Teaser and the Firecat

Teaser and the Firecat
Studio album by Cat Stevens
Released 1 October 1971[1]
Recorded July 1970 – March 1971,
Paramount Studios, Los Angeles;
Morgan Studios, Willesden, London, England
Genre Folk rock
Length 32:39
Label Island (UK/Europe)
A&M (US/Canada)
Producer Paul Samwell-Smith
Cat Stevens chronology
Tea for the Tillerman
(1970)		 Teaser and the Firecat
(1971)		 Catch Bull at Four
(1972)
Singles from Teaser and the Firecat
  1. "Moonshadow"
    Released: September 1970 (UK); June 1971 (US)
  2. "Peace Train"
    Released: 1971 (worldwide); September 1971 (US)
  3. "Morning Has Broken"
    Released: 1972

Teaser and the Firecat is the fifth studio album released by Cat Stevens in 1971. The album contains 10 songs including the hits "Morning Has Broken", "Moonshadow" and "Peace Train". It is also the title of a children's book written and illustrated by Stevens. The story features the title characters from the album cover, top-hatted young Teaser and his pet, Firecat, who attempt to put the moon back in its place after it falls from the sky. Published in 1972, the book has been out of print since the mid-1970s.

The album was a commercial success, surpassing the heights achieved by Stevens' previous album, Tea for the Tillerman, reaching both the UK and US Top 3 and also spending fifteen weeks at the top of the Australian charts, becoming the biggest-selling album of the country in 1972.

In 1977 an animated version, narrated by Spike Milligan, using the song "Moonshadow", was a segment in Fantastic Animation Festival. In November 2008, a "deluxe edition" was released featuring a second disc of demos and live recordings.

Critical reception

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone magazine, music critic Timothy Crouse praised Stevens' distinctive musical style and introspective songs such as "Tuesday's Dead" and "The Wind", but felt that he lacks Van Morrison's evocative quality and James Taylor's refined lyrics: "Cat has become a dependable artist, a good artist, but he appears to be one of those composers who does not develop, who holds no surprises."[2]

In a retrospective five-star review, AllMusic's William Ruhlmann found the album more simplistic lyrically and musically entertaining than Tea for the Tillerman (1970): "Teaser and the Firecat was the Cat Stevens album that gave more surface pleasures to more people, which in pop music is the name of the game."[3]

Track listing

All tracks written by Cat Stevens except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."The Wind" (Recorded: March 1971 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London, England)1:42
2."Rubylove" (Recorded: 15 February 1971 at Paramount Studios, Los Angeles)2:37
3."If I Laugh"  3:20
4."Changes IV"  3:32
5."How Can I Tell You"  4:24
6."Tuesday's Dead"  3:36
7."Morning Has Broken" (Traditional, arranged and adapted Cat Stevens with words by Eleanor Farjeon: Recorded: March 1971 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London, England)3:20
8."Bitterblue" (Recorded: March 1971 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London, England)3:12
9."Moonshadow" (Recorded: July 1970 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London, England)2:52
10."Peace Train" (Recorded: March 1971 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London, England)4:04

Deluxe edition

Disc two

All tracks written by Cat Stevens except where noted.

[4] Deluxe Edition: Disc 2
No.TitleLength
1."Moonshadow" (Recorded: 1 May 1971 at Troubadour Club, Los Angeles)3:06
2."Rubylove" (Demo)2:53
3."If I Laugh" (Demo)4:04
4."Changes IV" (Demo)3:36
5."How Can I Tell You" (Demo)4:03
6."Morning Has Broken" (Traditional, arranged and adapted Cat Stevens with words by Eleanor Farjeon: Demo)2:49
7."Bitterblue" (Recorded: 20 December 1975 at Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington, London, England)3:38
8."Tuesday's Dead" (Recorded: 22 February 1976 at William & Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia)4:09
9."Peace Train" (Recorded: 1 January 2004 at Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington, London, England)4:12
10."The Wind" (Demo)1:59

Personnel

Charts

Album

Year Chart Peak Position
1971 Billboard Pop Albums 2[7]
1971 Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart 1
1972 Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart 1

Single

Year Song Chart Peak Position
1971 "Moonshadow" Billboard Adult Contemporary 10
1971 "Moonshadow" Billboard Pop Singles 30
1971 "Peace Train" Billboard Adult Contemporary 1
1971 "Peace Train" Billboard Pop Singles 7
1972 "Morning Has Broken" Billboard Adult Contemporary 1
1972 "Morning Has Broken" Billboard Pop Singles 6

Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA – USA Gold 18 October 1971
RIAA – USA Platinum 22 February 2001
RIAA – USA Double Platinum 22 February 2001
RIAA – USA Triple Platinum 22 February 2001

References

  1. ↑ "Teaser and the Firecat". MTV Networks. 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  2. ↑ Crouse, Tim (9 December 1971). "Cat Stevens Teaser and the Firecat > Review". Rolling Stone (97). Archived from the original on 21 November 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  3. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. Teaser and the Firecat at AllMusic. Retrieved 13 September 2005.
  4. ↑ "Cat Stevens – Tour Dates at majicat". majicat.com. 16 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  5. ↑ http://www.andyrobertsmusic.com/music_collaborations.html
  6. ↑ Hogan, Ed. "Morning Has Broken – Cat Stevens : Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  7. ↑ Cat Stevens > Teaser and the Firecat > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums at AllMusic
Preceded by
Every Picture Tells a Story by Rod Stewart		 Australian Kent Music Report number-one album
6 December 1971 – 9 January 1972
24 January – 2 April 1972 		Succeeded by
Imagine by John Lennon
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