One shouldn’t be surprised that a Cat Steven’s autobiography would be a supremely honest and humble account as Cat On The Road To Findout most surely is.
From his childhood growing up in England, and how his Greek background specifically influenced his life and music, to his first stab at stardom, where a young Steven Demetre Georgiou made quite the splash on the pop world. Then, his downturn in the music business for a nearly two years, followed by what he calls his “resurgence” with what are considered classic Cat Steven hits. Cat On The Road To Findout is a twisty turning tale of a man who was as much is in search of hits as much as spiritual transcendence from an early age.
I love the tales of the singer’s teenage years running around London, his career in music dovetailing with his drawing, all the characters who come in an out as he renames himself “Cat,” taking him into the midst of early 70s songwriting giants. And himself a giant coming into his own. He explores how he dealt with fame, and what it all meant then and continues to mean now in his personal journey to a better understanding of the world — something he seemed to always be searching for.
I was on hand at the Barclays Center in 2014 when he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and taken with his humorous acceptance speech and the easy way he delivered some of those aforementioned classics. This autobiography just reiterates how humble and self-aware this music giant is.
Along with the book is a companion music release called On The Road To Findout: Greatest Hits. There’s 47 songs highlighting the long career of this unique musical storyteller. This includes classics like “The Wind,” “Peace Train,” “Where Do The Children Play?” and “Wild World,” newly remastered from Cat Steven’s debut Matthew & Son through 2023’s King Of A Land. This music collection also features a 24-page lyric booklet and more never-before-seen reflections from the man himself.
All this presents quite the definitive deep dive, the first-ever of its kind. The kind of collection of words and music very few artists ever afford us. Coming away from it, one can’t but feel that it might indeed be a “wild world.” Having Cat Stevens / Yusuf in it, makes it a little easier to take.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
Purchase
Cat On The Road To Findout & Greatest Hits
