Steve Winwood - Arc of a Diver (1980)

Dan:

Arc of a Diver has an interesting story behind it. Secluding himself at his farm in Gloucestershire UK, Steve Winwood tasked himself with all of the duties necessary to complete an entire album. His private Netherturkdonic Studios provided the technical capability to engineer this project, on which he wrote or co-wrote all the music, sang, played all the instruments, and of course produced it himself. In anyone else's hands, one might expect a hermetic, self-indulgent product that only the composer could like, and few listeners would understand (or buy).

But Winwood is not your typical self-absorbed artist. Arc became a chartbuster, especially in the US where it was certified platinum with over a million units sold. The title track and "While You See a Chance" became hit singles that almost everyone would recognize even today. 

Consider the sequence of songs. The two biggest hits come first. But the magic continues on side 1 of the LP with "Second-Hand Woman" and "Slowdown Sundown." Those are great songs illustrating the range of Winwood's talents and execution. Side 2 offers up three longer songs: the lovely "Spanish Dancer," "Night Train," and "Dust," with its final solemn lines to close the album. To me Arc is 40 minutes of sheer enjoyment that I can listen to any day, any time. 

The most churlish criticism I've read considers Arc of a Diver to be too accessible and too much like pop music. I disagree on the grounds that the entire album is at such a high level, track for track, and that's a rarity to be celebrated rather than criticized. The other critique is the preponderance of synthesizers, but it's not really as synthesized as many later efforts. A Prophet 5, Minimoog, and Yamaha CS-80 do not comprise an arsenal of artificial sound, especially when balanced by a Stratocaster, Ibanez mandolin, Ovation acoustic guitar, piano and Hammond B3 organ. The fact that Winwood can play all of these axes and sound like an actual band should discourage skepticism over the music's origins. 

Steve:

Winwood had long since proven himself as an expert music-maker, capable not only of writing and singing material that was both popular and had staying power through the years, but also of having the instrumental and production ability to be a true one-man band. John Barleycorn Must Die, the unexpected return of Traffic following a hiatus, was a Winwood solo album in all but name, for example. Winwood's first self-titled solo album (co-written with his old Traffic-mate Jim Capaldi and recorded with session musicians) failed to inspire much interest from the buying public. His 1980 money-shot Arc of a Diver seems in retrospect to be a concerted effort on his part to take matters into his own hands and make the blockbuster he knew he was capable of. 

As a young child in 1980, I recall hearing "While You See a Chance" almost everywhere I went - it was truly a big radio hit, peaking at #7 on the Billboard charts. It's practically a clinic on how to structure a good pop melody - the chord structure is not too complex, but the vocal parts make the most of every chord, creating a winding melody that deftly finds its way back to the root chord. I'm reminded of some of the early Beatles hits (e.g. "I Should Have Known Better"), where the vocal melody often has to take a roundabout route to find its resolution but always lands gracefully, inspiring a "whoa" from me.  

Besides the second hit ("Arc of a Diver"), I'm also quite fond of "Spanish Dancer", with its graceful minor-key strut imparting an air of mystery that reminds me a bit of Steely Dan's Gaucho album. This track has the most impressive "atmospheric presence" on the album. In all, Arc of Diver provided Winwood with a template for success in the 80s, but his greatest commercial success was yet to come. Listeners who appreciate his songcraft, but think Back in the High Life sounds too "80s", should spend some time with Arc of a Diver.