Cat Stevens Breaks 28-Year Silence On New DVD

In February 1976, Cat Stevens performed in Williamsburg, Va., as part of his U.S. ‘Majikat Earth Tour’. The concert came just 18 months before he walked away from the music industry forever. Majikat: Earth Tour 1976, his first ever concert DVD, documents Stevens' last performance before leaving the business and changing his name to Yusuf Islam. The DVD is not only a collection of his greatest hits but also breaks the artist’s 28 year silence with a brand-new, exclusive 35-minute interview, answering long-pondered questions, explaining why he walked away and what he's been doing ever since. The DVD will be available May 18, 2004 through Eagle Rock Entertainment.

The ‘Majikat Earth Tour’ featured magicians, synchronized film projection and a specially constructed stage. The DVD showcases 21 of the Stevens' hits, including "Peace Train," "Oh Very Young," "Another Saturday Night" and many more. Bonus material includes a "Wild World" outtake from the ‘Majikat Earth Tour', "If I Laugh" from the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test 1971, "Maybe You’re Right" from the BBC In Concert 1971, and "Tuesday’s Dead" from Granada TV, Out Front 1971. The animated short film Teaser & The Firecat—narrated by Spike Milligan with a performance of "Moonshadow" and "Father & Son" from an original Island promo film—is also featured.

The DVD release coincides with the US launch of Small Kindness, Yusuf’s charity. In April 1999 Yusuf began Small Kindness, a non-profit organization that aims to help victims of war in Bosnia and Kosovo. The organization began by raising funds to distribute humanitarian aid to widows and orphans in the war-torn Balkan region. Recognizing the long-term needs of the region, Small Kindness developed programs to support culture and provide job skills training. Programs focus on computer lessons, sports, scholarships, management and IT training. Recently, Small Kindness set up an office in Amman, Jordan for victims of the war in Iraq. At the moment 300 Iraqi orphans are sponsored and a tech-training program is offered in partnership with Baghdad University.

To learn more about Small Kindness, visit the Yusuf Islam website.

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