Home View Cart Bookmark This Page Contact Us
Select Store:
Canada ON
 
Categories
Books
DVD
iPod
Music
Software
Video Games
Videos
Home > Music > Arc Of A Diver
Arc Of A Diver

List Price : CDN$ 15.99
Our Price : CDN$ 15.99
You Save : CDN$ 0.00 (0%)
     
2 Used :from CDN$ 12.15
13 New :from CDN$ 12.15
   
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Add Review
Editorial Reviews: 
He wasn't Little Stevie, the 16-year-old phenom who set mid- '60s London blazing with his Ray Charles-like vocals, anymore. He was a half-forgotten ex-member of some of rock's most progressive (Traffic) and vilified (Blind Faith) bands, and he was considering leaving show business while recording this--his second album--alone and without a backup band. Arc of a Diver reflects a resigned-to-fate mood. It boasts a synth-heavy, dub-like ambience, with dirge-y tracks like "Spanish Dancer" and the wistful single "While You See a Chance" all but zoning out of your speakers. The fates were kind, though. Recording the single, Winwood inadvertently erased the drum intro. This spacey alteration, together with his catchiest tune since "Paper Sun," catapulted the song onto the charts. In a few years he would be among the top-selling vocalists in the world. His mood was lighter. He could afford to hire engineers that didn't make mistakes. --Don Harrison


Custom Reviews: 
was and is still a pretty decent album.
4 out of 5 stars.
i listened to this album over and over again when i first bought it around 1980. i am a huge fan of traffic and basically anything to do with steve winwood. i hadn't heard it in years and just recently picked it up again . it may not be steves finest moment but it's still a good album. it does sound abit 80ish but that's not really a bad thing considering whats out there thats new...i'd never pay full price for it but given the chance to pick it up for 12bucks like i did well it's a worth while buy.

I Used to LOVE this Album, But....
3 out of 5 stars.
I have several Steve Winwood CDs, which admiddetly I don't play much anymore. But when I recently saw this CD in a second-hand store cheap I couldn't resist. I mean, I used to LOVE this album when it originally came out in 1980. I played it over and over in those days.

"Arc of a Diver" (7 tracks, 40 min.) contains the hits "While You See a Chance" and "Second-Hand Woman", and the title track is well known too, but it all sounds a bit... 80s synth-lite now. The only track that really remains a stand-out now is the brooding, grooving "Night Train".

This album set the stage for the commercial blockbusters "Back in the High Life" and "Roll With It". With the hind-sight of 20 years or so, it is strangely clear to me that Steve Winwood's solo output simply hasn't aged well. It was exciting music then, but isn't now, sorry.

'Arc' is like a new suit it looks great and you know it!
5 out of 5 stars.
I have been listening to Arc of a Diver from Steve Winwood since 1980 and I absolutely love it. It is on my top 100 rock recordings of all time along with some of his other works. The reason I am giving this album 5 stars is because their are no weak songs on this album. The idea that he wrote and recorded this album at home and by himself playing all the instruments with a little help from his friends on the lyrics is incredible to me!
I have been listenig to Windwood for nearly 30 years through the Traffic and Blind Faith Period so I was very familiar with Winwood's Professional Career. 'ARC' is smooth as silk and is like putting on a new suit it feels good and you know you look good! Some of the reviews of this album are being far too critical and should just shut up and listen....this is a very enjoyable album from start to finish. Oh and while you have this CD playing you might consider Steely Dan's Aja up next! Go ahead and get another glass. Later

Two Great Songs=Two Star Rating
2 out of 5 stars.
My title is kind of blunt isn't it? However, the bottom line is that Arc Of A Diver is one medicore recording loaded with excessive synthesizer tones and lacking much in the order of good melodies.

The first two songs are clearly the cream of this crop. I will even say that While You See A Chance is one of Steve Windwood's best songs of all time. The words are quite soothing and the melody is extremely captivating. The instrumental accompanyment is very appropriate. Also, the very next track, Arc Of A Diver, is quite ear friendly with a strong melody and good special effects.

After this strong opening, the rest of the record is quite dissappointing. The remaining songs tend to drag within a few minutes. Several of these so-called tunes even exceede the six minute mark in length with barely a distinguishable melody. Guitars, natural sounding keyboards, and a driving drumbeat are almost non-existent.

Dear Listener, you are best served to pursue Steve Windwood's Traffic career. These tunes feature some good instrumental definition and some compelling melodies. Stevie's Back In The High Life is a considerable better effort as many of the tunes on that release are quite stylish. On this record, you have the great two song opener, two more passable tunes(Spanish Dancer, Night Train) and an overabundance of synthesizer drivel that at least to my ears is not worth the investment.

A Must Have for Steve Winwood's Fans
5 out of 5 stars.
The quality of the CD, great music, my favorite tracks are: "While You See a chance", "Sun Up Sun Down", "Spanish Dancer", the title track "Arc of a Driver", it's music that goes down easy yet offers a good groove factor.




Copyright © 2007 CanadaOL.com - In association with Amazon