Album Reviews

The 50th anniversary edition of Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ November 1974 live album Saturnight (Cat Stevens Live in Tokyo) is a surprisingly satisfying single-LP snapshot of the artist at an arguable career peak. Now enjoying its first global vinyl release earlier this month on May 2, 2025, via the artist’s own Cat-O-Log imprint through A&M/UMe, the back story of how it ended up only being released in Japan back in the day is as fascinating as it is frustrating (more on all that in a bit). Yet how the artist dealt with the album’s then-limited release — using its proceeds to simultaneously benefit a humanitarian cause — is ultimately gratifying, and quite heartwarming. (Footnote 1)

While I don’t consider myself to be a hardcore fan of all of Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ music, I do love and grew up with his first several albums on A&M: April 1970’s Mona Bone Jakon, November 1970’s Tea for the Tillerman, and October 1971’s Teaser & The Firecat. Between pop radio and my older brother’s collection, this music was around me in my formative years. I have also more recently enjoyed Stevens’ earlier, late-1960s recordings for Deram as well.)

But after that aforementioned initial trio run for A&M, something seemed to change in his music, and I lost interest. (I was growing up and changing as well, I’ll admit.) But even when I went back years later to explore some of his later releases, something seemed missing for me, and I just never connected with those later albums (even though the rest of the world clearly did). By the time the Saturnight live album was released in Japan in November 1974, Yusuf / Cat Stevens was bigger than ever. He enjoyed many big hit albums by then including March 1974’s Buddha and the Chocolate Box, which he was supporting on this tour.

Fortunately, I’m happy to report that Saturnight (Cat Stevens Live in Tokyo) is a jolly good album that pulls together different phases of Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ career into a near “greatest hits” styled overview. And it actually rocks pretty solidly too! Yes, you read that right: it rocks. (More on that in a bit as well.)

Before we get down into the glories of the performances found within Saturnight, let’s recap some of the known DNA behind this sure-to-be-popular release. From Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ official site we learn, “The record has been remastered from the original production master at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios [. . .] The vinyl will be available on 140-gram black vinyl or as a limited edition pressing available only via CatStevens.com, uDiscover Music, and Sound of Vinyl on 140-gram lava splatter vinyl, both packaged for the first time in a gatefold sleeve [. . . ] Saturnight was released in a super limited edition as an ‘RSD First’ for last year’s Record Store Day Black Friday event, exclusively on 180-gram orange splatter color vinyl.”

Digging in a little deeper, a closer look at theSaturnight liner notes reveals that the audio was remastered by Mazen Murad at Katara Studios, so it is most likely that a digital transfer happened at this stage to accomplish the process. The vinyl lacquers themselves were cut by Geoff Pesche at Abbey Road Studios, though we don’t have confirmation as of yet where exactly they were pressed.

The SRP for Saturnight (Cat Stevens Live in Tokyo) is $27.99, and you can purchase the black vinyl edition from Music Direct here, and/or via the MD link graphic at the end of this review.

Saturnight (Cat Stevens Live in Tokyo) was Yusuf / Stevens’ first live album, and it was recorded on June 22, 1974, at Sun Plaza Hall in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan, a stop that was part of his curiously titled “Bamboozle World Tour” in support of the aforementioned Buddha and the Chocolate Box LP. According to official press materials, Yusuf / Stevens had long felt a deep connection to Japanese culture, so it’s not entirely surprising he made this live album while he was there.

The reasoning behind the LP’s limited release in Japan in 1974 has a business-oriented backstory, but it’s heartwarming learning how Yusuf / Stevens countered things with the prospect for global good. According to his site, “Although Saturnight never received a full global release — due to contractual reasons between A&M and Island Records — Cat arranged for the proceeds to be donated to UNICEF. He had recently become a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and with their help, had visited Ethiopia and Kenya earlier in 1974. There, he saw firsthand some of the utter devastation caused by drought and famine, but also witnessed the remarkable resilience and nobility of the human spirit. The experience moved him profoundly and had a truly lasting impact on his life and career, so that his humanitarian efforts would soon overtake his personal musical ambitions.” (Bravo!)

Back to the music at hand on Saturnight. For one thing, I was pleasantly surprised how well it works as a single-disc live experience. While I of course would have loved to have heard an expanded edition if it were even possible, as a vinyl listening experience, this 1LP concert recording is very satisfying. Opening Side I with one of his most iconic songs, “Wild World,” as backed by the full band, the live album kicks off on an upbeat manner, and it takes the listener on a quick journey through many of Yusuf / Stevens’ greatest melodies and some surprisingly rocking moments.

For example, I’d forgotten how strong “Lady D’Arbanville,” the opening track from his third album and first for A&M, Mona Bone Jakon, was. (It appears as Side I, Track 5 here.) And it perfectly sets up the quasi-reggae-rock take on the Sam Cooke classic “Another Saturday Night” that follows it to close the side (Side I, Track 6). Yusuf / Stevens had apparently recorded the track in Tokyo just before these concerts, and that non-LP cover tune became a big Top 10 hit in the U.S. for him later that year, so there is a freshness to this performance that is palpable. (The studio version ultimately found a home on his June 1975 A&M LP, Greatest Hits.)

I never fail to tear up hearing “Father & Son,” (Side II, Track 3), which takes on added relevance for me, given that I also can’t help but simultaneously hear The Flaming Lips’ “Fight Test” from their July 2002 epic Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, a song that accidentally lifted some of its melody from “F&S” and now credits him as a co-writer. It’s impressive how strong a snapshot Yusuf / Stevens delivers of his key albums in such a brief timeframe of two LP sides. Here, he traverses four songs from Tillerman, two from Teaser, three from the then-new Buddha, and one each from Jakon and September 1972’s Catch Bull at Four. Somehow, it all convenes into a satisfying retrospective.

Maybe I’m favoring those certain tracks I know and love, but “Peace Train” (Side II, Track 2) felt especially poignant — and it’s even more relevant than ever these days, I’d say — and I like the hard-hitting playing by his longstanding drummer Gerry Conway (Steeleye Span, Richard Thompson).

The pacing of the setlist builds to the point when Saturnight closes on “Bitterblue” (Side II, Track 6) from Teaser, where the band is warmed up to high heat, genuinely smokin’ and jamming away. This is a great live version of this, dare I call it, classic rocker. And again, Conway nearly steals the show with his remarkable timing, rapid-fire fills, swirling tom-tom runs, and all-in-all let-loose exuberance.

While I would have loved for Saturnight to have been issued on 180g black vinyl, in general, I’m pleased with the 140g standard-weight treatment, which will probably be more than adequate for most fans. The vinyl is quiet and well-centered, so I have no complaints there. The album art is nice too, appearing in a lovely gatefold sleeve and a custom-printed inner sleeve that I’d like to have been a little better printed — the text is smallish and a little hard to read at points, but that is ultimately a minor detail. Note that the inner sleeve isn’t plastic-lined, so you may wanna swap that out and keep the custom inner inside the LP’s package on its own.

Ratings-wise, I am happy to give Saturnight (Cat Stevens Live in Tokyo) a solid 9 for the Music, as the song choices and performances are indeed excellent. And remember, this is almost essentially a greatest hits collection in many ways. Sonics-wise, Saturnight sounds very good as 1970s live albums go, and the Abbey Road remastering complements the music nicely enough for it to receive a solid 8 on our Sound dial-a-rating icon.

If you like the music from Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ classic 1970s period, and always wanted “just one more” album of his to supplement those early recordings you probably have in one form or another, Saturnight (Cat Stevens Live in Tokyo) may be just the right live single-disc LP listening experience you are seeking.

Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for AudiophileReview.com, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn.

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Footnote 1: AP Editor Mike Mettler adds: As many of you likely already know, the artist currently goes by the stage name Yusuf / Cat Stevens, so we are honoring that distinction with much respect all throughout Mark’s review.

YUSUF / CAT STEVENS
SATURNIGHT (CAT STEVENS LIVE IN TOKYO)
1LP (Cat-O-Log/A&M/UMe)

Side I
1. Wild World
2. Oh Very Young
3. Sitting
4. Where Do The Children Play?
5. Lady D’Arbanville
6. Another Saturday Night

Side II
1. Hard Headed Woman
2. Peace Train
3. Father & Son
4. King Of Trees
5. A Bad Penny
6.Bitterblue