Sparks of Ancient Light

Infobox Album
Name = Sparks of Ancient Light
Type = studio
Artist = Al Stewart


Released = 2008
Recorded =
Genre = Folk
Length =
Label = Appleseed (US), EMI (UK)
Producer =
Reviews =
Last album = "A Beach Full of Shells (2005)"
This album = "Sparks of Ancient Light (2008)"
Next album =

"Sparks of Ancient Light" is the nineteenth album by Al Stewart, released on September 15. 2008. [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CW7LPC "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 deposed Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. According to Stewart, the songs all deal with the themes of "certainty and uncertainty." [http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080808/LIFE06/808080303/1043/ENT 'Like going home'] , Courier Post Online, August 8, 2008]

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

Allusions and historical references

* "Lord Salisbury" is a reference to Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 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, looking at a cloud formation, perceived a face of Joseph Stalin changing into that of Jesus Christ, inspiring him to undergo a religious transformation.

References