headlessparrot's Full Review: Greatest Hits [Remaster] by Cat Stevens
Remember my recent review of the DoorsSoft Parade (shameless self-promotion alert!) recently, in which I quoted a Kids In The Hall skit, maintaining, “Greatest hits albums are for housewives and schoolgirls.” Well, slap some panties and a plaid skirt on me, because as right as I might have been (and we all know that I’m always right), greatest hits albums are a bit of a guilty pleasure for a person like myself. Yes, it’s true. Despite my desperate attempts for indie cred, I’m actually a full-blown corporate whore. I maintain a thin façade of integrity, masquerading myself as a person who knows his music. Truthfully, I’m winging it. My tastes (were it not for the broadening of horizons that Epinions has been responsible for) are actually quite mainstream. If it weren’t for this place, I would have never gotten into an enormous number of artists. But even with my tastes broadened, I still occasionally have an itch that the Flaming Lips or Hayden can’t scratch. And that’s when greatest hits albums come in handy. I have the entire catalogue of several bands in my possession, but it never hurts to occasionally slip in a best of and relax. Truth be told, greatest hits albums - as much as the cool hipsters down at the record stores love to hate them - do serve a purpose, and they serve a good one. They introduce people to the music of an artist they might otherwise never have listened to - which is exactly the case with Cat Stevens’ 1975 greatest hits release, simply titled (you guessed it) Greatest Hits.
Sigmund Freud believed that everyone undergoes an identity crisis when they’re first named. So what, then, do we make of one Cat Stevens - a man who changed his name not once but twice? Born Steven Demetre Georgiou, it’s actually not hard to understand why he did so in the first place. I don’t care who you are; a name like that simply won’t sell records. An avid interest in folk rock lead him to record a demo. One thing lead to another, and by 1966, Georgiou had changed his name to the much more mysterious and poetic Cat Stevens and released a debut single for Decca Records. He sold millions of records and became a music superstar, releasing eleven albums before embracing the Muslim faith in 1977, changing his name to Yusuf Islam and retiring from the pop world. Whether you agree with his decision or not, at the very least you have to admire the fact that he was willing to give up everything to pursue his faith - auctioning off possessions, entering into an arranged marriage, and dedicating his life to teaching and learning the Islamic faith. There’s no doubt that Yusuf showed some naivety in the late eighties when he was heard to support the fatwa on Salmon Rushdie issued by Ayatollah Khomeini, but it needs to be understand that he couldn’t have totally understood the ramifications of his statement as he was still inexperienced in his faith - not to mention the fact that his statements were taken, by and large, far out of context - as he was simply stating what the appropriate punishment would have been under Islamic law, not actually endorsing the death of a man (even actually going so far as to point out that it would be be wrong to kill a man because of a blasphemous book, if only because the laws of a country take precedence over religious ones in the Islamic faith). Stevens has since released a handful of albums in the last ten years, all recorded under the name Yusuf Islam and dedicated to teaching the proponents of the Muslim faith.
The Cat Stevens we see today is a far cry from the one that most of the world embraced over thirty years ago. Ironically, both of these alter egos are a far cry from Stevens’ first incarnation as a pop star, complete with love ballads, gimmicky production, fancy lapels and boyish good looks. Most people don’t remember that this was how Stevens got his start. Moreover, most people don’t care to remember. It wasn’t until 1968 when Stevens contracted tuberculosis that he took stock of his situation and returned to music a completely different person. The sometimes-fluffy love songs that he had always written were replaced by introspective balladry, the gimmicky production replaced by a raw, simple sound utilizing only the barest of essentials. In the span of only a year, Stevens made a complete 180-degree turn, and in the process he became the leader of a new generation of musicians. With the hippie dream all but dead and buried, the social and political purpose of music changed - calls to arm and rallies of peace were no longer necessary, and artists began to turn inward for inspiration and the result was the birth (or rather the increased growth) of the singer/songwriter, and Cat Stevens was at the forefront of this movement with his soft but powerful vocals and dry acoustic guitar. The interesting thing about this revolution was the fact that Stevens, and the singer songwriters in general appealed to a much wider audience than the protest music of the sixties. People of all generations could glean something from Cat Stevens music simply because of how personal and deep it was. And the vigour, energy and passion with which he wrote and performed increased his appeal. From the heavy metal maniacs to the fans of vocal pop, Stevens’ was a voice that resonated in some way with everyone. People associate music with certain moments in their lives, and his was a music that defined a certain time and place in the world - something that can never be revived, but can still be captured by listening to any of Cat Stevens’ records today. Even if you aren’t familiar with the music of Cat Stevens, I can virtually guarantee that you’ve heard something by him. Furthermore, it was probably something that affected you in some way or another, whether you realized it at the time or not.
By 1975, Cat Stevens had built his reputation and fame (deservedly so) through his albums and singles, nearly all of which sold incredibly well. The world embraced his lo-fi honesty that began with the release of Mona Bone Jakon in 1970, and continuing on through 1974’s Buddha And The Chocolate Box - a catalogue of albums that included two of the decade’s most impressive records, Tea For The Tillerman and Teaser And The Firecat. With the quality and appeal that his music had, 1975 became the perfect year in which to consolidate his power with the release of a greatest hits album. Naturally, the record only includes the music from his acoustic songwriter phase, because that was what resonated most with audiences - and frankly, it was his best work. 1975’s Greatest Hits collected the highlights from Steven’s career at that point and put them together into one package. And to make sure that even the diehards had to have it, it also included one new track and a non-album single. While Greatest Hits misses out on some of Stevens’ finest moments as a musician, it’s still difficult to find faults with it because what is present sounds so good. And the fact that Stevens himself had a hand in the arrangement, selection and order of tracks ensures that the album flows well - which it most definitely does. There are moments when you’ll nearly forget that you are in fact listening to a greatest hits album, and that’s possibly the highest compliment you can pay to a best of package.
In many ways, Stevens is a typical folk artist. Musically speaking, he relies on the tried and true method of the KISS rule: keep it simple, stupid. The only instrument constantly present is his acoustic guitar, accompanied at certain points by some subtle use of a piano and organ, creating a sort of musical harmonic that sounds quite beautiful. There’s no bass to speak of, and the drums are all but totally absent. There are stretches of several moments at a time without a single use of the instrument, and when it is used, it’s always extremely quiet and pushed back in the mix - acting more as a guide for Stevens than anything to help the listener out. Aside from the occasional backing vocals and overdubbed harmonics, that’s essentially all you get. Yet it’s amazing how much variety Stevens has with such a simple set-up, and that he can create something so magnificent without many traditional instruments. The reason he doesn’t need drums is because of his guitar playing, which is quite percussive at times, allowing Stevens to follow his own rhythm rather than one created by another studio musician. Stevens’ approach on the guitar moves between this driving, percussive sound and a softer, gentler strum that resembles many of Led Zeppelin’s acoustic moments. The intricacy with which he plays is truly profound, and it’s hard not to get a vision in your head of the man sitting in a studio, hands running up and down the frets of his acoustic guitar, swinging the instrument animatedly as he sings into a microphone. If you’ve never heard Stevens’ music - although you probably have at some point and not realized it - the closest comparison I can think of is Bob Dylan’s acoustic work. The difference between the two is that Stevens never used the harmonica and relied on much simpler arrangements, as well as having a much more conventional voice. Stevens’ voice was not that of a pop star, which may explain his failure at that approach, but it was pretty in its own special way. It had an enormous range, able to convey a soft, sombre sadness and a driving anger. It almost shakes with conviction, and is almost always at a near falsetto pitch, but it always fit’s the music. The other difference between Dylan and Stevens are the lyrics. There’s no question that Dylan’s lyrics are superior - but they were often more social than thoughtful. The songs of Cat Stevens are almost solely dedicated to looking inside, deep though, and dealing with emotions. He’s far from a master of metaphor, but he doesn’t need to be simply because of the raw quality of his arrangements and of his songs in general.
We should make no bones about the fact that this album is exactly what it says it is. It isn’t a best of, but a greatest hits - meaning that, for the most part, the songs here were his most successful at the time. With that in mind, the collection still sounds great and works. The tracks aren’t collected chronologically because the emphasis is more on flow and mood then on completeness. If you’ve heard a song by Cat Stevens, it’s very likely that it’s the opener on Greatest Hits, Wild World. Featuring the percussive acoustic guitar I was talking about, the song is filled out by a soft piano lick playing quietly behind Stevens’s guitar and vocals. Beginning with Stevens’ la la la vocal harmonics, the song displays Cat as a beautiful, if somewhat unorthodox vocalist. This is simply as beautiful and as bare as his music got, a piece whose meaning I haven’t quite yet deciphered. The alternating descending, ascending guitar licks of the chorus are accompanied by the words of a man who has been dumped and is bitter, but some of the verses make it seem as if Stevens is talking to a daughter (Ooh baby baby it's a wild world/And I'll always remember you like a child, girl).
Oh Very Young is built on a sombre, church-y type organ, over which Stevens strumming guitar and backing vocalists join in. Like some of the songs here, this might take a few listens to get into. On the surface, it’s hard to pick any sort of discernable melody, but it’s there, and it’s just pretty. Can’t Keep It features an angry Stevens, growling lyrics and almost physically hitting the strings of his guitar rather than strumming them, while Hard Headed Woman is the antithesis of that, beginning with an intricate progression on the guitar and slow, contemplative vocals. Moonshadow features two overdubbed duelling guitar progression over which Stevens softly sings a tune that many people believe deals with multiple sclerosis, but as a whole can be taken as a song about accepting our fates.
Two Fine People is the lone new song on Greatest Hits, and it’s quite interesting because of the many ways in which it seems to go. Beginning with an almost disco vibe, the verses have a sensual, almost Barry White (R.I.P.) feel, complete with raspy backup vocals. In the choruses, the music picks up with the piano and guitar playing together, complete with the occasional flourish of a harp. Peace Train is another one of Stevens’ most popular songs, starting out soft and simple, and then growing and growing into something more complex, engaging and powerful. The hand clapping rhythm and ascending guitar licks, combined with vocal harmonics are absolutely gorgeous, as are the lyrics (Oh, I've been smiling lately/Thinking about the world as one/And I believe it could be/Someday it's going to come). The other day, I was speaking to someone who told me that the actions of Yusuf completely contradicted the lyrics of Peace Train, but anyone who cares enough to do research for themselves rather than accept what they’re told by the media will find that Yusuf practices what he preaches. He donates money to charity, helps the poor - and despite the insistence of many - has never supported terrorist organizations. Much of what people think about Yusuf comes as a direct result of misconceptions of the Muslim faith as a whole.
The second half of the record is highlighted by Father & Son, a powerful ballad featuring the interesting lyrical approach of an argument between a father and a son, dealing with generational gaps. The Flaming Lips recently got into trouble for their song Fight Test that bears a resemblance to Father & Son (though admittedly, it isn’t one I would have picked up had I not been told about it - even though the similarities are definitely there). This is Stevens at his most powerful, and it’s interesting to listen to the way in which Stevens changes his vocals to represent both sides of the argument, with the two eventually coming together in the more complex chorus. Lyrically, Stevens has never been better, addressing the growing gap between generations, and the plaintive feel of the song is absolutely haunting. Morning Has Broken displays Cat’s passion for spirituality, an old religious number that he discovered in a book of hymns. Stevens updated the song by applying an entirely new arrangement to it, consisting mostly of his soft strummed guitar and some flourishes of the piano. The song reaches a number of crescendos, with the piano taking over in each of them, picking up and tinkling along at a faster pace. The album’s closer is a cover of Sam Cooke’s Another Saturday Night that was a non-album single for Stevens in 1975. This is about as much of a departure for Stevens as possible, featuring everything from a horn section to bongo drums and a full-on church organ. The combination of instruments gives the track a bit of a Jamaican, calypso beat, a stark contrast and a good break from the introspective rock of the rest of the album.
So, if Greatest Hits is such an amazing record, how come I only gave it four stars? There are a few reasons for that. First of all, the album clocks in at just over thirty-nine minutes - it feels a little short and could easily have fit another one or two tracks, which brings me to my second reason. The absence of The Wind is, in my eyes, almost inexcusable. One of the most powerful one and a half minute songs I’ve ever heard, it was The Wind (which appeared on the Almost Famous soundtrack) that first got me interested in Cat Stevens’ music. Lastly, since the record was released in 1975, it understandably misses the tail end of Cat’s career, and thus can’t be considered definitive. Another album, The Very Best Of Cat Stevens is a much more thorough retrospective, albeit one lacking the overall ebb and flow of this particular one. The biggest advantage that Greatest Hits has on its much more recent brother is the price. While shorter and not nearly as thorough, Greatest Hits costs roughly half the price. If you have the cash, go for the full career retrospective. If not, Cat Stevens’ Greatest Hits is as good a place as any to get your first taste of his musical genius.
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