Description
BACK TO EARTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, REMASTERED TO STUNNING EFFECT AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS.

In 1978, after having sold millions of records and become one of the biggest international artists of the 1970s, Cat Stevens decided to step out of the rock star spotlight and walk away. That year, he was to release his final album under that name.

The appropriately-titled Back To Earth was his parting gift: an album that saw the London-born singer saying farewell to his fans, while obliquely explaining his decision to quit in songs such as ‘Last Love Song’ and ‘Just Another Night’.

“What’s going on behind the appearance of stardom or the stage itself can be a completely different world,” he says now, “and that’s what it was a lot of the time. I kept my sanity and I kept my eyes open.”

Back To Earth was indeed a remarkable return to form, reuniting Stevens with Paul Samwell-Smith, the producer of his landmark, multi-platinum albums Tea For The Tillerman (1970) and Teaser And The Firecat (1971), as well as continuing his creative partnership with long-time guitarist Alun Davies.

Musically, the album was a blend of the acoustic balladeering and spiritually-questing style that had made the singer a worldwide star, along with more distant echoes of his years growing up as Steven Demetre Georgiou in London’s West End. Tracks such as ‘New York Times’ and ‘Randy’ recalled the influence upon him of the UK capital’s theatre land, and – since parts of the album had been recorded in New York City – Broadway.

“There was this other side of me which was the sort of musical composer,” he remembers. “I loved musicals and I was surrounded by them where I lived. So, I had Bernstein in my blood.”

Long overdue for re-evaluation, Back To Earth is a brilliant and fascinating album capturing Yusuf/Cat Stevens at a defining point in his life.

* CD1: Back To Earth: Original Album Remastered — The 1978 album remastered from original analogue tapes to stunning effect at Abbey Road Studios
* CD2: Return To Earth: The Original 2001 Stereo Master
* CD3: Distant Planets: Unearthed Gems — Back To Earth live tracks, rare demos and two beautiful, completely unheard recordings: “Toy Heart” and “Butterfly”
* CD4: Alpha Omega (A Musical Revelation) — Completion of the circle. Cat helps his brother David realise his own musical ambition by producing the 1978 album Alpha Omega, featuring the much loved ‘Child For A Day’
* CD5: UNICEF Year Of The Child Concert at Wembley Arena 1979
* Blu-ray: UNICEF Year Of The Child Concert at Wembley Arena 1979 footage + High Res Original Album remastered.
* LP1: Original Album Remastered
* LP2: UNICEF Year Of The Child Concert at Wembley Arena 1979
* Includes a 50-page hardback book and exclusive memorabilia

[tracklisting][CD1: Remastered – Original album remastered from analogue tapes]
1. Just Another Night
2. Daytime
3. Bad Brakes
4. Randy
5. The Artist
6. Last Love Song
7. Nascimento
8. Father
9. New York Times
10. Never

[CD2: Return to Earth – The original stereo mix]
1. Just Another Night
2. Daytime
3. Bad Brakes
4. Randy
5. The Artist
6. Last Love Song
7. Nascimento
8. Father
9. New York Times
10. Never

[CD3: Unearthed – Live tracks, rare demos and two beautiful, completely unheard recordings]
1. Butterfly (previously unreleased)
2. Toy Heart (previously unreleased)
3. New York Times (new mix) previously unreleased
4. Just Another Night (demo) previously unreleased
5. Last Love Song (Session Mix) previously unreleased
6. Daytime (Live 2017 Adelaide)
7. Bad Brakes (Live 2011 Albert Hall)
8. Last Love Song (Live 2014 Toronto)
9. Nascimento (Solto) previously unreleased
10. Just Another Night (Live 2016 Nashville)
11. Bad Brakes (instrumental) previously unreleased

[CD4: Alpha Omega (A Musical Revelation) – Completion of the circle. Cat helps his brother David realise his own musical ambition by producing the 1978 album Alpha Omega, featuring the much loved ‘Child For A Day’]
1. Universe
2. I Who Am I
3. Paradise
4. Inventions
5. I See That Face
6. Child For A Day
7. Sing, Love Is Everywhere
8. Alpha Omega
9. Music Is The 7th Wonder
10. Dreamer
11. World
12. Listen To Me
13. I Believe

[CD5: UNICEF Year Of The Child Concert at Wembley Arena 1979 – The last love song. Cat performs under this name, what will be his final farewell at UNICEF’s 1979 Year Of The Child charity concert at London’s Wembley Arena.]
1. The Wind with intro from Paul Gambaccini
2. On The Road To Find Out
3. Just Another Night
4. Daytime/Where Do The Children Play?
5. Father & Son
6. Morning Has Broken (with Belmont Junior School Choir)
7. Peace Train
8. Child For A Day (with Richard Thompson and David Essex)

[BLU-RAY]
The Year Of The Child – Historical concert footage + original album lossless audio

[LP1: Remastered – Original album remastered for vinyl from analogue tapes]
1. Just Another Night
2. Daytime
3. Bad Brakes
4. Randy
5. The Artist
6. Last Love Song
7. Nascimento
8. Father
9. New York Times
10. Never

[LP2: Year Of The Child Concert at Wembley Arena 1979]
1. The Wind with intro from Paul Gambaccini
2. On The Road To Find Out
3. Just Another Night
4. Daytime/Where Do The Children Play?
5. Father & Son
6. Morning Has Broken (with Belmont Junior School Choir)
7. Peace Train
8. Child For A Day (with Richard Thompson and David Essex)[/tracklisting]

5CD/1BD/2LP Super Deluxe Edition (shown above)
Apr 10, 2020
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081HNSXQL/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B081HNSXQL/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B081HNSXQL/?tag=imwan-21

1CD Standard Edition
Oct 25, 2019
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6RTGTG/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07M6RTGTG/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07M6RTGTG/?tag=imwan-21

1LP Coloured Vinyl Edition
Oct 25, 2019
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MPK312Y/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07MPK312Y/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MPK312Y/?tag=imwan-21

The above configurations of Back To Earth have appeared at Pledge Music in various packages with extra 7-inch vinyl singles. Because these are on BMG, however, they will most likely appear in general release as well, at better prices (but without the froof). Collectors who only want the CDs and Blu-ray should probably watch and wait.

Remastered to "stunning effect."

Well, then it just has to be good!

hyperbole anyone?

I really like this album, but not one I woulda ever thought would be tagged for the "Super Deluxe" treatment!

Yeah, I think "Catch Bull at Four" needs it more than this album. It's right behind "Tea" and "Teaser" for best album...

Definitely not the album I would have expected to get such treatment, but then again I'd be all over versions of Numbers and Izitso, which also don't get as much love as the earlier ones.

the 2 you mention and 'back to earth' make a great mfsl set simply called '3'.


excellent sound and very hard to find.


stevens had 5 albums get the mfsl treatment. i had always hoped 'catch bull at four' would be #6, but it wasn't meant to be.

Yeah the Mofi of the 3 albums is great. It is all I need for that period.

I have that 3-CD set as well; found it used for $30.00 in a little hole in the wall record store in Austin that wasn't open for long.

I heard that the first 1000 boxes include a free Salman Rushdie bumper sticker!

I love the record company name.

Now that Pledge Music has unsurprisingly imploded, Cat has reworked the Back To Earth reissue programme for general release. The label name that Jay liked ("Cat-O-Log") is gone, and this is now being branded as simply a BMG release.

The 1CD remaster, along with a 1LP coloured vinyl remaster, were released at the end of October:

1CD Standard Edition
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6RTGTG/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07M6RTGTG/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07M6RTGTG/?tag=imwan-21

1LP Coloured Vinyl Edition
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MPK312Y/?tag=imwan-20
CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07MPK312Y/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MPK312Y/?tag=imwan-21

The big Super Deluxe box has been rescheduled for April 10, 2020:

5CD/1BD/2LP Super Deluxe Edition
US - Available for pre-order soon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081HNSXQL/?tag=imwan-20
CA - Available for pre-order soon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B081HNSXQL/?tag=imwanca-20
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B081HNSXQL/?tag=imwan-21

No other configurations are planned, so the only way to get the hi-res mix of Back To Earth on Blu-ray is as part of the big box set.

And finally, Cat has uploaded a lyric video for one of the previously unreleased tracks, "Toy Heart":

I just got the one disc remaster of this today and while the albums good, especially the gorgeous ballads in it, it's definitely gonna take some time for me to get used to the new dynamic mastering of it. Around two years ago I tried out the older 2000 remaster of it from my local library back when libraries were actually open of course, so I already knew how good the album was. I just didn't know how much different the 2019 would sound compared to the 2000. I prefer masterings where the quiet parts are jacked up and the vocals and other instruments are brought up high in the mix, but this mastering definitely doesn't sound like that. People who drool over dynamics will probably love this new version, but as for me all I can say is It's gonna take some time to get used to.

After owning this album little over a month now and having heard it maybe fifteen times in total all I can say is back to earth is one addictive album. Despite the fact that it's still a tad too quiet at times I admit the new mastering is growing on me in a good way. Certain songs like bad brakes and New York have such punch to them with the drums sounding positively huge that it makes the album that much more enjoyable to listen to. Basically I'm really starting to love my purchase here and the masterings definitely not getting in the way of my enjoyment in the least.