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General Information
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Artist...............: CAT STEVENS
Album................: Mona Bone Jakon
Released.............: July 1970
Genre................: Folk-Rock
Duration.............: 35:09
Number of Songs......: 11
Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Audio Format.........: MP3
Bitrate..............: 224 (CBR)
Hz...................: 44,100
Channels.............: Joint Stereo
Source...............: CD
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Release Notes
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Track Listing:
01. "Lady d'Arbanville"***** – 3:46
02. "Maybe You're Right" – 3:25
03. "Pop Star" – 4:13
04. "I Think I See The Light" – 3:56
05. "Trouble" – 2:48
06. "Mona Bone Jakon" – 1:41
07. "I Wish, I Wish" – 3:48
08. "Katmandu" – 3:23
09. "Time" – 1:26
10. "Fill My Eyes" – 3:00
11. "Lilywhite" – 3:42
Album Review:
Cat Stevens virtually disappeared from the British pop scene in 1968, at the age
of 20, after a meteoric start to his career. After contracting tuberculosis,
Stevens spent a year recovering from both his illness and the strain of being a
teenage pop star, and in the spring of 1970 -- as a very different 22-year-old
-- he returned to action with Mona Bone Jakon. Fans who knew him from 1967 must
have been surprised. Under the production aegis of former Yardbird Paul
Samwell-Smith, he introduced a group of simple, heartfelt songs played in spare
arrangements on acoustic guitars and keyboards and driven by a restrained rhythm
section. Built on folk and blues structures, but with characteristically
compelling melodies, Stevens' new compositions were tentative, fragmentary
statements that alluded to his recent "Trouble," including the triviality of
being a "Pop Star." But these were the words of a desperate man in search of
salvation. Mona Bone Jakon was dominated by images of death, but the album was
also about survival and hope. Stevens' craggy voice, with its odd breaks of tone
and occasional huskiness, lent these sometimes sketchy songs depth, and the
understated instrumentation further emphasized their seriousness. If Stevens was
working out private demons on Mona Bone Jakon, he was well attuned to a similar
world-weariness in pop culture. His listeners may not have shared his exact
experience, but after the 1960s they certainly understood his sense of being
wounded, his spiritual yearning, and his hesitant optimism. Mona Bone Jakon was
only a modest success upon its initial release, but it attracted attention in
the wake of the commercial breakthrough of its follow-up, Tea for the Tillerman.
- William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
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