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''Stranger Comes to Town'' is a studio album from English songwriter and musician Steve Harley. The album was released in 2010 and was Harley's first studio album in five years, after the Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel album ''The Quality of Mercy''. The album became the first album solely credited to Harley to make an appearance on the UK chart, where it peaked at No. 187 in mid-May 2010.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Chart Log UK: H & Claire- Hysterix )〕 It also reached #20 on the UK Independent charts.〔http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-albums-chart/20100509/131/〕 The album spawned two digital-only singles – "Faith & Virtue" and "For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn". No physical singles were released from the album, except for a radio promotional CD single of "Faith and Virtue". The album was released by Repertoire Records in the UK and Germany via CD.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Stranger Comes to Town by Steve Harley : Reviews and Ratings )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Steve Harley – Stranger Comes To Town (File, MP3) at Discogs )〕 It was available largely worldwide as a digital download.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Stranger Comes to Town: Amazon.co.uk: Music )〕 As published on the official Repertoire Records website, Harley described the new album as ''"a labour of love"''. The website also highlighted songs labelled as stand out tracks; "Faith & Virtue", "Take the Men & the Horses Away", the poignantly titled "For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn" and "2,000 Years from Now".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Stranger Comes to Town )〕 The song "True Love Will Find You in the End" is the album's only cover – written by American singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston and originally appearing on his 1984 album ''Retired Boxer''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Retired Boxer – Daniel Johnston : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards )〕 This song was chosen to be covered after Harley had requested ideas of a song to cover from fans on his own official forum. ==Background== In Classic Rock magazine of May 2010, Harley gave an overview of the album, stating: ''"The essence of the stories on this album is the 'Stranger' bit. That's the mystery. It's a metaphor, an allegory for modern life and invasions of privacy and all the things that have entered into the Western world and ruined it."''〔http://www.harleyfanzone.com/70/Scrapbook/2010/Welcome.htm〕 In a May 2010 article by The Bolton News, Harley spoke of the album's theme, stating ''"It's a sort-of protest album. I'm sick of the greedy people running the country and the fact that everything is being dumbed down."'' In a May 2010 article with The York Press, Harley again spoke of the album's theme and how the overall message is like a state-of-the-nation report. ''"I'm not a Grumpy Old Man but... what's happening to this country? I don't like the dumbing-down from the moment our Prime Minister said 'Call me Tony'. I've been angry ever since. Kids are growing up in a world where there's no deference. What was wrong with 'sir' or 'madam'? The album is a new-fashioned protest album. It's not Blowin' in the Wind or Masters of War, but deep down, what are we coming to?"'' Harley also spoke of the album's title and where it came from, with the article's writer nothing that it ''"could be interpreted as the comment of a man who feels estranged from what is going on around him, although its roots lie in a casual comment."'' Harley stated ''"I borrowed it. When I was up in Norfolk we went to a village pub to get the stress off with a pint of Guinness, and we heard these two people say 'Stranger Comes to Town'. They asked, 'What are you doing here, Steve?', so I gave them a line from Eccles in The Goons: 'Everyone has to be somewhere'."'' Finally, the article noted that ''"Harley's sense of yearning for better times is writ large on a new record whose songs have clearly troubled him as he prepares to turn 60 next February."'' Harley stated ''"You never rest as a songwriter. You're always looking for the muse to come and sit on your shoulder, and I can't take the stress. Well, every five years, I can... though this might be the last one. I've so much to say on this album."''〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Stranger Comes to Town」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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