Arc of a Diver

Arc of a Diver
Studio album by Steve Winwood
Released 1 July 1980[1][2]
Recorded 1980 at Netherturkdonic Studios, Gloucestershire, England
Genre Rock, Blue-eyed soul, new wave, synthpop, soft rock
Length 40:02
Label Island
Producer Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood chronology
Steve Winwood
(1977)		 Arc of a Diver
(1980)		 Talking Back to the Night
(1982)

Arc of a Diver is the second studio solo album by singer/multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood. All of the instruments featured on the album were performed entirely by Winwood.

Featuring his first solo hit "While You See a Chance", (which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States), this was Winwood's true breakthrough album as a solo artist. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart, establishing him as a commercially viable act.

The cover artwork for the album was by Tony Wright.

Recording

The album was recorded at Winwood's Netherturkdonic Studios, built at his farm in Gloucestershire;[3] he played all the instruments, wrote all the music, and produced and engineered it himself.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The New York Times(favorable)[6]

Reviewing for AllMusic, critic William Ruhlmann wrote of the album "Utterly unencumbered by the baggage of his long years in the music business, Winwood reinvents himself as a completely contemporary artist on this outstanding album, leading off with his best solo song, "While You See a Chance.""[7] Reviewing for The New York Times, critic Robert Palmer wrote of the album "Winwood's impressive playing and arranging and utterly distinctive vocals make several of his collaborations with Mr. Jennings, especially the brooding Night Train, almost as memorable."[6]

Legacy

The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[8]

Track listing

All songs written by Steve Winwood & Will Jennings except where noted.

Side one

  1. "While You See a Chance" – 5:12
  2. "Arc of a Diver" (Winwood, Vivian Stanshall) – 5:28
  3. "Second-Hand Woman" (Winwood, George Fleming) – 3:41
  4. "Slowdown Sundown" – 5:27

Side two

  1. "Spanish Dancer" – 5:58
  2. "Night Train" – 7:51
  3. "Dust" (Winwood, Fleming) – 6:20

Additional tracks

Production

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1981) Position
Australian Kent Music Report[9] 5
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[10] 1
Dutch Mega Albums Chart[11] 6
French SNEP Albums Chart[12] 3
New Zealand Albums Chart[13] 3
Norwegian Albums Chart[14] 24
Swedish Albums Chart[15] 33
UK Albums Chart[16] 13
United States Billboard 200[17] 3
West German Media Control Albums Chart[18] 26

Year-end charts

Chart (1981) Position
Canadian Albums Chart[19] 12
Dutch Albums Chart[20] 35
French Albums Chart[21] 56
US Billboard Pop Albums[22] 17

Certifications

Region Certification
Canada (Music Canada)[23] Platinum
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Silver
United States (RIAA)[25] Platinum

References

  1. ↑ Chronicles liner notes
  2. ↑ Steve Winwood facebook message
  3. ↑ 1001 Albums: You Must Hear Before You Die. Hachette UK. 5 Dec 2011. p. 1315. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  4. ↑ Robert Palmer (21 January 1981). "Arc Of A Diver Review: New York Times : Steve Winwood". New York Times. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  5. ↑ Allmusic review
  6. 1 2 http://www.stevewinwood.com/news/1385
  7. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/arc-of-a-diver-mw0000192481
  8. ↑ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
  9. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ↑ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 34, No. 23," (PHP). RPM. 16 May 1981. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  11. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". dutchcharts.nl. MegaCharts. Archived from the original (ASP) on 28 October 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  12. ↑ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "charts.org.nz Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original (ASP) on 26 November 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  14. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Archived from the original (ASP) on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "swedishcharts.com Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original (ASP) on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  16. ↑ "Steve Winwood > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  17. ↑ "allmusic ((( Arc of a Diver > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  18. ↑ "Album Search: Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  19. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1981". RPM. 26 December 1981. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  20. ↑ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1981" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  21. ↑ "Les Albums (CD) de 1981 par InfoDisc" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  22. ↑ "Billboard Top Pop Albums of 1981". Billboard. 26 December 1981. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  23. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Music Canada. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  24. ↑ "British album certifications – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 October 2013. Enter Arc of a Diver in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  25. ↑ "American album certifications – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 10 October 2013. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

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