Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow was the first and only solo recording released by Al Stewart, although he had previously released other material under the name El Al, including two albums and a number of singles, as a member of Small Faces. Although Stewart received co-writing credit for all the songs, most of the musical performances were done by his brother Rick, along with Stewart himself singing. The album was recorded at a number of studios between February and August 1971 with additional vocal overdubs added later. The album's arrangements were conducted by David Katz. Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow was released on vinyl in November 1971, and was also released as a 10-inch picture disc in 1972. However, both versions were only available in very limited numbers. The album was issued on CD for the first time in 1993 by Sequel Records and included an interview with Al Stewart. Stewart would make one more solo studio recording, Dondestan, in 1982, which would be released in 2004 by Sequel, but would be recorded in the studio as a solo artist rather than working with his brother, Rick. Track listing All songs by Al Stewart. Side one "Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore" - 3:44 "Someday" - 2:36 "The First Cut Is The Deepest" - 2:17 "A Fool Never Learns (When He's Young)" - 3:09 "Cry Now" - 2:46 "Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow" - 3:35 Side two "Sail On Little Boat" - 3:29 "You Make It Rain" - 3:14 "An American Trilogy (Candy's Boy / She Got A Baby / The Bewlay Brothers)" - 6:20 "The First Cut Is The Deepest" [Reprise] - 1:34 "The First Cut Is The Deepest" [Unfade Mix] - 4:04 Sequel Records version (1993) Tracks 1-8 as CD1; track 9 as CD2; track 10 as CD3. Track 11 as an interview. Personnel Al Stewart - vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, keyboards, percussion Jim Gordon - drums, vibes Nicky Hopkins - piano, organ, bongos, maracas, tambourine Jackie Henderson - saxophone, trombone Mike Hugg - slide guitar John Uretich - additional bass Maurice Gibb - backing vocals on "An American Trilogy" Rick and Chris Stewart - guitar, bass, vocals Critical reception A review of the album on Allmusic stated "The production is as slick as the musicianship, the arrangements rich and colorful, and Al's performance soulful and engaging". References External links Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow at discogs.com Category:1971 debut albums Category:Al Stewart albums Category:Reprise Records albums Category:Sequel Records albums Category:Albums produced by Nicky Hopkins