Arc of a Diver

Arc of a Diver is the second solo studio album by singer/multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood. Released in 1980, Winwood played all of the instruments on the album.

Arc of a Diver
Studio album by
Steve Winwood
Released29 December 1980[1]
Recorded1980
StudioNetherturkdonic Studios, Gloucestershire, England
Genre
Length39.49
LabelIsland
ProducerSteve Winwood
Steve Winwood chronology
Steve Winwood
(1977)		 Arc of a Diver
(1980)		 Talking Back to the Night
(1982)

Featuring his first solo hit, "While You See a Chance" (which peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States), this was Winwood's breakthrough album as a solo artist. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart, establishing him as a commercially viable act.

The cover artwork for the album is by Tony Wright. He took inspiration from Jazz by Henri Matisse, notably VIII: Icarus.

Recording

The album was recorded at Winwood's Netherturkdonic Studios, built at his farm in Gloucestershire;[4] he played all the instruments, wrote all the music, producing and engineering it himself.[5]

Critical reception
Retrospective professional reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Christgau's Record Guide: The '80sB−[7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]
The Great Rock Discography8/10[8]
MusicHound Rock[8]
Music Story[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]

Reviewing for The Village Voice in June 1981, Robert Christgau credited Winwood for overdubbing all his self-performed instruments, but still found his brand of "British-international groove" more atmospheric than song-oriented and ultimately "lulling".[9] Robert Palmer was more enthusiastic in The New York Times, saying that Winwood has transformed himself into a "rock traditionalist" with the album. While highlighting "Dust" and the album's title track as "first-rate lyrics", Palmer said that "Winwood's impressive playing and arranging and utterly distinctive vocals make several of his collaborations with Will Jennings, especially the brooding 'Night Train,' almost as memorable."[10] In a retrospective review for AllMusic, 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.""[11]

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,[12] and was voted number 455 in the third edition (2000) of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[13]

Track listing

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

Original release

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

2012 Deluxe reissue

Tracks 1–7 on disc one, per the 1980 release, with disc two containing bonus tracks.

  1. "Arc of a Diver" [edited US single version] (Winwood, Stanshall) – 4:16
  2. "Night Train" [instrumental version] – 6:44
  3. "Spanish Dancer" [2010 version] – 6:13
  4. "Arc of a Diver: The Steve Winwood Story" [originally aired on BBC Radio 2] – 56:33

Personnel
  • John "Nobby" Clarke – additional engineer
  • John Dent – mastering at The Sound Clinic (London, UK)
  • Tony Wright – artwork
  • Fin Costello – photography

Charts

Chart singles
Year Title US Billboard US Cash Box CAN
1981 "While You See a Chance" 7 10 3
"Arc of a Diver" 48 64 19

References
  1. "Winwood LP" (PDF). Record Mirror. 22 November 1980. p. 4. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. Elliott, Paul (23 March 2021). "Steve Winwood: A guide to his best albums". Louder Sound.
  3. Evans, Paul (2004). "Steve Winwood". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 882–883. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. 1001 Albums: You Must Hear Before You Die. Hachette UK. 5 December 2011. p. 1315. ISBN 9781844037148. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  5. Robert Palmer (21 January 1981). "Arc of a Diver Review : New York Times : Steve Winwood". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  6. Allmusic review
  7. Christgau, Robert (1990). "W". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 10 July 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
  8. Anon. (n.d.). "Steve Winwood - Arc of a Diver". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  9. Christgau, Robert (8 June 1981). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 10 July 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
  10. "Official Site".
  11. "Arc of a Diver - Steve Winwood | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  12. 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.
  13. Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 164. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  14. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  15. "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 34, No. 23" (PHP). RPM. 16 May 1981. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  16. "dutchcharts.nl Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". dutchcharts.nl. MegaCharts. Archived from the original (ASP) on 28 October 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  17. "charts.nz Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver" (ASP). Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  18. "norwegiancharts.com Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Archived from the original (ASP) on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  19. "swedishcharts.com Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original (ASP) on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  20. "Steve Winwood > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  21. "allmusic ((( Arc of a Diver > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  22. "Album Search: Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  23. "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1981". RPM. 26 December 1981. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  24. "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1981" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  25. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1981. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  26. "Top Selling Albums of 1981 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  27. "Billboard Top Pop Albums of 1981". Billboard. 26 December 1981. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  28. "Steve Winwood: Arc of a Diver Production Notes". 28 May 2020.
  29. "Major fight economics with quirky rock originals". Billboard. 12 June 1982. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  30. "Canadian album certifications – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Music Canada. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  31. "British album certifications – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  32. "American album certifications – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
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