Banapple Gas by Cat Stevens

An exhilarating and curious song by good old uncle Yusuf. Yusuf Islam is what they call Cat Stevens these days, mate. Of course, I won't discuss his recent legit Pop record, literally his first album in decades (And you thought Kate Bush was slow to release a record!). Deeply involved and entirely complex issues are at the core of Cat's absence from the music scene, as most already know. However, we are going to travel back in time to the year of our Lord 1975, so that I may clarify a disturbing and comedic song included on Cat's "Numbers" concept album, and that song is "Banapple Gas." My interpretation is that this song is about somehow being able to breathe a combination of banana and apple, perhaps this is Cat's attempt at a jab in relation to the rather prominent drug culture of the '70's? This is a musically rewarding listen, as things get quite diverse with elements of Country steel guitar and Tropical flourishes as well.

Cat sings rather enthusiastically about this strange substance as if it were some sort of magical alien drug, if you will, and something that would make all persons rather goofy and happy at all times. It should be noted as well that the album this track comes from may very well feature Cat Stevens at his most musically and lyrically eccentric, as "Numbers" the album delves into heady topics in which numbers can be used to describe the universe in great detail. This is some pretty nerdy business that Cat is up to on this album, and as always, the religious imagery is very much plentiful. Perhaps it is surprising that I have not decided upon the more so cultural landmarks in Cat's oeuvre, such as "Peace Train" or "Wild World," but from my perspective, "Banapple Gas" really lets loose a very imaginative aspect of Cat's sound and one that is not quite as widely known or celebrated.

Certainly, Cat Stevens is a singer/songwriter to be reckoned with; and being able to cook up a whimsical novelty cut like "Banapple Gas" makes him all the more impressive, as it doesn't all need to be world weary social commentary. Regardless of the exact content or nature of a Cat Stevens song, rarely did he cut a song that was not musically worthwhile. It is interesting to note as well that "Numbers" was not much of a success when released, as it received poor reviews on the whole and "Banapple Gas" was a single that barely charted. However, observing this overall silly record and song in retrospective, what Cat has done is changed directions in a creative sense, but by no means did he lose his ability to craft a quality Folk Pop album, and because of this, I am of the opinion that "Banapple Gas" should be given an equal amount of weight on par with his better charting songs and that "Numbers" in its way should then be on equal playing field with an epic like "Teaser & the Firecat."

Here we have an infectious live version from 1976...



Finally, the concert from which this performance is taken is available in full as part of a 2004 DVD release entitled "Majikat (Earth Tour 1976)."