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The career of Yusuf Islam aka Cat Stevens was not always smooth. In addition to many highlights, there were also breaks and breaks. His voice never fails.
Back to the 1972 musical year: We find the hard rock of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, the classic rock of Genesis or Yes and the folk and sensitive songwriters like Leonard Cohen or James Taylor
. a young Briton of Cypriot-Swedish descent, who had chosen a suitable name for his appearance in the world of pop: Cat Stevens. Her early 70s albums with songs like "Morning has broken", "Wild World" or "Moonshadow" were soon in every room of fans (mostly women).
A sensitive bearded man
Stevens was a world star, a sensitive and bearded young man who sang well and accompanied the acoustic guitar. His songs were melodious, instantly engaging, singing, never disturbing; they were (sometimes very beautiful) compositions with a lot of influences and yet nowhere associated with them.
It was said that they heard parts of the British tradition ("Lady of Arbanville"), then Greek ornaments of bouzouki. ), but his music was nowhere to be heard, neither in folk, nor in country, and certainly not in rock.
It was Soft Rock at the Stevens Cat. At that time, the musician sold about 50 million albums
Breaks and Return
If you take a closer look at Cat Stevens' career, you'll discover amazing ups and downs, including style. staff. Years ago he sang pop psychedelic pop, hit parade success, which was interrupted by a break related to the illness of one year.
After the return with new music came the successful phase, in which already indicated breaking points. The young man wanted more than success with the self-taught soft rock. He wanted to be taken seriously.
An album with an impressive 18-minute title-song bears witness to this: the Foreigner Suite, the sequel to the rest of the world. Something was closing in Cat Stevens, a sort of spiritual search for meaning that led him first to Buddhism. This is suggested by album titles such as "Buddha and the Box of Chocolate" or "Catch a Bull at Four."
"A is for Allah"
In 1977, he broke with secular music and his life. Steven Demetre Georgiou, aka Cat Stevens, is converted to Islam and has adopted a new name: Yusuf Islam.
As such, he recorded only Qur'anic recitations for about 30 years; an album title called "A Is For Allah". Yusuf Islam was now more and more consulted on religious matters, making rash statements, such as Fatwa vs. Salman Rushdie link opens in a new window
Mildness in Old Age
In 2006, Yusuf, singer-songwriter, was surprised. Yusuf was purified, his strict interpretation of the Qur'an had given way to a soft form and the musician was again allowed to use his instrument.
This was followed by a return with four albums in twelve years, with mostly new pieces. He could not continue the huge success of the early 70's. His fans will laugh at it. The main thing is, he sings again "The morning broke".
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