On the Road to Find Out [Box]

Performer: Cat Stevens
Artist: Elton John; Chick Corea; Rick Wakeman; David Sanborn
Engineer: Michael Bobak
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: This deluxe 4-CD box includes a 96-page booklet with photo collages and lyrics as well as an autobiogaphical essay and song-by-song commentary by Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam). Personnel includes: Cat Stevens (a.k.a. Yusuf Islam) (vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion); Elton John, Raihan (vocals); Larry Steele (guitar, bass, congas, percussion); Alun Davies; Phil Upchurch, Jim Ryan, Mark Warner, Simon Nichol (guitar); Roland Harker (banjo); John Rostein (violin): Andreas, Toumazis, Angelos Hatzipavli (bouzouki); Peter Gabriel (flute); Gordie Fleming (accordion); David Sanborn (alto saxophone); Rick Wakeman, Chick Corea (piano); Jean Roussel, Barry Beckett (keyboards); John Ryan, Alan James, Paul Martinez, Herbie Flowers, Bruce Lynch (bass); Harvey Burns, Gerry Conway (drums, percussion); Bernard Purdie, Andy Newmark (drums); Chico Batera (percussion); Linda Lewis, Patti Austin, Lewis Furey, Tasha Thomas, Art Garfunkel, Luther Vandross (background vocals). Producers: Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), Mike Hurst, Paul Samwell-Smith, David Kershenbaum, Farihin Abdul Fattah. Compilation producers: Bill Levenson, Daniel Gordon. Recorded between 1965 and 1997. Includes liner notes and song commentary by Bill DeYoung and Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam). Digitally remastered by Ted Jensen (Sterling Sound, New York, New York) & Suha Gur (Universal Mastering Studios-East). Personnel: Cat Stevens (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Alun Davies (guitar); John Rostein (violin); Peter Gabriel (flute); Jean Roussel, Rick Wakeman (keyboards); John Ryan (bass instrument); Gerry Conway, Harvey Burns (drums). Cat Stevens was a cultural force in the 1970s, and anybody growing up around that time was fed a steady diet of Stevens hits. This box set--Stevens's first--aspires to be the definitive Cat Stevens collection, and for the most part it is, covering his career highlights ("Peace Train," "Moonshadow," "Wild World," and "If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out," among many others) over four discs. While Stevens's simplistic imagery, tailor made for sing-alongs around a camp fire, may not have aged particularly well, his knack for a catchy melody and indelible lyrical conceit are hard to deny. There is a restless longing and pained soul-searching at the heart of even his most popular work, and the collection's sequencing and the titles of each disc-- "The Search," "The Hurt"--reflect this intensity, as does his Stevens's eventual conversion to Islam. Note: The one glaring oversight here is the omission of "Trouble," one of the Cat man's best songs and the aural centerpiece of his stellar soundtrack for the 1972 movie HAROLD AND MAUDE. It's an essential tune for Stevens fans both old and new. In almost every respect, this four-CD, 79-track package conforms to the usual standards of box sets for major artists. All of Cat Stevens' hits, and his most popular album tracks, are here, and the four discs span his entire career, from the mid-'60s to the end of the 1970s (with just one cut, the late-'90s finale "God Is the Light," postdating his change of name to Yusuf Islam). The usual ribbons on the wrapping are also properly tied, with a few previously unissued demos/outtakes/live performances, some non-LP singles and B-sides, and a couple live 1974 recordings from Saturnight (Live in Tokyo) that have never been available on CD before. The only surprise, in fact -- at least, to the many listeners who are likely unaware of Yusuf Islam's increasing willingness to acknowledge his Cat Stevens past in the 21st century -- is the active participation of Islam in the set, to the point of contributing the principal essay in the liner notes (as well as adding some printed comments for many of the tracks). Refreshingly, the box also does not shun his false start as a British pop star in 1966 and 1967, with almost the entirety of the first disc devoted to pre-1970 recordings. While overly orchestrated and not much like the folky singer/songwriter music for which Stevens became most famous, those early sides are valuable both for documenting his first impact on the pop world and for containing some material that's worthwhile in and of itself. The hardcore fan will naturally be most interested in the rarities, and while none of these are on par with Stevens' finest work, they both carry historical interest and fit in well with the lengthy program. There's a 1965 folk-rock-poppish demo, "Back to the Good Old Times"; a sparse, haunting acoustic 1968 demo, "If Only Mother Could See Me Now"; a January 1970 demo, "Honey Man," with Elton John on piano; another January 1970 demo, "Time/Fill My Eyes," that would have not been out of place on his Mona Bone Jakon album; "Don't Be Shy" and "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out," both of which were used in the Harold and Maude soundtrack; the quirky, instrumental 1972 B-side "Crab Dance"; and the live November 1979 version of "Father and Son" (for the Year of the Child concert in London) that marked his final concert appearance. To be unkind, there's another way this anthology is entirely typical of major box sets: the final disc is much inferior to what precedes it, Stevens' material becoming considerably blander as he approached the end of the '70s. But it's certainly likely to stand as the best thorough retrospective of his career, with a superb 98-page booklet that, in addition to Islam's essay and comments, also includes quotes from Stevens' producers and side musicians, as well as a detailed time line of his career. ~ Richie Unterberger On the Road to Find Out is the first multi-volume package to comprehensively examine the artistry of singer/songwriter Cat Stevens (aka Yusuf Islam). In addition to the obligatory hits, this collection also includes key album tracks, as well as 17 sides that make their digital debut here. The set is broken into four segments/discs with straightforward subtitles, each of which uncovers a specific era in the development of not only the artist, but of the person. The journey begins in The City and consists mostly of material from the first two Cat Stevens albums: Matthew & Son and New Masters. Notable inclusions are the debut album's title track as well as "The First Cut Is the Deepest" and "I Love My Dog." One very welcome addition is "Honey Man" -- a collaborative effort featuring Elton John -- which is being issued here for the very first time. Cat Stevens' stint with Island/A&M Records commences on The Search. The real breakthrough albums -- Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat -- are represented by tracks such as "Sad Lisa" and the achingly tender "How Can I Tell You," as well as the anticipated hits "Wild World" and "Peace Train." Of note to collectors will be "If You Want to Sing out Sing Out" and "Don't Be Shy" from the motion picture Harold and Maude, as well as previously unreleased demos for "The Joke," "Time/Fill My Eyes," "Love Lives in the Sky," and "The Day They Make Me Czar." The Hurt includes tracks from Catch Bull at Four, Foreigner, and Buddha and the Chocolate Box. Among the rarities from this era are "Crab Dance" -- a 45 B-side to "Sitting" -- as well as "Bad Penny" and "Lady D'arbanville" from the Japan-only live release Saturnight (Live in Tokyo). The final entry, aptly titled The Last, recalls a few significant contributions from Numbers, Izitso, and Back to Earth, as well three rare live tracks: "Hard Headed Woman," "Tuesday's Dead," and "Ruins" from a live show February 22, 1976, at William and Mary College on the Majikat Earth Tour. This version of "Father and Son" has added significance, as it would be the final live performance that Yusuf Islam would make as Cat Stevens. Ironically, the final song on the album is the title track from Islam's 1997 release, God Is the Light. The packaging is lavish and includes a 96-page liner notes booklet abounding with rare photos as well as essays and a track-by-track analysis from Islam himself. The discs are packaged in separate cardboard digi-packs. The sound is spectacular throughout, with the most noticeable improvement on the Matthew & Son and New Masters sides. ~ Lindsay Planer

Entertainment Weekly (11/16/01, p.130) - "...His best moments have grown in stately beauty and clarity..." - Rating: B-

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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