Footsteps in the Dark: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2

Performer: Cat Stevens
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Producers: Paul Samwell Smith, Cat Stevens, David Kershenbaum. Compilation producers: Jeffrey Gold, David Gordon, Paul Samwell Smith. Originally released on A & M (3736). Includes liner notes by Cat Stevens, Jeffrey Gold. Personnel: Cat Stevens (vocals, guitar, keyboards). Liner Note Authors: Tracy Veal; Jeffrey Gold; Yusuf Islam. Photographer: Daniel Gordon. Cat Stevens' greatest hits were contained on the album of that title released in June 1975, though that set did not include the minor Top 40 entry "The Hurt" and Stevens made the singles chart four more times between 1976 and 1979, with "Banapple Gas," the Top 40 "(Remember the Days of The) Old Schoolyard," "Was Dog a Doughnut," and "Bad Brakes." One might expect that an album subtitled Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 would contain all those tracks, but if so, one would be disappointed. The only chart single on the 14-track Footsteps in the Dark is "The Hurt." Actually, the album is a non-hits compilation of good album tracks drawn from seven of Stevens' nine A&M albums originally released between 1970 and 1978, plus a non-LP B-side and two songs that previously had only appeared in the 1972 film Harold and Maude. It leans heavily to the earlier, folkier period, with ten songs drawn from 1970-1972, and thus emphasizes the vulnerable, seeking singer/songwriter of Tea for the Tillerman over the more pop-oriented and musically ambitious artist who made albums like Izitso. The material is sometimes dated ("I'd like to live on a commune and/People can call me a hippie"), and, in the wake of Stevens' conversion to Islam, one inevitably hears lines like "Where I'll end up well I think,/Only God really knows" in a different light. But Stevens' songwriting still impresses, his childlike wonder and earnestness are still endearing, and such political statements as "Where Do the Children Play?" remain timely. Though Stevens' best albums, Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat, work best as albums, Footsteps in the Dark confirmed that, a decade on from their initial appearance, his songs had maintained their quality. ~ William Ruhlmann

Cat Stevens's debut single found its way to the U.K. charts while he was still in his teens. He became an international star with 1970's TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN, which showed an evolution in his style. With his distinctive voice, memorable melodies, and sensitive, socially conscious lyrics, Stevens typified the singer-songwriter aesthetic of the early '70s. His records from that period were incredibly successful, familiar to anyone growing up at the time. Over the years, his music grew a little less accessible, and by the end of the '70s he had converted to Islam, changed his name to Yusuf Islam, and retired from pop music. A 2006 comeback album, recorded under his new name, was a lovely return to form.

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