Here are two Record Store Day releases now given a wider release from a singer-songwriter who defined that genre in the 1970s and one who rode the fiery comet of punk and new wave to take singer-songwriting to a whole new level, and who is still going strong today.
Cat Stevens was one of the central figures of the unequaled singer-songwriter movement that peaked in the early ’70s. Of Greek descent but living in England, Stevens created songs that were beautiful, passionate, and heartfelt bundles of emotions. His songs made up classic studio albums and some of the songs from the albums became massive hits, along with his reworking of Sam Cooke’s “Another Saturday Night.”
Stevens did not release any live albums in the US or England during his heyday. Saturnight, a recent Record Store Day 2024 release that originally came out only in Japan, is now available on vinyl. The proceeds from the original release went to UNICEF and the recording is of a concert held at the Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo on June 27, 1974. It comes in a gatefold jacket (and is also reissued on CD) and the release sometimes reveals another side of an extraordinary musical artist.
Stevens is supported here by a six-piece band and two backing vocalists. His overflowing talent and unbridled exuberance made his music more than just quiet, sedate, and cerebral mournful hymns. This exuberance is on display throughout this live concert recording, aided by a full band that adds just the right color and muscle when needed rather than drowning out his songs.
Given that this album came out around the singer-songwriter peak for Stevens, one of the tracks that really stands out is “Lady D’Arbanville,” which came out at the end of the Carnaby Street pop era. An obscure track that is a stand-out here is “King of Trees” from Buddha and the Chocolate Box.
There is something very loose and organic about the live music here. There is one little technical glitch that may be what prevented this album from receiving a US or UK release back in 1974. There is a little hissy sibilance on the vocals in a few spots, but nothing that keeps this from being a must-have live concert archival release.
Sting has carved out a singular solo career since leaving The Police. He began his solo career with the adventurous, jazz-inspired Dream of the Blue Turtles in 1985, chronicled in the film and live album Bring on The Night released in 1986.
Over the years Sting has occasionally released live albums along with his hit singles and well-conceived solo studio albums. Some of the studio albums, particularly Nothing Like the Sun are audiophile gems. Available in various formats, this new Record Store Day, 180-gram, gatefold-packaged, 2-LP vinyl live album, his fifth (along with one live DVD and one live EP), is his most straightforward live album since All This Time in 2001, proving again that he can bring it live.
This is the only full-length audio concert release of his not-to-have companion video release and comes from his 2024 tour. The two-LP release is also the only format to include all 17 live performances. Clearly, Sting is going for a raw, stripped-down approach in a trio format, not unlikeThe PolIce. He also chose to present the music here with no post-production studio trickery.
The first track, “Message in a Bottle,” is quite good but Sting’s vocals have a raw, sound-check feel. There are other Police songs included that one would expect (“Every Breath You Take,” “Roxanne,” “Can’t Stand Losing You,” and “Synchronicity II”), along with solo favorites (“Englishman in New York,” “All This Time”). But it’s some of the more subtle tracks, such as “Tea in the Sahara” and “It’s Probably Me,” that are stripped down that show just how strong these songs are.
Given the complexity, varied styles, and subtleties of some of these songs, this superb trio pulls things off quite impressively. Drummer Chris Maas provides a modest, understated beat that keeps the emphasis on both the vocals and Sting’s strong compositions, and longtime guitarist Dominic Miller doesn’t disappoint on The Police material and adds power and atmosphere to the solo material.
It’s remarkable what a prolific songwriter Sting has been over the years and, as evidenced here, he provides a rich evening’s worth of music. The music he wrote in the late ’70s and ’80s does not sound dated, a fate from which many artists’ music from the ’80s have suffered. Even removed from the studio and without some of the extraordinary musicians he has worked with in a larger band setting, the solo performances stand up well.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
Cat Stevens, Saturnight (Live in Tokyo)
B+
Sting, 3.0 Live
B
