A friend recently urged me to check out an album called “Uncorked” by Al Stewart, whom you may recall from his classic hits “Year of the Cat” and “Time Passages.” The acoustic-style album is amazing and inspired me to delve back into the catalogue of a long-time (but, tragically, a little forgotten) favourite from the past.

Scottish-born, England-raised Stewart – a veritable virtuoso on he guitar – forged a unique folk-pop style largely based on stories of unique and unlikely people (some of them, like British naval commander Lord Grenville, historical figures) and exotic, faraway places – songs that classicrockhistory.com describes as “fused with vivid creative imagery fueled by thoughtful lyrics and original melodic ideas.”

My favourite, with its striking Spanish guitar, was always “On the Border” (not to be confused with the Eagles song of the same name), a dark tale about the Basque separatist movement and running guns along the Spanish border. “The Road to Moscow,” a Russian soldier’s first-person perspective of the German invasion of his country during World War II is a close second.

A couple of fun facts about Stewart: He once roomed with Paul Simon, and he knew Yoko Ono before John Lennon did. He’s also still performing,

“On the Border” appeared on the “Year of the Cat” album (1976) and the video is from a live performance in 2006.

Lyrics

The fishing boats go out across the evening water
Smuggling guns and arms across the Spanish border
The wind whips up the waves so loud
The ghost moon sails among the clouds
Turns the rifles into silver on the border

On my wall the colours of the maps are running
From Africa the winds they talk of changes coming
The torches flare up in the night
The hand that sets the farms alight
Has spread the word to those who’re waiting on the border

In the village where I grew up
Nothing seems the same
Still you never see the change from day to day
And no-one notices the customs slip away

Late last night the rain was knocking at my window
I moved across the darkened room and in the lampglow
I thought I saw down in the street
The spirit of the century
Telling us that we’re all standing on the border

In the islands where I grew up
Nothing seems the same
It’s just the patterns that remain
An empty shell
But there’s a strangeness in the air you feel too well

The fishing boats go out across the evening water
Smuggling guns and arms across the Spanish border
The wind whips up the waves so loud
The ghost moon sails among the clouds
Turns the rifles into silver on the border

On the border
On the border
On the border