In retrospect, it is not hard to find hints of a coming change in the final album Cat Stevens made before a near-death experience and a religious conversion.
"I must be heading for a breakdown," he notes in "Bad Brakes," the album's sole singles-chart entry; there are songs titles like "Last Love Song" and "Never"; and there is, throughout, an elegiac tone to the mostly quiet ballads.
But it is just as easy to see Back to Earth as an intended return to the simple style of albums like Tea for the Tillerman and thus a return to form: producer Paul Samwell-Smith is back on board, along with his subdued arrangements, and Stevens is again investigating his favorite themes, including children ("Daytime"), the father-son relationship ("Father"), and the vulnerable nature of romantic love, in plain-spoken verses.
The year 1978 was late for a sensitive singer/songwriter to make a comeback; most of the folkies were getting tossed off the major labels by then.
So, it's doubtful that Back to Earth could have re-established Cat Stevens even if he had been willing and able to promote it.
As it is, the album serves as a satisfying coda to his pop career.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Just Another NightCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 2 | DaytimeAlun Davies, Cat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 03:55 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 3 | Bad BrakesAlun Davies, Cat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 4 | RandyCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 03:08 | 7 MB | 15 MB |
| 5 | The ArtistCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 02:34 | 5 MB | 11 MB |
| 6 | Last Love SongCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 7 | NascimentoCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 8 | FatherCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | New York TimesCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 10 | NeverCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 03:04 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 34 mins | 78 MB | |||||
| 34 mins | 185 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Blagona | Engineer |
| 2 | Brian Cole | Guitar (Steel) |
| 3 | Gerry Conway | Congas, Drums, Vocals |
| 4 | Alun Davies | Composer, Guitar (Acoustic) |
| 5 | Don Gehman | Engineer |
| 6 | Freddy Hansson | Engineer |
| 7 | Jesse Henderson | Engineer |
| 8 | Ted Jensen | Mastering |
| 9 | Eric Johnson | Guitar, Guitar (Electric) |
| 10 | Steve Jordan | Drums |
| 11 | Stig Kreutzfeldt | Engineer |
| 12 | Will Lee | Bass |
| 13 | Bill Levenson | Reissue Supervisor |
| 14 | Bruce Lynch | Bass |
| 15 | John Marson | Harp |
| 16 | Dave Mattacks | Drums |
| 17 | The McCrarys | Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 18 | Del Newman | Arranger, String Arrangements, Strings |
| 19 | Richard Niles | Arranger, Strings |
| 20 | Declan O'Doherty | Engineer |
| 21 | Junie Osaki | Reissue Design |
| 22 | Jean Roussel | Arranger, Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Piano (Electric), Strings |
| 23 | Paul Samwell-Smith | Producer, Vocals |
| 24 | Graham Smith | Harmonica |
| 25 | Shire So | Keyboards |
| 26 | Mike Stavrou | Engineer |
| 27 | Cat Stevens | Arranger, Bass, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Primary Artist, Producer, Spanish Guitar, Strings, Synthesizer, Vocals |
| 28 | Jeff Titmus | Engineer |
| 29 | Luther Vandross | Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 30 | Vartan | Reissue Art Director |
| 31 | Derek Wadsworth | Orchestra, Orchestration, String Arrangements |
| 32 | Don Weller | Saxophone |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |