Cat Stevens

Cat Stevens frequently gets lumped in with the '70s singer/songwriter boom, but he actually fits neatly with such wistful English contemporaries as Nick Drake and Donovan. Songs like "Wild World," and "Oh Very Young" prove he was as gifted a melodist than any of them, while his half-dozen hit albums demonstrate that there was something universal in his gossamer tunes and reflective lyrics.

Cat Stevens had an uneasy relationship with fame, periodically retreating from the trappings of celebrity before dropping out altogether to immerse himself in the teachings of Islam. He left behind songs that beguilingly reflected changing times, whether they be swinging London of the '60s, the singer/songwriter craze of the early '70s, or the progressive movement of the mid-'70s.

Cat Stevens' knack for penning infectious melodies never failed him. Deep into his catalog, one finds tunes that could have been hit singles had they not been superseded by classics of the era like "Wild World." Witness the delicate "How Can I Tell You" and the passionate "Tuesday’s Dead," both from 1971's Teaser and the Firecat.

Cat Stevens is a curious figure in pop history. A major player in the '70s singer/songwriter movement, he embraced Islam, changing his name to Yusaf Islam in the late '70s, later resurfacing in the news when Ayatollah Khomeini called for the death of writer Salman Rushdie and, more recently, when he was denied access to the United States. Somewhat surprisingly, he's overseen the reissue of his impressive catalog, the finest of which was compiled right here by some serious Cat Stevens fanatics at iTunes.