Year of the Cat (album) explained

Year of the Cat
Type:Album
Artist:Al Stewart
Cover:Al Stewart-Year of the Cat (album cover).jpg
Border:yes
Released:22 October 1976 (UK)[1]
Recorded:1976
Studio:Abbey Road Studios, London; Davlen Sound Studios, North Hollywood, California
Genre:Rock, soft rock, progressive pop
Length:38:55
Label:RCA, Parlophone (2014), Janus, Arista
Producer:Alan Parsons
Prev Title:Modern Times
Prev Year:1975
Next Title:Time Passages
Next Year:1978

Year of the Cat is the seventh studio album by Al Stewart, released in 1976. It was produced and engineered by Alan Parsons. Its sales helped by the hit single "Year of the Cat", co-written by Peter Wood and described by AllMusic as "one of those 'mysterious woman' songs",[2] the album was a top five hit in the United States. The other single from the album was "On the Border". Stewart wrote "Lord Grenville" about the Elizabethan sailor and explorer Sir Richard Grenville (1542–1591).[3]

Stewart had all of the music and orchestration written and completely recorded before he even had a title for any of the songs. In a Canadian radio interview he stated that he has done this for six of his albums, and he often writes four different sets of lyrics for each song.[4] The title track derives from a song Stewart wrote in 1966 called "Foot of the Stage" with prescient lyrics about Tony Hancock, one of Britain's favourite comedians who died by suicide two years later.[5] When Stewart discovered that Hancock was not well known in the United States, he went back to his original title "Year of the Cat".[6]

Cover art

The cover design, by Hipgnosis and illustrator Colin Elgie, depicts a woman who has an apparent obsession with cats. She can be seen in the mirror dressing up as a cat for a costume party, and all of the items on her dresser have feline motifs. Stewart used the same concept for the cover of his 2004 Greatest Hits album, but with most of the cat items replaced with references to his other singles.

Reception

In the United States, Year of the Cat was certified platinum in March 1977, indicating sales of more than one million copies.[7]

Contemporary reviews were mixed but generally positive. Billboard praised the album featuring "Stewart's cool vocals and exceptionally well-arranged songs that are progressive without being pretentious", whereas Robert Christgau thought Stewart's move from historical themes to the tone of "spy-novels" was an improvement. Peter Reilly, writing for Stereo Review, found Stewart's "hissing sibilant 's's" unintentionally hilarious, especially when combined with the "gloweringly melodramatic" "On the Border". Reilly nonetheless praised the songwriting, "warm, easy atmosphere", and Stewart's guitar skills.[8]

Alan Parsons' production and rich arrangements were widely praised. By 1987, Year of the Cat had become a popular record used for hi-fi demonstration.[8]

Chris Woodstra called Year of the Cat Al Stewart's masterpiece.[9] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic agreed, calling it the perfection of Stewart's sound and style.[10]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Al Stewart, except where indicated.

1976 Original LP edition

Side 1

  1. "Lord Grenville" – 5:00
  2. "On the Border" – 3:22
  3. "Midas Shadow" – 3:08
  4. "Sand in Your Shoes" – 3:02
  5. "If It Doesn't Come Naturally, Leave It" – 4:28

Side 2

  1. "Flying Sorcery" – 4:20
  2. "Broadway Hotel" – 3:55
  3. "One Stage Before" – 4:39
  4. "Year of the Cat" (Stewart, Peter Wood) – 6:40

2001 Remaster bonus tracks

  1. "On the Border" [live] - 3:48
  2. "Belsize Blues" - 3:30
  3. "Story of the Songs" - 9:42

2021 45th Anniversary Deluxe Edition[11]

  1. "Lord Grenville" - 5:04
  2. "On the Border" - 3:23
  3. "Midas Shadow" - 3:13
  4. "Sand in Your Shoes" - 3:05
  5. "If It Doesn't Come Naturally, Leave It" - 4:30
  6. "Flying Sorcery" - 4:22
  7. "Broadway Hotel" - 3:59
  8. "One Stage Before" - 4:42
  9. "Year of the Cat" - 6:43
  10. "Belsize Blues" - 3:28
  11. "Apple Cider Re-Constitution" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 5:23
  12. "The Dark and the Rolling Sea" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 4:58
  13. "One Stage Before" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 5:00
  14. "Soho (Needless to Say)" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 3:56
  15. "Not the One" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 5:22
  16. "On the Border" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 4:05
  17. "Broadway Hotel" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 4:59
  18. "Roads to Moscow " [Live in Seattle 1976] - 8:14
  19. "Nostradamus " [Live in Seattle 1976] - 9:13
  20. "Sirens of Titan" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 3:13
  21. "The Post World War Two Blues" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 5:07
  22. "Year of the Cat" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 8:36
  23. "Sand in Your Shoes" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 3:02
  24. "Carol" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 5:09
  25. "If It Doesn’t Come Naturally, Leave It" [Live in Seattle 1976] - 5:21
  26. "Lord Grenville" [5.1 Surround] - 5:04
  27. "On the Border" [5.1 Surround] - 3:23
  28. "Midas Shadow" [5.1 Surround] - 3:13
  29. "Sand in Your Shoes" [5.1 Surround] - 3:05
  30. "If It Doesn’t Come Naturally, Leave It" [5.1 Surround] - 4:30
  31. "Flying Sorcery" [5.1 Surround] - 4:22
  32. "Broadway Hotel" [5.1 Surround] - 3:59
  33. "One Stage Before" [5.1 Surround] - 4:42
  34. "Year of the Cat" [5.1 Surround] - 6:43

Personnel

Technical

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1977)Position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[13] 75
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] 3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] 19
US Billboard 200[16] 18

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BPI.
  2. Book: Bogdanov, Vladimir . Vladimir Bogdanov (editor) . Stephen Thomas Erlewine . Chris Woodstra . Stephen Thomas Erlewine . All music guide: the definitive guide to popular music . Hal Leonard Corporation . 2001 . 391 . 978-0-87930-627-4.
  3. Web site: Lord Grenville . Songfacts.com . 2010-03-09.
  4. Web site: | Ciut Fm . 2011-08-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927191244/http://www.ciut.fm/index.php/shows-2/interview-with-al-stewart/ . 2011-09-27 . CIUT’s Barry Livingston’s interview with legendary UK singer/songwriter Al Stewart, Thursday June 16th, 2011 at 7 a.m.
  5. Dave Thompson, 1000 Songs that Rock Your World, Krause Publications, Iola, WI (2011). p. 142.
  6. Book: Davies, John . Lyrics and limericks . 2009 . Pneuma Springs Pub. . Dartford . 978-1-905809-59-2 . 751047053 . 35.
  7. https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=al+stewart#search_section Gold & Platinum: "Al Stewart".
  8. https://www.superseventies.com/spstewartal.html Year of the Cat (Al Stewart)
  9. Book: Woodstra, Chris . John Bush . All Music Guide Required Listening: Classic Rock . Hal Leonard . 2008 . 208 . 978-0-87930-917-6.
  10. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas: Al Stewart: Year of the Cat. AllMusic. Accessed 3 October 2020.
  11. Web site: Al Stewart / Year of the Cat box set . superdeluxeedition.com . 23 December 2020 . 2022-02-19.
  12. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 294.
  13. December 31, 1977 . The Top 100 Albums of '77 . . en . 28 . 14 . 15 . 0315-5994 . . November 9, 2021.
  14. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Album 1977 . . November 9, 2021 .
  15. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 1977 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart . . November 9, 2021 .
  16. Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End . . November 9, 2021 .

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