Song #404: "Year Of The Cat"--Al Stewart (1976)

The decade of the 1970's produced so many unique forms of popular music. Look at any one week Billboard Hot 100 chart and you'll find pop, rock, southern rock, rhythm and blues, soul, country and more.

You'll also find a group a number of artists who really had a sound all their own. For example, does anyone other than Steely Dan really sound like Steely Dan? No.

There were also vocalists who achieved this status as well, like Gary Wright, Henry Gross with his hit "Shannon", and who could ever forget the forlorn, make you cry catalog of David Geddes.

Along that vein, welcome Al Stewart, a man who apparently didn't care if the edict of the day was no song over four minutes could play on Top 40 radio. Yes, today's song did have a radio edited version, but it, as many of them were back in the day, was disjointed. At least radio let you have four minutes by this time. In the 1960's, you were lucky to get 2:30.

From the beautiful piano open, the sweet sounds of the saxophone, it's a great mesh of folk, jazz, synthesizer and more. Pop music from 40 years ago. A Peter Lorre reference. Hard to beat.

His "Song On The Radio" just missed our countdown, so enjoy Al's contribution to the Rob Witham 500.  :)