Yusuf (previously known as Cat Stevens) has announced the start of a series of reissues of his classic singer-songwriter albums, starting with the last to be released under the Cat Stevens name: 1978’s ‘Back to Earth‘. It was an album influenced by Yusuf’s newly discovered belief in Islam – as he says of the material “There are many intriguing messages in the songs and lyrics of this album; ‘The Artist’ has no words, because I couldn’t find the word to praise the Creator of this incredible universe enough; ‘Daytime’ gives a sense of the innocence I’d rediscovered; finally, ‘Never’ is befittingly the last track and is justifiably full of hopeful feelings.”
The release is going to be in a bewildering number of formats – a super deluxe edition consisting of 5 CDs, a Blueray, and a double LP; a double CD deluxe edition; and single CD and vinyl issues. Additional material is drawn from a 1979 UNICEF Year Of The Child concert, previously unreleased demos and other recordings as well as both original and remixed versions of ‘Back to Earth‘.
‘Back to Earth‘ is just the first of the reissues planned – it will be out in May of this year after which all the other albums will also see reissues in expanded form. And whilst we’re waiting….
