A hallmark of the song is Stewart’s use of a major-seventh chord throughout the main progression, which imbues “Year of the Cat” with a rich, wistful nostalgia. “Major sevenths are great ...

Decades after its 1976 release, “Year of the Cat” is Al Stewart’s most recognizable hit. Yet there was nothing inevitable about the song’s completion, much less its enduring popularity.

You can prefer the literary songs of Al Stewart or the sonic exploration of Alan Parsons. The thing is, when you combine those two impulses – as Stewart did on his 1976 album Year of the Cat ...