Al Stewart - Year Of The Cat | REACTION

[JamieSmith-fzmz]

One of those songs that, when it comes on the radio as you pull into the parking lot, you’re going to be sitting in your car until it ends.

[coolcat]

One of the most elegant songs ever written & a classic for all time.

[jrm]

One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard in my life. The instruments are played and placed perfectly in this classic.

[deanharris]

Best line in rock ever? "She came out of the sun in a silk dress running like a water color in the rain"

[Argyll]

The Year of the Cat is one of the greatest songs written in the 1970's.

[MrAitraining]

No one is ready when the sax kicks in. Genius production and arrangement.

[kiddoiam]

"You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre contemplating a crime..." - Never gets old.

[stephenking]

I met my wife when this a very popular. I was 19 stationed in Okinawa, Japan kinda bar hopping and this Japanese woman grabs me by the arm and says walk with me. And I did and that was it, We have been married for thirty nine years. But when I hear this song it always tales me back.

[MrBruinman]

One great thing about the 70's: When you hear strings (violin, cello etc) it's the real deal. Same with Vocals, they are real. No pitch correction or digital sampling.

[mrwayne]

"She comes out of the sun in a silk dress running like a water color in the rain."
One of the best descriptive lines ever written. Pure Poetry.

[timyoung]

58 year old here. I am going through some tough times and you give me reason to keep going. Thank you so much ! Every day I look forward to your selections !

[nonprophet]

This track is a hypnotic, emotional powerhouse.

Layer after layer, the vocal to instrumental transitions meld flawlessly.
Uninterrupted, its so immersive, that it feels like you’ve been gone longer than the track’s run time.

[halbrandt]

Al Stewart explained the meaning of the Year of the Cat. The song is about our failure to make decisions. It about a business man/company executive who is extremely busy and is flying to a destination in the far east (on business) when his plane has an unscheduled stop. He leaves the plane along with the other passengers. He succumbs to this beautiful woman. By the time he wakes up, he realizes the plane has gone and will not be back for some considerable time. His life has changed. That time coinciding with the astrological year of the cat. The significant lyric being “you have thrown away your choice and lost your ticket”. It’s not a decision he would have planned but it’s a good turn in his life events. It’s something he would never otherwise have done. Sometimes decisions have to be made for us. It’s therefore also about fate and coincidences. It evokes the fantasy of the perfect person (for that particular moment in your life) just coming up to you (she doesn’t give you time for questions as she locks up your arms in hers, and you follow 'til your sense of which direction completely disappears), taking control of your life and taking you to a place which your decision making would never take you to.

[photokt]

The musicianship of the 70's and 80's are untouchable!

[katjaxxx]

I love that the song paints a story, is one of the most beautiful songs i have ever heard

[timetravellingone]

"Time Passages" is great, his dreamy wispy music was the epitome of soft 70's rock

[donniehagy]

One of the most beautiful songs ever written or recorded!

[ryankc]

The sax always gave me chills! This song screams '70's.

[lunachickfringe]

Perfect song for driving at night, with the roads to yourself, jamming this tune with the windows down.

[laurogarza]

Boz Skaggs, Gerry Rafferty, Al Stewart, Styx, Chicago, E.L.O. and many other music groups exemplify the era. They all performed great songs produced by great writers, terrific arrangements and great composers who were all great professional musicians. Those days are largely gone. I'm glad you enjoy them and are learning about really good music.