''Sparks of Ancient Light'' is the sixteenth studio album by

Al Stewart Alastair Ian Stewart (born 5 September 1945) is a British singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician who rose to prominence as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s. He developed a unique style of combining folk-rock songs wi ...

, released on 15 September 2008."Sparks of Ancient Light"
amazon.com (release date, track listing, and commentary) Like many of Stewart's works, the album's songs deal with historical figures, including British prime minister

Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903), known as Lord Salisbury, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United ...

, deposed Shah of Iran

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

and 34th U.S. President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

. According to Stewart, the songs all deal with the themes of "certainty and uncertainty."'Like going home'
Courier Post Online, August 8, 2008 A music video for "Elvis at the Wheel," shot in Arizona, was released in December 2013.

Critical reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

reviewer Richie Unterberger praised the production on the album. He wrote: "Stewart's principal strengths – pleasant haunting melodies, mellifluous vocals, accomplished folk guitar work, and literate, historical-minded lyrics – stand at the forefront, undiminished by extraneous arrangements."

Track listing

# "Lord Salisbury" - 3:26 # "(A Child's View Of) The Eisenhower Years" - 3:11 # "The Ear of the Night" - 3:06 # "Hanno the Navigator" - 4:17 # "Shah of Shahs" - 5:03 # "Angry Bird" - 2:42 # "The Loneliest Place on the Map" - 3:31 # "Sleepwalking" - 4:31 # "Football Hero" - 5:38 # "Elvis at the Wheel" - 3:10 # "Silver Kettle" - 3:56 # "Like William McKinley" - 4:15

Personnel

Musicians

Laurence Juber Laurence Ivor Juber (born 12 November 1952) is an English musician, fingerstyle guitarist and studio musician. He played guitar in the rock band Wings (band), Wings from 1978 to 1981. Biography Early life Born in Stepney, East London, Juber w ...

- Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) * Jim Cox - Organ, Piano * John "Hot Fat Reynolds" Ferraro - Percussion, Drums *

Eric Gorfain Eric Gorfain is an American violinist and founder of The Section Quartet, a string quartet that plays cover versions of rock songs. He is married to singer-songwriter Sam Phillips, with whom he has toured and recorded. Gorfain studied music at U ...

- Violin * Daphne Chen - Violin * Leah Katz - Viola *

Richard Dodd Richard Dodd (born April 25, 1965) is an English cellist, recording artist and musician. He has appeared on numerous records beginning from The Three O'Clock's Album Sixteen Tambourines, and spanning different musical genres in Pop, with acts ...

- Cello * Rick Baptist - Trumpet

Production

* Laurence Juber - Arranger, Producer, Engineer * Greg Townley - Engineer, Mixing * Joe Gastwirt - Mastering * Buzz Person - Photography * Aaron Walk - Assistant * Steve Chapman - Managementallmusic.com, ''Sparks of Ancient Light'', Credits/ref>

Allusions and historical references

* ''Lord Salisbury'' is a reference to Robert Cecil, who served as

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

from 1895 to 1902. According to Stewart, Cecil led the last "truly patrician government in England and ... believed that England was destined to rule the world." * ''Hanno the Navigator'' is a reference to

Hanno the Navigator Hanno the Navigator (sometimes "Hannon"; , ; ) was a Ancient Carthage, Carthaginian explorer (sometimes identified as a king) who lived during the 5th century BC, fifth century BC, known for his Navy, naval expedition along the coast of West A ...

, a 5th-century BCE Carthaginian explorer best known for his naval exploration of the African coast. * ''Elvis at the Wheel'' refers to an incident where

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, looking at a cloud formation, perceived a face of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

changing into that of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, inspiring him to undergo a religious transformation. * ''Shah Of Shahs'' is a reference to the last days of the

Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty () is an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian royal dynasty that was the Pahlavi Iran, last to rule Iran before the country's monarchy was abolished by the Iranian Revolution in 1979. It was founded in 1925 by Reza Shah, Reza S ...

before the

Islamic revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Im ...

, and Shah

's 1979 escape from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

References

External links

* * (video) * (video) {{Authority control 2008 albums Al Stewart albums Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Cultural depictions of Dwight D. Eisenhower Cultural depictions of Elvis Presley Mohammad Reza Pahlavi