurement, et cette voix qui traîne une léthargie contagieuse au fil de morceaux désespérément prévisibles et plats. On se demande franchement ce qui a bien pu passer par la tête des sélectionneurs pour aller dénicher ce truc et le coller dans une liste d'œuvres censées marquer l'histoire de l'humanité. C’est à se taper la tête contre les murs. Chaque piste commence et se termine dans la même indifférence, sans que l'auditeur ne puisse jamais sortir de sa torpeur, si ce n'est pour vérifier combien de minutes de calvaire il reste avant la délivrance finale. La paresse d'écriture est ici élevée au rang d'art majeur, les mélodies tournent en boucle sur trois accords fatigués que même un débutant bouderait par fierté. C'est l'illustration parfaite du déclin d'une certaine idée de la musique des années 70, digérée et recrachée par l'industrie naissante des années 80 dans ce qu'elle a de plus clinquant, superficiel et inutile. Rien à sauver, donc. Pas même le fameux single qui a fait le succès de l'album à sa sortie et qui sonne aujourd'hui comme une immense plaisanterie datée, un hymne à la mollesse qui donne envie de briser sa platine en deux. C'est de la bouillie pour les chats, du sucre glace sur de la merde, un produit marketing déguisé en œuvre d'art intime. Je ressors de cette expérience vidé, irrité, avec la désagréable impression d'avoir perdu quarante minutes de ma vie que personne ne pourra jamais me rendre. Si le projet des 1001 Albums réserve parfois de magnifiques surprises et des redécouvertes indispensables, il impose aussi de traverser des déserts de platitude absolue dont cet opus est, sans conteste, le monument le plus terrifiant. C'est chiant comme la pluie, disais-je ? Je présente mes plus plates excuses à la pluie. La pluie, elle au moins, possède une rythmique changeante, une odeur de terre mouillée, une mélancolie brute et une poésie naturelle qui balaient ce disque en moins de deux secondes. Ici, il n'y a que le bruit du pognon facile et de l'autosatisfaction d'un musicien qui s'écoute jouer tout seul dans son studio hors de prix, persuadé de pondre un chef-d'œuvre alors qu'il ne fabrique que du vide acoustique. Pour conclure ce calvaire, disons simplement que cet album mérite amplement sa note minimale. Il devrait être étudié dans les écoles de musique comme le contre-exemple parfait de tout ce qu'il ne faut pas faire quand on possède un studio et du temps libre. Un disque sans âme, sans tripes, sans urgence, sans intérêt. Une tache grise dans une discographie, un rendez-vous manqué avec l'histoire, et surtout, un immense moment de solitude pour quiconque a le malheur de poser le diamant sur sa face A. À fuir d'urgence, sous peine de dépression nerveuse immédiate causée par un excès de fadeur.

You're really testing me, dear album generator....

1001 album du må høre på for å virkelig forstå at ingenting var bedre før. Temu-versjonen av 80-talls-syntpop.

this sucked

Hot garbage

Guy is such a sock sniffer. Holy fucking cheese. Stinky.

Really not my thing, middle of the road 80s pop

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

lo peor de ser hortera es no ser consciente de ello

jack antonoff, ets tú?

Un truño como un puño

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

Why?

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

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

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

chato pra caralho filho puta merda

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

Album cover is beautiful. But it was so boring

Первый

All the classic rockers have their regrettable 80s album.

0.42

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

The worst sounds of the 80s.

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

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

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

Snooze fest

Nix

too damn long and I don't like it

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

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

Musical talent or not, it doesn't matter. This is the soundtrack to giving up on life. Zombie plod-rock

80s "plod-rock", LOL!

Couldn’t finish it. 1/5.

Like a weak Phil Collins album with no singles. Your local school wouldn’t even take keyboard synths this bad as a donation

I made a vow to listen to every minute of every album in this project, but this one put that vow to the test more than any I've gotten so far. Mercifully it was short--it was still 40 minutes of pain nonetheless.

We’d probably survive as a species if this album didn’t exist

Album 17/1001 Decided to listen while washing the dishes, and it somehow managed to make that task even less enjoyable than normal. 👎

meh

No, this didn't do it for me. Spanish Dancer was good, but the rest was not good. I respect that he's had a long old career, but this wasn't great. Nice cover though.

It's just bad

Et helt album med sange der lyder som opening credits musik fra 80er Sit-Coms

Oh my, I didn’t enjoy this album. Everything that was wrong about the 80s crammed into one album. I was prepared to hand out a generous two stars, but it just went on and on for what seemed like an eternity, with no redeeming qualities, and mase me angry, scared, frustrated and borderline suicidal. Utter crap!

I don't like this album. The keyboard sound is annoying and the songs are drippy. One exception: the song Arc of a Diver isn't half-bad. Not enough to get this past one star.

Old dad yacht rock. This should not be on the list.

Very 80s

Generic nothingness like this should not be on the list.

Not for me. 1/5

Stupid

I really like the album cover here, ahh wait I just perceived it correctly, I didn't know where the head was nevermind thatt. Well the genre is rock/pop so I think I'll like it, but since I don't know him, no high expectations. First song, it started slowly but it picked itself up well. I'm not disappointed, but it could be better. Production is good, voice is fine, progression of the song is fun too. It's soft rock if anything. Not a bad song, I just need better ones in the later of the album. Second song, this is worse, it's so 3 star album behavior of this song. Nothing worth to note is happening. Instrumentals are fine but also meh. Gibberishing now, fun but doesn't make the song drastically better. I get why it has pop in the genres now. Somehow these two songs are the most popular of the album, that's not good, it gets worse after this?? Bruuh. Third song, it's becoming a 2 star album at this point. It's kinda futuristic, but so boringly. He's bad at his own genre. There are some good parts, but overall it low-key sucks. Mm just disappointed rn. 4th song, I thought the beat drop after the intro would make it more upbeat or something, but it kept on going as in the start, eughh. This is a typical 80s bad pop album to be honest, it's too fake idek. Becoming a 1 star album already?? Dam, cuz the first though was a 3 star one, how did he come down so quickly. There was a switchup somewhere in the middle, which I thought would be permanent but nope, it went back to some crappy song again. Had to skip the last part lol, so dumb. 5th song, the sonical part is kinda nice, but the voice ruins it now. Ahh I'm gonna hold your hand when I say this Steve, you do not know anything about the beat or the beat Spanish dancers have. Wait, feel the street of a Spanish dancer? Either way I stand corrected. Skipped through this one too, and he literally sang everything in the same tone, became a permanent waver somehow. 6th song, the start is promising but idkk. I'm not satisfied at all, he sings the best here and still it's not even that good. It's just the delivery is more strong. I would never wanna listen to this again, it has no depth. Sonically it becomes good and then I realise, that makes a 7 minute song a 30 second enjoyful experience, BARELY. 7th song, gaaawd Steve what are you doing here now wtf. They deffo would use some of these songs in some bad movie about friends, that tried to be ironic about it, but.. aww friendship. Get a grip y'all. Thank god that finished. Ahemm.. I have Curtis Mayfield 2 stars some days ago, and his album was.. baad. But it had some funk in it, sonically somehow fun, just so mild, anyway, this album doesn't even have that. First song has 3 stars maybe, but God I can't give this album more than 1 star, I didn't expect much, but this is barely "any" expectation I could have had. I don't want any more of him here, and I'll avoid him, unless he has gems somewhere else(doubtful).

You know that gif of Mark Wahlberg doing the confused face in The Happening? That's my summary of this entire album. While You See A Chance has 58m plays of Spotify then it drops off. Likely from everyone that gave up on listening to this. Sure he had Valerie and Higher Love why listen to Winwood when you've got Pete Gabriel or Phil Collins.

Detta är vad vi i orten kallar för kontemporär kukmusik. en liten rolig synt, ändrar inte på din situation. Me when I'm in a mid vocals competition and my opponent is Steve Winwood -> (<:O) Me when I'm in a boring lyrics competition and my opponent is Steve Winwood -> (<:O) Me when I'm in a bad mixing competition and my opponent is Steve Winwood -> (<:O) Me when I'm in a shitty outro competition and my opponent is Steve Winwood -> (<:O)

Winwood has a voice , but it’s over processed, and gods is this record soaked in 80s synths. Boring songs too.

My teeth hurt from this and I'm not even entirely kidding. Turned down the volume twice now. Could be my grimacing, though, as this is pretty shit.

Could Winwood have used woodwind to make this shit more palatable? Probably not. Just an idea.

oof.

Can’t stand Steve Winwood!

This guy fucked a lot of 80s mom’s with his sweet soft rock styles.

This album changed the way I do my ratings. Previously I gave some credit for quality musicianship and recording even if it isn't a style of music that I personally like. I tried to give some measure of objectivity to this overall subjective experience. But this is just unlistenable. I can't even make it through a single song. There are a lot of early '80s albums that have the same cheesy, synthesizers and other elements. But they hold up well because they represent a moment in time and innovation. This is just a hacky version of that. Steve Winwood is a super talented musician with a strong history, but when he decided to attempt the "new" sound he completely missed the mark. At dust. It's like the Disneyfication of '80s music. At best It can be called a Peter Gabriel knockoff. But even Peter Gabriel was cheesy at this point in his career.

Boring 80s yacht rock. This can't really be in anyone's top 1001 albums, surely?

I’ve heard the lead-off single, “When You See a Chance.” Not a fan. The rest of the album is worse. I found it bland and his voice annoying.

Bland 80’s genesis style offering weak voice what’s to like?

In the world of cheesy music, this is a package of Kraft singles.

This is for boring people who think mayonnaise is spicy and Phil Collins is a little too hardcore.

Aside from the first track this album is objectively a piece of hot garbage. This is a long way from the Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith and Traffic. There is no reason for this to be here at all.

Very dull

Ugh, not again. I grew up having to listen to this bad synth crap play endlessly on the radio in the 80's. I thought this soul-sucking rubbish was well behind me, but no, here I am having to suffer through this infernal dreck once again.

Horribly dated synths. Painful.

Man this was so cheesy and bad. Get it out of here.

Points to Steve for playing all the instruments himself, but this is absolutely not for me. The whole thing feels mediocre and soulless, and like the kind of thing only the yuppies were excited about when it was released. I guarantee you nobody is thinking about this album anymore (except when this project forces it on them) and I'd be shocked if it's sold a single copy in the past 35 years. If you want music from someone who could do it all, go listen to NIN or Prince or anyone else but this dude.

Tedious.

It’s like a cold and sterile version of a Van Morison album. Synth tones are boring and plastered everywhere. Like a lawyer blues band in a restaurant while you’re trying to eat. Yuck

Wow this was bad

Wow - this was much worse than I expected. Really hasn’t aged well. Everything just screams early 80s - production, instruments, etc. Yikes. Won’t be back to hear more, which is too bad because I know Winwood is a good musician.

Nope, I couldn't really listen to more than the first song or two. Not my thing.

The soundtrack to the dentist’s waiting room. Dated and boring.

An affront to the 1001 albums list that this was included. It couldn’t sound more 80s bland if it tried.

Bollocks

I'm sure this was groundbreaking at the time, but it's a worse version of huey lewis/peter gabriel/paul simon. Spanish dancer sounds like an SNL skit.

It was impressive to see that he was playing everything, but this did not improve how much I liked it, which was too little. It's generic and soulless, as if a big band of contractor musicians were playing it.

Listened 30 secs of each track….wish I hadn’t bothered.

I’m trying to get my 1001albums mojo back, but this 80s soft rock is really not helping. The list of things I’d prefer to listen to is almost infinitely long. Well, infinity minus however many albums The Police released.

That's one yacht/soft/dad rock album too much in this list. Seriously, there's tons of music (and genres) out there that are not on the list but let's stuff ourselves with dozens of borring yacht rock albums!

Please make me forget

Synth pan flute magic