Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Here is the story of this song. My Spotify add it while I was recording songs for drum covers. I decided to use it. I never liked this song. I thought it was just a lame sounding late 70s English pop rock song! It’s kinda drones on and meanders for five minutes! Anyhow I played it a few times to “let out steam” last weekend and it turned out okay! So here it is! Plenty of me in this track throwing in gratuitous drum fills near the end!
FYI, There are no drum transcriptions or charts used to make my covers or this song … sorry! It’s about listening and playing!
“Time Passages" is a song by British singer-songwriter Al Stewart, released as a single in 1978. It was produced by Alan Parsons and is the title track of Stewart's 1978 album release. The single reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1978, and also spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Easy Listening chart, the longest stay at number one on this chart in the 1970s. Billboard magazine also ranked "Time Passages" as the No. 1 Adult Contemporary single of 1979.
The familiar final line to the chorus is, "Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight". Less lyrically complex than a typical Al Stewart composition – the singer's previous top ten hit "Year of the Cat"
exemplifying his usual style – "Time Passages" was one of two songs on the Time Passages album written by Stewart with the intent of the tracks' having hit single potential, the other being "Song on the Radio" which was the follow-up single and reached No. 29 Billboard and No. 27 Cash Box. The song describes the singer planning a trip home in late December (presumably for Christmas) and his nostalgic memories of the past.
Personnel
Al Stewart - guitars, keyboards, vocals
Peter White - guitars, lead guitar (tracks 1, 2 and 9), keyboards, accordion
J. Peter Robinson - grand piano, organ on "Valentina Way"
Peter Solley - synthesizer on "Palace of Versailles"
Peter Wood - keyboards, organ, piano
Tim Renwick - electric guitar, lead guitar (tracks 3, 4, 5 and 6)
Robin Lamble - bass guitar
Mark Goldenberg - rhythm guitar on "Valentina Way"
Phil Kenzie - alto saxophone on tracks 1 and 8
Stuart Elliott - drums (except track 2)
Jeff Porcaro - drums on "Valentina Way"
Al Perkins - pedal steel guitar
Bill Linnane - guitar
Art Tripp lll, Lindsay Elliott - percussion
Brian Huddy, Joe Puerta, David Pack, James R. West, Krysia Kristianne, Jeff Borgeson - backing vocals
Andrew Powell - string arrangements
Now available Earldrum's Spring Store
my-store-d51346.creator-spring.com
Basic Equipment:
Gretsch - 14x22
Ludwig Black Beauty - 5x14 Snare Drum
Vintage Pearl Fiberglass Concert Toms - 5.5x6, 5.5x8, 6.5x10, 8x12, 10x14, 14x16, 16x18
Paiste - 14" 505 Bottom/2000 Regular SE Bottom HH, 16” 2002 crash, 18" 2002 Crash, 22" 2002 Ride, 20" Giant Beat, (18" 2002 China)
Logic Pro X
Focusrite 18i20 Interface
Please check me out on Instagram @earldrum
Please check out my series on how to make a drum cover in this playlist youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGfPcwZGZAaWPBcf94n4py0UWD-RyyF2o
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
No Copyright Infringement Intended. All copyrighted material remains the property of the respective copyright owner(s).
Here is the story of this song. My Spotify add it while I was recording songs for drum covers. I decided to use it. I never liked this song. I thought it was just a lame sounding late 70s English pop rock song! It’s kinda drones on and meanders for five minutes! Anyhow I played it a few times to “let out steam” last weekend and it turned out okay! So here it is! Plenty of me in this track throwing in gratuitous drum fills near the end!
FYI, There are no drum transcriptions or charts used to make my covers or this song … sorry! It’s about listening and playing!
“Time Passages" is a song by British singer-songwriter Al Stewart, released as a single in 1978. It was produced by Alan Parsons and is the title track of Stewart's 1978 album release. The single reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1978, and also spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Easy Listening chart, the longest stay at number one on this chart in the 1970s. Billboard magazine also ranked "Time Passages" as the No. 1 Adult Contemporary single of 1979.
The familiar final line to the chorus is, "Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight". Less lyrically complex than a typical Al Stewart composition – the singer's previous top ten hit "Year of the Cat"
exemplifying his usual style – "Time Passages" was one of two songs on the Time Passages album written by Stewart with the intent of the tracks' having hit single potential, the other being "Song on the Radio" which was the follow-up single and reached No. 29 Billboard and No. 27 Cash Box. The song describes the singer planning a trip home in late December (presumably for Christmas) and his nostalgic memories of the past.
Personnel
Al Stewart - guitars, keyboards, vocals
Peter White - guitars, lead guitar (tracks 1, 2 and 9), keyboards, accordion
J. Peter Robinson - grand piano, organ on "Valentina Way"
Peter Solley - synthesizer on "Palace of Versailles"
Peter Wood - keyboards, organ, piano
Tim Renwick - electric guitar, lead guitar (tracks 3, 4, 5 and 6)
Robin Lamble - bass guitar
Mark Goldenberg - rhythm guitar on "Valentina Way"
Phil Kenzie - alto saxophone on tracks 1 and 8
Stuart Elliott - drums (except track 2)
Jeff Porcaro - drums on "Valentina Way"
Al Perkins - pedal steel guitar
Bill Linnane - guitar
Art Tripp lll, Lindsay Elliott - percussion
Brian Huddy, Joe Puerta, David Pack, James R. West, Krysia Kristianne, Jeff Borgeson - backing vocals
Andrew Powell - string arrangements
Now available Earldrum's Spring Store
my-store-d51346.creator-spring.com
Basic Equipment:
Gretsch - 14x22
Ludwig Black Beauty - 5x14 Snare Drum
Vintage Pearl Fiberglass Concert Toms - 5.5x6, 5.5x8, 6.5x10, 8x12, 10x14, 14x16, 16x18
Paiste - 14" 505 Bottom/2000 Regular SE Bottom HH, 16” 2002 crash, 18" 2002 Crash, 22" 2002 Ride, 20" Giant Beat, (18" 2002 China)
Logic Pro X
Focusrite 18i20 Interface
Please check me out on Instagram @earldrum
Please check out my series on how to make a drum cover in this playlist youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGfPcwZGZAaWPBcf94n4py0UWD-RyyF2o
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
No Copyright Infringement Intended. All copyrighted material remains the property of the respective copyright owner(s).
