Summary:
Greek-born Cat Stevens coined a sound
that was unusual in being, at the same time, pensive, ethnic, melodic and rhythmic. The philosophical ruminations, psychological studies and
bittersweet parables of Tea For The Tillerman (1970) led to the
elegiac and introverted ballads of Teaser And The Firecat (1971),
that could be tenderly impressionistic as well as vividly epic.
Mediterranean and Slavic influences emerged more clearly in the forceful,
noisy melodramas of Catch Bull At Four (1972) and in the suite
Foreigner (1973).
(Translated from my original Italian text by DommeDamian)
Cat Stevens (Steven Georgiou) was one
of the most intelligent and original singer-songwriters of the early
1970s. His songs merged a melodism of
Mediterranean ancestry, Greek-Slavic rhythms and above all an intense tone,
sometimes melodramatic, sometimes quietly philosophical and sometimes
meditational as in Zen. Whether he talked or sang,
Stevens had the gift of a psychological style that was both lucid and
devious. His songs were bitter-sweet realist parables, neither ecstatic
like those of hippies nor melancholy like those of Greenwich Village folksingers. Matthew And Son (Deram, 1967) introduced him as the consumer singer. Matthew
And Son climbed the charts, as well as Here
Comes My Baby (but in the interpretation of the Tremeloes). New Masters (Deram, 1968) contains The First Cut Is The Deepest . In 1969 he miraculously saved himself
from a serious attack of tuberculosis and was seized by the first existential
crisis. Having abandoned the ambitions of classification, Mona
Bone Jakon (A&M, 1970) presented an
intellectual with a complex personality who faced situations of everyday
life. Stevens accompanied his piano ballads with a style that was more
classical than rock. At his side there was also a skilled guitarist, Alun Davies, a veteran of
Jon Mark
's Sweet
Thursday (as well as the young flutist
Peter Gabriel
).
Lady D'Arbanville, a celestial folk
serenade at the same time enthralling, opened her courteous songbook,
while Trouble and in Maybe You're Right they
inaugurated a dialogue-form for adult ballads sung in a "lived-in"
tone. The most vehement, I Think I See The
Light, was the manifesto of his obsessive rhythmic progressions, put
to use even in the catchiest song I Wish I Wish. Kathmandu raised
a moving ode to the capital of transcendental meditation. The album was
patchy and fragmentary, but contained all the elements of his future career in
a nutshell.
Tea For The Tillerman (A&M,
1970) refined Cat Stevens' intimism into an even more
elegiac form of introverted ballad. Sweet melodies explore the love
relationship but also more existential subjects. The moving meditation
of Into White ,
the epic and poignant denunciation of Wild World , the tender
portrait of Sad Lisa , the vibrant serenade of Hard
Headed Woman and the calm wisdom of Father And Son are
small miracles of human warmth. In all of which Stevens demonstrates an
unsurpassed ability in dealing with universal themes with the tone of the
common man, in outlining a story, a face, a situation with a few intense poetic
touches, in transforming a refrain into a atmosphere; an inexhaustible
flair for the most crystalline melody. And outside the standard songbook
are more aggressive rhythmic experiments ( Miles
To Nowhere , On The Road To Find Out and Longer
Boats ) which draw on Slavic and Middle Eastern folklore as well as
British folklore.
The piano is the second voice here, sometimes voiced by the guitar, even if the
most sentimental effects are obtained by the violin, counterpoint of the most
romantic moments. Stevens draws only indirectly from folk, his is a figure
of a modern, existential and psychological minstrel, immersed in a real world,
of generational conflicts and political violence, attracted by the rural world
and Indian spiritualism.
Stevens was at the peak of his
compositional skills and prepared a valuable sequel, Teaser And The Firecat (1971). Stevens
touches other peaks of introspection, especially when, enraptured in an ecstasy
of supreme sweetness, he gathers to contemplate a natural landscape, as in the
gentle chant of Moon Shadow. Equally original, he succeeds in
the rhythmic party of Tuesday's Dead and in the heroic soul
of Peace Train ,
two of the most expansive moments of his career. In the delicate
impressionism of Morning Has Broken, his melodic peak, of religious
intensity, is the quintessence of his parsimonious arrangements: introduction
of the theme to the solo piano, chorus to the rhythm of the guitar, gospel
reprise of the piano, second chorus with hopelessly moved choir and a collective
ending.
Stevens moved away from the folk
ballad with Catch Bull At Four (1972), an album set on more
vigorous tones, more aggressive rhythms, arrangements of strings and winds,
more elaborate trends. Emphasis harms reflection, and much more rhythmic
songs like Can't Keep It In, lose in poetry what they acquire in
enthusiasm. Sitting is the most forceful song, propelled by
harsh piano syncopes and voiced by an angelic
choir; even neurasthenic seems to be 18th Avenue Nightmare ,
complete with a string section, the only one to guess a distressed melody that
recalls the poignant tenderness of the beginning. All three guiding themes
seem to aspire to a violent, epic, superhuman pathos ( Freezing
Steel even uses synths and a hard-rock
riff).
The Foreigner suite (1973)
explicitly brings to light Slavic and Mediterranean folklore, with often
fascinating results but also with the effect of dispersing lyricism under kilos
of heavy arrangements.
Buddha And The Chocolate Box (1974), Numbers (1975),
with the catchy Banapple Gas , Izitso (1977),
the best of this season (the enthralling Old Schoolyard and
the instrumental dance music of Was Dog A Donut ), and Back To The Earth (1978)
are mediocre albums that ended his musical relevance.
Seized by a mystical crisis, in 1977
Cat Stevens converted to the Muslim religion, abandoned the music scene,
renounced all rights to his records and (a few years later) changed its name
again, this time Yusuf Islam. In 1989 he approved the death sentence of
the writer Salman Rushdie for having offended the
prophet Mohammed and in 1991 he defended his "Muslim brother" Saddam
Hussein (and thank goodness he calls himself a "moderate").
His "Islamic" career began
only 16 years later, with The Life Of The Last Prophet (1995), I
Have No Cannons That Roar (1997), Prayers Of The Last Prophet (1998)
and the double A Is For Allah (2000), which are collections of
various music (his and others) and recitations, for propaganda purposes.
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Cat Stevens (Steven Georgiou) fu uno dei singer-songwriter piu` intelligenti e
originali dei primi anni '70. Le sue canzoni fondevano un melodismo di
ascendenza mediterranea, ritmi greco-slavi e soprattutto un tono intenso,
talvolta melodrammatico, talvolta pacatamente filosofico e talvolta
meditazionale come nello zen.
Che raccontasse o dialogasse, Stevens aveva il dono di uno stile psicologico
che era al tempo stesso lucido e subdolo. Le sue canzoni erano parabole
realiste dolce-amare, ne' estatiche come quelle degli hippie ne' malinconiche
come quelle dei folksinger del Greenwich Village.
Matthew And Son (Deram, 1967) lo presento` nei panni del cantante
di consumo. Matthew And Son scalo` le classifiche, cosi` come
Here Comes My Baby
(ma nell'interpretazione dei Tremeloes).
New Masters (Deram, 1968) contiene The First Cut Is The Deepest.
Nel 1969 si salvo` per miracolo da un grave attacco di
tubercolosi e venne colto dalla prima crisi esistenziale.
Abbandonate le velleita` di classifica,
Mona Bone Jakon (A&M, 1970)
presento` un intellettuale dalla personalita` complessa che affrontava
situazioni della vita quotidiana.
Stevens accompagnava le sue ballate al piano con uno stile che era piu`
classico che rock. Al suo fianco c'era anche un abile chitarrista,
Alun Davies, reduce dai Sweet Thursday di Jon Mark (nonche' il giovane flautista Peter Gabriel).
Lady D'Arbanville
una celestiale serenata folk al tempo stesso trascinante,
apriva il suo canzoniere cortese, mentre Trouble e
Maybe You're Right inauguravano una
forma-dialogo per ballate adulte cantate in tono "vissuto".
La piu` veemente I Think I See The Light era il manifesto delle sue
progressioni ritmiche ossessive, messe a frutto
anche nella piu` orecchiabile I Wish I Wish.
Katmandu levava un'ode commossa alla capitale della
meditazione trascendentale.
L'album era disuniforme e frammentario, ma conteneva in nuce tutti gli elementi
della sua carriera futura.
Tea For The Tillerman (A&M, 1970) raffino` l'intimismo di Cat Stevens in
una forma ancor piu` elegiaca di ballata introversa. Melodie dolcissime
esplorano il rapporto amoroso ma anche soggetti piu` esistenziali.
La commovente meditazione di Into White, l'epica e struggente denuncia di
Wild World, il tenerissimo ritratto di Sad Lisa, la vibrante serenata di
Hard Headed Woman e la pacata saggezza di Father And Son sono piccoli
miracoli di calore umano in cui Stevens dimostra un'insuperata abilita'
nel trattare temi universali con il tono dell'uomo comune, nel tratteggiare
con pochi intensi tocchi poetici una storia, un volto, una situazione, nel
trasformare un ritornello in un'atmosfera; un estro inesauribile per la
melodia piu` cristallina.
E fuori del canzoniere standard si situano esperimenti ritmici piu` aggressivi
(Miles To Nowhere, On The Road To Find Out e Longer Boats) che attingono
tanto al folklore slavo e medio-orientale quanto a quello britannico.
Il piano e` la seconda voce, talvolta doppiato dalla chitarra, anche se gli
effetti piu` sentimentali li ottiene il violino, contrappunto degli attimi
piu` romantici.
Stevens attinge solo indirettamente al folk, la sua
e` una figura di menestrello moderno, esistenziale e psicologico, immerso in un
mondo reale, di conflitti generazionali e di violenza politica, attratto
peraltro dal mondo rurale e dallo spiritualismo indiano.
Stevens era al culmine delle sue capacita` compositive e
appronto` un valido seguito, Teaser And The Firecat (1971).
Stevens lambisce altri vertici d'introspezione, soprattutto quando,
rapito in un'estasi di suprema dolcezza, si raccoglie a contemplare
un panorama naturale, come nella soave cantilena di Moon Shadow.
Altrettanto originale riesce nella festa ritmata di Tuesday's Dead e
nel soul eroico di Peace Train, due tra i momenti piu` espansivi della
sua carriera.
Nel delicato impressionismo di Morning Has Broken, suo vertice melodico,
d'intensita` religiosa, e` la quintessenza dei suoi arrangiamenti parsimoniosi:
introduzione del tema al solo piano, ritornello a ritmo di chitarra,
ripresa gospel del piano, secondo ritornello con coro perdutamente commosso
e finale collettivo.
Stevens si allontano` dalla ballata folk con Catch Bull At Four (1972),
un album impostato su toni piu` vigorosi, ritmi piu` aggressivi, arrangiamenti
di archi e fiati, andamenti piu` elaborati.
L'enfasi nuoce alla riflessione, e brani come Can't Keep It In, molto
piu` cadenzati, perdono in poesia quel che acquistano in foga.
Sitting e` la canzone piu` veemente, propulsa da dure sincopi
pianistiche e doppiata da un coro angelico; persino nevrastenica pare
18th Avenue Nightmare,
con tanto di sezione d'archi, l'unica peraltro ad indovinare una melodia
angosciata che ricorda la struggente tenerezza degli esordi.
Tutti e tre i temi guida sembrano ambire a un pathos violento, epico,
sovrumano (Freezing Steel usa persino il synth e un riff si hard-rock).
La suite Foreigner (1973) porta alla luce esplicitamente
il folklore slavo e mediterraneo, con risultati spesso affascinanti ma
anche con l'effetto di disperdere il lirismo sotto chili di arrangiamenti
pesanti.
Buddha And The Chocolate Box (1974), Numbers (1975),
con l'orecchiabile Banapple Gas,
Izitso (1977), il migliore di questa stagione (la trascinante
Old Schoolyard e la dance music strumentale di Was Dog A Doughnut),
e Back To The Earth (1978) sono album mediocri
con cui si chiuse la sua carriera.
Colto da crisi mistica, nel 1977 Cat Stevens si converti` alla religione
mussulmana, abbandono` le scene musicali, rinuncio` a tutti i diritti sui suoi
dischi e (qualche anno dopo) cambio` di nuovo nome, questa volta Yusuf Islam.
Nel 1989 approvo` la condanna a morte dello scrittore Salman Rushdie per
aver offeso il profeta Mohammed e nel 1991 difese il suo "fratello Mussulmano"
Saddam Hussein (e meno male che si definisce un "moderato").
La sua carriera "islamica" e` iniziata soltanto 16 anni dopo, con
The Life Of The Last Prophet (1995),
I Have No Cannons That Roar (1997),
Prayers Of The Last Prophet (1998) e
il doppio A Is For Allah (2000),
che sono raccolte di musiche varie (sue e di altri) e di recitazioni,
a scopo propagandistico.
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