''Sparks of Ancient Light'' is the sixteenth studio album by Al Stewart, 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) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen y ...

, deposed Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and 34th U.S. President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

. 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 music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

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 from 1978 to 1981. Biography Early life Born in Stepney, East London, Juber was raised and ...

- 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 UC ...

- 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 l ...

- 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 advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern ...

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, 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), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, looking at a cloud formation, perceived a face of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

changing into that of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

, inspiring him to undergo a religious transformation. * ''Shah Of Shahs'' is a reference to the last days of the Pahlavi dynasty before the Islamic revolution, and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's 1979 escape from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

References

External links

* * (video) * (video) 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 {{2000s-folk-rock-album-stub