London born singer and songwriter Cat Stevens scored a string of memorable acoustic hits in the early 70s, including "Wild World" (#11), "Peace Train" (#7), "Morning Has Broken" (#6), "Oh Very Young" (#10), and his Sam Cooke cover of "Another Saturday Night" (#6). Many will be surprised to learn that one of his most beloved songs, "Father And Son," did not hit the charts when it was released in 1971. The last appearance Stevens made on the charts came in 1979 when "Bad Brakes" peaked at #83. That same year he converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam. Yusuf has been quietly producing more music over the years, and his gentle voice is always pleasing on the ears.
Mr. Big formed in 1988, comprised of a group of all-star musicians. Some were ace session musicians who've played with many artists over the years. Bassist extraordinaire Billy Sheehan was a member of David Lee Roth's band, vocalist Eric Martin had already seen chart action as a solo artist, guitarist Paul Gilbert played in the rock outfit Racer X, and drummer Pat Torpey (who passed away in 2018) played with everyone from Belinda Carlisle to Ted Nugent. Mr. Big took their name from a song by the band Free, and ended up doing their rendition of this tune on their "Bump Ahead" record in 1993. They are not to be confused with the English disco band who hit the charts in 1977 with "Romeo." Their self-titled debut was generally well-received, although it did not generate any chart hits. But the band's chemistry aligned for their second album, 1991's "Lean Into It." A near flawless piece of AOR, this record doesn't get enough credit. It almost tanked until a simple acoustic ditty, "To Be With You," which was tacked on to the end of the album, suddenly hit #1 for three weeks. The momentum gave the band a second hit, "Just Take My Heart," which reached #16. Due to the shifting winds of the musical landscape in the 90s, it was surprising a band like Mr. Big could squeeze out two more charting singles: a cover of Cat Stevens's "Wild World" hit #27 and "Ain't Seen Love Like That" hit #83. The band continued to put out records over the years, the last arriving in 2017. "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind" was the lead single from "Lean Into It" that somehow did not interest enough folks at radio to get it on the charts. It is a terrific pop rock song that deserved to become a classic.
