SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: YUSUF/CAT STEVENS – ON THE ROAD TO FINDOUT: GREATEST HITS

YUSUF/CAT STEVENS
ON THE ROAD TO FINDOUT: GREATEST HITS
CAT-A-LOG RECORDS/A&M/UNIVERSAL

Steven Demetre Georgiou, better known as Cat Stevens and now known as Yusuf Islam, released his first single in 1966 (“I Love My Dog”) and from that point on, he carved out a fascinating career full of surprises and some of the best loved music of the past 59 years. That song, “I Love My Dog” is included in his new double CD compilation On The Road To Findout: Greatest Hits. In fact that song leads off the package that takes the listener on a chronological history of Yusuf/Cat Stevens. And what a history it is.

All the hits are here as well as some much-loved album deep cuts are collected on this new compilation, On The Road To Findout: Greatest Hits. The set takes the listener up to his most recent recordings. This new compilation marks the first appearance on a Yusuf/Cat Stevens song that has gotten lost over the last couple years, his moving and wonderful cover of “Here Comes The Sun (Acoustic)”. That he released when he signed to Harrison’s Dark Horse Records in 2023. And that is just one reason for fans to rejoice with this collection.

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Included in On The Road To Findout: Greatest Hits are his classics: “Father And Son”, “Wild World”, “Moonshadow”, “Peace Train” and “Where Do The Children Play” are just a few of the hits collected on this compilation. And there are lesser known but much-loved album tracks such as “(Remember The Days Of The) Old Schoolyard”, “On The Road To Findout”, and the stunning “Butterfly”.

For a number of years, beginning in 1978, Yusuf/Cat Stevens did not play or record pop music. But in 2006, he made a return to popular music with the incredible An Other Cup. A couple of songs from that album are included here, such as “Maybe There’s A World” and his gritty cover of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”. The album ends with “Take The World Apart” from 2023’s King Of A Land.

On The Road To Findout: Greatest Hits shows how far Yusuf/Cat Stevens came from his first hit “Matthew And Son” to his mid 1970s chart dominating hits through to his most recent work. Yusuf/Cat Stevens was always very introspective and honest with his music. On The Road To Findout: Greatest Hits could be listened to as an autobiography. In fact, this album is accompanied by his memoirs with the same title to be released in October. While there have been numerous compilations in the past, this one is comprehensive and a brilliant overview of a spectacular career. Yusuf/Cat Stevens help define the singer/songwriter era of the early 1970s and was never afraid to explore and experiment (give the album Foreigner a listen)

On The Road To Findout: Greatest Hits is available as a double or single CD, the double CD is better, only because it gives him time to display his music and allow some lesser-known songs to shine with this much better known songs. On The Road To Findout: Greatest Hits is a well thought out compilation, it sounds great and is an outstanding overview of a very special and much-loved artist.

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