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Al Stewart|Year of the Cat (45th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Year of the Cat (45th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Al Stewart

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Al Stewart had found his voice on Past, Present & Future and found his sound on Modern Times. He then perfected it all on 1976's Year of the Cat, arguably his masterpiece. There is no overarching theme here, as there was on its two immediate predecessors, but the impossible lushness of Alan Parsons' production and Stewart's evocative Continental narratives give the record a welcome feeling of cohesion that keeps the record enchanting as it moves from "Lord Grenville" to "Midas Shadow" to "Broadway Hotel," before it ends with the haunting title track. Along the way, Stewart doesn't dwell too deeply in any area, preferring to trace out mysteries with his evocative lyrical imagery and a spinning array of self-consciously sophisticated music, songs that evoke American and European folk and pop with a deliberate grace. This could be unbearably precious if it didn't work so well. Stewart is detached from his music, but only in the sense that he gives this album a stylish elegance, and Parsons is his perfect foil, giving the music a rich, panoramic sweep that mimics Stewart's globe-trotting songs. The result is a tremendous example of how good self-conscious progressive pop can be, given the right producer and songwriter -- and if you're a fan of either prog or pop and haven't given Al Stewart much thought, prepare to be enchanted.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

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Year of the Cat (45th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Al Stewart

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1
Lord Grenville (2020 Remaster)
00:05:04

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

2
On the Border (2020 Remaster)
00:03:23

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

3
Midas Shadow (2020 Remaster)
00:03:13

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

4
Sand In Your Shoes (2020 Remaster)
00:03:05

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

5
If It Doesn't Come Naturally, Leave It (2020 Remaster)
00:04:30

Al Stewart, Lyricist, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

6
Flying Sorcery (2020 Remaster)
00:04:22

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

7
Broadway Hotel (2020 Remaster)
00:03:59

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

8
One Stage Before (2020 Remaster)
00:04:42

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

9
Year of the Cat (2020 Remaster)
00:06:43

Peter Wood, Composer, Lyricist - Al Stewart, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

10
Belsize Blues (2020 Mix) (2020 Remaster)
00:03:28

Al Stewart, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

11
Apple Cider Re-Constitution (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:05:24

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

12
The Dark and the Rolling Sea (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:04:58

Al Stewart, Lyricist, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

13
One Stage Before (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:05:00

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

14
Soho (Needless to Say) [Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976]
00:03:56

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

15
Not the One (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:05:22

Al Stewart, Lyricist, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

16
On the Border (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:04:05

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

17
Broadway Hotel (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:04:59

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

18
Roads to Moscow (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:08:14

Al Stewart, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

19
Nostradamus (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:09:13

Al Stewart, Lyricist, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

20
Sirens of Titan (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:03:13

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

21
The Post World War Two Blues (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:05:07

Al Stewart, Lyricist, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

22
Year of the Cat (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:08:36

Peter Wood, Composer, Lyricist - Al Stewart, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

23
Sand In Your Shoes (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:03:02

Al Stewart, Composer, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

24
Carol (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:05:09

Al Stewart, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

25
If It Doesn't Come Naturally, Leave It (Live at the Paramount Theater, Seattle, 1976)
00:05:21

Al Stewart, Lyricist, MainArtist

2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group 2021 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group

Album review

Al Stewart had found his voice on Past, Present & Future and found his sound on Modern Times. He then perfected it all on 1976's Year of the Cat, arguably his masterpiece. There is no overarching theme here, as there was on its two immediate predecessors, but the impossible lushness of Alan Parsons' production and Stewart's evocative Continental narratives give the record a welcome feeling of cohesion that keeps the record enchanting as it moves from "Lord Grenville" to "Midas Shadow" to "Broadway Hotel," before it ends with the haunting title track. Along the way, Stewart doesn't dwell too deeply in any area, preferring to trace out mysteries with his evocative lyrical imagery and a spinning array of self-consciously sophisticated music, songs that evoke American and European folk and pop with a deliberate grace. This could be unbearably precious if it didn't work so well. Stewart is detached from his music, but only in the sense that he gives this album a stylish elegance, and Parsons is his perfect foil, giving the music a rich, panoramic sweep that mimics Stewart's globe-trotting songs. The result is a tremendous example of how good self-conscious progressive pop can be, given the right producer and songwriter -- and if you're a fan of either prog or pop and haven't given Al Stewart much thought, prepare to be enchanted.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

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