Chronicles

Of the volumes in Universal's Chronicles series, this is easily one of the best. The three albums presented by Cat Stevens here were, in critical terms, his very best. Mona Bone Jakon, Tea for the Tillerman, and Teaser and the Firecat represent the then-named British singer/songwriter at the peak of his creative powers. While many would argue that Catch Bull at Four should have replaced Mona Bone Jakon, they should be ignored, because at that point Stevens began to evolve his sound into something deliberately more rock-oriented. This is the English folk-popster at his most simple and staightforward. These albums have all been remastered for individual purchase, but having them collected here ? with tracks such as "Where Do the Children Play," "Wild World," "Sad Lisa," "Father and Son," "Peace Train," "Moonshadow," "Morning Has Broken," "The Wind," "If I Laugh," "I Think I See the Light," "Lilywhite," "Katmandu," and "Fill My Eyes" among them ? Chronicles is hard to beat on any terms.