4 of 4 customers found the following review helpful:
 was and is still a pretty decent album., 2004-04-18
i listened to this album over and over again when i first bought it around 1980. i am a huge fan of traffic and basically anything to do with steve winwood. i hadn't heard it in years and just recently picked it up again . it may not be steves finest moment but it's still a good album. it does sound abit 80ish but that's not really a bad thing considering whats out there thats new...i'd never pay full price for it but given the chance to pick it up for 12bucks like i did well it's a worth while buy.
6 of 11 customers found the following review helpful:
 I Used to LOVE this Album, But...., 2004-02-07
I have several Steve Winwood CDs, which admiddetly I don't play much anymore. But when I recently saw this CD in a second-hand store cheap I couldn't resist. I mean, I used to LOVE this album when it originally came out in 1980. I played it over and over in those days."Arc of a Diver" (7 tracks, 40 min.) contains the hits "While You See a Chance" and "Second-Hand Woman", and the title track is well known too, but it all sounds a bit... 80s synth-lite now. The only track that really remains a stand-out now is the brooding, grooving "Night Train". This album set the stage for the commercial blockbusters "Back in the High Life" and "Roll With It". With the hind-sight of 20 years or so, it is strangely clear to me that Steve Winwood's solo output simply hasn't aged well. It was exciting music then, but isn't now, sorry.
4 of 4 customers found the following review helpful:
 'Arc' is like a new suit it looks great and you know it!, 2004-01-23
I have been listening to Arc of a Diver from Steve Winwood since 1980 and I absolutely love it. It is on my top 100 rock recordings of all time along with some of his other works. The reason I am giving this album 5 stars is because their are no weak songs on this album. The idea that he wrote and recorded this album at home and by himself playing all the instruments with a little help from his friends on the lyrics is incredible to me!
I have been listenig to Windwood for nearly 30 years through the Traffic and Blind Faith Period so I was very familiar with Winwood's Professional Career. 'ARC' is smooth as silk and is like putting on a new suit it feels good and you know you look good! Some of the reviews of this album are being far too critical and should just shut up and listen....this is a very enjoyable album from start to finish. Oh and while you have this CD playing you might consider Steely Dan's Aja up next! Go ahead and get another glass. Later
2 of 7 customers found the following review helpful:
 Two Great Songs=Two Star Rating, 2003-10-18
My title is kind of blunt isn't it? However, the bottom line is that Arc Of A Diver is one medicore recording loaded with excessive synthesizer tones and lacking much in the order of good melodies.The first two songs are clearly the cream of this crop. I will even say that While You See A Chance is one of Steve Windwood's best songs of all time. The words are quite soothing and the melody is extremely captivating. The instrumental accompanyment is very appropriate. Also, the very next track, Arc Of A Diver, is quite ear friendly with a strong melody and good special effects. After this strong opening, the rest of the record is quite dissappointing. The remaining songs tend to drag within a few minutes. Several of these so-called tunes even exceede the six minute mark in length with barely a distinguishable melody. Guitars, natural sounding keyboards, and a driving drumbeat are almost non-existent. Dear Listener, you are best served to pursue Steve Windwood's Traffic career. These tunes feature some good instrumental definition and some compelling melodies. Stevie's Back In The High Life is a considerable better effort as many of the tunes on that release are quite stylish. On this record, you have the great two song opener, two more passable tunes(Spanish Dancer, Night Train) and an overabundance of synthesizer drivel that at least to my ears is not worth the investment.
A Must Have for Steve Winwood's Fans, 2003-07-25
The quality of the CD, great music, my favorite tracks are: "While You See a chance", "Sun Up Sun Down", "Spanish Dancer", the title track "Arc of a Driver", it's music that goes down easy yet offers a good groove factor.
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