Cat Stevens - Mona Bone Jakon
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Free Music Notes for Mona Bone Jakon
Free Music Review: Essential Cat
Hit: 5 Stars
I view this album as the first third to the amazing three part masterpiece that is MBJ/TFTT/TATF. I was already very familiar with Teaser and the Firecat from when I was young and partially familiar with Tea for the Tillerman from "best of" collections I've heard but it wasn't until a few months ago that I actually got the Mona Bone Jakon album. There's a lot of good stuff on here and I would say it's on par with the other two albums. It's really hard for me to pick a favorite out of the three. The only song I find kind of mediocre is Lady D'Arbanville. Not sure why but it just doesn't do anything for me. So the album for me starts with Maybe You're Right, which might be my favorite of the album. I can't explain what about the song I like so much; I just think it has a great tune. Next comes the catchy Pop Star, which is kinda repetitive but I still like it. I Think I See the Light just plain rocks; I love the piano in it. Trouble is the only song I'd heard before buying the album. It's a classic with a very nice, slow and easy tune. Mona Bone Jakon is almost there with Lady D'Arbanville as a throw-away track for me but it's pretty short and there's something kinda interesting about it so I usually don't skip it. I Wish, I Wish is a catchy song with an interesting beat that seems to keep building up; I really like it. Katmandu has a nice flow and descriptive lyrics that really reminds me of camping. Peter Gabriel plays the flute in this song. Time is a really short song which really is just the intro to Fill My Eyes, which is a very pretty song--one of my favorites. And the album ends with Lilywhite, a nice slow song that has some beautiful violin playing in it. Also, I noticed at the 2:10 mark of this song he starts strumming the chords to Don't Be Shy, a song he did for the movie Harold & Maude. Anyway, that's my opinion of this album: one of his best and seemingly most overlooked.Free Music Review: A Terrific Early Album By A Pop Music Genius!
Hit: 5 Stars
Whoops! Yeah, I know. How can anyone still favor the music from someone whose own recent public pronouncements belie the dreamy humanism and tolerance of the lyrics in these songs? Still, after thirty years of listening to this particular album as well as the other classic efforts by this timeless artist, it still puzzles me that anyone capable of creating such beautiful lyrics, enchanting melodies, and memorable arrangements could now be so rigid and intolerant of others. Go figure. Yet, I have to admit that the music remains, folks, a monument to late sixties-early seventies consciousness, a pillar to the edifice of the whole notion that we could change the world and make it a better, more tolerant, and more humane place to live in. All the music here is wonderful, and I can listen to the album without missing a lovely beat, from "Lady D'arbanville" to the magical "Maybe You're Right". What's more, even the cover art by Cat himself is an enchanting reminder of the kind of soft pop sentimentalism that one expects from a gentle soul such as is portrayed here. My own personal favorites are "Pop Star" with its early indication all was not well in the world of super stardom that Cat suddenly found himself in (Stevens is an English-born son of Greek ethnic parents), the soft yet soaring "Trouble", a song I have never heard a harsh word against, and of course, "Mona Bone Jakon", another in a series of similar unforgettable Cat Steven's catchy musical confections. There is simply no getting around how uniquely talented he was. Like "Tea For The Tillerman" after it, this terrific album is a reminder that sometimes art rises above the level of its all too human creator. Enjoy!
Free Music Review: One of my Favorites
Hit: 5 Stars
This is one my favorite Cat albums, probably because it was one of the first I ever listened to and because it contains the song Katmandu. I remember being around 6 or 7 and sneaking my sister LP and putting it on my turntable. Katmandu is probably my all time favorite song, it that it just takes me away. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, I hear the first notes of that song and I imagine myself overlooking the Himalayas from a snowy Tibetan monastery. It's freaky, I feel as though I'm literally transported there. It's a very powerful feeling coming from a hauntingly beautiful song, and it's been that way for 30 years.There are the other standouts - Trouble, I Think I See The Light, and Lady d'Arbanville are my overall standouts (Funny thing about that last one - it was about Cat's girlfriend at the time. Apparently she was really excited that he wrote the song about her and she loved it until she really paid attention to the words. "Hey - I'm Dead!" Apparently she didn't take to kindly to being dead in the song...)
Anyway, I can see how some of the other songs can be dated. They are good, but I have never really been over impressed with them, especially with Lilywhite. However, Katmandu alone is worth the album, and since ever a mediocre Cat song is better than 99% of the garbage on the airways today, you really can't go wrong.
Free Music Review: Cat's most complete album.
Hit: 5 Stars
I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but I find this album to be Cat Stevens' best. Let me give you some reasons why...(1) I'd never heard any of the songs before I bought the album, which made it very fresh.
(2) MBJ is much more melodic and entrancing than his other albums. I think that's due in part to this excellent remastered edition, which makes the sound crystal clear.
(3) The lyrics, like the music, are much more sprawled than his other albums. It seems like he's much more relentless with his lyrics in this album.
(4) It seems like this album just flows better than his others. That could be because he has so many classic songs that tend to overshadow the entire album. That's something that doesn't happen on MBJ.
These songs are so fresh that one must wonder if they'd be hits today. Sure, I recommend Cat's other albums to new fans, but if you're tired of his hits (which are excellent, don't get me wrong) and are ready for a change, pick up Mona Bone Jakon.
Free Music Review: Cat Steven's best?
Hit: 5 Stars
I have been listening to Cat Stevens since Tea for the Tillerman came out in 1970. I even had the songbook(and still do) for the album. I went back and bought Mathew and Son at the time but overlooked this gem. I just got it after all the years and I think it's great. He seems more intense on this one than any of the other recordings. I think his recent bout with TB and pop stardom(see "Pop Star") had a lot to do with it. "Trouble" is my favorite song on the album but they are all good. It's at least as good as the classic, and my other favorite, Tea for the Tillerman. These two are good straight through. After that comes Teaser and the Firecat, mostly, but not exclusively, for "Moonshadow" and "Peace Train". Also, get the movie Harold and Maude(1971) if you haven't seen it! It should be in everyone's movie collection IMHO. Cat Stevens' songs on the soundtrack embellish an unbelievably good film.