Just Another Night (demo) previously unreleased New York Times (new mix) previously unreleased The Original - Remastered from 1978 analogue tapes to stunning effect at Abbey Road StudiosĬD1 Remastered - Original album remastered from analogue tapesĬD2: Return to Earth – The original stereo mixĬD3: Unearthed - Live tracks, rare demos and two beautiful, completely unheard recordings Ultimately, all of these strands, past and present, pull together the very core of Back To Earth, an album which remains to this day, a still incredibly relevant and fascinating piece that captures Yusuf/Cat Stevens at a defining point in his life.ĬD format BMGCAT335CD / LP format BMGCAT335LP / LP format (coloured) BMGCAT335CLP In ‘New York Times’ (a song Cat wrote based on stories he read in The New York Times), from Back To Earth, the singer can clearly be heard already railing against one of the ongoing issues of our modern age – air pollution: “Cars choking your child to death/But you don’t wanna see.” The central theme of the album was one of transition with the title Back To Earth symbolizing not only his abandonment of fame, but a tipping point for humanitarian and ecological concerns. However, rather than leaving his legions of fans empty-handed, he would instead write his final album Back To Earth, as a parting farewell, using tracks such as ‘Last Love Song’ and ‘Just Another Night’ to help explain his decision to depart.īack To Earth was considered a return to form, receiving rave reviews and reuniting Stevens with Paul Samwell-Smith, the producer of his landmark, multi-platinum albums Tea For The Tillerman (1970) and Teaser And The Firecat (1971), as well as continuing his creative partnership with long-time guitarist Alun Davies. In 1978, legendary musician Cat Stevens would make the seemingly shocking decision to abandon the rock star lifestyle and walk away. The deluxe boxset features the original album (remastered at Abbey Road) together with previously unheard tracks ‘Butterfly’ and ‘Toy Heart’ (featuring Grammy winning guitarist, Eric Johnson) which were considered by Cat as too ‘pop’ at the time demos, out-takes tracks, and material from UNICEF’s 1979 Year Of The Child concert, the singer’s then historic last live performance as Cat Stevens. Cat Stevens – Lilywhite – 3:37 (2665 kbps, 69.Announced today, Back To Earth is set to be reissued on Cat-O-Log Records/BMG and includes a remastered CD & LP, released on Novemwhile the Super Deluxe box set is set for a Februrelease.Cat Stevens – Mona Bone Jakon – 1:36 (2733 kbps, 31.26 MB).Cat Stevens – I Think I See The Light – 3:55 (2886 kbps, 80.9 MB).All in all, Mona Bone Jakon is a delight, and because it never achieved the Top 40 radio ubiquity of later albums, it sounds fresh and distinct. “I Think I See the Light” marks the beginning of Stevens’s lyrical spiritual pursuits, and “Trouble” stands among the best tracks in his career. You can hear Stevens finding his distinctive voice and sound on the first few bars of “Lady D’Arbanville” in all its baroque, emotive glory. It’s interesting to note that his disavowal of the biz (wryly commented upon in the song “Pop Star”) coincides with his increasing popularity. Though previous releases showcased his sticky burr of a voice and flashes of his songwriting brilliance, it was on Mona Bone that Stevens became disillusioned enough with the music industry to write more deeply introspective and personal songs. Mona Bone Jakon marked the beginning of the Cat Stevens we know and love, forming alongside Teaser & the Firecat and Tea for the Tillerman the creative heart of Stevens’s oeuvre.
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