1970 was a defining year for pop music, and few stars ascended to quite the same heights as Cat Stevens, whose Mona Bone Jakon and Tea For the Tillerman re-introduced the songwriter and singer to audiences.  Gone are the production excesses of his late-'60s pop recordings.  Here, Stevens' songs are stripped-down as he looks inward and embraces a soulful sound.  Fifty years on, these two albums have been revisited by Yusuf through his aptly titled Cat-O-Log Records imprint, in coordination with UMe.  Joe offers his thoughts on Mona Bone Jakon, followed by Sam's commentary on Tea for the Tillerman.

Mona Bone Jakon might be best remembered today as the album right before Cat's breakthrough Tea for the Tillerman.  It introduced the "new" Cat Stevens, moving the artist born Steven Georgiou away from the whimsical pop sounds of his first two albums and helping to usher in the singer-songwriter era.  The album's intimate, spare, and earthy sound crafted by Stevens and producer Paul Samwell-Smith placed attention squarely on his compositions, more keenly observed and deeply felt than before, and set the stage for the album considered to be his masterpiece.

Was the dramatic tonal and stylistic shift a result of a health crisis in which he battled tuberculosis?  Or his coming to terms with his topsy-turvy life as a youthful pop star?  Or was he looking inward to discover his authentic self, a journey which would eventually take him far from music and then back again?  Whatever the reason, Mona couldn't have been more different than the happy clatter of his earlier records as the old-before-his-time artist wearily reflected upon weighty themes of life, loss, and death on such compositions as "Lady D'Arbanville" (inspired by his real-life relationship with Patti D'Arbanville) and "Trouble," and addressed a failed relationship on "Maybe You're Right."  It wasn't all darkness, though: "I Think I See the Light" offered the promise of love and light; "Pop Star" poked fun at the vacuous teen idol industry.  The title phrase cheekily referred, per its author, to his genitalia.  But "I Wish, I Wish" pointed towards the artist's future as he earnestly pondered the big questions.  ("Trouble," "I Wish, I Wish," and "I Think I See the Light" would all gain new life when they were featured in the 1971 comedy-drama Harold and Maude.)

Mona Bone Jakon has been expanded to epic proportions for its golden anniversary: a 4-CD/1-BD/1-LP/1-vinyl EP box set.  The original album, remastered at Abbey Road Studios under the supervision of Samwell-Smith, is featured on the first disc while the second has a new remix by engineer David Hefti from the original multitrack tapes.  The remix is largely faithful to the original sound, and there are no shocks.  But as tends to be the case with modern remixes, there's more separation to make little details more audible.  The only drawback is that the remix is mastered much louder than the original album, making for jarring listening.  An extended fade on "I Wish, I Wish" and other subtle touches throughout make enjoyable "spot the difference" comparing between the two versions.

The third CD has nine home and studio demos.  Warmth and a winning simplicity mark the studio demos which are polished and "produced"; the sound of the lone home track, "Mona Bone Jakon," is by nature rougher, but all nine cuts add up to a hypnotic alternative version of the album including one previously unreleased song.  "I Want Some Sun" ultimately didn't make it onto the finished LP, but it's a yearningly upbeat folk-rock-styled nugget with a country tinge.

The fourth disc offers 14 compelling live performances - mostly from 1970, with one from 1971 - plus a short BBC interview.  This disc has three fewer tracks than originally planned; these were dropped for timing reasons that surprisingly weren't worked out prior to the initial announcement.  The missing tracks are an interview from Pop Deux on November 1, 1970, "Lady D'Arbanville" (Deux Sur La 2, France, October 12, 1970), and "Maybe You're Right" (Pop Deux, February 27, 1971).  All of these tracks were to make their debuts.  What's left, however, is choice although the quality varies from professionally recorded (the U.K. and France broadcast material) to audience-sourced (the Plumpton Jazz Festival performances).  A couple of the cuts ("Where Do the Children Play," "Father and Son") played at Plumpton in August 1970 would appear shortly thereafter on Tea for the Tillerman.

The set's audiovisual components are rounded out by a Blu-ray with the remastered and newly-mixed versions of the album in high resolution plus nine live performances; and a 12-inch vinyl EP from the Plumpton Jazz Festival tracks.  Those who picked up Stevens' box set earlier this year of Back to Earth know what to expect from the packaging.  This set is every bit as lavish as that one, with attention to detail evident in each component including the hardcover book which includes an essay, track-by-track notes, memorabilia, photos, and more.  There's also swag a-plenty such as replica press kits, photos, a brochure, a sticker, a greeting card, and an art print.

Seven months after the release of Mona Bone Jakon, Stevens would release the album that would catapult him to stardom.  Tea For the Tillerman cemented him as one of the finest in the singer-songwriter mold with soul-searching classics like "Father and Son," "Wild World," and beloved favorites "On the Road To Find Out," "Miles From Nowhere," and "Where Do the Children Play?"  These tunes have defined an era and are now properly celebrated with this beautiful box set.

For its fiftieth anniversary celebration, Tea For the Tillerman has been expanded to include 5 CDs, a Blu-ray, LP, and a 12" EP.  The first CD includes a new remaster of the original mix of the album which brings out some subtle details as compared to earlier remasters.  CD 2 boasts a new remix of the album undertaken by David Hefti utilizing the original multitrack masters.  It's also available on the LP inside the box.  These versions features slightly different instrument placement and overall they feel slightly more amped up.  The recent Tea For the Tillerman 2 album also makes an appearance, filling out CD 3 in the box.  Hardcore fans of the album will have likely already purchased this disc, which sees Yusuf re-imagining the album in full.  It's no doubt a wonderful listen, but it's a head-scratcher here, coming so soon after its initial standalone release.

Indeed, the highlights of the set are on CDs 4 and 5, which collect demos, alternate takes, and unreleased recordings from the era.  Among them are demos for "Wild World" and "Miles From Nowhere," highlights from the Harold and Maude soundtrack, the Deep End soundtrack version of "But I Might Die Tonight," and outtakes from the album sessions, including the unreleased cuts "Can This Be Love?" and "It's So Good."  If you've been collecting Cat Stevens releases for decades, you'll no doubt be familiar with some of this material, in particular songs like "I've Got A Thing About Seeing My Grandson Grow Old," "Love Lives In The Sky," "The Joke," and the Elton John duet "Honey Man."  But here, the songs are placed in their proper context and remastered.  Indeed, had they not been included on this 50th anniversary edition, it would feel as though something were missing.

CD 5 is the live disc, presenting Stevens in clubs and TV studios across the U.S. and Europe.  You hear seven songs from the Troubadour in L.A. (five of which have never been released, and all of which are reprised on a 12" EP in the box), the KCET Studios set making its CD debut, BBC In Concert performances, and plenty of TV appearances, too.  It's rounded out by four unreleased recordings from the Fillmore East.  While you might think listening to the same songs performed live time and again can wear the ears down, this disc is a testament to Stevens' abilities to interpret his own material in subtly different ways, commanding the listeners' attention through and through.  And unlike some of the live material on the Mona Bone Jakon box, the audio quality of these 1970 and 1971 TV and radio broadcasts is uniformly enjoyable.  The Troubadour tapes in particular shine.  These have been remixed and remastered from tapes restored by Jamie Howarth using the Plangent Process.

However, note that songs have been dropped from the originally announced track listing again due to timing reasons: "Hard Headed Woman" from KCET; "Changes IV," "Peace Train," and "Moonshadow" from the Fillmore East (perhaps they're being held for a Teaser and the Firecat box); "Wild World" from Midem; "Tea for the Tillerman" from In Concert; and "Wild World" from Deux Sur La 2.  Two tracks have been added: "Wild World" from Pop Deux and an earlier BBC take of "Tea for the Tillerman."  Adding to the confusion, "Father and Son" from the November 27, 1971 In Concert appearance can be found on the 2-CD highlights edition of Tillerman but not on big box.  Furthermore, the Troubadour set is in mono, while tracks from the stand had previously appeared in stereo on the 2008 Deluxe Edition of Tillerman.

Completing the set is a Blu-ray disc with restored footage from the period - including the official "Father and Son" and "Where Do the Children Play?" promotional videos, the KCET session, BBC In Concert footage, and various other European TV appearances.  Lots of care has been taken to get the footage looking as good as possible, and one look at the restore "Father and Son" video proves that it was effort well-spent.

In addition to the music, there's plenty of memorabilia.  You'll also find a "Pick Up A Good Book" bookmark, a Yusuf/Cat Stevens-designed "Miles From Nowhere" print, a reproduction handwritten lyric sheet for "Miles From Nowhere," a fold-out "Live From The Troubadour 1970" poster, and a Tea for the Tillerman sticker.  But the highlight of the print material is the beautifully designed, 98-page hardcover book that's packed with archival material, a foreword by Yusuf, a detailed essay about the album and its importance, reflections from fellow musicians, and full credits and commentary on each track on Tea For the Tillerman.

In all, this is the ultimate celebration of Tea for the Tillerman, the album that launched Cat Stevens to world renown.  With recordings new and old, familiar and newly unearthed, listeners are given access to a breadth of beautiful music that tells the whole story of the album, add to it the meticulously researched book, and the extra design details and you have a truly wonderful collection to the Cat-o-Log!

Both box sets (and slimmed-down editions) are available now:

Mona Bone Jakon: 50th Anniversary Edition (originally Island LP ILPS-9118, 1970 - reissued Cat-o-Log/UMe, 2020)

4-CD/Blu-ray/LP/12″ Box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop
2-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop

Tea For The Tillerman: 50th Anniversary Edition (originally Island LP ILPS 9135, 1970 - reissued Cat-o-Log/UMe, 2020)

5-CD/Blu-ray/LP/12″ Box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop
2-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop