| Arc of a Diver | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 December 1980[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1980 | |||
| Studio | Netherturkdonic Studios, Gloucestershire, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39.49 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Steve Winwood | |||
| Steve Winwood chronology | ||||
| ||||
Arc of a Diver is the second solo studio album by singer/multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood. Released in 1980, Winwood played all of the instruments on the album.
Featuring his first solo hit, "While You See a Chance" (which peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States), this was Winwood's breakthrough album as a solo artist. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart, establishing him as a commercially viable act.
The cover artwork for the album is by Tony Wright. He took inspiration from Jazz by Henri Matisse, notably VIII: Icarus.
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Transcription
Recording
The album was recorded at Winwood's Netherturkdonic Studios, built at his farm in Gloucestershire;[4] he played all the instruments, wrote all the music, producing and engineering it himself.[5]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s | B−[7] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [8] |
| The Great Rock Discography | 8/10[9] |
| MusicHound Rock | [10] |
| Music Story | [citation needed] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [11] |
Reviewing for The Village Voice in June 1981, Robert Christgau credited Winwood for overdubbing all his self-performed instruments, but still found his brand of "British-international groove" more atmospheric than song-oriented and ultimately "lulling".[12] Robert Palmer was more enthusiastic in The New York Times, saying that Winwood has transformed himself into a "rock traditionalist" with the album. While highlighting "Dust" and the album's title track as "first-rate lyrics", Palmer said that "Winwood's impressive playing and arranging and utterly distinctive vocals make several of his collaborations with Will Jennings, especially the brooding 'Night Train,' almost as memorable."[13] In a retrospective review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann wrote of the album, "Utterly unencumbered by the baggage of his long years in the music business, Winwood reinvents himself as a completely contemporary artist on this outstanding album, leading off with his best solo song, 'While You See a Chance'."[14]
The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,[15] and was voted number 455 in the third edition (2000) of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[16]
Track listing
All songs written by Steve Winwood and Will Jennings except where noted.
Original release
Side one
- "While You See a Chance" – 5:12
- "Arc of a Diver" (Winwood, Vivian Stanshall) – 5:28
- "Second-Hand Woman" (Winwood, George Fleming) – 3:41
- "Slowdown Sundown" – 5:27
Side two
- "Spanish Dancer" – 5:58
- "Night Train" – 7:51
- "Dust" (Winwood, Fleming) – 6:20
2012 Deluxe reissue
Tracks 1–7 on disc one, per the 1980 release, with disc two containing bonus tracks.
- "Arc of a Diver" [edited US single version] (Winwood, Stanshall) – 4:16
- "Night Train" [instrumental version] – 6:44
- "Spanish Dancer" [2010 version] – 6:13
- "Arc of a Diver: The Steve Winwood Story" [originally aired on BBC Radio 2] – 56:33
Personnel
- Steve Winwood – lead and backing vocals, Prophet-5, Minimoog, Yamaha CS-80, Hammond B3 organ, Steinway piano, Ovation acoustic guitar, Fender Stratocaster electric guitar, Ibanez mandolin, bass guitar, Multimoog (also used for keyboard fretless bass), Hayman and Ludwig drums, Linn LM-1 programming, percussion, producer, engineer, mixing
- John "Nobby" Clarke – additional engineer
- John Dent – mastering at The Sound Clinic (London, UK)
- Tony Wright – artwork
- Fin Costello – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Certifications
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Chart singles
| Year | Title | US Billboard | US Cash Box | CAN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "While You See a Chance" | 7 | 10 | 3 |
| "Arc of a Diver" | 48 | 64 | 19 |
References
- ^ "Winwood LP" (PDF). Record Mirror. 22 November 1980. p. 4. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ a b Elliott, Paul (23 March 2021). "Steve Winwood: A guide to his best albums". Louder Sound.
- ^ Evans, Paul (2004). "Steve Winwood". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 882–883. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ 1001 Albums: You Must Hear Before You Die. Hachette UK. 5 December 2011. p. 1315. ISBN 9781844037148. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ Robert Palmer (21 January 1981). "Arc of a Diver Review : New York Times : Steve Winwood". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "W". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 10 July 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus. p. 1517. OL 11913831M.
- ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus. p. 1678. OL 11913831M.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 737.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 780.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (8 June 1981). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 10 July 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ "Official Site".
- ^ "Arc of a Diver - Steve Winwood | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 164. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 34, No. 23" (PHP). RPM. 16 May 1981. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". dutchcharts.nl. MegaCharts. Archived from the original (ASP) on 28 October 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "charts.nz Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver" (ASP). Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Archived from the original (ASP) on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original (ASP) on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ "Steve Winwood > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ "allmusic ((( Arc of a Diver > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ "Album Search: Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 1 May 2014.[dead link]
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1981". RPM. 26 December 1981. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1981" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1981. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1981 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "Billboard Top Pop Albums of 1981". Billboard. 26 December 1981. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "Steve Winwood: Arc of a Diver Production Notes". 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Major fight economics with quirky rock originals". Billboard. 12 June 1982. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Music Canada. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "British album certifications – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "American album certifications – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
External links
- Arc of a Diver (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)
This page was last edited on 7 June 2024, at 20:56