Steve Winwood

This great and surprising release from a 60 year old rocker is one of the best popular music albums I have heard in years. Winwood has been there for decades of course, occasionally surfacing, but usually somewhat blended in the background of famous group projects. This release is evidence he is still growing, still interested in tuning up his considerable skills.

There are diverse sounds here from calypso, folk, vintage metal -- all fresh and excellently recorded and produced. Nothing is out of place and there are no bad cuts; everything is eminently re-listenable. Winwood's voice has not only held up but sounds better than ever before. The album is also lyrically and poetically interesting and subtle, as rock music goes; thankfully no politics, no preaching, no mawkish "looking back" over life & career. Every song stands on its own and there is no filler. There are some songs that stand with Winwood's greatest -- notably the lyric "Fly," the driving "Raging Sea," "Dirty City" featuring great work from Clampton," and the astonishing heartfelt closer, "Other Shore." This is a record that glows with life and will doubtless not age.

On Steve Winwood's CD About Time, his version of "Why Can't We Live Together" hypnotized my ears, maybe my personal favorite track of the decade so far. On "Nine Lives" Winwood is in fine form. The opener "I'm Not Drowning" has distinctive percussion and Winwood's vocals moaning, "Count the cost, ghost waiting where the roads all cross." "Raging Sea" is an excellent track if you are patient enough to let its rolling rhythms and Winwood's voice like a siren draw you into the mix. "Dirty City" pulses to a slow groove with Eric Clapton's guitar stinging as Winwood sings with equal parts allure and sinister sharpness. "Secrets" is a good track with Winwood's B3 on fire & a nice touch with Paul Booth's flute. Winwood's "Nine Lives" is firmly rooted in the sound, exploring the six & seven minute jam that reprises the progressive rock era. As a set, the songs tend to blend a bit with similar tempos & percussion, as good as it is. Still, this is a strong set that goes down smooth like a cold brew. Enjoy!

PRETTY GOOD NOT ARC OF THE DIVER OR ROLL WITH IT STILL PRETTY GOOD

There are some fantastic songs on these cd but there are some repetitious ones that i could live without . I give it 4 stars because the fantastic songs are worth listening , even that this is the most Eric Clapton composition style Steve has written . Buy a used cd so you wount feel so bad that only the first 5 songs are worth it ...
Common Stevie , 2 cds to make one ? . I mean It's about Time and 9 Lives could be a really good one ... I will wait for Comming of Age ...

Not since his collaborations with Remi Kabaka and Abdul Lasisi Amao (Aiye-Keta, 1973) has Winwood explored African rhythms and style in such depth as on this recording. A perplexing album if one is looking for vintage Winwood pop or even latter-day Traffic (although elements of both survive and even thrive on this recording). Overall, Winwood's vocal abilities still amaze, his lyrical sensibility is always interesting, and the musicianship on this record surpasses anything by ANY new band pretenders out there. He is an ORIGINAL, and that - is THAT. The heavy reliance on percussion is curious, but Winwood still manages to pull off a better record at this stage of his career than practically any of his younger wannabes.

Here is yet another Album from Steve Winwood that has much to enjoy. With known hits as in Higher love,Back in the high life and The finer things you can't go wrong with this. All the other tracks on this also carry that 80's feel. This one will get just as much play is the album Roll with It. Upon reading the liner notes you will see some other names like Joe Walsh with his guitar in Freedom overspill. James Taylor lending his voice as harmony on back in the high life.

The album tracks are equally as good as the radio overplayed singles. My favourites are "Freedom Overspill" and "Finer things". The release of this album in 1986 cemented what a great year for albums that year was. Not only did we get "Graceland (Paul Simon)" but this album which put Winwood right at the top of the charts. Listening to it again the other day, makes me very happy but I do think it is a little dated in sound. Has 80s written all over it, ie. the saxophones. Steve also had a love of synthesizers which unfortunately have not dated so well. The success of this album saw the record company quickly release a compilation of sorts called "Chronicles" but it was not quite a greatest hits. It was aimed to present a snapshot of his earlier stuff and remixes of "Valerie" and "Talking back to the Night".

"Back in the High Life" is worthy of your collection - it does need a digital remastering though. OVERDUE!

From listening to this album, it's hard to believe that Steve Winwood used to be the lead singer for the great 60s rock groups Traffic and The Spencer Davis Group, and while some purists may call him a sellout, there's no denying that whatever kind of music Steve Winwood makes, he can do it good. Bouncy upbeat pop perfect for work, the car, or even just cleaning the house, this album made huge hits out of "Higher Love", "The Finer Things" and the title track, and all three of these (particularly Higher Love), still get played almost daily on adult contemporary radio stations. The slower paced "My Love's Leavin'" is also first-rate.

The year I really started to take interest in music was 1986. It was the summer inbetween 6th and 7th grade and every song that I liked I would go out and buy the 45 single. Because I didn't have much money an album would really have to strike my interest to get me to buy it. "Back in the High Life" was one of those albums. The song "Higher Love" was a huge hit and I loved the song "Back in the High Life Again". Because there were at least two songs I liked I saved up the money and bought the tape. Every song sounded like a hit and I played the heck out of that tape until it wore out. When I got a CD player in the late 80s this was on my purchase list.

There were many albums and songs that I enjoyed in 1986 but very few albums that have held up well. Many albums had a lot of songs that sounded the same. You would have an artist that had a HUGE hit in one style and half of the next album would be trying to copy that style in order to get another big hit. Albums like this was an exception. Of course it helps that this is Steve Winwood's first big solo hit album. There is a lot of varity to keep this album interesting from the first to the last song and it is short enough that it doesn't over stay it's welcome. It is now 2007 and I have yet to get tired of this album and it has remained in my essential favorites for over 20 years.

If you are a fan of the 80s, even though you may have "Higher Love" on one of the many 80s compilations out there, the other songs are just as good and in some cases better (like "Finer Things" and "Freedom Overspill"). Give this one a chance.

My only complaint is this album is in much need of remastering. This is a minor complaint because all I have to do is turn up the volume a tad more than I have to do with other CDs.

Discovered I liked "Higher Love" and "Finer Things" and that was it. The sound quality on my disk isn't great--I had to raise the volume and do some fiddling to get it to compare to the previous levels that had worked for months. Wasn't worth the price, IMHO.

To get an overview of the music Steve Winwood's been involved with, you have to look at the bands he's been in and the influence they've had.

That's all captured here in an outstanding collection of songs. I think you could debate what to add and what to leave out, but you can't argue that Winwood is an outstanding musician who has been quenching our musical thirsts for years.

Steve Winwood. He has a legendary rock and roll voice, and there's nobody quite like him. And, in 2000, he was awarded a collection in UMG's '20th Century Masters' series.

Unlike 'Chronicles,' this set features none of Steve Winwood's solo years. Instead, you get, in my opinion, his best years. You get his work with The Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith and Traffic.

But, every single major hit from all three of the bands are featured here. 'I'm A Man (Spencer Davis Group),' 'Dear Mr. Fantasy (Traffic),' 'Can't Find My Way Home (Blind Faith),' and of course 'Gimme Some Lovin' (Spencer Davis Group).'

This set is mostly Traffic songs. 7 out of the 11 songs featured here are Traffic songs.

This is an excellent. Buy this and 'Chronicles' and you have all of Winwood's most important work. Highly recommended for any Winwood fan. ENJOY!!!

Steve Winwood's enormous talent and his mark on music history in the last 40 years is often overlooked by many. He is one of the most respected and important musicians in the industry, and in music history. He is perhaps overshadowed by folks like Clapton. This CD of his early work profiles all his best. Some have berated his following 80's work as pop puff, but that being far from the case it further exemplifies his genius to create good, strong, solid music with fresh sound. This CD belongs in any serious music collection.

I got this today and I disagree with the other reviewers this right here is a good compilation it consists of 11 songs written and sung by Steve Winwood from the '60s to the early '70s you must have this there is not a bad song on here . Steve Winwood performed each song at least once during his tours from 2003-2006

When you first see this cover in the record shop bins, you are fully expecting a collection of Winwood's solo work from 1977-87, prior to being wooed away to Virgin. You turn it over and discover the tracks are his best-known works with the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith, and limited to the period 1966-72. It's not really surprising that Universal would do this; the compilers at Universal are not the music lovers who used to run the labels over which the company now has jurisdiction, and so I dock this collection a star for that.

That said, however, this *is* a good collection. As I said before, these are some of Winwood's best-known tracks, and in fact some of his best, period. The Universal compilers chose well for what is a essentially a budget-line anthology, and the remastering job is good, too. You certainly can't go wrong with such classics as "Gimme Some Lovin'," "I'm a Man" (Chicago's cover never did justice to this song), "40,000 Headmen," "Dear Mr. Fantasy," "Had to Cry Today," "John Barleycorn," and of course "The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys."

I would like to correct a mistake made by one reviewer--the lyrics to "John Barleycorn" are not the work of Robert Burns, but in fact go back much farther. The song is at least 500 years old; dear Bobby Burns may have, at some point, written some variation on the lyrics (the notes to the original LP, John Barleycorn Must Die, point out that there are many variations of this song throughout the British Isles--versions are known to exist in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, all round the same basic theme), but the version here is definitely 15th Century British. "And little Sir John, and the nut-brown bowl/And his brandy in the glass/And little Sir John, and the nut-brown bowl/Proved the strongest man at last...."

A good place for anyone unfamiliar with Winwood's early work to start, I definitely recommend it.

Forget about all of the negative comments appearing here, this is one great collection of music! Of course it is keyboard heavy, but that's what Steve Winwood does best!

The title track is just incredible and "While You see a Chance," one of the most positive set of lyrics penned.

Although these two tracks are undoubtedly the standouts, "Dust", "Slowdown Sundown" and "Second Hand Woman" are also very strong.

If there is a weak track on this disc, it would have to be "Night Train", but even saying that is stretching things. In fact, its' very reminiscent of Warren Zevon's "Nighttime in the Switching Yard" and Bruce Cockburn's same titled track from his "The Charity of Night" release.

All in all, a solid set from Steve Winwood that certainly holds its own alongside "Refugees of the Heart" and "Roll With It".

A friend once described this as "aural wallpaper", and he thought he was being kind. Well, I must really dig wallcoverings on my ears, then, because once this finds its way into my CD player, it's a few days before it comes back out again.

The follow-up to his eponymous first solo album is inspired by the work of three acclaimed lyricists: Will Jennings, George Fleming and Viv Stanshall. Getting back to the strictly one-man band vibe that is all at once looser and funkier than the preceding album, he constructs some great melodies around the ethereal (but at least understandable) lyrics. No, it's not a perfect effort, though it did yield his first megahit after his Spencer Davis Group-glory days, with "While You See A Chance." He would go on to produce more pop-chart friendly work with the multi-platinum "Back In The High Life." At the very least, ARC recalls the work of Gary Wright and Todd Rundgren, with a lot less emphasis on bombast or electronically-infused melodrama.

Without Davis and Mason, Steve Winwood's nuturance of all he recorded without a band, resulted in a beautifully wrapped package of Ballads, and semi-Ballads. TRAFFIC lovers and critics alike, point to When You See a Chance as a redefinition of pop-rock. A lotta soul, and a big heart. The songs were written especially for him, which shouldn't surprise anyone since he wrote them, and take full advantage of his range. If you buy just one recording by Steve Winwood, look no further, Arc of a Diver is the one everybody was talking about.

Steve Winwood with his best solo effort. Although Steve won his recognition on his next recording effort featuring "Back in the Highlife Again," in my opinion "Arc of a Diver" was his actual crowning achievement. Highlighting his hit "While You See a Chance" starting off the recording, then on to the title song "Arc of a Diver" (which is in itself an excelent song), through to the final song "Dust". I recomend this CD as a must for any classic collection of one of the greats in rock and roll.

Weldon Wood

ARC OF A DIVER is Steve Winwood's masterpiece. Many of the songs cut a lot deeper than their pop veneer would indicate on first listen, including, especially, the opening cut, "While You See A Chance", which tells people not to let opportunities pass them by, and the title track, which is about how hard connecting with others can be. Winwood's belief that the young Australian tourist jailed in Indonesia since 2005 for drug-smuggling was unjustly convicted makes even disco pap like "Second Hand Woman" and "Spanish Dancer" bearable, and results in ARC OF A DIVER being an essential purchase for both your ears AND your conscience.

This is the very album that got me hooked into Steve Winwood. If it were possible to wear out a disc this might be the one. Over time I've come to enjoy this album more. With the hit (roll with it) in the 80's you couldn't go far with out hearing this cool tune playing. Being only 8 tracks they didn't go wrong. Yes there are songs I like more then others. Not every track is fast paced 80's beat. (The morning side) and (one morning) help change the pace form the fast clip of (holding on) making you want to (put on your dancing shoes). With this album Steve was Back in the High Life and must have set many of ladies (hearts on fire).

I tell ya people, I was on my way to the Caribbean (my fourth trip there since leaving my reviews) and I realized how boring retirement is. So, when I arrived home I found bundles and bundles of mail. All from fans all over the world. In truth, there was so much mail that I couldn't get into my castle! And that entrance is at least 50 feet high. It was easy to see that I was sorely missed by the earth's population. A tear came to my eye (but only briefly).

Then Seering Stone Magazine contacted me and wanted an interview. Yes people- the accolades and pure unadulterated fawning made me graciously accept. However, there was one glitch which caused a great stir. The magazine quoted me as saying "I'm more popular than Santa now", and from that point there was a big outcry and backlash. I had to go on t.v. to explain that it was just a silly joke to appease the masses. (Although, deep in my heart, I believed it to be true). In any case, here it is, another review. It will have a Christmas flavor to it (since it is that time again), and I hope you all are not disappointed.

You better not cry, you better not pout
Or all your votes, they won't count,
Santa Seer is now back in Town

He's making a Hiss, he's screaming it loud
one could go deaf, so says the crowd
Santa Seer is now back in Town

He reviews Steve Winwood's music
It's soul-rock-pop he smiles
Steve's smokey vocal alluring
Will make dancing shoes dance for miles

So, you better hear good, you better hear well
Rolling with it all, is truth to tell
Santa Seer is now back in town

Steve is in fine form, polished music indeed
doesn't need no reindeer, just a noble steed
Santa Seer is now back in Town

The reviewers and folks in Amazonland, will have a jubilee
You have this soulful music, and now you even have me!

So, you better go buy, you better go gift
My advice is always golden, if you catch my drift
Santa Seer is now back in Town
Santa Seer is now back in Town
SANTA SEER IS NOW BACK IN TOWN!!!

Well,,,, that was fun. But, if you have admired the musicianship of Winwood in the past, this effort will not disappoint. Makes a great present for the holidays or to hear on a plane to the Caribbean.

Now it's time for a brandy and cigar!
Have a wonderful season my trillions of fans.

Seers that We Have Heard On High.......... Metamorpho ;)

I LOVE THIS CD. Even though it was originally recorded in 1988, it is one of my all time favorites and I love every single song on it. Steve Winwood and the many groups he belonged to were staples in my teen years and way beyond. I am so happy to have a copy of this album again. Thanks, Amazon, for carrying it.

Roll With It is a song I just enjoy dancing and listening to any time. This is one of his best and still rocks on after some 20 years! There are some other great tracks but Roll With It is the best!!

It was a big risk for Steve Winwood to follow a hugely successful album in Back in the High Life from '86 with this 1988 album. And while I like the songs here, such as Roll With It, it lacks the excitement of High Life or its major hits. Roll With It sounds like it was recorded in a blues soul club in a Southern town. It recalls '60s soul in a big way but with a 1988 sheen to it. Don't You Know What the Night Can Do has that cool, modern feel to it, as if it's to be heard under neon lights. The album version feels and sounds long every time I hear it. But Holding On sounds too dull every time I hear it. It still doesn't grab me like his earlier records. The rest of the album tries too hard to follow the formula of the last effort. Where High Life has more of a relaxed comfortable feel, some songs on Roll With It sound a little too forced in the way they were performed and recorded. Winwood sounds superb vocally on all numbers, but without the excitement of the other one. His keyboard playing is among the best in the business, but he falls short on some songs. Roll With It has had the strongest shelf life, as I hear it a lot in some stores. The other singles haven't been as memorable.

Great music, great rhythm, excellent music. A must have for real listeners. Not to hard and not to soft.

I'd heard "Higher Love" on the radio before, and the remix of "Valerie" that was a hit a few years back, but what made me get this album was hearing "While You See Chance". I thought it was Peter Gabriel singing, (since it has a similar sort of vibe as the Genesis song "It"). Haha!

Though it doesn't seem to be a definitive best of, according to some of the reviews here, there are still some top tracks on here that I really enjoy. Steve has got a strong voice and has a great taste in synthesizer and keyboard tones, plus the songs have some crisp, evocative production. Some of his songs have a spiritual streak too (like "Higher Love", "Wake Me Up on Judgement Day" and "Help Me Angel"), which is interesting.

A couple of the tracks ("Help Me Angel", "Valerie" and "Talking Back To the Night") are remixed by producer Tom Lord Alge, who more recently mixed Evermore's album "Real Life". Not having heard the original Steve Winwood solo albums, I can only guess what he's done (added a bit of drum machine here and there, I think), but the tracks are catchy enough.

The booklet contains a brief history of Steve's recording career, with a couple of quotes from Steve himself. Doesn't say who the booklet is written by, which would have been nice to know.

Steve Winwood's solo career rocketed into the stratosphere following 1986's Grammy darling, "Back in the High Life." That album came four years after "Talking Back To The Night", a collection of ingenious musical conceptions that unfortunately came up a bit short in execution, given their potential. This was preceded by "Arc of a Diver" and the self-titled "Steve Winwood", the former going to #3 on the charts, but the latter a much under-appreciated gem of a solo debut.

So we can clearly see that perhaps Steve and his record producers noticed that there were many new listeners who came in for "Back in the High Life" who were not familiar with his first three albums, and they decided to pick tracks from these, give some them a modern remix, and blend them with selections from "High Life" into a hopefully irresistible package.

Sounds like a great idea in execution, and commercially it clearly was a wise move, but 21 years later, this album leaves us wanting more.

For starters, the few remixes here, with the exception of "Valerie", are inferior to the originals. Winwood's ambitious early techno arrangements of "Talking Back to the Night" and "Help Me Angel" are substituted for generic 80s rock beats. If you don't believe me, listen to the original version of "Night" from 1982 and then the remix here and tell me which is more musicially effective. It would have been nice if they attempted to do edgier or more creative remixes of these that improved upon the original rather than an attempt at wider appeal.

The exception to the unnecessary remixes is "Valerie", with its improved reverb and delightly soaring percussion. It vastly improves upon the quaint original, a strong track on its own but having a bit too much of an "unfinished demo" feel. The new mix soared to #7 on the Top 40, and is arguably Winwood's most enduring and recognizable song from the 80s, introduced to a new generation with Eric Prydz's 2004 "Call on Me" remix.

In addition to the remix issue, there's also the problem, as other reviewers have pointed out, that this is far from a Greatest Hits album. In all fairness, this may not have been what they were going for, perhaps picking out what they felt had potential for a successful second chance. However, there are so many things left out, perhaps due to the length limitations of a CD at the time, and this leaves us listeners begging for a true greatest hits album or solo anthology, which hopefully is not too far off in the future.

"Chronicles" certainly brought in a lot of listeners to Winwood's slightly older output, and kept his solo career in the spotlight. But in retrospect, the execution comes off a bit bland and overly safe in most places, especially since we heard all this before, and it's not a complete "greatest hits" package. That, coupled with the fact the remixes were almost entirely better in their original versions, the only reason to pick up this album is the venerable "Valerie" do-over, or if you want to see where a new generation of Winwood fans fell in love with him all over again.

This Steve Winwood compilation is quite disappointing, to say the least. When I say a compilation is disappointing, that means it's pretty bad, because I'm quite lenient and always try to find the good in compilations, but there is very little good to say about this one. SO many key songs are missing and it just seems inexcusable. There are too many songs missing to even list. Sure, there are a few of his good songs here, but many are second-rate, filler songs. The best song on here is "Higher Love", a few others aren't bad, but not that great and then some are just not his best at all. I really wish they would come up with a MUCH better single-disc Steve Winwood compilation and show the true talent of this man.

Steve Windwood has his own style. There is a flair of "urbanism" on most of the tracks on this Cd. Some track`s doesn`t grip you at first, but there is something there, if you take your`e time an do some, let`s call it "active listning" where you open your`e senses and "let it go" . When you go through this CD, is like an interesting journey from the best of his solo stuff. The best track is the last one Track 10. Talking back to the night. Anyway let`s take it from the begining. Track 1 Wake me up on judgment day, is an ok opener, and sound`s like it`s from the 80 ths (and it is), with synthezeisers,guitariffs, and funky bassplayi, which creates a solid and interesting soundpicture. Track 2 While you see a chance is a nice one too, with a great syntezeisers play all trough the song. Track 3 Vacant Chair is a scene change, moody with a releaxable atmosphere all trough.. Track 4 Help me Angel, is a more up beat song with a optimistic theme, with a refrain who delivers. Windwood`s vocal have never sounded better. Track 5 My Love`s Leavin is a little letdown in a way in the beginning. The Windwood`s voice is good, but it realy doesn`t take off before the refrain. And from there it`s Windwood magic all through the song. Track 6 Valerie is a an upbeat and uptempo song with a great rythm which realy set the standards how a good popsong should deliver. Track 7 Arc of a Diver is an okei song. It has a walk along rythm all trough which makes you remember it. Track 8 Higher Love with it`s carrebiean touch, have the x-factor when it come`s to good craftmanship from Windwood`s craftmanship. Track 9 Spanish Dancer is a let down. To slow sometimes a bore listning. But then it come`s Track 10 Talking back to the Night, which realy delivers in every musical and vocal department`s. Closed your eyes when you listen to it, and you see colors, urban life, nightlife, and it will certainly bring you back to the 80 ths. Steve Windwood always delivers. That`s fore sure !

Music aside, Disc 1 had read errors on the last 2 tracks & only 1 of my 3 players can read Disc 2. The music is well-produced (some might say fairly vitiated & over-produced). The disc is produced very badly.

This is a great album and real return to form for Mr. Winwood. I can't believe that I missed it the first time around - saw it but never got around to buying it; it happens. Unfortunately my machine falls into the catagory warned of on the cover where it says "The audio side of this DualDisc does not conform to CD specifications and therefore will not play on some CD and DVD players". The DVD side plays though and makes the purchase worthwhile in its own right: the album and the live concert performances and extra tracks are terrific. Hearing Mr. Winwood rip into 'Voodoo Chile' seems to complete some sort of circle. Makes me want to play 'Electric Ladyland' straight away!

Steve Winwood's done it again. Randomly chose this CD for my Winwood collection and it surely turned out to be a goldmine. The songs are simply fantastic and the music especially the percussion and Winwood's keyboard are a terrific treat to the ears. With that a DVD of 3 songs aptly resulted in one of my great buys. This album definitly deserves a 5 star rating ----- BY FAR THE BEST

This excellent album by Winwood takes us back to the days of the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic. By that I mean it is heavy on the Hammond B3 Organ and percussion. Gone are the "Top Forty" pop hits of the 1980s. This album is the strongest work by Winwood in years and features longer pieces with excellent keyboard work. I am so glad I bought this cd. Everything about it is top notch. Winwood has assembled a group of musicians that contribute strongly to the set. The songs are well written, the guitar and drum work are very good and, above all, Winwood does an incredible job of bringing the B3 organ to the forefront. If you are a Winwwood fan and haven't purchased this album, do so. You will find "About Time" to be the most enjoyable album you have heard in years.

Bought this because I follow/love what Winwood has done in the past - very pleased I got it. It is full of tracks that stand out because of their musicality, difference to the current musical mainstream and depth/richness of melody and instruments. This album could be prescribed for stress relief, it is very cool. Plenty of Latin influence in this one but SW, as always, finding warm melodies and stunning vocals to spark the soul. For me it was worth buying just for track 1 (Different Light) and track 9 (Horizon) - and everything in between is great too.

I have Go and Go Live on vinyl. Many years ago a good friend and Stevie Winwood fanatic turned me on to this album. To me it's like the "Lost Pink Floyd" album. Like the sequel to "Dark Side of the Moon." It's every bit as spacey and every bit as well composed and well played (Maybe even better).
I have yet to pick up the complete Go Sessions, but will as soon as the budget allows. I just listened to the LP's the other night after not hearing them in years. They hold up well. This is a "band" I'd love to see reunite and tour!

This is a recording by an ultra bunch of genius in a very rare occassion. Don't know how to describe the music though, but thoroughly enjoy all of them.

I bought this album on vinyl in the late 70s while in college. Yamashta's beautiful synths and thundering percussion meld perfectly with Winwood's crystal clear voice to create a modern fusion masterpiece. A who's who of late 70s music contributes to this masterpiece. Is it jazz? Pop? Ambient? Classical? You be the judge. Rejoice that this is now available in all it's CD glory!

Although I recognise how brilliant these musicians are,I found most of it heavy going and very technical.

I bought the original GO and GO TOO brand new on LP Vinyl many years ago unfortunate couldn't find the Live in Paris version and the GO sesions on CD till now all in one and only if it was digitally recorded I would give it 5/5 so if your into jazzrock fusion and like Aldi Meola's guitar playing as much as I do is worth buying recommended .

I hardly write comments but this is one exception. Before listening to this album I was not Winwood's fan at all, I heard from him and listening some of his songs like Higher Love or Valerie which I like very much but not to the point to have considered myself a fan, after I heard this album I became Winwood's fan. These album has a fantastic combination of styles that I may called Rock-Latin fusion but maybe it is not correct the name, but the result is fantastic, all the songs are amazing, just to mention some... Cigano, Take it to the final hour and the superb Why can't we live together, in one word: Buy this CD now.

This 2003 album from Steve Winwood is a return to his roots in terms of the sound and the playing. Essentially the band consists of just Winwood on Vocals and Hammond Organ plus Jose Pires de Almeida Neto on Guitar and Walfredo Reyes Jr on drums; and thats it. On a couple of tracks there is some Flute or Saxophone, but really its kept simple.

The key thing is Steve Winwood's voice still sounds as strong as ever and the Hammond Organ is great. If the album has any weakness it is perhaps that it could have done with a few more memorable songs. However 'Cigano (For the Gypsies)' and 'Horizon' show that Winwood can still write good material.

Its a fine album and the best thing the man has done for a long time.

Here's why I did not award this great recording FIVE stars: There are no incredibly unforgettable moments. Steve's classic solo recordings - BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE, for instance - have surprises everywhere. The drum intro to "Higher Love," the guest voices on the title track, and so on. This particular album has everything EXCEPT that extra pinch of substance we refer to as genius. It's a very good album, though, every song is good. You should add it to your collection, especially if you admire Steve's other stuff. It is different and solid.

This album brings me back to when you could buy an album and the songs were longer than 3 minutes each on it. Nowadays if the songs go over 3 minutes it's too long for the general publics' attention span can handle. If you like great musicianship and lyrics then this album is for you. It's hard to believe this is only 3 guys playing. Steve Winwood is as always great ! Buy it if you're a fan.

Since he was the star performer in the Spencer Davis Group way back in the 60's, Steve Winwood has always managed to amaze and delight me in his musical genius and style. He is such a virtuoso yet with the flare necessary to allow him to adapt to any type of music style, whether it be hard rock, jazz, Latin or any combination thereof. With the release of 'About Time' Steve has yet again laid out for us a masterful design and performance in every single tune on this CD! My particular favorites are 'Different Light','Cigano', 'Domingo Morning' and the live version of 'Mr Fantasy'. The later of these is included on the Imported version along with live versions of 'Why Can't We Live Together' and 'Voodoo Child' and well worth the addition few dollars. But not a single tune is not worth playing over and over again! What genius. This time with Latin flavor and lots of it. I had the pure pleasure if sitting row 5 center stage at his recent concent in Danbury, Ct and he was amazing. The group was tight and the music flowed from one masterpiece to the next. And generously. Don't miss this recording of our own modern day Mozart. Steve, come back with more, very soon!!!

Here is a good album covering Steve early days before going solo. This has songs covering his days in Spencer Davis,Traffic and Blind Faith. When listening to empty pages it kinda of reminds me of Arc of a Diver Music CD another well rated album. At 11 minutes plus low spark of high heeled boys is a good traffic song. Nothing wrong with long songs. This was one of the reasons I actually bought this album i just wish the piano and horn only parts were longer and more to them. That's just me personally. In paper sun the vocal harmony's are good it dates the song but who cares. It is cool to see where Steve's sound started from.

There are few other musicians of the period with such outstanding talent who worked with some of the truly iconic bands of the 60s and early 70s.

Spencer Davis Group: Gimme Some Lovin', Keep on Running, I'm a Man (currently featured in a European VW Golf ad, with a white hound lip-synched - brilliant)

Traffic: Paper Sun, Dear Mr.Fantasy, Pearly Queen, Forty Thousand Headman, John Barleycorn, Empty Pages, Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys, Medicated Goo.

Blind Faith: Had to Cry Today, Can't Find My Way Home.

Dear Mr.Fantasy is the track to get close up and personal to - and it will probably last a lot longer than you do.

A definitive compilation of Steve Winwood's early work - not a single dud track.

I can't believe no one else has written a review on this yet. I also can't believe that some people don't even realize that he was in these 3 different groups. Some people just know him for his solo work afterwards, which is sad because the stuff he did with the groups is just as good, if not better. Steve Winwood has a lot of other good songs besides "Higher Love," "Back In The High Life," "The Finer Things," "Roll With It," etc. Songs like "Gimme Some Lovin'," "Can't Find My Way Home," "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys," and "Sea of Joy" are every bit as good as his solo hits.

This compilation is kind of set up the sameway as Eric Clapton's "The Cream of Clapton," except none of his solo songs are included on this. Like "The Cream of Clapton" has the best of Cream, Derek and the Dominos, and a Blind Faith song, "Classic Steve Winwood" has the best of The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and three other Blind Faith Songs. Although the two CD's are set up the same way, you can't really compare the music to each other because Steve Winwood does ethnic rock and Eric Clapton does blues rock.

Every single song on this collection is great and I highly recommend this one. The 20th Century Masters CD has the same songs on it, but it's missing three really good ones that are found on here. If you buy this CD along with "Back In The High Life," you'll have all the Steve Winwood you'll ever need.