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.

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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