Very Best of [Import, Original recording remastered]

Yusuf/Cat Stevens | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 24, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Universal UK
• ASIN: B0000DKKY4
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,644 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Moonshadow

2. Father And Son

3. Morning Has Broken

4. Wild World

5. The First Cut Is The Deepest

6. Lady Darbanville

7. Oh Very Young

8. Matthew And Son

9. Sitting

10. Hard Headed Woman

11. I Love My Dog

12. Ruby Love

13. Dont Be Shy

14. Cant Keep It In

15. Here Comes My Baby

16. Into White

17. (Remember The Days Of The) Old School Yard

18. Where Do The Children Play

19. How Can I Tell You

20. Another Saturday Night

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

2003 compilation featuring 24 of the controversial singer/songwriter's very best, including 'Wild World', 'Father & Son', 'Peace Train', 'Morning Has Broken', 'The First Cut Is the Deepest' & more. Universal.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to Cat's pop music, February 24, 2005

By 

Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

Born Steven Georgiou, he adopted the name Cat Stevens for his musical career but subsequently became a Muslim, quitting his musical career and changing his name again, this time to Yusuf Islam. This compilation of his music as Cat Stevens is as good as any you are likely to find.

Cat had a minor UK hit in 1966 (I love my dog) but established himself as a songwriter by providing the Tremeloes with their first hit since Brian Poole left them (Here comes my baby) and by providing P P Arnold with her first hit (First cut is the deepest). Those hits were both in 1967, the year in which Cat had his first major hit as a singer, when Matthew and son peaked at number two in the UK. It was the biggest hit he ever had. He had another top ten UK hit (I'm gonna get me a gun) and two minor hits (A bad night, Kitty) in 1967 but none of those hits are included here. Actually, despite their hit status, they aren't really important.

Cat left his original label (Deram) and signed to Island, after which he recorded a series of albums that won him international acclaim. Although he placed six singles on the UK charts, all included here, his reputation ultimately rests with his albums. This explains why so many of his fans do not like compilations of his music, preferring the original albums.

Nevertheless, there is a market for compilations and there are plenty of people who don't want (or can't afford) to collect Cat's original albums. So here you get those hits (Lady D'Arbanville, Moon shadow, Morning has broken, Can't keep it in, Another Saturday night, Remember the days of the old school yard) as well as other classic tracks such as Peace train, Father and son, Wild world and Cat's own versions of Here comes my baby and First cut is the deepest.

If you want just one Cat Stevens collection, make it this one - but if you decide to collect his original albums instead, start with Tea for the tillerman or Teaser and the firecat.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very different from American version!, March 14, 2005

By 

N. Whelan "nanjowood" (Santa Maria, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

I have the American domestic version of The Very Best of Cat Stevens (which I lost this weekend, along with three other Cat CDs, and will need to replace). I just compared this playlist to that on the case of my American version, to see if the "4 Bonus Tracks" were worth the higher price.

I was surprised to discover that this is nothing like the American "The Very Best of Cat Stevens"! An important aspect of the American "The Very Best of Cat Stevens" is that the songs are in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, and that it includes the previously unreleased "...Seeing My Grandson Grow Old".

This Import CD's playlist is almost identical to another Import "Remember Cat Stevens: Ultimate Collection", except for two songs. (This substitutes "Sad Lisa" and "How Can I Tell You," both beautiful songs.) Compared to the domestic version (for half the price), this has 8 additional songs but omits 4 songs.

This IS a very good collection. It includes two of the Harold & Maude songs. But you can get all the Harold & Maude songs on my favorite Cat CD, Footsteps in the Dark, currently a real bargain at $9.98.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW...!, February 26, 2005

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

This is a first class compiliation of Cat Stevens' greatest hits. If you are a baby boomer, then you will greatly appreciate this album which primarily features music from the late sixties and the seventies. Some of the music will put you on the nostalgia train and some of it is timeless, but all of it is excellent.

Cat Stevens is undoubtedly a prolific songwriter and when he sings his music, you get gold. This anthology of his music is about as good as it gets. From "Lady D'arbanville" to "Wild World", "Moonshadow", "Peace Train", "Oh Very Young", and, of course, "Morning Has Broken", the listener can't go wrong. Cat Stevens' talent is such that not only can he write great music, but he can sing, as well. His voice is at times folksy, at other times rich and vibrant, with a catch in it that can break your heart. When Cat Stevens converted to Islam and left the entertainment world, Islam's gain was truly the music world's loss.

It is the domestic version of this CD, however, released under the same name, which is the better value price wise, and the one worth having in one's personal music collection, notwithstanding the fact that this import does have an extra four tracks. At nearly double the price of the domestic version, this import is not worth that extra money, especially as the domestic version has all the tracks worth having.