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Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-11-07 12:56 PM (#530672 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: Re: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu
Thanks a lot. Yeah, Cat Stevens made heavy use of Ovation guitars on-stage as well as in the studio (see "Wild World"). Even on his more recent album An Other Cup an Ovation guitar got used.

Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-11-07 12:57 PM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-11-12 7:37 AM (#530749 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

I've uploaded the tablature of Another Saturday Night to the site - Cat Stevens's cover of a Sam Cooke song. Enjoy!

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-11-27 9:49 AM (#530918 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

I'm happy to announce that the guitar tab for Bonfire (1977) is now up on the site. To my knowledge, it has never been transcribed by fans before. This a good one for our electric O players as well. Happy playing y'all!



Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-11-27 9:50 AM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-12-15 2:37 PM (#531265 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

Blackness of the Night, Steve's folkie protest song from 1967, made it onto the site fully tabbed. The intro was the tricky part...



Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-12-15 3:03 PM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-12-25 4:00 PM (#531478 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

Back to the Good Old Times (1965), Steve's first successful pop tune and a very rare gem, got the tab treatment on the site. Be sure to check it out!

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2017-01-08 12:25 PM (#531793 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

One Day at a Time (2006) has now been added. This marks the first time a Yusuf song made it fully tabbed onto the site, which I had planned to do for a long time now.

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2017-01-29 4:15 PM (#532374 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

New song is up: Thinking 'Bout You (2009)



Edited by leonardmccoy 2017-01-29 4:16 PM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2017-03-12 5:33 PM (#533182 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

New guitar tab: If Only Mother Could See Me Now (Demo)

One of those early demos Steve recorded somewhere between NEW MASTERS and MONA BONE JAKON and which he slaved away at East London Recordings. While on the face the song deals with a man’s dream of flying (like an angel), its moral is ever so strongly influenced by Christianity’s guiding idea of perfecting Man by overcoming one’s devilish tendencies and develop into a higher character in order to eventually embrace one’s angelic qualities.



Edited by leonardmccoy 2017-03-12 5:46 PM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2017-03-29 10:38 AM (#533441 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

New guitar tab: Sad Lisa

One of the most beautiful ballads for piano there is, “Sad Lisa” is perhaps as much about a real fan of Steve’s as it is about himself really. The grand piano was run through an Hammond organ amp (called a Leslie) with its rotating speakers giving the whole a more dreamy, watery sound. Steve worked out the main riff upstairs on the piano alone at home until the song eventually started flowing and becoming its very own thing. Capoing up the guitar at the 7th fret gets surprisingly close to the piano original while keeping the whole thing playable. I have also included Alun Davies’ original guitar solo from the Majikat Earth Tour 1976 (capoed and uncapoed version) for the instrumental verse.



Edited by leonardmccoy 2017-03-29 10:39 AM
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cool66
Posted 2017-03-29 7:20 PM (#533445 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: Re: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs


Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 192

Thanks. I just played "I Love My Dog". What fun!
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Mark in Boise
Posted 2017-03-30 12:21 PM (#533454 - in reply to #533445)
Subject: Re: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs


Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750

Location: Boise, Idaho
The Voice had a Knockout Round featuring "The First Cut is the Deepest" this week. Although a lot of those competitions get a little over the top for me, I thought their interpretation of this song was pretty good.
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2017-04-16 12:07 PM (#533722 - in reply to #533454)
Subject: Re: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
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Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

Mark in Boise - 2017-03-30 12:21 PM The Voice had a Knockout Round featuring "The First Cut is the Deepest" this week. Although a lot of those competitions get a little over the top for me, I thought their interpretation of this song was pretty good.

Perhaps a good opportunity to get a guitar tab out for First Cut.

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2017-05-08 3:14 PM (#535092 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

New guitar tab: The Tramp (1967)

Just Steve’s guitar, bass, and a single trumpet make up all the accompaniment. This is perhaps why “The Tramp” seems closer in style to his later work than most of his other early songs. The transcription wasn’t without issues since there’s so little reference material out there to work with. You’ll probably find that play-wise it’s very Cat Stevens.



Edited by leonardmccoy 2017-05-08 3:15 PM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2017-07-01 7:14 PM (#535681 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

Boy with a Moon and Star on His Head (1972)

 An acoustic magnum opus, "Boy" has one of the most fleshed-out fantastical story Steve ever told in his songs. Given the scope of the work and in order to keep the tablature compact and readable, I had to forego some of the intricacies of how the song is played since it varies from verse to verse, motif to motif. In the latter half, for instance, the filler bits get much shorter each time the riff ends. Overall this tablature should give a good idea, though, what Steve was aiming for acoustically and should capture Steve's fingerpicking style very accurately.



Edited by leonardmccoy 2017-07-01 7:20 PM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2017-07-30 6:25 AM (#536911 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

Newest guitar tab: I've Got A Thing About Seeing My Grandson Grow Old (1970)

“Grandson” was written during Steve’s transitional phase from big-band arrangements—his first career—to a softer, more reflective type of song—his second career starting with the original album MONA BONE JAKON (1970)—that came closer in sound to his own demos. Ultimately, the song ended up on the cutting floor for that album and remained in the archives of Olympic Studios, London, for 30 years until in the 2000s it got released (in various mixes) on two compilation albums only. The song features Steve’s own, prominent licks, without relying on session men anymore, as was often the case during his first career. In the chorus Steve does an unusual Buddy Holly impression, singing “Grow old, oh_____. Oh___________.”

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2017-10-27 3:40 AM (#537913 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

New guitar tab: You Can Do (Whatever)! (2017)

While deceptively simple due to the employment of a capo on guitar, the song is rather the result of highly sophisticated composing. One wouldn't be wrong to state that the song consist of only chorus lines trumping each other.



Edited by leonardmccoy 2017-10-27 3:41 AM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2017-12-21 6:06 PM (#538475 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

New guitar tab: Where Are You? (1969)

https://catstevensguitar.wordpress.com/other-songs/where-are-you/

“Where Are You” serves as a swan song marking the start of the end of the cooperation with producer Mike Hurst under the Decca label. While it failed to land in the charts, it stands as one of Steve’s favorite track from that time with its tamer overall arrangement uncharacteristic of Hurst’s prescribed sound of that time. Its classical character is reminiscent of song arrangements heard in musicals. The influences of the melancholy French genre are apparent, not only in the lyrics. Its simplified arrangement serves as a look into the things to come for Steve starting with Mona Bone Jakon.

 

 

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2018-05-01 3:08 PM (#543477 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

New guitar tab:

I Wish, I Wish (1970)

With the advent of his second career and with it his new album MONA BONE JAKON (1970), Steve charted onto a new spiritual journey, and his growing sense of enlightenment is perfectly reflected in the lyrics of this song. Musically, this is a very catchy gigging song that keeps on rolling, one that guitarists can perhaps appreciate the most. 

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arumako
Posted 2018-05-02 6:34 PM (#543509 - in reply to #543477)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
October 2012
Posts: 1018

Location: Yokohama, Japan

leonardmccoy - 2018-05-01 5:08 AM

New guitar tab:

I Wish, I Wish (1970)

With the advent of his second career and with it his new album MONA BONE JAKON (1970), Steve charted onto a new spiritual journey, and his growing sense of enlightenment is perfectly reflected in the lyrics of this song. Musically, this is a very catchy gigging song that keeps on rolling, one that guitarists can perhaps appreciate the most. 

An amazing labor of love leonardmccoy! Just wanted to let you know that the above link is not working properly. Thanks for sharing!

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2018-05-03 2:16 PM (#543523 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

Thanks, Arumako. Unfortunately, I can't correct the link anymore, so here's the correct one:

https://catstevensguitar.wordpress.com/mona-bone-jakon/i-wish-i-wish/

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2018-06-15 10:23 AM (#544122 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: RE: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

New guitar tab:

Rubylove (1971)

Had I known before how complicated the song structure would turn out to be, I would probably have let this one go. This marks Cat's second song in Open E (besides the sublime "If I Laugh"), and it's a tour de force no doubt. Be sure to get the time signature down first (see notes at bottom). With this one tabbed out, I have the complete Teaser & the Firecat album as guitar tabs on the site now. Yay!

Cat wanted to introduce his Greek influences into his music, and so some friends of his father, who ran a Greek restaurant, came down to the studio to play on the record with their bozoukis. Alun's daughter, then four years old, asked Cat to sing "the Rubylove song" and so the name stayed, but he song was originally called "Who'll Be My Love?" and did not contain the Greek verse until later. Together with "If I Laugh", this song is a tour de force through all kinds of Open E voicings. Even the advanced player will have to overcome the unusual time signature of the song first so be sure to read the bottom notes on rhythm first. 

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2019-03-03 5:30 AM (#547195 - in reply to #525056)
Subject: Re: Passion Project: Cat Stevens Guitar Tabs



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu
<p>Despite my not posting updates here for awhile now, there have been uploaded many new and revised tabs on the site ever since.</p>

Edited by leonardmccoy 2019-03-03 5:31 AM
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