Pre-order Saturnight: Live from Tokyo
Saturnight was recorded on June 22nd, 1974, at Sun Plaza Hall in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan on the Japanese leg of the 1974 “Bamboozle World Tour.” The tour comprised 50 shows across North America, Europe, Australia and Japan to support the release of Buddha and the Chocolate Box. Stevens had long felt an affinity with the aesthetic elegance and spiritual depth of Japanese culture, especially the principles of meditation and reflection upon which their traditions of poetry, design and craftsmanship are founded.
Saturnight features Cat Stevens at his peak, performing an incredible concert of songs from his then-newest release, Buddha and the Chocolate Box (“Oh Very Young,” “King of Trees,” “A Bad Penny”) alongside some of his greatest hits which dominated the charts in the early ‘70s. These include the classics “Lady D’Arbanville” (Mona Bone Jakon - 1970); “Wild World,” “Where Do The Children Play?” “Hard Headed Woman,” “Father & Son” (Tea for the Tillerman - 1970); “Peace Train,” “Bitterblue” (Teaser and the Firecat - 1971); and “Sitting” (Catch Bull at Four - 1972).
Also included is a soulful cover of Sam Cooke’s “Another Saturday Night.” Stevens and his band were fresh from recording the song at a studio in Tokyo using a Japanese brass section – the very same version that would go on to become a hit single later that year. The performance on Saturnight captures the first time they ever played “Another Saturday Night” live.
Although Saturnight never received a full global release – due to contractual reasons between A&M and Island Records – Stevens arranged for the proceeds to be donated to UNICEF. He had recently become a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and with their help, had visited Ethiopia and Kenya earlier in 1974. There, he saw firsthand some of the utter devastation caused by drought and famine, but also witnessed the remarkable resilience and nobility of the human spirit. The experience moved him profoundly and had a truly lasting impact on his life and career, so that his humanitarian efforts would soon overtake his personal musical ambitions.
As Cat Stevens redirected more of his individual success towards helping those in need, he would eventually leave the music industry altogether. Dedicating himself to charity and advocacy work, he would use the status and rewards that music had brought him in the service of equality and a just world. In many ways Saturnight represents a significant early step on that incredible journey.
