Big Dog 92-7 Music Guide

On the Road to Find Out

RELEASE
October 30, 2001
LABEL
Universal Distribution
GENRES
Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Soft Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock, Album Rock, Psychedelic, Folk-Rock, AM Pop, Pop

Album Review

On the Road to Find Out is the first multi-volume package to comprehensively examine the artistry of singer/songwriter Cat Stevens (aka Yusuf Islam). In addition to the obligatory hits, this collection also includes key album tracks, as well as 17 sides that make their digital debut here. The set is broken into four segments/discs with straightforward subtitles, each of which uncovers a specific era in the development of not only the artist, but of the person. The journey begins in The City and consists mostly of material from the first two Cat Stevens albums: Matthew & Son and New Masters. Notable inclusions are the debut album's title track as well as "The First Cut Is the Deepest" and "I Love My Dog." One very welcome addition is "Honey Man" -- a collaborative effort featuring Elton John -- which is being issued here for the very first time. Cat Stevens' stint with Island/A&M Records commences on The Search. The real breakthrough albums -- Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat -- are represented by tracks such as "Sad Lisa" and the achingly tender "How Can I Tell You," as well as the anticipated hits "Wild World" and "Peace Train." Of note to collectors will be "If You Want to Sing out Sing Out" and "Don't Be Shy" from the motion picture Harold and Maude, as well as previously unreleased demos for "The Joke," "Time/Fill My Eyes," "Love Lives in the Sky," and "The Day They Make Me Czar." The Hurt includes tracks from Catch Bull at Four, Foreigner, and Buddha and the Chocolate Box. Among the rarities from this era are "Crab Dance" -- a 45 B-side to "Sitting" -- as well as "Bad Penny" and "Lady D'arbanville" from the Japan-only live release Saturnight (Live in Tokyo). The final entry, aptly titled The Last, recalls a few significant contributions from Numbers, Izitso, and Back to Earth, as well three rare live tracks: "Hard Headed Woman," "Tuesday's Dead," and "Ruins" from a live show February 22, 1976, at William and Mary College on the Majikat Earth Tour. This version of "Father and Son" has added significance, as it would be the final live performance that Yusuf Islam would make as Cat Stevens. Ironically, the final song on the album is the title track from Islam's 1997 release, God Is the Light. The packaging is lavish and includes a 96-page liner notes booklet abounding with rare photos as well as essays and a track-by-track analysis from Islam himself. The discs are packaged in separate cardboard digi-packs. The sound is spectacular throughout, with the most noticeable improvement on the Matthew & Son and New Masters sides.
Lindsay Planer, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. Back to the Good Old Times [#]
  2. I Love My Dog
  3. Portobello Road
  4. Here Comes My Baby
  5. Matthew & Son
  6. The Tramp
  7. I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun
  8. School Is Out
  9. A Bad Night
  10. The Laughing Apple
  11. Kitty
  12. Blackness of the Night
  13. The First Cut Is the Deepest
  14. Northern Wind
  15. Moonstone
  16. Come on Baby (Shift That Log)
  17. Lovely City (When Do You Laugh?)
  18. Here Comes My Wife
  19. The View from the Top
  20. Where Are You?
  21. If Only Mother Could See Me Now [#][Demo Version]
  22. Honey Man [#]
  23. The Joke [#]
  24. Time/Fill My Eyes [#][Demo Version]
  25. Lady d'Arbanville
  26. Trouble
  27. Pop Star
  28. Katmandu
  29. Lilywhite
  30. I've Got a Thing About Seeing My Grandson Grow Old [#]
  31. Where Do the Children Play?
  32. Wild World
  33. Sad Lisa
  34. On the Road to Find Out
  35. Father and Son
  36. Love Lives in the Sky [#]
  37. Don't Be Shy
  38. If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out
  39. The Day They Make Me Tsar [#][Demo Version]
  40. The Wind
  41. Moonshadow
  42. Morning Has Broken
  43. How Can I Tell You
  44. Peace Train
  45. I Want to Live in a Wigwam
  46. Crab Dance
  47. Sitting
  48. Silent Sunlight
  49. Angelsea
  50. Can't Keep It In
  51. 18th Avenue (Kansas City Nightmare)
  52. The Hurt
  53. Foreigner Suite
  54. Oh Very Young
  55. Music
  56. Sun/C79
  57. King of Trees
  58. Bad Penny [Live]
  59. Lady d'Arbanville [Live]
  60. Another Saturday Night
  61. Whistlestar
  62. Novim's Nightmare
  63. Majik of Majiks
  64. Banapple Gas
  65. Blue Monday [#]
  66. Doves (Majikat Earth Tour Theme Song)
  67. Hard Headed Woman [Live][#]
  68. Tuesday's Dead [Live][#]
  69. Ruins [Live][#]
  70. (Remember the Days of the) Old School Yard
  71. Life
  72. (I Never Wanted) To Be a Star
  73. Child For a Day
  74. Just Another Night
  75. Daytime
  76. Last Love Song
  77. Never
  78. Father and Son [Live][#]
  79. God Is the Light