Cat Stevens - Footsteps in the Dark: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
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Free Music Notes for Footsteps in the Dark: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
Free Music Review: Like rediscovering an old friend
Hit: 5 Stars
Envision, for a second, if you will, finding your high school yearbook somewhere completely unexpected. You open it up, assuming you'll find the old familiar faces, only to discover the black & whites are now full color audio and video. The sounds are so fresh, each note is so clear, each syllable so precise, you begin to wonder whether you'd ever heard these songs to their fullest extent.
I know no selection will ever be complete. That's inevitable, natural, and expectable: that's precisely why they're called selections. But each of the tracks -from "Katmandu" to "Daytime", even the self-deprecating "(I never wanted) To be a star", and the classic "Father and Son"- shares a renewed vitality, an unexpected spark, an intimacy that makes you wonder what it was you'd been listening to all these years.
For the absolutist and obsesive collector (i.e. those who've got to have ALL the recording and versions of their favorite artists), "Footsteps" may be a little overkill.
But for the rest of us, who enjoy a good afternoon with Cat -and that have earned out way to a more than decent sound equipment not to be shared or touched by anybody else- this is an album worth re-purchasing, if only for the joy of hearing Cat Stevens they way it was meant to be heard.
And I can assure you, without a doubt, that you'll be singing along, at the top of your lungs, before you even realize it. If that's not what a reissue is for, then I've been buying them under the wrong pretences.
Free Music Review: Disappointing song selection
Hit: 1 Stars
With such a wealth of excellent material to draw from, Cat Stevens' Greatest Hits Volume 2 could have been tremendous. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Not only is nearly every song slow, making the album drag terribly, but they picked some real clunkers ("I Want to Live in a Wigwam", "Daytime", "Don't be Shy"). Where are "Tuesday's Dead", "Longer Boats", "(Remember the Days of) The Old Schoolyard", "Later", and "Changes"? Some of these uptempo songs would have been much better choices than the previously-mentioned dirges. While I'm complaining, why in the world did they repeat a song ("Father and Son") from GH1? The best thing that I can say about this collection is that they reached back to include material from the frequently-overlooked "Mona Bone Jakon" album. Unless you're looking for relief from chronic insomnia, save your money on this set, and either hope that they release a GH3 containing some of Cat Stevens' better material, or pick up "Teaser and the Firecat" or "Tea for the Tillerman".Free Music Review: The better of the two volumes.
Hit: 5 Stars
Volume 1 definetly has its share of memorable tracks like "Moonshadow" and "Oh Very Young" to boast about, but this disc includes songs from the motion picture "Harold and Maude" as well as other tunes like "The Wind" that made its way onto the Rushmore soundtrack a number of years back.
The reason to make this album your preferred choice is that it does not shimmer with the same pop varnishings that Steven's better known hits are remembered for. Rather here you have a more idiosyncratic and personal set of songs that capture a mood that only Cat Steven's seemed to have written about. Lyrics such as "if you want to sing out/ sing out/ if you want to be free/ be free/ because there's a million things to be/ you know that there are" could be mistaken for a Peter, Paul and Mary song. . . but that voice! Who sings like Cat Stevens? Whose tunes have that same baroque/pop/revivalist amplifier reaching out to you and making even the most upbeat, danceable song remain private, even intensely personal?
These songs are for the more devoted fans, the listeners attracted to songs like "Morning Is Broken," (Steven's adaptation of a traditional Koranic tale), as opposed to a top-forty selection.
Five stars. Unique
Free Music Review: Cat Stevens is a Genious
Hit: 5 Stars
These songs made me think of how the world is for people. The song "I Never Wanted To Be A Star" made me reconsider being a musician. I still want to be now because I want to write and sing songs about peace and other things so I can try to create a better world. This is how I rate each song:
9/10 The Wind- I love this song. It's not the best song ever but it makes valid points in the short 1:41 minutes it is on.
10/10 (I Never Wanted) To Be A Star- This song is fantastic. I listen this to give me happiness and it tells me what I want to be later in life.
10/10 Katmandu- Superb song.
10/10 I Want To Live In A Wigwam- This song tells me how I should be greatful for what I have and that having alot of things doesn't make you happy.
10/10 Trouble- This song tells me how trouble can really hurt you. It makes you regret things when you shouldn't because it seemed like a good idea when you did it. You should stay by your decisions.
10/10 On The Road To Find Out- This song is fantastic, that's all there is too it.
10/10 If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out- I love this song it tells you that you have to do what you feel is right.
10/10 Where Do The Children Play?- A great song about how we are wasting the earth for things we don't need.
9/10 Daytime- This made me think of many things. This song has many valid points but could have been a little more indepth.
10/10 Don't Be Shy- This made me open up with my feelings so that people know my oppinion. This song may be one of the greatest of all time.
10/10 How Can I Tell You- This is one of the greatest love songs ever written. The words are so true. It is describing my life.
10/10 Father And Son- A story about a father and son who are argueing. It is like real life when a father and son see differently on a subject.
10/10 The Hurt- This song really has some great ideas. It talks about someone looking around for the truth of life. He ends up getting hurt. It's a great story.
10/10 Silent Sunlight- This story is about how life is just starting but it may be ending soon.
This CD is great. The songs are all spectacular. If you don't like this CD you are crazy. This is some of the greatest music there will ever be.
Free Music Review: Not perfect, but that's okay
Hit: 4 Stars
This album is a mixture of good feel-good classic tunes and too-sentimental songs. The sentimental tunes are a bit too much. It would be better if it had more songs like 'I want to live in a wigwam' and 'Trouble' (my personal favorite) on it. Cat Stevens sings those songs with so much emotion; one can easily relate to them. Sometimes we all just want to escape from the sheltered bubble of where we live and maybe go "live in an igloo and fish from an ice hole." 'Trouble' always reminds me of 'Harold and Maude.' Plus it has excellent guitar licks to it. 'If you want to sing out, sing out' kind of reminds me more of a cornball campfire tune, because of the lyrics. Overall, though, this album is pretty dang good.