Sparks of Ancient Light is the sixteenth studio album by Al Stewart

Al Stewart

Al Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...

, released on September 15, 2008. Like many of Stewart's works, the album's songs deal with historical figures, including British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury, deposed Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia , ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979...

 and 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...

. According to Stewart, the songs all deal with the themes of "certainty and uncertainty."

Track listing

1. "Lord Salisbury" - 3:26
2. "(A Child's View Of) The Eisenhower Years" - 3:11
3. "The Ear of the Night" - 3:06
4. "Hanno the Navigator" - 4:17
5. "Shah of Shahs" - 5:03
6. "Angry Bird" - 2:42
7. "The Loneliest Place on the Map" - 3:31
8. "Sleepwalking" - 4:31
9. "Football Hero" - 5:38
10. "Elvis at the Wheel" - 3:10
11. "Silver Kettle" - 3:56
12. "Like William McKinley" - 4:15

Musicians

• Laurence Juber
  Laurence Juber
  Laurence Juber is an English-born guitarist who currently lives in California. Born 12 November 1952 in Stepney, East London, he was raised and went to school in North London...
  
  : Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric)
• Jim Cox: Organ, Piano
• John "Hot Fat Reynolds" Ferraro: Percussion, Drums
• Eric Gorfain: Violin
• Daphne Chen: Violin
• Leah Katz: Viola
• Richard Dodd: 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: Management

Allusions and historical references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
  Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
  The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
  
   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
  Hanno the Navigator
  Hanno the Navigator was a Carthaginian explorer c. 500 BC, best known for his naval exploration of the African coast...
  
  , a 5th century BCE Carthaginian
  Carthage
  Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
  
   explorer best known for his naval exploration of the African coast.
• Elvis at the Wheel refers to an incident where Elvis Presley
  Elvis Presley
  Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
  
  , looking at a cloud formation, perceived a face of Joseph Stalin
  Joseph Stalin
  Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
  
   changing into that of Jesus Christ, inspiring him to undergo a religious transformation.
• Shah Of Shahs is a reference to the last days of the Pahlavi kingdom era before the Islamic revolution, and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's 1979 escape from Iran
  Iran
  Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
  
  .

External links

• Al Stewart - the making of Sparks of Ancient Light (video)