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SlowwHand
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of The Cooler
Sep 1999
time: 23:27
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Mon Mar 31, 8:16 AM ET
LONDON - The "Peace Train" rides again.
Former pop star Cat Stevens (news), a convert to Islam, has recorded his first song in 25 years to raise money for children affected by the U.S.-led war in Iraq (news - web sites).
Stevens, who now uses the name Yusuf Islam, re-recorded his 1971 hit song "Peace Train" at studios in Johannesburg, South Africa.
It is among tracks on "Hope," an album produced for the War Child charity that helps children in war torn countries. Other contributors include former Beatle Paul McCartney (news), David Bowie (news) and George Michael (news).
"Peace Train is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions of human beings, and there is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again," Islam wrote in a statement posted Monday on his Web site.
"As a member of humanity and as a Muslim, this is my contribution to the call for a peaceful solution to the dangerous path some world leaders today seem to be taking."
Islam, who was born Stephen Georgiou, took Cat Stevens as a stage name and had a string of hits in the early 1970s. He abandoned his music career in 1977 and changed his name after being persuaded by orthodox Muslim teachers that his lifestyle was forbidden by Islamic law.
He later became a teacher and an advocate for his religion, founding a Muslim school in London in 1983.
"Hope" will be released April 21.
Cat's internet site.
http://catstevens.com/index.html
Last edited by SlowwHand on 31-03-2003 at 23:47
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Bereta_Eder
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Georgiou? Greek American. Interesting he turned to Islam.
Nice move he did although.... blah blah.
And is he known?
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Bereta_Eder
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Ah, he's not american. Greek Cypriot/ Swedish grew up in London.
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gunkulator
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How many people think ol' Yusuf would give two farkleberries about Iraqi children if it wasn't for current events?
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gunkulator
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quote:
Originally posted by Lazarus and the Gimp
Considering the amount he's raised for children's educational and health charities (focussed on the Islamic world) I doubt there will be many. |
Fair enough, perhaps he'll add a verse or two on the current aid shipments flowing into Iraq, yes?
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Sheik
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I'm listening to Cat Stevens (Longer Boats) right now as I post and came to the forums and saw this thread. Cat Stevens is great, he has so many good songs and has just an amazing voice.
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Dr Strangelove
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quote:
Originally posted by Sheik
I'm listening to Cat Stevens (Longer Boats) right now as I post and came to the forums and saw this thread. Cat Stevens is great, he has so many good songs and has just an amazing voice. |
Yes, Cat Stevens was pretty big in the late 60s / early 70s. His major hits include "Peace Train", "Longer Boats", "Morning has Broken", "Tea for the Tillerman", "Moon Shadow" and probably a few more that I've forgotten. He eventually became disenchanted with the rock and roll lifestyle, a procees that I believe was accelerated by the death of a friend from drugs. His brother turned him on to Islam, something that I thought was pretty odd for a family of Greek Cypriots. He's been living in an Islamic community in England since the 1970s. I believe he has actually produced a couple of albums during the interim, but none of them received much notice, possibly because he once went on record as having said that if he ever came across Salman Rushdie he would feel compelled to obey the Ayatollah's orders and execute a fatwah on Mr. Rushdie.
Still, I for one truly regret his loss to the recording / music community.
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Bereta_Eder
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Islam is a very rich culture. And surely goes a long way from a rock'n' roll life style, I'd presume. But so does Christianity or Buddhism.
I'm a bit suspicious of grand rock stars that undergo such "transformations to enlightment" I find them to be fake (the transformations) but if it helps him then why critisize and it's not fake.
Still to my mind these metamorphosis usually constitutes an admittance of defeat of the functionality of your own values in the real world.
Plus I have an inate repulsion towards all encompassing cosmotheories.
But again, why judge.
I read a small autobiographical piece of his. His dad was Greek Cypriot, his mom Swedish. He describes his dad as outgoing, quite emotional and smart and his mother as quite reserved and controlled. Sort of a ballance really.
Still they divorced, went to live in Sweden after London, then London again IIRC. Sort of all around European.
From these mixed families sometimes the kids just reject the whole package and go for something alltogether different (as is Islam).
So much for my mambo jambo psychiatry, good thing he's doing.
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VJ
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Helsinki
Dec 2001
time: 07:27
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quote:
Evidently, you don't know jack, about Cat. |
No, I don't. At first glance, he looked like a typical rocker, trying to get cash from political correctness.
EDIT: Thanks for the info.
Last edited by VJ on 01-04-2003 at 21:39
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31-03-2003 21:23
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