TURN-ONS AND TURN-OFFS IN CURRENT HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES : COMPACT DISCS : ****Excellent ***Good **Fair *Poor

“Classics: Cat Stevens.” A&M.; Here’s a rare example of a retrospective that should have been a little less representative of an artist’s entire career. Stevens turned out four strong albums from 1970-73, but his consistency fell off in four subsequent albums--after which he converted to Islam and quit the pop life. It’s a mystery why the hits “Wild World” and his remake of Sam Cooke’s “Another Saturday Night” were ignored to make room for the less consequential “Novim’s Nightmare” and “New York Times.” Otherwise, the 15 pre-1974 tracks on this 20-song, 68-minute CD are solid. Sound quality: good. *** 1/2