The Very Best of Cat Stevens

Summary

The Very Best of Cat Stevens is the title of a compilation album by Cat Stevens. There are multiple albums released with this title. The first was released by Polygram on its recently acquired Island Records label in January 1990. Its cover picture appears to be a reference to the Teaser and the Firecat album cover; both feature a boy in a top hat, "Teaser", accompanied by an orange cat, "Firecat", beside a fence with a full moon overhead.

The Very Best of Cat Stevens
Greatest hits album by
Released22 January 1990
GenreFolk rock
Length57:32 (1990)
LabelPolyGram
Cat Stevens chronology
The Best of Cat Stevens
(1989)
The Very Best of Cat Stevens
(1990)
Bitterblue
(1995)
The Very Best of Cat Stevens
Greatest hits album by
Released2000
2003
GenreFolk rock
Length1:08:52 (2000)
1:17:45 (2003)
LabelA&M (2000)
Universal (2003)
Cat Stevens chronology
Remember Cat Stevens – The Ultimate Collection
(1999)
The Very Best of Cat Stevens
(2000)
Cat Stevens – In Search of the Centre of the Universe (box set)
(2001)

A compilation album with the same title was released in 2000 on the A&M and UTV Records labels. In many respects, it is a substantially different album. The track list is substantially different (though most of the same tracks are present). The cover art for these releases features a simple portrait of the artist. This album was released in the UK and Europe in 2003, using the same cover art but with a different track list. The UTV Records release was also available with a DVD bonus disk containing some early footage.[1]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic (2000)[2]

Track listing edit

All songs written by Cat Stevens, except where noted.

  1. "Where Do the Children Play?" (1970) 3:50
  2. "Wild World" (1970) 3:18
  3. "Tuesday's Dead" (1971) 3:35
  4. "Lady D'Arbanville" (1970) 3:40
  5. "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (1967) 3:30
  6. "Oh Very Young" (1974) 2:30
  7. "Rubylove" (1971) 2:35
  8. "Morning Has Broken" (Words by Eleanor Farjeon to the traditional tune Bunessan) (1971) 3:16
  9. "Moonshadow" (1971) 2:48
  10. "Matthew & Son" (1966) 2:40
  11. "Father and Son" (1970) 2:37
  12. "Can't Keep It In" (1972) 2:58
  13. "Hard Headed Woman" (1970) 3:46
  14. "(Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard" (With Elkie Brooks) (1977) 2:44
  15. "I Love My Dog" (1966) 2:18
  16. "Another Saturday Night" (Sam Cooke) (1974) 2:27
  17. "Sad Lisa" (1970) 3:40
  18. "Peace Train" (1971) 4:04

2000 Edition edit

  1. "Matthew & Son"
  2. "The First Cut Is the Deepest"
  3. "Lady D'Arbanville"
  4. "I've Got a Thing About Seeing My Grandson Grow Old" (Previously unreleased)
  5. "Wild World"
  6. "Where Do the Children Play?"
  7. "Hard Headed Woman"
  8. "Father and Son"
  9. "The Wind"
  10. "Morning Has Broken"
  11. "Moonshadow"
  12. "Peace Train"
  13. "Sitting"
  14. "Can't Keep It In"
  15. "Foreigner Suite" (Excerpt)
  16. "Oh Very Young"
  17. "Another Saturday Night"
  18. "Majik of Majiks"
  19. "(Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard"
  20. "Just Another Night"

2003 UK Edition edit

  1. "Moonshadow" – 2:50
  2. "Father and Son" – 3:41
  3. "Morning Has Broken" (Eleanor Farjeon) – 3:20
  4. "Wild World" – 3:21
  5. "The First Cut Is the Deepest" – 3:01
  6. "Lady D'Arbanville" – 3:45
  7. "Oh Very Young" – 2:36
  8. "Matthew & Son" – 2:44
  9. "Sitting" – 3:14
  10. "Hard Headed Woman" – 3:49
  11. "I Love My Dog" – 2:19
  12. "Ruby Love" – 2:38
  13. "Don't Be Shy" – 2:51
  14. "Can't Keep It In" – 3:00
  15. "Here Comes My Baby" – 2:55
  16. "Into White" – 3:25
  17. "(Remember the Days of The) Old Schoolyard" – 2:43
  18. "Where Do the Children Play?" – 3:52
  19. "How Can I Tell You" – 4:28
  20. "Another Saturday Night" (Sam Cooke) – 2:28
  21. "Sad Lisa" – 3:42
  22. "Just Another Night" – 3:51
  23. "Peace Train" – 4:12
  24. "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" – 2:46

2003 UK Edition DVD Bonus Disc edit

  1. "Moonshadow"
  2. "Wild World"
  3. "Father and Son"
  4. "Hard Headed Woman (live)"
  5. "Where Do the Children Play?"
  6. "(Remember the Days of The) Old School Yard"
  7. "Teaser and the Firecat"

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[3] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[4] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[5] Platinum 300,000*
Germany (BVMI)[6] Gold 250,000^
Mexico (AMPROFON)[7] Gold 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[8] 2× Platinum 30,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] 3× Platinum 900,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References edit

  1. ^ "Release "The Very Best of Cat Stevens" by Cat Stevens". Musicbrainz. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  2. ^ The Very Best of Cat Stevens at AllMusic
  3. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1994 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Cat Stevens – Very Best of". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  5. ^ "French album certifications – Cat Stevens – Very Best of" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  6. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Cat Stevens; 'Very Best of')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  7. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 11 June 2019. Type Cat Stevens in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Very Best of in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  8. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Cat Stevens – Very best of". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  9. ^ "British album certifications – Cat Stevens – Very best of". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 November 2021.