Subtitled "A Pythagorean Theory Tale," Numbers was a concept album relating to a faraway galaxy, a planet called Polygor, a palace, and its people, the Polygons.
So one learned from the album's accompanying booklet.
The songs presumably told the tale, but as with so many concept albums, listening to Numbers was like hearing a Broadway cast album without having seen the show -- something seemed to be going on, but it was hard to tell what.
The setting did allow Cat Stevens to indulge his affection for Middle Ages madrigal music, and individual songs, notably the singles-chart entry "Banapple Gas," were appealing.
The lyrics were full of references to home, God, and "the truth," which gave the whole a vaguely spiritual tone, though the key word here is "vague." Stevens fans may have been somewhat put off by the fear that Numbers was a kind of musical math class -- though it went gold, the album was the first in his last seven to peak below the Top Ten.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WhistlestarCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 2 | Novim's NightmareCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 3 | Majik of MajiksCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 04:31 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 4 | DrywoodCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 04:56 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 5 | Banapple GasCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 03:09 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 6 | Land O' Freelove & GoodbyeCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 02:48 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 7 | JzeroCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 8 | HomeCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 9 | Monad's AnthemCat Stevens | Cat Stevens | Play | 02:16 | 5 MB | 15 MB |
| 33 mins | 76 MB | |||||
| 33 mins | 222 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | René Ameline | Mixing |
| 2 | Chico Batera | Congas, Ganza, Percussion, Triangle, Waterphone, Wind Chimes |
| 3 | Chris Batera | Percussion |
| 4 | Vincent Beck | Vocals |
| 5 | Nick Blagona | Engineer, Mixing |
| 6 | Gerald Block | Mixing |
| 7 | Bart Chiate | Mixing |
| 8 | Gerry Conway | Drums, Drums (Snare), Vocals |
| 9 | Alun Davies | 12-String Bass Guitar, Guitar, Guitar (12 String), Vocals |
| 10 | Michael Diehl | Reissue Design |
| 11 | Gordie Fleming | Accordion |
| 12 | Lewis Furey | Vocals |
| 13 | Art Garfunkel | Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 14 | Venette Gloud | Vocals |
| 15 | Bernie Grundman | Original Mastering |
| 16 | Carl Hall | Vocals |
| 17 | Melba Joyce | Vocals |
| 18 | Bill Levenson | Reissue Supervisor |
| 19 | Bruce Lynch | Bass |
| 20 | Suzanne Lynch | Vocals |
| 21 | Barbara Massey | Vocals |
| 22 | Simon Nicol | Fender Stratocaster, Guitar, Guitar (12 String) |
| 23 | Anna Peacock | Vocals |
| 24 | Jean Roussel | Arranger, Brass, Harpsichord, Keyboards, Organ, Organ (Hammond), Overdubs, Piano, Piano (Electric), String Arrangements, Strings, Synthesizer, Synthesizer Strings, Vibraphone |
| 25 | Brenda Russell | Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 26 | Ron Saint Germain | Mixing |
| 27 | David Sanborn | Guest Artist, Sax (Alto), Saxophone |
| 28 | Cat Stevens | Composer, Guitar, Guitar (12 String), Illustrations, Keyboards, Piano, Piano (Electric), Piano (Grand), Primary Artist, Producer, Synthesizer, Vocals |
| 29 | Tasha Thomas | Vocals |
| 30 | Carmen Twillie | Vocals |
| 31 | Gary Ulmer | Mixing |
| 32 | Leanne Ungar | Engineer |
| 33 | Vartan | Reissue Art Director |
| 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). |