If this were to be rated from 1-5, I would rate it a 10. This is the best ever box set of any group or artist around. The artwork is superb. Each CD of the four CDs is titled in its own individual jacket. There is a 96 page booklet included which has pictures of Cat Stevens as a boy and into adult and family life. There are liner notes included. There is a history about Cat Stevens and a chronological order of his life by year beginning with his birth in 1948. At the end of the booklet each song is listed and a small commentary by Yusef Islam and some of the other musicians who have played with him. Disc one has 23 very early songs on it which is a real treat. The other 3 CDs have a number of demos, previously unreleased, and live tracks on them. And of course there are a number of songs from each of his albums. The very last song on CD 4 is a song from his first recording as Yosef Islam and is a real gem. The track listings at the end of the booklet are broken down into specific albums starting with Matthew and Son right through to Back To Earth. This box set is a must for any Cat Stevens fan. If a non Cat Stevens fan heard this set, he would soon become a devout fan. I highly recommend this set for anyone. I'm over the moon with this set. After reading the booklet and listening to the songs, one can only deeply feel who Cat Stevens really was. Unfortunately, he is no more, but we still have his beautiful music.

This 4 CD box set is a feast for Cat Stevens fans. In addition to many old favorites, this collection includes many never before released songs, some key live tracks, and some very hard to find "B" sides and tracks that have been out of print. Some of the treasures include a Cat duet with Elton John, the hard to come by "Harold and Maude" tracks, and a lengthy book with commentary on each track by Yusef Islam, who was formerly known as Cat Stevens. The new songs are not just "filler or rehashs either, there are some real gems here that have been sought after by Cat fans for years. This is the one to own!

Hit songs, great album tracks, live gewms,and unreleased material... that's what makes this box set worth owning.

The 1st CD consists of Cat Stevens' beginnings as an English pop star of the late '60s.

The 2nd CD concentrates on the post TB episode, where Cat re-evaluates his life and writes more introspective material which surprising to him, becomes really successful. The material from Mona Bone Jackon, and Stevens' two classic masterpieces "Tea For Tillerman" and "Teaser and The Firecat" are represented.

CD 3 consists of Catch Bull At Four, the epic Foreigner - including the 18 minute title track, as well as Budda and The Chocolate Box, live material from a still-to-be released on CD live album from Japan, as well as the Greatest Hits track "Another Saturday Night"

the box set concludes the journey on Disc 4 with Cat Stevens' closing material from albums Numbers, Iszito, and Back To Earth, as well as a fine performance from Cat's last public performance as "Cat Stevens" ... the track Father & Son" taken from the UNICEF concert at Wembley Stadium. The box set ends with a performance by the newly christened Yusuf Islam.

As I stated above, sprinkled throughout these 4 CDs are unreleased material, as well as live tracks.

Excellent box set for both the casual fan and hardcore fans as well.

A&M Records have been trying for literally decades to produce an adequate compilation of Cat Stevens' work. And I think they've finally done the job right. The problem (as many people have pointed out) is that no compilation can possibly do justice to his legacy--it can merely represent it, and perhaps shed new light on the overall scope of his career. This box set does this consummately, no doubt thanks to Yusuf Islam's dedicated attention and input (finally!)

This set provides everything a neophyte and longtime admirer will need to be satisfied. If you only have "The Very Best Of", after this set you will be compelled to collect the proper albums. If you have the proper albums (which I do, for the most part, in their pre-remastered non-glory :-( I'll be working on that soon--The sound quality on this set is astounding!), you'll need this box for the excellent rarities and outtakes, especially "If Only Mother Could See Me Now," which has become one of my very favorite Cat songs. And the illuminating liner notes and fantastic pictures complement the package beautifully.

Like many people browsing this page, I've been a Cat Stevens fan since, well, birth I guess, and can't think of a better way to re-assess his career. Sure, many of my all time favorites are missing (including "Miles from Nowhere" and "I Think I See the Light"--see HAROLD AND MAUDE. Now.), but let's face it. Their exclusion only adds to the wonder of discovering his songs from whence they came--and whispering via mix tapes or the internet, "You know, that's my favorite. And no, it's not on the box set." What better compliment could be paid to the artistry of Cat Stevens than realizing that what's not here would make a perfectly adequate box set in its own right? Hey--that would make a great mix tape!

This is a collector's delight that transcends the usual retro round-up of an artist's body of work. Stevens fans who may have felt abandoned when he walked away from his music will embrace both an old friend and a new one via the insightful presence of Yusuf Islam, whose commentary in the set's artful, 96-page booklet provides an affectionate look back at his former self. Sit back and journey with him over these 79 digitally remastered tracks -- several previously unreleased -- that chronologically piece together an ongoing quest of pure, poignant yearning. Islam, in finding his god, seems at peace as well with his Cat, and this invitation to remembrance shimmers with childlike openness.

Disc One includes his first single, "I Love My Dog," and features the late '60s U.K. hits that earned him cult status in the U.S. ("Matthew & Son," "I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun," and "The First Cut Is The Deepest" -- later a huge hit for Rod Stewart).

Disc Two highlights Stevens' early '70s chartmaking heyday with "Wild World," "Hard Headed Woman," "Morning Has Broken," "Peace Train," "Moonshadow," and other favorites.

Disc Three delves into a musically adventurous time for him, when he tried "to escape the regimented formula of writing I'd fallen into" with such pieces as the 18-minute "Foreigner Suite."

Disc Four covers the last few years of his pop music life, represented by perceptive tracks like "(Remember The Days Of The) Old Schoolyard," the hauntingly beautiful "Life," and "Last Love Song," which Islam characterizes as "more or less my epilogue." The live "Father And Son" track, recorded on November 22, 1979 at Wembley Arena for the Year Of The Child Concert, marks his final pop performance. His artistic progression reaches a satisfying, profoundly contented plateau here with "God Is the Light," released in 1997 on his own Mountain of Light label.

I'm partial to the material Stevens contributed to the soundtrack for the cult classic film "Harold & Maude," although "I Think I See the Light" and "Miles to Nowhere" are curiously missing. Overall, though, this box is a beaut. In addition to rare out-takes, demos, live recordings, B-sides and soundtrack recordings, it comes with Bill DeYoung's handy timeline, dozens of photos, and detailed track annotation.