interesting and successful

Only on his second solo album is Steve Winwood managed for me to do both at the same time:
To import a really interesting album, and thus to be very successful at the same time.
"Arc Of A Diver" was published in 1980 to Iceland Records and became his international breakthrough as a solo musician.
Already on his debut album, "Steve Winwood" he had shown that he, soulful, write soft pop-rock at very ansehnlichem level and perfect import was loose.
However, the great success of this album was denied, although it can be quite high to compete with "AOAD".
Later he came, especially with the flat "Back In The High Life", the really big success; music is of the substance of the first two albums there but not much left geblieben.Das's charts Pop the simplest sort.
Some might that yes, the majority of radio pop listeners loved for me the limit was after the third LP "Talking Back To The Night" accomplished more of it I really needed now is not, it should be pointed out that many listeners the exact opposite feeling.
Steve Winwood played the album actually only one (!); He was a multi-instrumentalist So for lead and back-voices, acoustic and electric guitar, drum machine, organ, synthesizer, keyboard and mandolin responsible (!).
He also led the recordings and the mixing practically alone and composed with Will Jennings, but three songs on which he worked with Vivian Stan Hall (1x) and George Fleming (2x).
Perhaps this type of production is the reason that not only his voice characteristic, unmistakable acts.
The same can be said also of sound and some timbres.
First of all, the album sounds extremely according to the 80; already the drum machines also had other, "modern" albums that time its mark aufgedrückt.Dann dominated the keyboard with partly distinctive sounds.
Above all, however, the entire sound looks thin, pressure, light, "artificial", underpowered in the bass and just weird.
Nevertheless, the music unfolds its own special charm.
The floating-rhythmic, yet atmospheric "Night Train" my favorite Winwood track is there, but even with spherical sounds enriched, great "Spanish Dancer" may, just as the title track and "While You See A Chance" score with catchy, yet inspiring, emotive melodies.
Unfortunately, however, the droning "Second-Hand Woman" and the nice but somewhat inconsequential "Trust" and Slowdown, Sundown "fall off significantly.
Overall, one has but with a nice, pleasant album to do with "Arc Of A Diver" with some really strong moments.
You can hear this music consciously, without getting bored, as well as background music during pleasant social they are not annoying.
"Arc Of A Diver" is very relaxed, unobtrusive therefore, without slipping into inconsequential-pleasing.
Once you become accustomed to the sound first, everything appears homogeneous in itself.
If the album are recorded again with real drummer, fuller sound and more modern synth sounds, it would not interest me, because then a certain charm, the "Arc Of A Diver" sprayed, would be lost.
The list of publications is extremely interesting.
Sounded the first vinyl album, as part of the recording quality, quite good.
There is a remastered vinyl pressing, the sound does not reach to the old disk; especially the vinyl quality not convinced.
The first CD did not sound really bad, provided great dynamic range and not distorted, fell against the LP but from something.
The remastering of the deluxe edition of 2012 brought little or no real improvement, that is bad but also not offering some other versions of some titles and Steve Winwood-Special about the artist.
For me, however, the MFSL Gold CD by far sounds best.
The remastering is great; there were no details obscured, but the album sounds a bit more comfortable, warmer than usual.
However, I do not know about the various Japanese publications, the part was newly remastered.
Since there is a SHM (a particularly high quality material CD) CD, a CD on Platinum SHM-material and even a high-resolution SHM-SACD.
Also at the collector was intended; beautiful vinyl replica designs and other chic editions are / were available.
Whether something sounds better from Japan, has been hotly debated, and I for one am using the old vinyl disc and above all (yes, for me it sounds even better) the MFSL Gold CD very pleased (!).