Wikipedia

Arc of a Diver

Arc of a Diver is the second and breakout solo studio album by the English 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, 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)

The lead single, "While You See a Chance" (which peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States), was Windwood's first solo hit. The album peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart, establishing Winwood 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

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

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[6]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStarStarStar[8]
The Great Rock Discography8/10[9]
MusicHound RockStarStarStarStarHalf star[10]
Record CollectorStarStarStarStar[11]
Record MirrorStarStarStarStar[12]
Rolling StoneStarStarStarStar[13]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStarStarHalf star[3]
Smash Hits5/10[14]

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".[15] 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."[16] 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'."[17]

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,[18] and was voted number 455 in the third edition (2000) of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[19]

Track listing

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

Original release

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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

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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

Track 3 originally released on Revolutions – The Very Best of Steve Winwood.

Personnel

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

Charts

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Sales and certifications

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Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia — 70,000[35]
Canada (Music Canada)[36] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[38] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ↑ "Winwood LP" (PDF). Record Mirror. 22 November 1980. p. 4. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 Elliott, Paul (23 March 2021). "Steve Winwood: A guide to his best albums". Louder Sound.
  3. 1 2 Evans, Paul (2004). "Steve Winwood". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 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. ↑ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus. p. 1517. OL 11913831M.
  9. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2004). "Steve Winwood". The Great Rock Discography (7 ed.). Canongate Books. p. 1678. ISBN 1-84195-615-5.
  10. ↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). "Steve Winwood". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 1237. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  11. ↑ Bell, Max (7 October 2012). "Arc Of A Diver: Deluxe Edition". Record Collector. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  12. ↑ Nicholls, Mike (3 January 1981). "Winwood – Solid Oak". Record Mirror. Vol. 28. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  13. ↑ White, Timothy (30 April 1981). "Steve Winwood: Arc Of A Driver". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 15 November 2002. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  14. ↑ Hepworth, David (22 January 1981). "Steve Winwood: Arc Of A Driver". Smash Hits. No. 56. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  15. ↑ Christgau, Robert (8 June 1981). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 10 July 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
  16. ↑ "Official Site".
  17. ↑ "Arc of a Diver - Steve Winwood | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 164. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  20. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 342. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  21. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Image 0331". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – W". Infodisc.fr (in French). Retrieved 28 January 2025. Select Steve Winwood from the menu, then press OK.
  24. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Charts.nz – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 18/1/1981 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Steve Winwood Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  30. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Image 4687". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1981" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  32. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1981. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  33. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1981 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  34. ↑ "Billboard Top Pop Albums of 1981". Billboard. 26 December 1981. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  35. ↑ "Major fight economics with quirky rock originals" (PDF). Billboard. 12 June 1982. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  36. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Music Canada.
  37. ↑ "British album certifications – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Arc of a Diver Steve Winwood in the "Search:" field.
  38. ↑ "American album certifications – Steve Winwood – Arc of a Diver". Recording Industry Association of America.
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