Cat Stevens - Izitso (1977) [2001 Island Remaster]

The last time Cat tried something different without Alun Davies the results were lackluster (Foreigner), but not so Izitso. The songs feature the same inventive, rhythmic melodies that Cat excels at, this time rendered on keyboards and synthesizers rather than guitar. The album feels more contemporary as a result, at times reminiscent of Steve Winwood (“Crazy”) and Gentle Giant (“Killin’ Time,” “Life”). Although the album produced two singles – “(Remember The Days of the) Old Schoolyard” and the instrumental “Was Dog A Doughnut?” (a precursor to Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit”) – it’s tracks like “Life,” “Kypros” and “(I Never Wanted) To Be A Star” (last seen on the flip side of Numbers’ second single) that better define the album. While the melodies are as intelligent as always, the subject matter is no longer spiritual; Cat seems to be taking stock of his life this time, openly addressed on “(I Never Wanted) To Be A Star” and covered less directly on “(Remember The Days of the) Old Schoolyard,” “Life” and “Child For A Day” (yes, a lot of these song titles recall Gentle Giant). Cat’s post-Teaser efforts have found him sitting in two camps, sometimes returning to his old musical haunts (Buddha) and other times in search of new musical horizons. Izitso seems to do both, perhaps because the players involved differ from track to track. While it’s not a classic Cat Stevens album, Izitso is a stronger effort than Catch Bull At Four or Foreigner. His albums are essentially postcards along the road of life, and this signpost proved a pleasant a place to sing from.

– Dave Connolly, www.connollyco.com

To hear some listeners tell it, you'd think Cat Stevens's last three commercial releases were just pure dreck. Izitso? No, it izn't. Plenty of major stars have spent entire careers without releasing an album as fine as this one. (And I can't make myself give any of his work fewer than four stars.)

But it's fair to say that very few longtime listeners would name _Izitso_ as their favorite Cat Stevens album – or even one of their three or four favorites. And it's fair to say that there are probably reasons for that. Of his last three albums, I think _Numbers_ was his best, and _Back to Earth_ comes second.

With _Izitso_ – which followed _Numbers_ – he left quite a few of us scratching our heads saying, "Who _is_ that?" From the opening synthesizer blast of "(Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard" to the inexplicable "Was Dog a Doughnut?" we sat there trying to figure out whether we'd really bought a Cat Stevens album or whether somebody had accidentally slipped something else into the sleeve. Only on the last song did we say, "Aha, now that's the Cat we know." And that song – "Child for a Day," the finest song on the album – was written not by Cat but by his brother David Gordon.

Part of the problem is the production. Instead of longtime collaborator Paul Samwell-Smith, this album was produced by David Kershenbaum, who seems to have shifted things back toward the popstardom Cat had abandoned as of _Mona Bone Jakon_ (and is still disavowing even here on the confessional "(I Never Wanted) To Be a Star"). Cat's own gentle innocence is still here, but you have to listen harder to hear it.

But it's _not_ that the material is bad. On the contrary, most of it is pretty good, although even the best of it is not of the stellar quality of Cat's two or three finest albums. It's just that this is the Cat Stevens album you'll probably like best if you don't particularly like Cat Stevens. We Cat completists will want it on CD, we'll buy it, and we'll enjoy it. But listeners new to Cat won't want to start here.

Cat Stevens had two absolutely great albums – _Tea for the Tillerman_ and _Teaser and the Firecat_ – and _Mona Bone Jakon_ was mighty close. If you have those three, you have most of the "very best of" Cat Stevens already, never mind those other "best of" collections. (The rest of the best is on _Buddha and the Chocolate Box_ – "Oh, Very Young" and "Sun/C79.")

Now here's a little history for the uninitiated:

"Cat Stevens" was the stage name of Steven Georgiou, who was born in the U.K. in 1949 of a Cypriot father and a Swedish mother. Something of a musical prodigy, he released his first two albums well before he was twenty years old and was on his way to becoming a "pop star." He then fell victim to a terrible case of tuberculosis. When he returned to singing and songwriting, he had taken a decidedly more reflective turn and found himself delivering absolutely beautiful stuff with no apparent commercial potential. That was fine with him; he was no longer particularly interested in commercial success. But, perhaps ironically, his delicate confessional songs and his deliberate avoidance of "commercial-ness" turned him into a huge international star.

Well, he eventually (1977) became a Muslim and adopted the name "Yusuf Islam" (after the biblical dream-interpreter Joseph). At about that time he also left the music industry. He has since recorded a couple of albums about Islam, but his last collection of commercial music was _Footsteps In The Dark_ (ostensibly a second volume of his "greatest hits," but in fact a set of lesser-known favorites and a handful of tunes not available elsewhere).

You can feel safe in ignoring the comments from people who think he has become "rigid" and/or "intolerant." The simple fact is that nearly every Cat Stevens album (the exceptions being his first two) is filled with "spiritual seeking," and he eventually found what he was looking for in Islam. His "recent" (actually, 1989-90) remarks on Salman Rushdie were not what you probably think they were (and in particular he didn't call for Rushdie's death). He's no more "rigid" or "intolerant" than the rest of us; he's simply a religiously observant Muslim, that's all. There's a problem here only for people who think seekers should never get around to finding, or that traditional religion is more "dogmatic" than irreligion.

His songs don't need to "transcend" their creator in order to be great; there's no need to run down Yusuf in order to elevate Cat. And since they _were_ written during his "seeker" stage, they're suitable for everybody – future Muslims or not.

– John S. Ryan, Amazon.com

Tracklisting:
1. (Remember The Days Of The) Old Schoolyard (2:44)
2. Life (4:56)
3. Killin' Time (3:31)
4. Kypros (3:10)
5. Bonfire (4:10)
6. (I Never Wanted) To Be A Star (3:03)
7. Crazy (3:33)
8. Sweet Jamaica (3:31)
9. Was Dog A Doughnut (4:15)
10. Child For A Day (4:23)

Total Time: 37:16

Line-up/Musicians:
- Cat Stevens / Polymoog, piano, celeste, percussion, string arrangement, classical guitar, Ovation guitar, bouzouki, Baldwin electric harpsichord, Yamaha GX1, brass arrangement, grand piano, percussion loop, Fender Rhodes piano, ARP synthesizer, Yamaha E5AR organ, electric guitar, Wurlitzer electric piano, synthesizer programming, drums, acoustic guitar, cover design
- Bruce Lynch / bass, synthesizer programming
- Jean Roussel / organ, string arrangement, ARP flutes, Yamaha E5AR organ, electric piano, glockenspiel, Hammond organ, string synthesizer, vibraphone, piano, grand piano, ARP string ensemble synthesizer
- Barry Beckett / organ, electric piano, acoustic piano
- Carla Benson / vocals (8)
- Evette Benton / vocals (8)
- Bill Berg / drums
- Elkie Brooks / vocals
- David Campbell / brass arrangement
- Pete Carr / guitar
- Chick Corea / electric piano
- Ray Gomez / electric guitar (9)
- Roger Hawkins / drums
- Tim Henson / acoustic piano, organ
- David Hood / bass
- Barbara Ingram / vocals (8)
- Jim Johnson / rhythm guitar
- Marjorie Lagerwall / harp (8)
- Suzanne Lynch / vocal chorus, vocals
- Barry Morgan / additional drums
- Weldon Myrick / steel guitar (6)
- Andy Newmark / drums
- Gene Page / brass arrangement, string arrangement
- Broderick Smith / harmonica (8)
- Reggie Young / electric guitar (6)