By the end of the 1970s, Cat Stevens (born Steven Georgiou) had run through teen idol success, songwriting fame, survived tuberculosis, mega-stardom with his more ‘adult’ tunes, a near drowning, converted to Islam, and left the music business. His 11th studio album Back To Earth, released in 1978, was his farewell to public life and the music business. At least in the name of Cat Stevens.
This 10-song album, remastered in 2019, is not only Cat Stevens’ final album; it also saw him reuniting with Paul Samwell-Smith, producer of Tea For The Tillerman and Teaser And The Firecat. It’s partly due to this that we get all the earmarks of classic Stevens — from opener “Just Another Night,” with the singer pleading everybody needs a little help some time, to the familiar rocking (or as rocking as Cat Stevens ever gets) hit “Bad Brains.”
There’s “New York Times,” with its big organ-led TV-theme sound and mean-lyric read of the Big Apple. “Nascimento” is a jazzy instrumental with horns. The sweet (and way too short) nearly instrumental “The Artist” invests the bunch here with what might be the most interesting moments on this album.
“Never,” the last album’s song, fueled by electric piano, acoustic guitar, and what might be Cat Stevens’ most emotive vocal of the record, is the perfect final number to leave us. Stevens assures us there will be another moment, that spring is coming and that there will “never be another you,” but it is especially poignant because this would be the last music we’d ever hear from Cat Stevens.
Releasing albums and back on the road, Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens) has brought the voice and songs back to life. But on Back To Earth, we get clear insight to an artist undergoing a big change in his life — with enough dignity to release songs his fans would hold dear for a very long time.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
