timelinesign in to comment

Mona Bone Jakon

The 1970 return after illness: sparse, acoustic and built on a small band.
Cat Stevens, 1970

Released
April 1970
Label
Island (UK), A&M (US and Canada)
Producer
Paul Samwell-Smith

Released in April 1970 by Island in the UK and A&M in the US and Canada, it was the first album Stevens made with Paul Samwell-Smith. The arrangements are sparse, built around acoustic guitar and keyboards, with a small band of Alun Davies on guitar, John Ryan on bass and Harvey Burns on drums. Peter Gabriel plays flute on Katmandu. The cover artwork relates to Stevens's original intended title, The Dustbin Cried the Day the Dustman Died.

Lady D'Arbanville, the first single, reached number 8 in the UK. The album peaked at number 25 in Australia but did not make the top 50 in the UK or US at first. Three of its songs, Trouble, I Wish, I Wish and I Think I See the Light, were used in the 1971 film Harold and Maude. It has been certified gold in the US. AllMusic's William Ruhlmann described its songs as simple and heartfelt, played in spare arrangements. A 2020 reissue added 24 unearthed recordings and a live record from the Plumpton Jazz and Blues Festival in 1970.

Track listing

  1. Lady D'Arbanville3:40
  2. Maybe You're Right3:20
  3. Pop Star4:10
  4. I Think I See the Light4:00
  5. Trouble2:50
  6. Mona Bone Jakon1:38
  7. I Wish, I Wish3:45
  8. Katmandu3:17
  9. Time1:26
  10. Fill My Eyes2:58
  11. Lilywhite3:40

Personnel

More from Cat Stevens

Tea for the Tillerman (1970), Teaser and the Firecat (1971), Catch Bull at Four (1972), Tea for the Tillerman 2 (2020)

Sources

  1. Mona Bone Jakon, Wikipedia
  2. Lady D'Arbanville, Wikipedia
  3. Yusuf/Cat Stevens Readies Huge Reissues for Tea for the Tillerman, Mona Bone Jakon, Rolling Stone (2020-10-22)