"Year of the Cat" is the seventh studio album by Al Stewart, released in 1976. Produced and engineered by Alan Parsons, the album achieved significant sales, aided by the hit single "Year of the Cat," co-written by Peter Wood and noted by AllMusic as a "mysterious woman" song. The album reached the top five in the United States, with another single, "On the Border," also released from it. Stewart wrote "Lord Grenville" about Sir Richard Grenville, an Elizabethan sailor and explorer.
Interestingly, Stewart had all the music and orchestration completed before finalizing any song titles. In a Canadian radio interview, he mentioned that this approach has been his method for six albums, often writing multiple sets of lyrics for each song. The title track evolved from a song he wrote in 1966 called "Foot of the Stage," which contained prescient lyrics about comedian Tony Hancock, who died by suicide two years later. Upon realizing Hancock's lack of recognition in the U.S., Stewart reverted to the original title "Year of the Cat."
The album cover, designed by Hipgnosis and illustrator Colin Elgie, features a woman seemingly obsessed with cats. She is shown in a mirror, dressing up as a cat for a costume party, with various feline motifs adorning her dresser. Stewart later used a similar concept for the cover of his 2004 Greatest Hits album, though replacing most of the cat items with references to his other singles.
