Arc Of A Diver

Arc of a diver was Steve Winwood's second solo offering after his eponmynous debut. Moving well away from his earlier work with Traffic, Blind Faith and the Spencer Davis Group, Arc of a Diver has a very early 80's feel to it, with 'electronics' in abundance, though its no less impressive because of that. The album kicks off with a real tour de force "While you see a chance" is a rousing number that was the obvious single from the album. In a sense its almost a 1980's form of gimme some lovin...catchy melody, memorable lyrics and very effective use of keyboards (indeed, Winwood plays virtually all the instruments himself on this album). Second hand woman and the title track Arc of a Diver are fairly mediocre, but "slowdown sundown" and "Dust" though in a similar vein are appreciably better, showcasing Winwoods soulfull vocals well. That leaves us with "Spanish Dancer" and "Night Train", alongside "While you see a chance", the stand out tracks on this album. Curiously both of these songs are best listened to at night. Night train when you're on the road...its the one track which showcases Winwood's vastly underated guitar work...and moves alongs brilliantly the faster your going. I first heard Spanish Dancer in a record shop some 20 years ago and it immediately made me stop in my tracks...it still has that effect. The sound is atmospheric and very underwater...there is something very marine about it, and comes closet to matching the albums catchyly designed cover...its a track that can certainly get you in the mood! yet its not romantic as such more mysterious. Of Steve Winwood's solo efforts this was probably the best....

I was excited to see this album available in remastered form although the original cd master wasn't awful (unlike some others from this time). Unfortunately this is one to avoid unless you either don't own it or are such a fan that the bonus tracks (only 3) are a must have. The problem is that the remaster is seriously lacking in both low and mid bass - this is also an issue with the recent remaster of Robert Palmer's Clues (also from Island). Not sure if whoever did the remaster has hearing loss or some other problem, but the original cd is superior in sound without the bass frequencies it sounds tinny and harsh. Perhaps it's been remastered by a computer with no one bothering to listen to the result. The other horrible possibility is they've tried to add some copy protection which is causing my cd player (Oppo Bluray) to incorrectly read the data - if so that's not smart - after all I've paid for this not downloaded it for free. One to avoid! If you don't own this album Arc Of A Diver the 1987 release at about half the price is a better use of your money.

i have always liked this album probably winwoods most commercial overall.
the blue funk of the first album had eased off and this pedated the big hit higher love.
a deluxe album should have included a good live disc.
not a just few alternates and what looks like the audio track for an unreleased dvd.
if my booklet is not perfect it's going back!
Arc of a Diver