Year of the Cat

Ahhhh...now this takes me back to the long hot summer of '76 cruising down to Cornwall with the window open. A beautifully crafted 70s album (Alan Parsons) with great guitar and saxophone solos. Lovely listening.

Well Al Stewart certainly deserves a spot on a list like this. I love the songs “Year of the Cat” and “The Border” - fantastic songs - but had never listened to this. There’s a lot more great stuff on here! In particular, “Flying Sorcery” and “One Stage Before” are already in my musical rotation giving me something “new” to listen to from Al Stewart. There’s a lot of great gold left to mine yesterday’s LPs!

Nice and happy pop/rock album from the 70s. Of course Year of the Cat and On the Border are great songs. The other songs are also not that bad. All in all a pleasant listen, but not something I would put on again (apart from the two classic tracks).

Al Stewart seems like the kind of musician that had a much larger influence in the UK than anywhere else. I’ve never heard of him prior to this but his melodies are pretty standard soft rock that resemble Paul McCartney, Bowie, and Elton John but lack the ability to write classics. Stewart is a good artist but he just gets overshadowed by the more popular artists of his time. 6.5/10

I feel like I'm almost always turned off by overly-wordy/lyrically dense music but goddamn if this record doesn't bring back some massive childhood flashbacks. Something about Al's rather twee voice (very Pet Shop Boys...?) makes it weirdly less-annoying for me (also it just fits the material perfectly) so as to be able to focus on the lush music behind it. Always loved that they saved the killer title track for the end. Not much to say about that one other than it's perfection and one of the true classic pop/rock songs of all-time; grew up as a little kid hearing that (long!) song on the radio constantly. I do love this album - it plays out like a movie and really needs to be heard all at once. Killer production/mix, too (Alan Parsons!). Caveat: I'm not sure how well this does/will translate to younger/unfamiliar listeners though; I'm definitely listening a lot through a nostalgic lens and objectively even if I do love it it is pretty old-timey in song construction. Anyways for me it's a perfect addition; couldn't believe it wasn't in the original 1001. 9/10 5 stars. IMO: Belonged in the book? hell Yes.

July 18, 2025 HL: "Lord Grenville", "If It Doesn't Come Naturally, Leave It", "One Stage Before", title track Al Stewart is kind of like if Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys was born 10 yrs earlier and played soft rock. Al Stewart's hits on the radio (mainly "Time Passages") didn't click with me like other "old gold" singer/songwriters like Cat 🐱 Stevens or Jackson Browne, but Year of the Cat 🐱 is a pleasant way to spend an hour. Cat 🐱

Probably because I have no nostalgia for him, nor am I British, but I was mostly unimpressed. It's an album style I've heard a thousand times. 2.5/5 but rounding down since there are 3 star albums I like way more.

Stellar album. Produced by Alan Parsons. Sounds like The Beatles/Crosby Stills Nash & Young/America. Really solid British pop/folk rock from the 70's. Favourite songs: Sand in Your Shoes, Lord Grenville, Year of the Cat, If It Doesn't Come Naturally Leave It, On the Border, Midas Shadow, Flying Sorcery, Broadway Hotel, Belsize Blues Least favourite songs: Song on the Radio 5/5

10/10 just some good fucking artsy rock, really loved the hell out of this

Works well as a full album. A unique vibe despite the archaic lyrics.

An honest appraisal would say this was a decent but not outstanding album. Yet, this one goes back to when I was alive fifty years ago. I immediately think of people and places that I hold fondly in my memories. The title track is on my 'stuck on an island ' list and even after the album played, I had to listen one more time. Five stars, for the memories

Never heard of this album. Never heard of this musician. This is amazing. Thanks for the recommendation.

Never heard of this before, but big Bowie/Elton John vibes. I like it. 4/5. Update towards the end: this is fantastic. No idea how I'd never heard of it before. 5/5.

A most pleasant surprise to hear this record in its entirety, the title of cut of which was a certain ten-year-old's least favorite AT40 top-ten hit ever, and hated the ubiquity of it on '70s radio, though hearing it here and there over the years suggested the inevitability of one eventually being drawn to this album, given how one is aging so gracefully, increasingly louche and lounge-y (not to mention literary), ever more into chamber pop (not to mention actual chamber music) and more prog curious. So ... one found this utterly charming, delightful and classy, too -- oh, the silky '70s production (props to Alan Parsons' rather refined knob-twiddling). Really well made – strings and horns and keys are used to very solid and sophisticated effect, providing nuance, shadings, color. The arrangements are amazing, the lyrics/concepts credilble and interesting without being too overdone (looking at you Decemberists, and you too Scott Walker). Even if they reach melodrama adjacency, the overall approach remains refined and tasteful – soft rock was never more substantive. One wishes Stewart's voice was more to one's liking – it's clipped and nasally and Peter Noone-like. Will be called yacht rock when it's actually chamber pop. And probably not quite Nick Drake. Great choice, recommender – stay classy! For sure this should have been on list proper. -- from '76 (a pretty damn banner year) one would take over KISS, Aerosmith, Frampton, ABBA and maybe Bowie (given that it's his 11th or 12th best record on this list). And speaking of aging, it's fun to listen to a bicentennial record in semiquincentennial year.

A nice fun album! Kind of sounded like Billy Joel at times. Low 4 but still quite enjoyable and unique

The Neil Tenant comparisons seem well-founded. Otherwise, this is pretty decent 70s soft rock.

I don’t think I’ve heard of Al Stewart before, but this is certainly an interesting album cover. The soft rock albums from the seventies that are on the main list were a bit hit-or-miss with me, so I’m not sure whether I’m going to love or hate this album. Tomorrow marks the start of the year of the horse, so I guess it’s good to experience the year of the cat for now. Year of the Cat was a really fun album, and I would have never sought this out on my own. I thought Al Stewart did a great job of conveying so many different emotions and moods through his arrangements, and he’s a really good vocalist as well. Musically, the string arrangements were my favorite part of this album, but there were plenty of other elements that I enjoyed as well. “Lord Grenville” was a fine opening track, but “On the Border” really hooked me in with its excellent bass playing, beautiful strings, and the Spanish guitar. I really liked how this song had a southwestern feeling to it, without going completely into a typical Latin music sound. The keyboards on “Midas Shadow” and “Sand In Your Shoes” were really good, but they were really great on “If It Doesn’t Come Naturally.” The bass playing on “If It Doesn’t Come Naturally” was really good as well. On “Broadway Hotel,” I really enjoyed the guitar playing, and the string arrangement on the outro was really great. There weren’t any songs that I thought stood out above the rest, but the album as a whole was just really solid. Kudos to whoever submitted this album, because it was really cool and unique.

A laid-back album... best enjoyed on a warm summer evening, sitting out on the deck with a few gin and tonics in hand.

I really dug this for some reason. I think I've heard it a bunch before as it was an album my Dad had. It was good to revisit.

Some really interesting tunes

He’s got a voice that would fit right in with the post punk era, though it isn’t annoying like most of those other twats. The production of Mr. Parsons is fabulous and, combined with the vocals, makes for a unique sound. Lyrically, it tells its story with both effectiveness and beauty. Not always an easy combo to manage. Songwriting and instrumentation are equally brilliant. I’d never heard of this or Mr. Stewart so I’m pleased with the submission. Great stuff. Fantastic outro. 4/5

Intressant album. Det är som en enda lång berättelse. Flera fina låtar.

Never heard of this guy, but he had Bowie vibes. Pretty great album!

Al Stewart always seems to be written off as an effective "One-Hit Wonder" (not true, he had several hits), but I find his voice and musical style rather soothing. Gentle enough that it slips into the background, but it doesn't get lost. An enjoyable album.

Silky smooth and catchy! 7/10

Shockingly pleasant and perfectly epic in its execution and production. Just a couple more tracks like the opener to replace the less exciting stuff and this could truly be an all time great, but it's still very good and explains why I see it in every record store in America.

The good part of people submitting less familiar albums is discovering great music I was unaware of! Lovely 70s music

Never heard of the album or the guy, but I loved it. Simple but lovely folk pop with unique songwriting and production. The title track hits hard, what a tune. Strong 4/5.

Never heard of Al Stewart before and really enjoyed this. At first I thought it was just another 70s album riffing on The Beatles, Bowie and Elton… and it basically is, but it does it really well. Great hooks and some real theatricality and character to the songwriting

This was a really enjoyable listen. There's so much to like here, and that title track is a pure delight. I just want to play that song on a loop all day. Melodic, richly produced arrangements that are mildly proggy, but still have an easygoing vibe. That's actually a hard balance to pull off, which Al Stewart/Alan Parsons manage beautifully. I can point to several artists Stewart reminds me of (Elton John obviously, also George Harrison and even some early Steely Dan), but Stewart also brings a lot of his personality to these songs as well. My main critique would be that Stewart lacks much in the way of lyrical nuance, but he really makes the most of the material here. Fave Songs: Year of the Cat, One Stage Before, Lord Grenville, On the Border, Broadway Hotel, Midas Shadow

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: On the border, If it doesn't come naturally leave it, Broadway hotel, Year of the cat

Seems like a pretty quintessential 70s soft prog rock album. Produced by Alan Parsons to boot. It has a very swaying vibe to it. I knew the title track for sure.

Historical folk indeed, another curiosity that I'm grateful to the submitter for sharing. Standouts: On the Border, Year of the Cat. I liked in the radio interview that Al called out Sand in Your Shoes as a single.

Rock, soft rock, progressive pop. Ni fu ni fa.

Nothing wrong here, just kinda bland.

Didn't really expect much going in to this one, but found this to be a fairly pleasant listen. I feel like a lot of his songs reminded me of Bowie circa Major Tom. Really liked the keys on Midas Shadow and the warmth of Year of the Cat. If It Doesn't Come Naturally Leave has a sort of Billy Joel quality about it that I'm not hating. Completely fine album that I wouldn't have checked out otherwise. High 3 in my book.

Honestly pretty cool album. It's not too different from your Billy Joels or your Elton Johns to be honest. Could see a low 4 here because it surprised a bit, but it just doesn't feel right. 7.4 on SpinShare.

Even though this was made in 76 it had some annoying sounds of the 80's. I really did enjoy the guitar in it, but his voice and synths didn't do much for me. The title track was very solid. Going low 3 on this one and won't be back.

Oozes nostalgia, even though I myself don’t actually have much history with this guy’s music

not trivial pop rock music

This has one of the most beautiful album covers I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately I’m kinda indifferent to Stewart’s singing.

What is it? Some sort of *No-Other*-era-adjacent Gene Clark, only more streamlined and -- at the time -- more successful? As some other perceptive reviewer noted, the Al Stewart also sounds like Neil Tennant -- but one that would have hit the charts in the seventies, only interested in the pop rock of that era instead of electronic music. I have a sneaking suspicion this soft-rock album is actually as good as quite a few other obscure ones from those same mid-seventies years. Jackson Browne comes to mind, here. But no way he can be the only example. I'm currently waiting in the emergency ward for some health scare that I hope will turn up minor. I know I'm gonna wait for another hour or so to see yet another doctor... and I feel old, you know. Truth be told, I probably feel as old as this particular album sounds today. To put it in a nutshell, it's hard for me to find those songs relevant or even catchy, as much as I like music from that era. Is it the whitish walls of those hospital corridors, like a visual version of those aseptic synths in "On The Border" -- otherwise a pretty good song??? Or is it because of a more general lack of warmth, maybe enhanced by my current surroundings? Like, "Sand In Your Shoes" is for me a mere spoof of a Bob Dylan song, and as such, it tastes like a hospital meal on a tray -- a long shot from a real dish cooked in a real Zimmerman restaurant. Likewise, the music in "Midas Touch" comes off as equally bland. Just like those goddamn corridor walls... The second side fares a little better, going back to the quality level of the opener "Lord Grenville". "If It Doesn't Come More Naturally, Leave It" is quite OK. "Flying Sorcery" is a little insignificant, but that unhinged violin at the end of "Broadway Hotel" is a thing of wonder. The synth bass on "One Stage Before" sounds deep, and its final guitar solo takes flight in rather admirable ways. As for the string sections on the title track, they bring a lot of emotions on the table, just as those short guitar and saxophone solos do. So when you focus on the details, *Year Of The Cat* paints a nice picture. But if you zoom out to look at the bigger one (mainly the overall quality and memorability of the songs), something gets lost in translation for me. In a sense, the arrangements take center stage, not the vocal melodies -- in spite of how astute most of the lyrics are. And as those arrangements take center stage, I kind of lose the actual chord sequences that are used. Just as I lose the songs per se, failing to leave an imprint on my memory. The doctor has not arrived yet. Listing the features of this record had occupied my mind for a while but there was no joy in this exercise. It feels like I've checked through a list of symptoms when I wrote about this album, just like that first doctor did when I entered the ER. I didn't "feel" this album, sorry. And chances are I won't return to it. Maybe that's unfair to Al Stewart. But his record popped up on a bad day, and I'm only human. Still wish I could review several albums at once to find or discover the ones I really love in this users list. Life's too short to watch whitish walls peeling off in front of you. That's what I'm gonna remember from today's suggestion. Hope you can relate to the idea, even if you don't agree with my personal take about this particular LP. 3/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 8/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 64 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 82 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 152 (including this one) ---- Emile... Ma propre balise temporelle... Tu trouveras mes trois dernières réponses sous les albums d'Eric B. & Rakim, Shpongle et Ookla The Mok

Good but a little too slight and nice.

This I actually thought was very peaceful and nice. I think it needed a little more something, but I was a big fan and parts were very beautiful.

Not bad, but after 1100 albums, it sounds quite generic. It's possible to be a pleasant generic singer-songwriter, but it deserves a 3-star rating at maximum.

Thoroughly almost aggressively pleasant.

Not bad for what it is, which is mid-70s singer/songwriter soft rock. Just not my thing.

Sounds even older than it is; catchy songs, well sung; the wee "story of the songs" interview at the end (of the remaster) was cool, even if he sounded like an old school transatlantic 'Smashie & Nicey' style radio DJ; contains possibly the only song about an Elizabethan privateer

Good 70’s album, worth a listen, but not sure I’d rate it higher than the other classics from the era.

Meh. It's pretty run of the mill 70s-era soft rock. There are dozens of these albums that exist out there. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Well produced but slightly wishy-washy nice English folk album.

Year of the Cat is a bit twee but fairly enjoyable in a laid back way. I liked On The Border early on and the title track late on, a middling high 2/5 is fine here, probably 3 because it was never bad or annoying. Just fine.

This is another one of those albums that is fine, but also very much not for me. The music is good. I don't love his voice, but I wouldn't consider it a distinct negative either. I just didn't really get into the songs at all 3/5

Rock, soft rock, progressive pop. Ni fu ni fa.

Good enough.

"nice"

Was okay. Nothing too exciting

I enjoyed this but the style does feel very dated. Some things survive and they just feel timeless, other things hold up but more as museum pieces, and this seems trending to the latter side to me. I also kind of spent the whole time trying to decide if the lyrics were really saying all that much or were just very artfully constructed. On the whole positive though.

4 3

An ok listen. Nothing fancy, nothing to get annoyed about.

It came from Abbey Road

feather light melodies. painfully british.

Love the title track, though the rest of the album is just pleasant moody soft rock, that isn't quite as compelling or engaging.

David Bowie core

Cheerful

It's alright, I just can't get past his voice for some reason. It's always bugged me. 3 stars.

A two-hit-wonder folk/soft rock act from the 70s. I had a feeling this wasn't going to land for me. There were some moments that I did perk up for but, overall, this was not my jam.

I thought I was going to really like this one as I tend to like slightly quirky albums, but I didn’t click with it.

Maybe a 2.5 . It was better then i expected but still wasn't my thing.

man whatever the hell that was.

Eltonish.

It was fine

There’s the sense of a strong songwriting effort attempting to break through here, but from a modern perspective it’s hampered by the sonic trappings of the past. Found myself questioning whether this was a lost Bowie B-sides album at points, as the LP just can’t clear a defined path for itself.

It's a 3 stars album, but since you have a track of commentary you lost a star...

It sounds like Kermit the Frog trying to sound more like a human and drop a 70s album. Not for me but maybe for frogs?

Ultimate dad rock. 1 star pretty unlistenable.