Majikat

Yusuf/Cat Stevens | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 22, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Eagle Records
• ASIN: B0002VJW9C
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,502 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Recorded just past Cat Stevens's commercial zenith and about a year and a half before he quit the music business for good, Majikat, the concert film from his Earth Tour 1976 (made in Williamsburg, Virginia) lay unused in the vaults for the better part of three decades, and its 2004 DVD release was a reminder of just how successful and talented he was. Playing acoustic guitar and piano and performing solo, with minimal backing, as well as with a full band (not to mention a trio of magicians and an impressive stage set), Stevens runs through some 20 songs, drawing from his entire catalog, with particular emphasis on Tea for the Tillerman. The remastered digital sound is excellent. This CD is a worthy and valuable record of one of the most popular artists of his time. --Sam Graham

Recommended Cat Stevens Discography

Teaser and the Firecat	Tea for the Tillerman	Mona Bone Jakon
Catch Bull at Four	The Very Best of Cat Stevens	Matthew & Son

Product Description

Eagle Records is delighted to announce the release of Cat Stevens' legendary Majikat North American tour in 1976 on CD. An ambitious tour involving live magicians, synchronized film projection and a large innovative stage set, it was to prove to be his last as Cat Stevens.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars stands test of time, March 28, 2005

By 

tshap (from Dayton, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Majikat (Audio CD)

Cat Stevens, now Yosuf Islam, is slowly making it back into the public eye - carefully. One way he is testing a new phase of life is to release this life CD (previously released as a DVD). No wonder he is willing to risk an entrance back into a more public life - this work stands the test of time. Back in the 70's Cat Stevens' music was thought of as either highly charismatic and musically tight (Teaser and the Firecat, Buddha and the Chocolate Box) or a bit shallow and sentimental (Numbers and Izitso). This collection shows his work to be charismatic, melodically rich, and performed with something close to studio precision. The strongest songs - King of Trees, The Hurt, The Wind, Moonshadow, have no trouble standing on their own as excellent pop songs. The songs that aren't quite as melodic are performed so well that they contribute to a sense of a coherent body of work captured with grace on this live album. How did they get this thing to sound so good given that it is almost 30 years old?

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT CONCERT! But not complete., September 19, 2004

By 

Glen Burg "distantshore" (the Maritimes of Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Majikat (Audio CD)

This CD is taken from the very same concert shown in the previously-released Majikat DVD, also released by Eagle. Although I am not usually a fan of concert films (my only other favorite at this time is Pink Floyd at Pompeii, original version), I remained absolutely riveted while testing out the DVD (ending up viewing the whole concert). Early favorites have not lost their sparkle, and (at the time) recent cuts were made even better! (Listen to Banapple Gas, which has transformed itself live into a joyful tune to which one can easily dance!)

My sole gripe is that this concert cannot be heard in complete on one CD alone. They've removed "The Hurt" (originally from my favorite CS album, "Foreigner") as well as "Ruins" (originally from "Catch Bull at Four", as well as the theme song "The Doves", co-written by Cat and keyboardist Jean Roussel (although you can get these last two, as performed during this same concert, within the "On the Road to Find Out" box set). One interesting observation, however: to place "Wild World" (the actual concert encore) at the very beginning of the CD speaks volumes about that song's popularity in the Cat Stevens canon.

The only anomaly one can register from the actual concert is the tempo fluctuations within songs to suit Cat's whim. This is far from a setback, however, as new life breathes into songs that suddenly seem too static in studio LP performances.

If you have a DVD player, do yourself a favour and buy the DVD instead. It's barely a dollar's difference in price if you look around, and there are so many bonuses on the DVD (rare clips and animation, as well as a three-part interview with Yusuf Islam), not to mention seeing Cat Stevens as he was in 1976, buoyant, nervous, enthralled, emotional, the relunctant entertainer caught up in ecstacy.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great CD...Great Memories, March 24, 2005

By 

Catfan (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Majikat (Audio CD)

I was very lucky to have seen Cat Stevens during the Majikat tour in 1976. Since then I have always wanted to have a way to recapture the memories of that great concert. The DVD and this CD of the Majikat tour are perfect! Outstanding sound quality, great songs passionately performed. For those who have Cat's CDs, this is a wonderful addition to your collection. For those just getting into Cat's music, a great way to see and hear the "majik" of his music. Outstanding!!!