Year of the Cat [Extra tracks, Import]

Al Stewart | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 17, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Import
• Label: EMI Europe Generic
• ASIN: B00005NMVP
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,076 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Lord Grenville

2. On The Border

3. Midas Shadow

4. Sand In Your Shoes

5. If It Doesn't Come Naturally, Leave It

6. Flying Sorcery

7. Broadway Hotel

8. One Stage Before

9. Year Of The Cat

10. On The Border (Live)

11. Belsize Blues

12. Story Of The Songs

Editorial Reviews

Digitaly remastered edition of the most popular album of Stewart's long career. This special edition CD includes 3 tracks more than the original LP release: an extra live version of "On The Border", the studio track "Belsize Blues" as well as 'Story Of The Songs', a narrative about the tracks on 'Year Of The Cat' recorded by Al with guitar & piano.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Was A Very Good Year, July 20, 2003

By 

Mike King "Mike Vegas King" (Taunton, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Year of the Cat (Audio CD)

"Year Of The Cat" was Al Stewart's breakthrough hit in America. The album was produced by Alan Parsons, who also produced Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" to much acclaim. The remastering job done on this import CD is outstanding. Peter White's acoustic guitar playing, featured in the song "On The Border," especially sounds vibrant. The first bonus track is a live version of that song. The second bonus song, "Belsize Blues," was never officially released and alone is worth the price of this CD. More of a rocker than a blues number, it features a bluesy harmonica not heard elsewhere on the album. The lyrics flow along in a style very reminiscent of early Bob Dylan. The third bonus track is not a song at all. Al discusses the musicians who played on the album and briefly explains the meaning of each song. I highly recommend this import CD to all fans of Al Stewart.

37 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Sadly Missed Opportunity, September 24, 2001

By 

Quagga (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Year of the Cat (Audio CD)

It's increasingly fashionable to 'remaster' CDs; with some justification, as the technology has advanced in the years since albums like YOTC were first released digitally.
Personally, my ears aren't finely tuned enough to feel major benefit from this re-release, and my ancient sound system made no comment, so I have had to concentrate on the 'bonus tracks'

On the Border (live) is taken from the Chicago Radio sessions; it's a fine version, but technically hardly an advertisement for digital remastering. More seriously, those sessions included a ten-minute Year of the Cat, with a four minute keyboard intro, and marvellous sax solo - why isn't that one here?

Belsize Blues owes its presence here to its absence from other 'official' releases, though this version was first released on the unofficial Coldest Winter in Memory collection. The date suggests it could have been a rejected track from the original YOTC - though the flavour is five years earlier. The sleeve notes leave us none the wiser.

Story of the Songs is a commentary on the YOTC album by Al stewart; interesting, but hardly the sort of thing you'd listen to daily on your in-car stereo. Many of the concert albums include highly original and amusing intros, especially to YOTC itself; wouldn't the fictional explanations have been a better addition than a recorded sleeve note?

This remastered album will have nothing to say to new listeners, so it is clearly intended to persuade existing fans to part with their money. The die-hards will - as I did - and I don't regret it. But, by gum, I'd have been much, much happier spending a few dollars more on a proper job.

Picture it - a twin-cd set with the remastered YOTC on one disc, and the other featuring these bonus tracks, plus a selection of other live versions, complete with intro, guest artists - one YOTC even featured a guest singer - and a sleeve note that truly informed us about the collection, not just looked back to 1976.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well...I think..., November 15, 2003

By 

What are you talking about? (Marysville, WA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Year of the Cat (Audio CD)

The last reviewer missed the boat on this one. Anniversary Editions should include a sparkling master of the original, and nothing more (imagine Pink Floyd's DSOTM with extras...). It's a remaster of what was originally released, and nothing more. Extra tracks are what boxed sets (and CD singles) are all about recently. The extras here are a real bonus. This one truly delivers.

This is one of the best remasters I've EVER heard. Maybe it's time to upgrade your equipment? You'd be amazed at the difference. My system doesn't scream, but the difference is definately there from the original CD. Much worth the upgrade if you already have it on CD. This even beats the pants off the old MFSL LP, which I thought was superior to the original CD.