Customer Reviews

Cat Stevens - Majikat (Earth Tour 1976)

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This DVD is really a two-fer. A superb concert video and also a personal message from Yusuf (Cat) explaining his conversion to Islam.

The concert footage is beautiful and the sound is superb. The set list is pulled largely from his best early 70's albums. The band is tight and Cat is in fine voice. And the crowd shots are a gas, with our goofy Chachi and Afro haircuts and the silly clothes we wore back then.

The personal message from Yusuf was also very satisfying to me. I was a huge Cat fan in the 70's and have puzzled over his withdrawal from the limelight. The mainstream media (which feeds on negativity), has given us a distorted image of Yusuf as a fundamental Islamic radical. The interview showed nothing of the sort. Yusuf is a man who, after a near death experience, had a spiritual awakening. His newfound religious conviction gave him inner peace, something which happens to many of us when we mature and take measure of our life. The only "problem" is, he chose a religion which is unpopular and misunderstood by most westerners.

I have been waiting for years to get Cat Stevens on video in concert and finally his 1976 "Majikat Earth Tour" is available on DVD. The concert is excellent with Cat doing songs from his albums Mona Bone Jakon, Tea For The Tillerman, Teaser & The Firecat, Catch Bull At Four, Foreigner, Buddah & The Chocolate Box and Numbers. The song list is impressive: "The Wind", "Moonshadow", "Where Do The Children Play", "Another Saturday Night", "Hard Headed Woman", "Miles From Nowhere", "Lady D'Arbanville", "Banapple Gas", "Tuesday's Dead", "Oh Very Young" and "The Hurt" plus more. Stevens puts on a great show, often switching from his acoustic guitar to playing piano, and enough can't be said of his backup band. There's also a recent thirty minute interview with Cat Stevens (now Yussuf Islam) who talks about his growing up in Soho, London, his rise to fame, near death experience, religion, etc. Also included are archive material such as "Wild World" (encore) - Majikat 1976 outtake, "If I Laugh" (BBC 'Old Grey Whistle Test - 1971), "Maybe You're Right" (BBC-In Concert 1971), "Tuesday's Dead" (Granada 'Outfront'- 1971) and more. This is an absolute must have for Cat Stevens fans and/or fans of seventies rock.

I had just turned 16 when I went to my very first live concert - Cat Stevens at Madison Square Garden in NY on 3/5/76. The Williamsburg, VA show on this DVD, with virtually the same set list, was filmed exactly two weeks before that date, and now, 28 years later, I have a permanent souvenir of that cherished memory. But I must admit I had forgotten just HOW GREAT that show really was. I agree with all the praise everyone else has given this disc, and I'll add that after watching/listening to it over a dozen times already, it really does affirm what a unique, gifted performer Cat/Yusuf is.

Few performers today deliver such beautiful poetry with such passion and energy. His music is timeless, it is spiritual, spirited, intense, insightful and optimistic. Sadly, many teens have grown up on the "life sucks - woe is me" perspective of the spoiled kids who made rock and roll in the 90's. Cat Stevens' music is a wonderful reminder of a time when more artists saw the glass as half full.

The sound on this DVD is stunning, and the DTS-Surround Audio is unbelievable. It really IS just like being there, and yes, I agree this is the best music DVD I've ever seen. So simple and unpretentious, because the music is the star and it is truly stellar. And notice how the guitars were mic'ed with actual microphones! What a concept!

To think that this man could put on one show today, singing this material for one night, and probably end world hunger with the proceeds, while giving a whole new generation a lesson in what real songwriting and performing is about. And if he doesn't, at least we have this DVD to turn up and remember a time when music was made more for the heart than the wallet.

Please search those vaults for more!

... And this CD is one of the greatest archeological folk music discoveries of all time.

I never saw Cat Stevens live, but have always loved his music. His conversion to Islam seemed to slam the door shut on his contribution. The media picture we were given was that a bifurcation of the artist had occurred: Good Cat and Bad Cat. But this CD fuses the two into one, as it should be. The music performances are stunning -- Stevens was a VERY dynamic performer, giving everything to his performance. He could be touchy and perfectionistic, something he addresses in the CD's excellent Bonus Material.

The audio and video quality are superb. I actually found myself loving some of his later material I hadn't previously cared for. The performance is eloquently framed from the start with a succinct overview of where Cat and world were in 1976. Then he comes out and just BRINGS IT, people.

The Bonus Material performances are fantastic. Gorgeous packaging. The release of this CD is wonderfully-timed with respect to the currently divisive world situation. We need to build bridges, not destroy them. And MAJIKAT is built to last.

Finally and way over due A DVD capturing one of the best Singer/Songwriters in Concert- Cat Stevens Live. This DVD is incredible from the interviews , rare videos, the concert footage and sound -every thing was produced first class. It is incredible to see him perform - Cat lays down one hit after another showing why he was regarded as one of the best. i am glad that after all these years there is a live doucment to showcase some of the best music ever written. For those who are in to Cat Stevens this is a MUST have for your collection. For those who are new here is an artist who was recorded at the top of his Career and listen to one of the true great singer/songwriters of that generation. You do not want to miss this.

Currently known as Yusuf Islam during his previous life he was known and loved as...Cat Stevens, and he composed at least two of the greatest records of all time..."Tea for the Tillerman" and "Teaser and the Firecat" ...and much of that classic material is on this concert..
NOW...when I saw this announced..i had thought of fuzzy 70's video production ala his PBS appearance available on video...so I put the DVD in today with lowered expectations..
WRONG...this is a very professionally filmed gig..with ...excellent sound ,excellent direction ,stunning footage and an amazing performance...at a ridiculous low price..
the bonus footage alone from appearances on the BBC etc would be worth the price of this DVD....I believe that amazon.com lists all the songs on this product so I won't bore you with listing them..
If you love or loved Cat....you will NOT be dissapointed with this DVD...its already become one of my most treasured after only one play...I will say it again....a very HIGH quality document of a legendary performer at the very TOP of his career , performing all his legendary tunes.....four aces are impossible to beat! now ...as for Yusuf Islam...the current day Cat....he contributes a delightful interview as part of the bonus material where he generously discusses his beginnings and his albums one by one...with a fresh and lovely perspective and his religous conversion....truly a fabulous package from start to finish

First of all..a big thank you to ..Cesar "juliomontoya2000".. it was your review to finally pushed me into buying this DVD, with your impression of film and audio quality (along with everyone else's 5s). I walked past this DVD on the shelf several times in the past 2 weeks, afraid to buy it because of the age of the concert (1976), thinking it was just some typically, poorly produced, piece of crap, with the record company once again trying to make a fast buck off of Cat Steven's name recently being in the news. WOW..was I wrong ! This whole package leaves no doubt whatsoever that they put a real effort into putting out a quality product here! These guys really out-did themselves..one would think this was made last week, both visually and audibly.. absolutely perfect...and in DTS surround too...amazing!..And generous to boot...there is over two hours of material here! Cat Steven's playing live is also studio quality,..what you hear on the record is what you get in the concert, and it is obvious he was having fun. In one song (I think "Where do the children play") he obviously plays a wrong note...he half mouths the word sh*t, but then immediately gets a big grin, kind of laughs at himself, and carry's on without any hesitation...that one note was the only mistake in the entire concert, so Cat...we forgive you! In truth, I'm glad it wasn't (or couldn't be) edited out. For me, it added a sense of reality (or being there) to the concert. I also really enjoyed a song called "Banapple gas" . one I'd never heard before, and what a delight...it apparently was a video , so we were treated to Cat doing it live with the video on the stage screen and you could see how much fun he was having with it. There are lots of extras with this DVD, including a beautiful video of father and son (besides the live rendition), and liner notes, and an approximately 20 minute, recently done, interview with Josef (Cat), about his career(he gives some insite into the real rat-race, dog-eat-dog world of the record business), about this DVD and music, and his life in general and his religious journey to Islam. After watching this interview, you will agree with me that once again the American government is vindictively marginalizing (as they did with John Lennon) and labeling as having possible terrorist links, a deeply religious, decent, caring human being, who, by the way, does an amazing amount of charity work. I would be proud to have Josef as a friend. Maybe someone should send Wolfowitz and Bush each a copy of this DVD. If you were ever a Cat Stevens fan, you would be crazy to pass this one up. It is worth every penny.

I'm still driven to tears after having watching it for more than 30 times complete. This is a wonderful release, but clearly this is not enough, I mean, I don't feel complete with just one Cat Stevens DVD. We Know he performed many TV shows from 1970 to 1976, and his very last performance ( as Yusuf Islam in 1979 ) was also transmited by TV.

From this point, my review is actually an open letter to the record company and, most important, to the own Yusuf Islam:

PLEASE, release another Cat Stevens DVD. You have tons of stuff out there. You can release something like a Live Anthology with several ( still ) unreleased live songs, for example:

BBC Concert, 1971

- Moonshadow
- Tuesday's Dead
- How Can I Tell You
- Maybe You're Right
- I Love My Dog
- Bitterblue
- Into White
- Father And Son

KCET PBS TV, 1971

- Wild World
- Longer Boats
- Father and Son
- Hard Headed Woman

The Old Grey Whistle Test, 1971

- If I Laugh
- Changes IV

ABC In Concert, 1973

- Father And Son
- Wild World
- Morning Has Broken
- Foreigner Suite
- A Bad Penny

Year Of The Child Concert, 1979

- The Wind
- On Road To Find Out
- Just Another Night
- Morning Has Broken
- Peace Train
- Child For A Day

Plus promo videos of:

- Lady D'Arbanville
- If You Want To Sing Out
- Banapple Gas
- The Old Schoolyard

Check these pages: www.catstevens.com and www.majicat.com

PLEASE LET IT HAPPEN, JUST PLEASE !!!!!!

Anyone who was musically aware in the 70s will remember that Cat Stevens was one of the best and most popular singer-songwriters of that period. All of his best work is still very fresh sounding, and perhaps even more valid today in the message it conveyed. This DVD is a wonderful recording of Cat at the height of his career, and it both looks and sounds superb! It is packaged very nicely, and the bonus material could almost stand alone. All of this for a very modest price. The only thing that could have improved it, would have been the addition of the intimate 1971 performance from KCET Studio in Los Angeles, available on VHS. Hopefully, that will eventually be released on DVD as well. If you're an old fan of Cat Stevens, then you'll love seeing him again performing his very unique music. If you are just discovering him, the modest price makes it easy to enjoy this gifted artist performing his best work at the top of his career.

I don't recall the exact year, however I was fortunate enough to see Cat Stevens in concert in Chicago, perhaps during the same tour as this film. I just bought the DVD yesterday and have to say that this video, the quality of recording and the amazing talent displayed by the artist, matches my memory of being there. Cat Stevens has remained near the top of my favorite live performances for more than 30 years, right up there with Bob Dylan and Carlos Santana. This is a beautiful DVD in both visual and audio quality. A "Must Have" for anyone who likes his recordings.