Yusuf/Cat Stevens wants to make an unlikely collaboration with Green Day.
The 74-year-old musician - who is also known as Yusuf Islam - has just announced he is bringing out his seventeenth studio LP 'King of a Land' on June 16, the week before he plays Glastonbury's legends slot, and he's revealed he's an unlikely fan of the US pop punk veterans and would love to work with them as he thinks they were inspired by his 1971 track 'Bitterblue' on their 2010 protest song 'Know Your Enemy'.
Asked if he's in the loop with pop music nowadays, he told NME: “Not very much. I came from one of pop’s pinnacle eras when there’d be a new milestone every week, so I tend to listen to that period most. But I love Green Day because of their message. ‘Know Your Enemy’ is an incredible song with a message about the Iraq war that was right on time.”
Asked if he'd like to collaborate with Billie Joe Armstrong and co, he replied: “Yeah! Wow, that’s a good idea. I think they listened to my song ‘Bitterblue’ before making ‘Know Your Enemy’, as I can hear little titbits of it in the chords and some of the words. I reckon we could definitely get it on.”
Cat is releasing his new record on the late Beatle George Harrison's Dark Horse Records and worked on the songs at the studios at the music legend's home, Friar Park, in Henley-on-Thames, England, which his widow, Olivia Harrison, 74, owns.
And he admitted he felt the guitarist's "spirit" while making the record.
He said: “Oh, George’s spirit was there, of course. George left his spirit in so many places, including obviously his music. His son Dhani is the carrier of George’s legacy, and he protects it beautifully. Friar Park is like it’s brand new, as everything in the studio works so fantastically. It was a joy and a privilege to work there. Walking around the grounds, there’s fields and lakes, amazing rock arrangements. It’s just beautiful.”
