"Let It Be... Naked" by THE BEATLES (November 2003 UK EMI/Apple 2CD Reissue with Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Everybody Had A Hard Year...Everybody Had A Good Time..." 

Hindsight is a handy thing - we're all experts 'after the fact' I suppose. In other words I can understand the reason why 'Naked' exists – but (and I can't help this) – I hate almost everything about this sterile reissue despite its clearly cleaned-up audio squeaking like new shoe leather.

"Let It Be...Naked" is apparently Paul McCartney's stripped down version of the "Let It Be" album (or "Get Back" as it was originally going to be called) The Beatles would have liked to put out back in 1969. But this new version just doesn't work for me. In fact I find most of it an awful listen as opposed to the much maligned released LP that I’ve always loved. In short - the fun and 'live' freshness is gone.

There have been oceans of words eulogised about how Phil Spector ruined the album with additional strings and choirs - a Production-obsessed nutter handed the poison chalice of haphazard recordings made by men already disinterested and in personal disarray. But as Ringo repeatedly said - once the count-in came - The Beatles were a band once more - and even half-baked - the magic was still there. I loved "Let It Be" as an album - that gorgeous four-photograph artwork where they looked like the coolest dudes on the planet (now ruined for some negative atrocity in silver) - the beautiful ballads that literally stopped me in my tracks and made the hairs stand up on my arms - the fresh in-your-face feel to the rockers - and the witty asides that hovered around the main songs. I know "Dig It" and "Maggie Mae" were kind of superfluous - but with them missing on this version - the laughs are gone and in 'unplugged' form - it all seems dreadfully po-faced which is something this band never was. This reissue may be 'purer' but I'd argue it's somehow soulless and dead.

It’s well documented that John Lennon hated what Spector did to "Across The Universe" in particular and started a feud with Macca that ultimately brought our best loved foursome to a horrible end - but we Joe Public who've been listening to Spectre's mix of "Across The Universe" for 46 years straight have genuinely loved it - were impossibly moved then and remain so to this day. In fact it's hot-wired into my brain and I want it that way. The song "Let It Be" is the same – reduced to just piano here - but instead of feeling prettier it feels far too naked. The strings that elevated "The Long & Winding Road" to a hymn are gone and even though it's a barely noticeable slight/edit - the witty 'Pot Smoking FBI members' jibe from Lennon is missing at the end of "For You Blue". The larking-about 'sweet Loretta fart' Lennon intro to "Get Back" is gone too as is the song's punch when they kick in. Oh dear oh Doris. Anyway - let's get to the long and winding details...

UK released November 2003 – "Let It Be...Naked" by THE BEATLES on EMI/Apple 07243 595713 2 4 (Barcode 724359571324) is a 2CD Reissue/Remix/Remaster that plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (35:02 minutes):

1. Get Back

2. Dig A Pony

3. For You Blue

4. The Long And Winding Road

5. Two Of Us

6. I've Got A Feeling

7. One After 909

8. Don't Let Me Down

9. I Me Mine

10. Across The Universe

11. Let It Be

Disc 2 'Fly On The Wall' (21:56 minutes):

CONVERSATION

Sun King

Don't Let Me Down

CONVERSATION

One After 909

CONVERSATION

Because I Know You Love Me So

CONVERSATION

Don't Pass Me By

Taking A Trip To Caroline

John's Piano Piece

CONVERSATION

Child Of Nature

Back In The USSR

CONVERSATION

Every Little Thing

Don't Let Me Down

CONVERSATION

All Things Must Pass

CONVERSATION

She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

CONVERSATION

Paul's Piano Piece

Get Back

CONVERSATION

Two Of Us

Maggie Mae

Fancy My Chances With You

CONVERSATION

Can You Dig It?

CONVERSATION

Get Back

CONVERSATION

The 32-page booklet is visually cool but deceptively full of hot air. Much of it is taken up with The Beatles talking absolute gobbledygook during the making of the film "Let It Be" - yet it’s reprinted here like its manna from the Gods of Rock Heaven. Kevin Howlett's lead-in liner notes are at least decent giving an expert and detailed history of what happened. McCartney is quoted as loving the new stripped back versions and the rejiggered track list but I personally feel only two of three of them are better.

The PAUL HICKS, GUY MASSEY and ALLAN ROUSE remixes and remasters are very clean – hiss-less - but also strangely sterile. In their favour "I Me Mine" now has a 'rock' core and renewed punch while it's a smart move to have John on "Across The Universe" and Paul's "Let It Be" end the album with "Get Back" chucked into the beginning. But I miss "Two Of Us" opening the LP and I miss the silly but effective "Dig It" passage before that piano intro into "Let It Be". And that great guitar and Billy Preston's fabulous organ contributions to the song are muted instead of to the fore.

I wouldn’t mind if the ‘Fly On The Wall’ CD2 actually offered us anything we could actually use. At first glance that track list offers tantalising names like Harrison's "All Things Must Pass", tracks from Abbey Road and those other outtakes - but then you look at the booklet and the timings - 35 seconds for "Don't Let Me Down" - the outtake "Child Of Nature" is only 24 seconds while "Back In The USSR" is 9 seconds and "Don't Pass Me By" only 3 seconds! It plays for one continuous song of 21:56 minutes – all the edited bits of chat between ideas stuck together. It’s fun for about four minutes but then just gets on your nerves. This ludicrous crap only serves to frustrate and you can't help but feel that the widely bootlegged decent outtakes (full songs) are being kept back by EMI for future "Let It Be" anniversary issues.

In fairness - I'm still turned on by "I've Got A Feeling" and "Don't Let Me Down" which is a hugely moving song - and "One After 909" has some rocking back in it too. But again without the intros and quirks of the original LP - the fun and life of the original seems to have been sucked out of this reissue in its pressing need to be a cohesive album (since when were The Beatles ever about being conformist or ordinary).

In the UK I've seen this Beatles reissue for sale for as little as £1.50 (the same elsewhere) - and there has to be a reason for that - people just don't like it - don't get it?

Great audio or no - I'm going to be listening to my original "Let It Be" and leaving this up on the shelf in the 'curio' pile...

"The Singles Volume 7: 1970-1972" by JAMES BROWN [feat Bobby Byrd and Bootsy Collins] (2009 US Hip-O Select 2CD Anthology - Seth Foster Remasters) - No 7 in a Series of 11 - A Review by Mark Barry...

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70ts Soul, R'n'B, Funk, Jazz Fusion
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"…Feel Like Being A Sex Machine..."

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I've been diligently collecting this series of 11 x 2CD sets of JAMES BROWN 'Singles' since they first started being released Stateside in September 2006.

This 7th instalment is one of six volumes to cover his extraordinary Seventies output – a particular favourite period for me. Volumes 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are the others - featuring every US 7" single released between 1970 and 1979 including all cancelled 45s and promo variants/remixes in both Mono and Stereo. Volumes 1 to 5 cover everything else prior - starting at 1958 on Federal Records through to his King and Bethlehem output in early 1970.

Volume 7 of "The Singles" picks up where Volume 6 left off (Volume 6 covers March 1969 through to early June 1970). Covering three labels - King, People and Polydor Records – we get pairings of every A&B-side released betwixt late June 1970 through to January 1972. It has the same spectacular Audio and beautifully presented 28-page fact-filled booklet that all volumes have - with a feast of fan-pleasing details and memorabilia provided by a team of experts on all things JB Productions. "The Singles" is a superlative CD series and along with the 'Motown' and 'Chess' Book Set Reissues has gone a long way to emblazoning 'Hip-O Select' as a reissue label dear to collector's hearts. Here are the Superbad details...

USA released 26 May 2009 - "The Singles Volume 7: 1970-1972" by JAMES BROWN on Hip-O Select/Polydor B0012728-02 (Barcode 602527001616) offers 39-tracks Remastered onto 2CDs. All catalogue numbers are US 7" singles unless otherwise noted and beneath the discography info are the US R&B and Pop Chart placing (no entry means it didn’t chart). It breaks down as follows...

Disc 1, 18 Tracks, 67:39 minutes:

1. Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine (Part I & 2)

Track 1 is the Promotional Version of King 6318, released June 1970

2. Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine (Part I)

3. Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine (Part 2)

Tracks 2 and 3 are the A&B-sides of King 6318, released June 1970

R&B No. 2 – Pop No. 15

[Note: the version on the 1970 "Sex Machine" vinyl LP is different – re-cut to feature simulated audience applause. The Promotional single is in Mono – the released version in Stereo]

4. Super Bad (Part 1 & Part 2)

Track 4 is the Promotional version of King 6329, released October 1970

5. Super Bad (Part 1 & Part 2)

6. Super Bad (Part 3)

Tracks 6 and 7 are the A&B-sides of King 6329, released October 1970

R&B No. 1 – Pop No. 13

7. Fight Against Drug Abuse

Track 7 is a Public Service Announcement on King PSA-1, released November 1970

8. Hey America (Vocal)

9. Hey America (Sing Along)

Tracks 8 and 9 are the A&B-sides of King 6339, released November 1970

10. Santa Clause Is Definitely Here To Stay (Vocal)

11. Santa Clause Is Definitely Here To Stay (Sing Along)

Tracks 10 and 11 are the A&B-sides of King 6340, released November 1970

12. Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved Pt. 1

13. Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved Pt. 2

14. Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved Pt. 1 (Reverb Version)

15. Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved Pt. 2 (Reverb Version)

Tracks 12 and 13 are the A&B-sides of King 6437, released December 1970. Brown remixed the track shortly after release and added reverb to both sides – these variants are Tracks 14 and 15.

R&B No. 4 – Pop No. 34

16. I Cried

Track 16 is the A-side of King 6363, released January 1971. The B-side was "World Part 2" which is Track 17 on Disc 1 of Volume 5 (originally the B-side for "World Part 1" on King 6258 in August 1969). James Brown and Bobby Byrd originally wrote the A-side "I Cried" in 1963 for Tammy Montgormery who would later become Motown's Tammi Terrell.

R&B No. 15 – Pop No. 50

17. Soul Power Pt. 1

18. Soul Power Pt. 2 & pt. 3

Tracks 17 and 18 are the A&B-sides of the Promotional Version of King 6368, released February 1971. The Promotional Release only features added-on Reverb – the single proper on Disc 2 does not.

Disc 2, 21 Tracks, 69:56 minutes:

1. Soul Power Pt. 1

2. Soul Power Pt. 2 & pt. 3

Tracks 1 and 2 are stock copy release A&B-sides of King 6368, released February 1971

R&B No. 3 – Pop No. 29

3. Spinning Wheel Pt. 1

4. Spinning Wheel Pt. 2

Tracks 3 and 4 are the A&B-sides of King 6366, released March 1971. "Spinning Wheel" is a cover version of the June 1969 Blood, Sweat & Tears hit single on Columbia Records 44871 – a No. 2 Pop hit written by their lead vocalist David Clayton-Thomas.

5. Escape-Ism (Part 1)

6. Escape-ism (Part 2 & 3)

7. Escape-ism (Part 1) (Second Mix)

8. Escape-ism (Part 1) (Second Mix)

Tracks 3 and 4 are the original issue A&B-sides of People 2500, released May 1971. Tracks 5 and 6 are a 'second mix' on People 2500, released June 1971. The letter of explanation he sent to Radio Stations is reproduced on the inner rear inlay.

R&B No. 6 – Pop No. 35

9. Hot Pants Pt. 1 (She Got To Use What She Got To Get What She Wants)

10. Hot Pants Pt. 2 & 3 (She Got To Use What She Got To Get What She Wants)

Tracks 9 and 10 are the A&B-sides of People 2501, released June 1971

R&B No. 1 – Pop No. 15

11. My Brother Pt. 1

12. My Brother Pt. 2

Tracks 11 and 12 are the A&B-sides of People 2502 (as THE J.B.'s), released June 1971

13. Make It Funky (Part 1)

14. Make It Funky (Part 2)

Tracks 13 and 14 are the A&B-sides of Polydor 14088, released August 1971. It was his first single with Polydor Records.

R&B No. 1 – Pop No. 22

15. My Part/Make It Funky (Part 3)

16. My Part/Make It Funky (Part 4)

Tracks 15 and 16 are the A&B-sides of Polydor 14098, October 1971

17. I'm A Greedy Man-Part I

18. I'm A Greedy Man-Part II

Tracks 17 and 18 are the A&B-sides of Polydor 14100, released November 1971

R&B No. 7 – Pop No. 35

19. Just Won't Do Right

Track 19 is by LYN COLLINS and was scheduled three times but canceled - as King 6373, People 2503 and People 503 (there are promo copies of King 6373 on the white variant of the label with an A&B-side). It was officially released as Polydor 14107 in December 1971. The "Wheel Of Life" B-side is inexplicably absent from this CD set even though it was produced and arranged by JB. It's available on the LYN COLLINS "Mama Feelgood: The Best Of" CD from 2005 on Polydor.

20. Talking Loud And Saying Nothing – Part I

21. Talking Loud And Saying Nothing – Part II

Tracks 20 and 21 are the A&B-sides of Polydor 14109, released January 1972.

R&B No. 1 – Pop No. 27

Like all 11 Volumes in this Hip-O Select 2CD series - the 28-page booklet by noted JB expert and former tour manager ALAN LEEDS and is a joy to look at — a hugely informative read that's packed to the gills with track histories, concert posters, trade adverts, magazine covers and a thoroughly detailed recording Sessionography. Produced with affection and firsthand knowledge by HARRY WEINGER and ALAN LEEDS - the inlay beneath the see-through CD tray has a typed-letter from JB on James Brown Productions headed paper about the 'too loud guitar' on "Escape-ism" and that DJs and Soul Brothers should dig the new remix and make it an even bigger hit than "Pop Corn"! It's this cool and yet smart attention to detail that shows that both compilers know what fans want (Alan Leeds is pictured on Page 19 with JB on the road to yet another gig).

And again, as in previous issues, SETH FOSTER has transferred the first-generation master tapes for the single mixes and he's done a truly superlative job — warm, clear and fabulously alive. The Mono and Stereo music jumps out of the speakers at you — gorgeous sound. The word "Limited Edition" is embossed in gold lettering on the rear inlay – numbers are not stated but presumably it's a worldwide limited edition of 5000 copies like its predecessor. Now to the amazing music - all killer and no filler as they say...

Even now – 46 years after the event – "Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine" is a monster groove – an utterly amazing groundbreaking piece of wild Funk. A truly clever inclusion is the 'Promotional' version of the song that gives you the full 5:18 minutes instead of the separated 2:57 and 2:31 of Parts 1 & 2. This allows you to hear the full power of the band and the song uninterrupted. Bobby Byrd is the 'Get On Up!' counter vocal – future Parliament wildman Bootsy Collins is the flying Bass player while Phelps "Catfish" Collins plays that deadly flicked guitar. JB anchors and elevates the whole thing with his fabulous piano interludes. Can I take it to the bridge – hit it and quit – legendary stuff baby...

His seasoned band (now known as The J.B.'s) continued their chart-winning steak with the uber-Funk of "Super Bad" - another black consciousness killer with brains and a beat (it went all the way to No. 1 on the US R&B charts - also managing an impressive No. 13 on the Pop charts). Once again the 5:44 minute full version only available on Promo Copies is featured here - and this time it's not just the guitar and bass that feature but the snare drum and slick whacks of 'Jabo' Sharks on Drums and the three horn players - Clayton 'Chicken' Gunnels and Daryl 'Hasaan' Jamison on Trumpets with Robert McCullough on Tenor Saxophone. The 36-second 'Fight Against Drug Abuse' is him advising the youth of America against an instrumental of "Super Bad". You rarely ever hear the excellent "Hey America" where JB gives voice to Nat Jones' anti-war words asking the listeners and those in power to take note of a million peace-signs. Nat Jones also provided "Santa Clause Is Definitely Here To Stay" - a seasonal gospel groove that's not nearly as musically bad or cheesy as its title suggests.

An obvious answer to 'Get On Up' - his "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved" single is described by Alan Leeds in the liner notes as a 'stream of consciousness jam' and that's accurate - a raucous driving rhythm featuring JB and Bobby Byrd sparring on vocal shouts. One of the joys of a compilation like this is a discovery and the ballad "I Cried" is one – a slowly both JB and Byrd wrote for a young Tammi Terrell in 1963. It’s a belter with strings and crooning ladies swaying as JB gives it some tearsome.

Ending Disc 1 and beginning Disc 2 is another fabulous and undeniable winner in "Soul Power" where our Funk Overload assures us that his 'rap is strong' (who are we to argue). A surprising disappointment is his instrumental cover version of Blood, Sweat & Tears’ big 1969 hit "Spinning Wheel" which feels weedy to me compared to the undoubted brilliance of the David Clayton-Thomas original. His instincts were right when he remixed "Escape-ism" - the second version (Tracks 7 and 8 on Disc 2) having that 'groove' that moves (JB was rewarded with a No. 6 R&B slot). But for me this compilation's moment of true mastery is the wonderful "Hot Pants" - a groove so down right enjoyable it may very well be issued on the NHS later this year as an antidote to post-operation recuperation blues (and the Audio is sensational). And on it goes with miniskirts and hot pants and gettin' down with hipster folk to the fabulous instrumental groove of "My Brother"...

By the end of the Seventies, James Brown wasn’t troubling the national charts too much - but at its outset (as evidenced here) he was blazing a trail like no other – a sound that would inspire and influence generations to come.

"...Play as hard as you want..." he shouted to his super tight band during the recording of "Super Bad". And on the evidence presented on Volume 7 – they did – nailing that downbeat sucker to the studio wall. Soul and Funk Genius - and then some...

"On The Road To Find Out" [aka "Cat Stevens"] by CAT STEVENS (2001 and 2008 Universal/Island 4CD Box Set and Reissue Book Set – Ted Jensen and Suha Gur Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Listen To The Wind Of My Soul…"

Essentially a scaled-down reissue of the 4CD long box "On The Road To Find Out" that originally came out in October 2001 - this June 2008 "Cat Stevens" Book Set repackaging is just as beautifully presented and even more convenient in size. Here are the catty details:

Reissued/Re-Released June 2008 - "Cat Stevens" (aka " On The Road To Find Out") by CAT STEVENS is a 4CD Book Set on Universal/Island/A&M 0600753028032 (Barcode 600753028032) and breaks down as follows:

Disc 1  - THE CITY - 65:34 minutes:

1. Back To The Good Old Times (Previously Unreleased First Recording from 1965)

2. I Love My Dog

3. Portobello Road

4. Here Comes My Baby

5. Matthew And Son

6. The Tramp (tracks 2 to 6 are from his debut LP "Matthew And Son" - released March 1967 in the UK on Deram DML 1004 (Mono) and SML 1004 (Stereo) and in the USA on Deram DE 16005 (Mono) and DES 18005 in the USA - Stereo mix used)

7. I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun

8. School Is Out (tracks 7 and 8 are the non-album A&B-sides of his debut 7" single released March 1967 in the UK on Deram DM 118 and Deram 85006 in the USA)

9. A Bad Night

10. The Laughing Apple (tracks 9 and 10 are the non-album A&B-sides of his 2nd single released July 1967 in the UK on Deram DM 140 and on Deram 85015 in the USA)

11. Kitty

12. Blackness Of Night

13. The First Cut Is The Deepest

14. Northern Wind

15. Moonstone

16. Come On Baby (Shift That Log) (tracks 11 to 16 are from his 2nd LP "New Masters" - released December 1967 in the UK on Deram DML 1018 (Mono) and SML 1018 (Stereo) and in the USA on Deram DES 18010 in 1968 (Stereo Only) - Stereo Mix used)

17. Lovely City (When Do You Laugh?) - non-album track, February 1968 UK 7" single on Deram DM 178

18. Here Comes My Wife - non-album track, October 1968 UK 7" single on Deram DM 211

19. The View From The Top - non-album track, B-side to "Where Are You" released June 1969 in the UK on Deram DM 260. Mistakenly credited in the booklet as the B-side of "Kitty" (the A-side of Deram DM 156)

20. Where Are You - non-album track, A-side of “The View From The Top”

21. If Only Mother Could See Me Now (Demo) - previously unreleased recording from 1968 - between "New Masters" and "Mona Bone Jakon")

22. Honey Man (with ELTON JOHN) - previously Unreleased October 1967 recording featuring Elton John on Piano and Duet Vocals - co-written with Ken Cumberbatch

23. The Joke - Previously Unreleased September 1970 recording - features the same group that did the backing on Jimmy Cliff's version of "Wild World" which Steven recorded for "Tea For A Tillerman"

Disc 2 - THE SEARCH - 76:14 minutes:

1. Time/Fill My Eyes

2. Lady D'Arbanville

3. Trouble

4. Pop Star

5. Katmandu

6. Lilywhite (tracks 1 to 6 from his 3rd album "Mona Bone Jakon" (debut with Island) - released April 1970 in the UK on Island ILPS 9118 and A&M SP-4260 in the USA)

7. I've Got A Thing About Seeing My Grandson Grow Old - Previously Unreleased mix of a "Mona Bone Jakon" outtake- an alternate mix was used for "The Very Best Of Cat Stevens" CD compilation in 2000

8. Where Do The Children Play?

9. Wild World

10. Sad Lisa

11. On The Road To Find Out

12. Father And Son (tracks 8 to 12 are from his 4th album "Tea For The Tillerman" - released November 1970 in the UK on Island ILPS 9135 and on A&M SP-4280 in the USA)

13. Love Lives In The Sky - Previously Unreleased "Tea For The Tillerman" outtake recorded July 1970 - it's an early version of "Land O' Freelove & Goodbye"

14. Don't Be Shy

15. If You Want To Sing Out Sing Out (tracks 14 and 15 first appeared in the motion picture "Harold & Maude" in 1971)

16. The Day They Make Me A Tsar - Previously Unreleased Demo for the "Teaser And The Firecat" album recorded February 1971

17. The Wind

18. Moonshadow

19. Morning Has Broken

20. How Can I Tell You

21. Peace Train (tracks 17 to 21 are form his 5th album "Teaser And The Firecat" - released September 1971 in the UK on Island ILPS9154 and A&M SP-4313 in the USA)

22. I Want To Live In A Wigwam - non-album track, B-side of "Morning Is Broken" - December 1971 UK 7" single on Island WIP 6121

Disc 3 - THE HURT - 70:26 minutes:

1. Crab Dance - non-album instrumental track, B-side of "Sitting" - a UK 7" single released December 1972 on Island WIP 6152

2. Sitting

3. Silent Sunlight

4. Angelsea

5. Can't Keep It In

6. 18th Avenue (Kansas City Nightmare) (tracks 2 to 6 are from his 6th album "Catch Bull At Four" - released September 1972 in the UK on Island ILPS 9206 and in the USA on A&M Records SP-4365)

7. The Hurt

8. Foreigner Suite (tracks 7 and 8 are from his 7th album "Foreigner" - released July 1973 in the UK on Island ILPS 9240 and in the USA on A&M Records SP-4391

9. Oh Very Young

10. Music

11. Sun/C79

12. King Of Trees (tracks 9 to 12 are from his 8th album "Buddah And The Chocolate Box" - released March 1974 in the UK on Island ILPS 9274 and in the USA on A&M Records SP-3623)

13. Bad Penny (Live)

14. Lady D'Arbanville (Live) (tracks 13 and 14 are from the album "Saturnight-Cat Stevens Live In Tokyo"- a Japan-Only single LP album released August 1974 on A&M Records GP-228)

15. Another Saturday Night - first released as a UK 7" single August 1974 on Island WIP 6206 and later included on the "Greatest Hits" album released June 1975 on Island ILPS 9310

Disc 4 - THE LAST - 69:05 minutes:

1. Whistlestar

2. Novim's Nightmare

3. Majik Of Majiks

4. Banapple Gas (tracks 1 to 4 are from his 9th album "Numbers" - released November 1975 in the UK on Island ILPS 9370 and in the USA on A&M Records SP-4555)

5. Blue Monday - Previously Unreleased cover version of a Fats Domino classic - recorded November 1975

6. Doves (Majikat Earth Tour Theme Song) - non-album track, B-side to "(Remember The Days Of The) Old Schoolyard" released May 1977 in the UK on Island WIP 6387

7. Hard Headed Woman (Live) - Previously Unreleased - recorded 22 Feb 1978 at the College Of William & Mary, Virginia, USA

8. Tuesday's Dead (Live) - as per 7

9. Ruins (Live) - as per 7

10. (Remember The Days Of The) Old Schoolyard (A-side of 6)

11. Life

12. (I Never Wanted) To Be A Star

13. Child For A Day (tracks 10 to 13 are from his 10th album "Izitso" - released May 1977 in the UK on Island ILPS 9451 and in the USA on A&M Records SP-4702)

14. Just Another Night

15. Daytime

16. Last Love Song

17. Never (tracks 14 to 17 are from his 11th album "Back To Earth" - released December 1978 in the UK on Island ILPS 9565 and in the USA on A&M Records SP-4735)

18. Father And Son (Live) - Previously Unreleased - recorded at The Year Of The Child Concert in Wembley Arena 22 Nov 1979

19. God Is The Light - from the album "Syuku" (1997) and "Bismallah" (2001)

The presentation is has to be said is gorgeous - a 98-page colour booklet is attached inside the hard back book sleeve - every sepia-page festooned with live photos, publicity shots, a sort of time line of photos across the bottom of each two-page spread cataloguing both his career and personal life, the logos from the early Island albums artwork, stills from the cartoons that surrounded "Tea For The Tillerman" and "Teaser And The Firecat", some lyrics and extensive track-by-track breakdowns. It's beautifully done and a genuine feast for fans.

TED JENSEN and SUHA GUR have handled the superb remasters - mastered from the original analogue two-track master tapes (these are names familiar to those who seek out quality reissues - Jensen and Gur have handled literally hundreds of prestigious catalogues between them). The audio quality is really sweet throughout.

Disc 1 covers his Sixties Deram period - the "Matthew And Son" and "New Masters" albums with some non-album single sides and previously unreleased thrown in. The Stereo impact of stuff like "Here Comes My Baby", the acoustic "Portobello Road" and "Blackness Of The Night" and the lovely "The First Cut is The Deepest" is fantastic - but tunes like "I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun" are insufferable Sixties pap. Disc 1 wisely ends with the beginning of the Island Records period by giving us three rarities in a row. His voice had already changed by 1968 when he recorded the demo of "If Only Mother Could See Me Now" even though it has that Sixties arrangement and not the simplicity of the Seventies stuff. The duet with Elton John "Honey Man" is better than I'd expected but the "The Joke" is the prize here - a strangely 'Rock' tune for Cat Stevens.

Things go stratospheric with Disc 2 when we hit that incredible run of albums in 1970 and 1971 - "Mona Bone Jakon", "Tea For The Tillerman" and "Teaser And The Fire Cat". The audio quality of "Time/Fill My Eyes" is truly gorgeous and what a forgotten nugget it is. The hits start coming with "Lady D'Arbanville" but again its trumped by a forgotten LP ballad - "Trouble". The pretty "Lilywhite" is still hissy (it always was) but it's a gorgeous Nick Drake type melody with those fabulous strings. We're then hit with a cool one - a "Mona Bone Jakon" outtake - the decidedly good "I've Got A Thing About Seeing My Grandson Grow Old". A very clever run of four rarities follows. The first is an outtake from "Tea For A Tillerman" called "Love Lives In The Sky" which turns out to be an early version of "Land O' Freelove & Goodbye" and it's really sweet (beautifully remastered too). But long time fans are going to adore "Don't By Shy" and "If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out" both from the 1971 movie "Harold & Maude" - gorgeous melodies from his best period (especially "Don't Be Shy").

His songwriting capabilities took a leap into space with "Tea" and "Teaser"(probably everybody's favourite albums) and they dominate the rest of this stunning disc. I can remember as a 12-year old first hearing "Sad Lisa" at a friend's house in Clontarf in Dublin - I stood there stunned - the beautiful piano melody washing over me (its doing so again this day). And even with five tracks from "Teaser" - if you think about brilliance like "If I Laugh" and "How Can I Tell You?" being absent - you could add the other five and still not have enough. "I Want To Live In A Wigwam" was always a dodgy B-side - but "Love Lives In The Sky" is a wonderful "Tillerman" outtake - simple, pretty and affecting. I nailed my first kiss dancing to "Moonshadow" - so she and it are seared into my (slightly battered) heart and immortalised in a poem I wrote called "Debs" which was published in the Eighties in a book called "Hard Lines 2" (oh dear).

Disc 3 is probably where people loose interest - but they shouldn't because again its chock full of choice picks. The superb instrumental "Crab Dance" has long been absent from CD for Cat Stevens fans - so it's a properly great opener. Fans will notice that the acoustic masterpiece "The Boy With A Moon And A Star On His Head" from "Bull" is AWOL (mores the pity) but the fantastic groove of acoustic and synth of "Angelsea" makes up for it. But for me the unsung masterpiece in his entire canon of work is "The Foreigner Suite" that took up the whole of Side 1 and weighed in at a whopping 18-minutes. It was essentially three songs linked together with musical interludes and it's going to be great surprise to those to stopped buying his albums after 1972. It's commonly thought that Stevens was running on empty almost from "Numbers" onwards - yet when you cherry pick the goodies out - the tracks here tell a different story. Stuff like "Sun/C79", "Majik Of Majiks" and the lovely instrumental "Whistlestar" are full of great melody and clever funky breaks. I can live without hearing "Schoolyard" or "Another Saturday Night" even again - but tunes like "Child For A Day" and "Never" show some of that early Seventies magic - lovely songs.

Amongst the Previously Unreleased - the properly recorded cover of Fats Domino's "Blue Monday" is shockingly good - his voice suiting the R'n'B classic far better than you would think. Fans will appreciate having the "Doves" B-side on CD at last - it feels like one of the funky piano stretches in the middle of "Foreigner Suite" - a cool little instrumental. His voice is in fantastic form for the three live takes of "Hard Headed Woman", "Tuesday's Dead" and Catch Bull At Four's "Ruins" recorded in 1978 (you can hear the crowd loving it) - his female backing singers adding a lot to the power of the performance.

For most a 2CD set like "Gold" will probably suffice - but this 4-disc retrospective is a winner on all the right fronts - sound, song choice, listener surprises and beautiful presentation.

"I left my happy home to see what I could find out..." - Cat Stevens sang on the gorgeous "On The Road To Find Out". Take time out to fill your mind with this journeyman's musical and spiritual travels...

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