If there's one pop record that encapsulates so well a certain vibe of the Seventies, it must be Al Stewart's Year of the Cat. It's hard not to be enchanted by its melodies and its dazzling sound, by the pureness of the stories told. An album so breezy and uplifting, "liquid gold" as drummer Stuart Elliott described it, that can easily be chosen as one of the masterpieces of an era. Released in the autumn 1976, the album came at the right time along Stewart's trajectory, following a perfect arc, after Modern Times: it's the record where his poeticism - both lyrical and musical - finds a splendid chemistry that makes Al Stewart so unmistakable and characteristic.So, still today, the association between the name of Al Stewart and Year of the Cat remains indissoluble, and for good reasons. Spectacularly recorded and produced, Year of the Cat shows a palette of moods and languages, a variety reflected in the many genres and atmospheres that the record provides, never failing to capture the listener's interest through many nuances: a true kaleidoscope of overtones and vibes, full of colours and feelings from the morning light to sunset, from lazy afternoons to the dead of the night.Enriched by images, the volume Year of the Cat: The Inside Story of a 1976 Masterpiece tells the story of Al Stewart immortal record. In its detailed analysis of the album's songs (both from a musical and lyrical perspective), based on contemporary sources and in-depth interviews by the authors with key figures such as Stuart Elliott, Phil Kenzie, Peter White and Andrew Powell, the book guides readers through some of the recording processes and techniques used on the sessions and gives a different perspective on the way these people approached music in a time where the human element was the only possible glue that could really determine the success of a record.Many fascinating aspects of Year of the Cat are investigated throughout the book, such as the fundamental role of Alan Parsons (who selected the musicians, worked on the arrangements and engineered the album), the long and difficult process that led to the final version of the LP (the early sessions, the different batches of recording), the complicated birth to the lyrics, the outtakes, the promotion the commercial success, the live versions and the cover, a piece of art in itself, told through the exclusive words of painter and artist Colin Elgie, who provided his early Year of the Cat sketch for the cover of this book. An unprecedented and incredibly rich look at an album whose enduring popularity never fades.
