Cat Stevens: Majikat Earth Tour 1976 (Eagle DVD)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B+     Extras: B     Program: A-

 

 

Of all the mainstream artists to drop out of the limelight, Stephen Demetri Georgiou (aka Cat Stevens) is certainly one of the few to do so by choice.  We cannot even consider groups that breakup since these individuals often pursue their own musical career (i.e., The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, or Simon and Garfunkel), but rarely does an individual retire for religious sake, this sets Cat Stevens apart in such an astonishing way.  You can hear within his later records if you listen to the lyrics that he is starting to lose interest and was mostly just obligated to finish these albums due to contractual reasons.  The 1976 Majikat Tour is Stevens at his best, which is all the reason to indulge yourself in an evening of bliss.

 

Concerts anymore are all about being spectacles, which goes hand-in-hand with our modern way of thinking, which equates entertainment with always being amused, but Cat Stevens had the ability to hold you in the palm of his hand with cutting lyrics and sweet nearly lullaby type of songs that made you think, feel, and reflect on an era far removed from now.  Even during this time the whole singer/songwriter era was coming to an end, as was rock, which would soon give way to disco. 

 

Track Listing:

 

The Doves

The Wind

Moonshadow

Where Do the Children Play

Another Saturday Night

Hard Headed Woman

Miles From Nowhere

King of Trees

C79

Lady D’Arbanville

Banapple Gas

Majik of Majiks

Tuesday’s Dead

Oh Very Young

The Hurt

Sad Lisa

Two Fine People

Fill My Eyes

Father & Son

Ruins

Peace Train

 

 

 

Eagle Vision has been doing some of the best programs when it comes to DVD and they also know how to do things right as well.  Part of getting a music DVD right is picking a strong program to begin with, one that will allow you to recreate a newer mix of the material, which will update well for home theaters of today.  The other part of doing it right is making sure that the original source is good enough to use and creating a DTS audio option counter to the Dolby Digital if you are going with multi-channel.  Here we have a superb example of an older program, which has been boosted for multi-channel and demonstrates an excellent amount of clarity, thickness, richness, and power for being as old as it is, especially the DTS mix, which puts the Dolby track to shame. 

 

You can also listen to the concert in Dolby Digital Stereo, which essentially eliminates much of the audience and ambience, which gives a closer approximation to what a CD recording would be, where the 5.1 mixes offer a better live feel.  The full-frame image looks decent as well with all the contrast and vibrancy of the show looking fresh and new.  Some detail is lacking here and there, mostly in darker portions and a bit of excessive grain can be detected from time to time, but this is not much to gripe about to say the least.  Most will be satisfied enough with having the program and the audio being in the good condition that it is in. 

 

As if the concert wasn’t enough, there are some really terrific extras as well.  Included in the extras portion are some archive materials, including the song Wild World, which was part of the concert's encore, but is available in only stereo for the audio as with all the extras.  Other songs included are If I Laugh, Maybe You’re Right, Tuesday’s Dead, and Moonshadow, which are mostly taken from 1971.  There is a music video/promotional video version of the song Father & Son here as well.  Most fans will be excited to see some of the current interviews that are featured in the extras section, which is broken down into three parts: West End, Stardom, and Answer Within.  This is a newer interview session as well, which essentially covers his feelings about quitting the business and retreating towards a deeply Religious life and how that’s changed him. 

 

I personally have a lot of respect for a musician like Cat Stevens, who despite being popular and successful, still followed his heart and looked at the bigger picture of things in his life.  This is always easier said than done, but few figures in history can escape showbiz like this and prove that when morning has broken, they are still there standing.  While there will never be another Cat Stevens record, what we have is enough from him and make it all the more powerful knowing that these songs are forever stamped into a time and era that will never come around again.

 

For more classic Cat Stevens on DVD and CD Deluxe Edition sets, try this link:

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7994/Cat+Stevens+%E2%80%93+Tea

 

 

-   Nate Goss