In the 1970s Cat Stevens released two of the most consistent albums of the singer-songwriter movement: Tea for the Tillerman in 1970 and Teaser and the Firecat in 1971. Stevens quickly followed up those two albums with Catch Bull at Four in 1972. While the album didn’t have any of the kind of universally popular hits of his previous two albums, it maintained a high level of quality that reflected the enormous talents of the artist. The 50th Anniversary Remaster edition of the album has just been reissued on vinyl and CD.
In many ways the album was a very natural progression in musical styles and deft songwriting, with the highlight being the passionate and heartfelt vocals. Most of side one—primarily “Sitting,” “Angelsea,” and “Silent Sunlight”—is a partial playlist of some of the most aired songs on FM radio in 1972.
While these tracks were not big hits like “Moonshadow,” “Morning Has Broken,” “Wild World,” and “Peace Train,” they were a major part of the soundtrack of the year. “Boy with a Moon & Star on His Head,” musically the closest to the previous two albums, features a wild-eyed, childlike wonder that was one of the most endearing qualities of the music of Cat Stevens in this period.
While the second side of the album does not include any of the kind of music that made several tracks on side one FM staples at that time, the quality of the music is sustained. Two tracks in particular are quite stark and reflect the raw, unfettered simplicity of the music that defined the style of Cat Stevens in this period. Those two tracks are “Sweet Scarlet,” with the only musical accompaniment being Stevens playing piano and the album’s closing track “Ruins,” with drums from Gerry Conway and Stevens playing acoustic guitar and keyboards.
Conway, together with Alan James, Jean Rousell and especially Alun Davies, who was the person that was the key musical collaborator of Stevens in this period, provide the core musical support throughout. The two other musicians on the album are Linda Lewis, who provides vocals on “Angelsea,” and Andreas Toumazis, who provides the Greek-flavored bouzouki on “O Caritas.”
Several tracks on the album benefit from the iconic string arrangements of the legendary Del Newman. The album would the fourth in a row and last produced by the former member of The Yardbirds, Paul Samwell-Smith. He would return later to co-produce with Stevens Buddha and the Chocolate Box and the last Cat Stevens album before his semi-retirement, Back to Earth.
The gatefold record album reissue is mastered from digital files and pressed on 180-gram vinyl and, despite not being from the analog tapes, sounds excellent. The CD also sounds quite good and comes in a gatefold package, with a beautiful 12-page booklet. Oddly, the booklet does not come with the vinyl album. It is recommended to get both packages. While this album has not been reissued in the deluxe, multi-disc, lavish box style as the previous three LPs from Stevens, it’s more than a worthy addition to The Yusuf/Cat Stevens Cat-O-Log Collection.
While the release hinted at a more adventurous musical direction, the next album Foreigner in 1973, would be a major leap beyond FM and especially AM pop. The album opened with the entire side A consisting of the mostly instrumental “Foreigner Suite.” It will be interesting to see how this also excellent and adventurous album is reissued.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
