1 	Midday (Avoid City After Dark) 	4:25
2 	Heaven / Where True Love Goes 	4:50
3 	Maybe There's A World 	3:07
4 	One Day At A Time 	4:54
5 	When Butterflies Leave 	0:41
6 	In The End 	4:02
7 	Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood	3:23
8 	I Think I See The Light 	5:34
9 	Whispers From A Spiritual Garden 	2:05
10 	The Beloved 	4:52
11 	Greenfields, Golden Sands 	3:26
12 	There Is Peace 	3:03

Yusuf - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Alun Davies – guitar
Jean Russel – Keyboards
Lu Edmonds - ouz, dabruka, saz
Danny Thompson – bass
Luis Jardim – percussion
Youssou N'Dour – vocals

Yusuf Islam's last recording as Cat Stevens, released in 1978, was Back to Earth, a record full of lost and disillusioned emotions and the desire to be whole and to find something more. Now 28 years later, Yusuf gives listeners An Other Cup, a recording that reveals the benefits and the gifts that his conversion to the religion of Islam gave him. With co-producer Rick Nowels, old mates like guitarist Alun Davies, Jean Roussel, and bassist Danny Thompson, and new ones like Youssou N'Dour, Islam returns to the folk-pop idiom of Catch Bull at Four, the aforementioned album, and moments of Foreigner. While the production on this record is full, it feels more stripped down than most of his work. And what's so interesting is that while he may have left behind the minutely detailed searching scenarios his songs related for more spiritual and general sense impressions, it's about the only thing that's changed. His voice is warm, rich, and inviting, his melodies are as irresistible as ever, and his way of relating his experience is direct. It's true there are a lot more holistic themes on this set, deeply spiritual tomes that offer advice, but they also enthusiastically relate the benefits of what he's found. Is it preachy? Yep, a bit, but so was Bob Dylan's Slow Train Coming. That's not to equate this record in terms of its profundity, but more to say that anyone who appreciates what Stevens did in a previous life can rejoice in the subjective truths related here. Songs like "Maybe There's a World," "In the End," the horn-drenched opener "Midday (Avoid the City After Dark)," and "Greenfields, Golden Sands" are memorable and delightful for their simplicity and directness. There is also a curious cover on this set: a string-drenched arrangement of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" that's about as far from the Animals' version as one can get. It's a bit over the top, and it's more in your face than anything else here and therefore doesn't work. It's downright sappy. Otherwise, this record is a minor but pleasantly unexpected surprise. It also lends a more human face to the man's often distorted life as a devout pilgrim on his way to seeking God. Doing that in a pop setting is a tightrope walk, but Islam obviously doesn't really care, and he keeps his record free from the trappings of trying too hard. If you missed Cat Stevens, meet Yusuf Islam. On An Other Cup, he delivers what you've been waiting for. ---Thom Jurek, Rovi

Powrót Yusufa Islama vel Cata Stevensa po prawie trzydziestu latach przerwy na scenę muzyczną był wydarzeniem naprawdę dużego kalibru. Szczególnie, że był to powrót w naprawdę wielkim stylu. Całe lata 70-te, Stevens uznawany był za jednego z najciekawszych i najlepszych brytyjskich wykonawców, a w pierwszej połowie tamtej dekady nagrał kilka znakomitych płyt, które na stałe weszły do kanonu muzyki rozrywkowej. Powszechnie traktowany jest jako balladzista, ale nie jest ot typowy bard z gitarą . Oczywiście ballad zawsze było dużo i głownie z ich powodu zdobył sobie popularność. Ale te wszystkie płyty były bardzo urozmaicone muzycznie, nie trudno było tam znaleźć elementy folkloru z Bałkanów, co jest jakby naturalne, ale też na przykład elementy muzyki afrykańskiej(“Longer Boats”). Oprócz ballad było też zawsze sporo utworów znacznie żywszych , na przykład “Peace Train”, “Can’t Keep It in” albo “Tuesday’s Dead” wykonywane w charakterystyczny dla Stevensa, niepodrabialny sposób, ze specyficznie połamanymi rytmami, często z fortepianem wspomagającym sekcję rytmiczną “rąbanymi” akordami. Potrafił się porwać również i na duże formy, i to z powodzeniem – vide suita “Foreigner” z 1973 roku. Prawdopodobnie to jego największe dzieło.

Powrót Cata Stevensa vel Yusufa Islama z “wewnętrznej emigracji” nie miał takiej oprawy na jaka zasługiwał, wracała bądź co bądź jedna z największych gwiazd muzyki rozrywkowej lat siedemdziesiątych. Było to chyba spowodowane nieco dwuznaczną aurą wokół artysty. Ta konwersja na islam, to nieszczęsne poparcie wyroku śmierci na Rushdiego, a i ten zupełnie nie sprzyjający islamowi w ostatnich kilku latach klimat (prawdę mówiąc sami wyznawcy bardzo się o to postarali). Jednak nie przeszkodziło to płycie w odniesieniu sporego sukcesu – w Wielkiej Brytanii “An Othe Cup” weszło do pierwszej dwudziestki sprzedając się od razu w pierwszym tygodniu w 90 tysiącach egzemplarzy, a za oceanem było niewiele gorzej – pierwsza pięćdziesiątka. Jak na sześćdziesięciolatka “podejrzanej konduity” po trzydziestoletniej przerwie w działalności - chyba bardzo dobrze. ---Wojciech Kapała, artrock.pl

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CD 1: 

01 Lilywhite 
02 The Wind 
03 Thinking 'Bout You 
04 Where Do The Children Play 
05 Boots & Sand 
06 Welcome Home 
07 Fill My Eyes 
08 Roadsinger 
09 Midday (Avoid City After Dark) 
10 Sitting 
11 I Think I See The Light 
12 Miles from Nowhere 
13 Don't Be Shy 
14 Glass World 
15 Bad Brakes 
16 Moonshadow 
17 Peace Train 

CD 2: 

01 All Kinds of Roses 
02 Lilywhite (2009) 
03 Tuesday's Dead 
04 Father and Son (with Ronan Keating) 
----------------- 
05 Musical Intro 
06 World of darkness (Yusuf) 
07 Maybe theres a world 
08 Matthew and Son 
09 I Might die tonight 
10 Old school yard 
11 When a door closes (Yusuf) 
12 Father and Son 
13 Road to find out 
14 Life 
15 If you want to sing out, sing out 
16 A bad night 
17 Wild Word

The Point Depot (aka. the O2)
Dublin, IE
Nov 15th, 2009 

Back on the world stage for the first time in thirty three years (and for the first time ever on these shores), Yusuf Islam has chosen to make his return in a decidedly eclectic and non-conformist manner. It was, undoubtedly, a spectacular way to make your Irish debut – the massive, near sell out, O2 Arena, and despite his singer songwriter identity and persona, his stature and the performance ensured the massive venue had, at points, an intimate feel. Often his charm and character meant it felt like he was performing for you and nobody else. The first half was a mix of songs old (-Where Do The Children Play?’) and new (-Boots and Sand’), the crowd happy and singing along as we moved from the opening few songs with Yusuf and two guitarists to a full band for -I Think I See The Light’. All involved seem happy enough and the gig is going well.

However, the second half proved to be a far more divisive affair, introduced by a thirty minute musical which used his songs, but did not feature him in person. For those who had read the promotional material and adverts it should have come as no surprise – but the crowd were certainly divided, as, even from the outset, part of them were slow hand clapping and others shouted abuse at the stage. The musical itself featured a number of Cat Steven’s hits including -(Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard’ and -Matthew and Son’ but people were beginning to worry that they were seeing their favourite songs performed by a group of actors rather than the man himself. Perhaps aggrieved at the lack of main artist performing the songs, someone shouted out -Bring Cat Stevens Back’ without a hint of irony that we had not seen Cat Stevens all night.

The split seemed to be very much hardcore fans nearer the front loving the new interpretation or at least willing to give it a go, whilst the fair-weather pop single crowd members were less tolerant of the indulgence. This led to the loyal fans in some cases actually matching the dissenters with over-the-top cheers for the return of one of the actors for Moonshadow later in the set. The musical itself was not unlike Mamma Mia or We Will Rock You – a story told between songs, fine in itself but during an artist’s own set it felt very out of place. The section of the show itself was poorly lit but the concept was still effective, if a little simplistic. The powerful father/son dynamic plus the spurning of young love played with the audience’s emotions. However that did not prevent a spate of slow clapping plus large scale booing, as well as even a few walk outs. All of which Yusuf was painfully aware of. Therefore when he came back on it was to mixed emotions, announcing ‘I haven’t left you, don’t leave me’ which prompted a large cheer.

With the musical finished (possibly slightly early) one might then have expected a climax of all the greatest hits but never one to be lead by convention and more by unapologetic emotional sincerity Yusuf treated us to a cross section of many more recent numbers (-Glass Worl’d) alongside a few of the classics, which placated the majority of the audience, and despite their initial fears they seemed to leave happy. His sincerity was unquestionable: ‘God has brought me to Ireland’ was a non denominational statement of celebration. And it was his voice, that of an angel, soft yet fully controlled, where the power of a singer songwriter or performer with guitar was obvious. -Now this sounds a bit like the Stones’ he announced before breaking into the rockier -Bad Breaks’. However even the more recent or more obscure album tracks that he selected proved troublesome, some fans calling for specific numbers he had no intention of playing. Following the boo’s for the musical, there were then boo’s when he announced he planned to play a new song instead of the desired old ones. He wryly announced, ‘now I know what Dylan felt like’ before giving us a beautiful rendition of -All Kinds Of Roses’, for which he seemed to feel vindication when the applause followed.

The climax of the evening still included -Moonshadow’ and -Peacetrain’ superbly performed and prompted extra encores, but the second encore felt more contrived as, perhaps predictably, he was joined on stage by Ronan Keating for an admittedly powerful rendition of -Father and Son’. This capped off a mixed night where one of the greats of music performed for the first time in Ireland and gave 100%. Indeed in thanking the crowd Yusuf Islam said he had, judging how much people paid for the evenings entertainment, -tried to give one and a half shows’. He certainly did that.

Whilst you can sympathise with those who walked out or booed feeling they were there to see the man himself perform the songs (regardless of track selection) they can not be surprised by the event, which clearly stated the debut of his Moonshadow musical. Whilst the musical was simplistic and, yes, a bit boring (though the songs were able to manipulate your emotions) the true genius of Cat Stevens, now Yusuf Islam, remains undiminished. ---James Masterson, state.ie/live-reviews/yusuf-islam-o2-dublin

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01. Music – 4:18
02. Oh Very Young – 2:33
03. Sun/C79 – 4:35
04. Ghost Town – 3:08
05. Jesus – 2:11
06. Ready – 3:13
07. King Of Trees – 5:07
08. A Bad Penny – 3:19
09. Home In The Sky – 3:30

Personnel:
- Cat Stevens - vocals, synthesizer, guitar, keyboards, producer, design, concept, illustrations
- Barry, Brigette, Clifford, Danny, Jacqui, Suzanne Cox, Jimmy, Joanne, Joy, Judy, Larry, 
Rick McCollum, Ruby, Sunny - vocals, singer, chorus
- Gerry Conway - drums, vocals
- Alun Davies - acoustic guitar, vocals
- Roland Harker - banjo
- Bruce Lynch - bass
- Del Newman - strings, arranger, string arrangements
- Jean Roussel - strings, arranger, keyboards, string arrangements
- Jim Ryan, Mark Warner – gitar
 

While Foreigner was Cat Stevens' fifth consecutive gold album and his fourth straight Top Ten hit, it actually marked a small drop commercially and encountered critical resistance for the lengthy suite that took up all of side one. Eight months later, Buddha and the Chocolate Box found Stevens back in England and back with producer Paul Samwell-Smith and second guitarist Alun Davies. It also marked a return to the simpler style of earlier albums. No song ran much over five minutes, the arrangements were sparer and featured more acoustic guitar, and the lyrics did not take off into discursive ruminations about the state of the universe. It was very much as if Stevens was deliberately trying to make an album like Teaser and the Firecat, his commercial and artistic apex. Having begun the album with an ode to "Music" and its potential for reforming the world, he ended with "Home in the Sky," in which he sang, "Music is a lady that I still love." Such statements of renewed commitment added to the sense that the album was consciously crafted as an attempted second wind for the singer, who had been recording and performing at a torrid pace since returning to the music business full-time four years before. But that was not to say that he had abandoned the spiritual nature of his creative quest, and the songs were, as usual, littered with religious imagery. Stevens' fans responded warmly to Buddha and the Chocolate Box's stylistic return to form. "Oh Very Young" became his first Top Ten hit in two years, and the album was held out of number one only by The Sting. The album's tone, however, suggested that Stevens was once again wearying of being a pop star, even as he delivered a record that maintained that status. ---William Ruhlmann, Rovi

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01. Sitting – 3:10
02. The Boy With A Moon & Star On His Head – 5:55
03. Angelsea – 4:27
04. Silent Sunlight – 2:59
05. Can't Keep It In – 2:57
06. 18th Avenue (Kansas City Nightmare) – 4:19
07. Freezing Steel – 3:36
08. O'Caritas (Andreas Toumazis, Jeremy Taylor, Stevens) – 3:40
09. Sweet Scarlet – 3:43
10. Ruins – 4:22

Personnel:
- Cat Stevens – double bass, bass, spanish guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 
electric mandolin, piano, electric piano, Böhm Diamond organ, RMI keyboard, 
synthesizer, penny whistle, drums, percussion, vocals, backing vocals
- Alun Davies – acoustic guitar, spanish guitar, backing vocals
- Alan James – double bass, bass, backing vocals
- Jean Roussel – piano, organ
- Gerry Conway – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Andreas Toumazis – bouzouki on "O' Caritas"
- C.S. Choir – backing vocals on "Freezing Steel" and "O' Caritas"
- Linda Lewis – backing vocals on "Angelsea"
- Lauren Cooper - backing vocals on "Angelsea"
- Del Newman – string arrangements
- Jeremy Taylor - spanish guitar, who assisted in translating "O' Caritas" into 
the Latin language used in the song

Catch Bull at Four began with a statement of purpose, "Sitting," in which Cat Stevens tried to talk himself into believing that he hadn't stalled, beginning to worry that he might be falling behind schedule or even going in circles. It may be that Stevens' recent experiences had contributed to his sense that he was running out of time. Though he was never a directly confessional writer, one got the sense that his disaffection with the life of a pop star was reasserting itself. And while he was touring unhappily around the world, the world was still going to hell in a handbasket. Yet Stevens was still motivated by his urge to help mankind mend its ways. Love provided some comfort, but for the most part, the singer who had seemed so excited on his last album now sounded apprehensive. Stevens set his reflections to a mixture of musical styles that included traces of old English folk songs, madrigals, and Greek folk music along with more typical rock stylings, all performed with the stop-and-start rhythms that added drama to his performances. Nevertheless, Catch Bull at Four was a more difficult listen than its three predecessors. Coming off the momentum of Teaser and the Firecat, it roared up the charts to number one, but stayed in the Top Ten fewer weeks than its predecessor. Fans who had been stirred by Stevens' rhythmic tunes and charmed by his thoughtful lyrics were starting to lose interest in his quasi-religious yearnings, busy arrangements, and self-absorbed, melodramatic singing. His career still had a ways to go, but as of Catch Bull at Four, he had passed his peak. ---William Ruhlmann, Rovi

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1. Foreigner Suite 	18:16
2. The Hurt 	4:16
3. How Many Times 	4:32
4. Later 	4:47
5. 100 I Dream 	4:10

Bass – Paul Martinez
Bass, Electric Piano – Jean Roussel
Drums – Bernard Purdie
Drums, Percussion – Gerry Conway
Guitar – Phil Upchurch
Piano, Electric Piano [Fender], Synthesizer [A R P & R M I], Bass, Acoustic Guitar – Cat Stevens
Voice – Barbara Massey, Patti Austin, Tasha Thomas

Between 1970 and 1972, Cat Stevens recorded four albums in the same manner, using the same producer and many of the same musicians, painting the album covers, and assigning the records ponderous titles. Things changed with his next album, Foreigner. The recording itself had been produced by Stevens, and while a couple of Stevens' usual backup musicians had been retained, New York session musicians appeared, and second guitarist Alun Davies was gone. With him went the acoustic guitar interplay that had been the core of Stevens' sound, replaced by more elaborate keyboard-based arrangements complete with strings, brass, and a female vocal trio featuring Patti Austin. It's easy to look at the 18-plus minute "Foreigner Suite" that took up the first side and accuse Stevens of excess and indulgence. What should be kept in mind, however, is that his peers in 1973 were acts like Jethro Tull and Yes, who in turn were taking their cue from the Beatles' Abbey Road and the Who's Tommy. Call Foreigner ambitious, then, rather than indulgent. Actually, the suite is full of compelling melodic sections and typically emotive singing that could have made for an album side's worth of terrific four-minute Cat Stevens songs, if only he had composed them that way. As it is, the suite is a collection of tantalizing fragments. But the album's second side, featuring the Top 40 hit "The Hurt," demonstrates that, even in the four-minute range, his songwriting and arranging were becoming overly busy. On the whole, Foreigner marked a slight fall-off in quality from Catch Bull at Four, which itself had marked a slight fall-off from Teaser and the Firecat. The decline seemed more extreme, though, because Foreigner clearly was intended to be better than its predecessors. That's the risk of ambition. ---William Ruhlmann, Rovi

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01. (Remember The Days Of The) Old Schoolyard - 2:43
02. Life - 4:53
03. Killin' Time - 3:29
04. Kypros - 3:09
05. Bonfire - 4:07
06. (I Never Wanted) To Be A Star - 3:00
07. Crazy - 3:31
08. Sweet Jamaica - 3:27
09. Was Dog A Doughnut? (Cat Stevens, Jean Roussel, Bruce Lynch) - 4:12
10. Child For A Day (David Gordon, Paul Travis) - 4:21

Personnel:
- Cat Stevens - polymoog (01,02,03,04,05,07), piano (01), celeste (01), percussion (01,02,04,05,07,08), string arrangement (01), classical guitar (02),
 Ovation guitar (02), bouzouki (02,04), Baldwin electric harpsichord (02,06,07), Yamaha GX1 (02,04,05), brass arrangement (03,05), grand piano (04,06),
 fender rhodes piano (04), ARP synthesizer (04,07), Yamaha E5AR organ (04), electric guitar (05,07), Wurlitzer electric piano (06), electric piano (08),
 drums (09), acoustic guitar (10), lead vocals
- Jean Roussel - organ (01,07), string arrangement (01), ARP flutes (02), Yamaha E5AR organ (02), electric piano (02), glockenspiel (02), electric piano (05),
 Hammond organ (05), string synthesizer (06,07), vibraphone (06), grand piano (08), ARP string ensemble synthesizer (09)
- Bruce Lynch - bass (01,02,05,06,07,08)
- Andy Newmark - drums (01,05,08)
- Elkie Brooks - female vocals (01)
- Suzanne Lynch - backing vocals (01,02)
- Bill Berg - drums (02,06,07)
- Barry Morgan - drums (02)
- Roger Hawkins - drums (03,10)
- David Hood - bass (03,10)
- Barry Beckett - organ (03), electric & acoustic piano (10)
- Pete Carr - guitar (03,10)
- Jim Johnson - rhythm guitar (03)
- Tim Henson - acoustic piano (03), organ (10)
- David Campbell - brass arrangement (03)
- Chick Corea - electric piano solo (05,09)
- Gene Page - brass arrangement (05), string arrangement (08)
- Reggie Young - electric guitar (06)
- Weldon Myrick - steel guitar (06)
- Broderick Smith - harmonica (08)
- Marjorie Lagerwall - harp (08)
- Carla Benson, Evette Benton, Barbara Ingram - backing vocals (08)
- Ray Gomez - electric guitar (09)

Cat Stevens bounced back from the lackluster Numbers with an album of pop/rock songs that brought his usual rhythmic folk-rock into contemporary style with the Muscle Shoals rhythm section, a snappy Dave Kershenbaum production, and lots of synthesizers. Most of the songs were unusually lightweight, but the autobiographical "(I Never Wanted) To Be a Star" explored Stevens' ambivalence about being in the music business, an attitude that would find him dropping out and finding religion after one more album. In the meantime, Izitso produced a final Top 40 hit in "(Remember the Days of The) Old Schoolyard" and a singles-chart entry in the instrumental "Was Dog a Doughnut." As a result, Stevens returned to the Top Ten LPs list with a ninth straight gold album, his last. ---William Ruhlmann, Rovi

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01. Lady D'Arbanville – 3:41
02. Maybe You're Right – 3:20
03. Pop Star – 4:11
04. I Think I See The Light – 3:55
05. Trouble – 2:44
06. Mona Bone Jakon – 1:38
07. I Wish, I Wish – 3:44
08. Katmandu – 3:19
09. Time – 1:26
10. Fill My Eyes – 2:56
11. Lilywhite – 3:38

Personnel:
- Cat Stevens – guitar, piano, keyboards, drums, strings, vocals
- Alun Davies – guitar, backing vocals
- John Ryan – bass
- Nicky Hopkins - bass, keyboards
- Harvey Burns – drums, percussion
- Peter Gabriel – flute on "Katmandu"
- Del Newman - strings, arrangements

Cat Stevens virtually disappeared from the British pop scene in 1968, at the age of 20, after a meteoric start to his career. He had contracted tuberculosis and spent a year recovering, from both his illness and the strain of being a teenage pop star, before returning to action in the spring of 1970 -- as a very different 22-year-old -- with Mona Bone Jakon. Fans who knew him from 1967 must have been surprised. Under the production aegis of former Yardbird Paul Samwell-Smith, he introduced a group of simple, heartfelt songs played in spare arrangements on acoustic guitars and keyboards and driven by a restrained rhythm section. Built on folk and blues structures, but with characteristically compelling melodies, Stevens' new compositions were tentative, fragmentary statements that alluded to his recent "Trouble," including the triviality of being a "Pop Star." But these were the words of a desperate man in search of salvation. Mona Bone Jakon was dominated by images of death, but the album was also about survival and hope. Stevens' craggy voice, with its odd breaks of tone and occasional huskiness, lent these sometimes sketchy songs depth, and the understated instrumentation further emphasized their seriousness. If Stevens was working out private demons on Mona Bone Jakon, he was well attuned to a similar world-weariness in pop culture. His listeners may not have shared his exact experience, but after the 1960s they certainly understood his sense of being wounded, his spiritual yearning, and his hesitant optimism. Mona Bone Jakon was only a modest success upon its initial release, but it attracted attention in the wake of the commercial breakthrough of its follow-up, Tea for the Tillerman. ---William Ruhlmann, Rovi

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01. Where Do The Children Play? – 3:51
02. Hard Headed Woman – 3:47
03. Wild World – 3:18
04. Sad Lisa – 3:40
05. Miles From Nowhere – 3:32
06. But I Might Die Tonight – 1:52
07. Longer Boats – 3:11
08. Into White – 3:24
09. On The Road To Find Out – 5:07
10. Father And Son – 3:38
11. Tea For The Tillerman – 1:00

Personnel:
- Cat Stevens – acoustic guitar, keyboards, lead vocals
- Alun Davies – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Harvey Burns – drums
- John Ryan – bass
- Del Newman – string arrangements
- John Rostein – violin

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01. The Wind – 1:40
02. Rubylove – 2:34
03. If I Laugh – 3:17
04. Changes IV – 3:29
05. How Can I Tell You – 4:22
06. Tuesday's Dead – 3:34
07. Morning Has Broken (words Eleanor Farjeon) – 3:16
08. Bitterblue – 3:09
09. Moonshadow – 2:48
10. Peace Train – 4:00

Personnel:
- Cat Stevens – guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Alun Davies – guitar
- Larry Steele – bass, congas
- Gerry Conway – drums, voices
- Harvey Burns – drums
- Rick Wakeman – piano on "Morning Has Broken" (uncredited)
- Andreas Toumazis, Angelos Harzipavli – bouzouki
- Del Newman – string arrangements

Even as a serious-minded singer/songwriter, Cat Stevens never stopped being a pop singer at heart, and with Teaser and the Firecat he reconciled his philosophical interests with his pop instincts. Basically, Teaser's songs came in two modes: gentle ballads that usually found Stevens and second guitarist Alun Davies playing delicate lines over sensitive love lyrics, and up-tempo numbers on which the guitarists strummed away and thundering drums played in stop-start rhythms. There were also more exotic styles, such as the Greek-styled "Rubylove," with its twin bouzoukis and a verse sung in Greek, and "Tuesday's Dead," with its Caribbean feel. Stevens seemed to have worked out some of his big questions, to the point of wanting to proselytize on songs like "Changes IV" and "Peace Train," both stirring tunes in which he urged social and spiritual improvement. Meanwhile, his love songs had become simpler and more plaintive. And while there had always been a charming, childlike quality to some of his lyrics, there were songs here that worked as nursery rhymes, and these were among the album's most memorable tracks and its biggest hits: "Moonshadow" and "Morning Has Broken," the latter adapted from a hymn. The overall result was an album that was musically more interesting than ever, but lyrically dumbed-down. Stevens continued to look for satisfaction in romance, despite its disappointment, but he found more fulfillment in a still-unspecified religious pursuit that he was ready to tout to others. And they were at least nominally ready to listen: the album produced three hit singles and just missed topping the charts. Tea for the Tillerman may have been the more impressive effort, but Teaser and the Firecat was the Cat Stevens album that gave more surface pleasures to more people, which in pop music is the name of the game. ---William Ruhlmann, Rovi

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1.    "Moon Shadow" – 2:50
2.    "Father and Son" – 3:41
3.    "Morning Has Broken" (Eleanor Farjeon) – 3:20
4.    "Wild World" – 3:21
5.    "The First Cut Is the Deepest" – 3:01
6.    "Lady D'Arbanville" – 3:45
7.    "Oh Very Young" – 2:36
8.    "Matthew and Son" – 2:44
9.    "Sitting" – 3:14
10.    "Hard Headed Woman" – 3:49
11.    "I Love My Dog" – 2:19
12.    "Ruby Love" – 2:38
13.    "Don't Be Shy" – 2:51
14.    "Can't Keep It In" – 3:00
15.    "Here Comes My Baby" – 2:55
16.    "Into White" – 3:25
17.    "(Remember the Days of The) Old School Yard" – 2:43
18.    "Where Do the Children Play?" – 3:52
19.    "How Can I Tell You" – 4:28
20.    "Another Saturday Night" (Sam Cooke) – 2:28
21.    "Sad Lisa" – 3:42
22.    "Just Another Night" – 3:51
23.    "Peace Train" – 4:12
24.    "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" – 2:46

Born Steven Georgiou, he adopted the name Cat Stevens for his musical career but subsequently became a Muslim, quitting his musical career and changing his name again, this time to Yusuf Islam. This compilation of his music as Cat Stevens is as good as any you are likely to find.

Cat had a minor UK hit in 1966 (I love my dog) but established himself as a songwriter by providing the Tremeloes with their first hit since Brian Poole left them (Here comes my baby) and by providing P P Arnold with her first hit (First cut is the deepest). Those hits were both in 1967, the year in which Cat had his first major hit as a singer, when Matthew and son peaked at number two in the UK. It was the biggest hit he ever had. He had another top ten UK hit (I'm gonna get me a gun) and two minor hits (A bad night, Kitty) in 1967 but none of those hits are included here. Actually, despite their hit status, they aren't really important.

Cat left his original label (Deram) and signed to Island, after which he recorded a series of albums that won him international acclaim. Although he placed six singles on the UK charts, all included here, his reputation ultimately rests with his albums. This explains why so many of his fans do not like compilations of his music, preferring the original albums.

Nevertheless, there is a market for compilations and there are plenty of people who don't want (or can't afford) to collect Cat's original albums. So here you get those hits (Lady D'Arbanville, Moon shadow, Morning has broken, Can't keep it in, Another Saturday night, Remember the days of the old school yard) as well as other classic tracks such as Peace train, Father and son, Wild world and Cat's own versions of Here comes my baby and First cut is the deepest. --- Peter Durward Harris

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