Teaser and the Firecat [Deluxe Edition] [Digipak]

Performer: Cat Stevens
Artist: Rick Wakeman
Producer: Paul Samwell-Smith; Paul Samwell-Smith; David Spero (Compilation); Cat Stevens (Compilation)
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Cat Stevens (vocals, guitar, guitars, keyboards); Alun Davies (vocals, guitar, guitars); Yusuf Islam (vocals, guitar, drums); Sue Lynch, Kimberley Carlson, Angela Howell (vocals); Mark Warner (guitar, bouzouki); Larry Steele (guitar, flute, bass guitar, congas, percussion); Angelos Hatzipavli, Andreas Toumazis (bouzouki); Del Newman (strings); Rick Wakeman (piano); Jean Roussel (keyboards); Bruce Lynch (bass instrument); Gerry Conway (drums, percussion); Harvey Burns (drums); Chico Batera (percussion). Audio Mixer: Ian Grimble. Audio Remasterer: Ted Jensen. Liner Note Authors: Alun Davies; Paul Samwell-Smith. Recording information: Island Basing Street (03/1971-??/2006); London, England (03/1971-??/2006); Morgan Recording Studios, London, England (03/1971-??/2006); Royal Albert Hall, London, England (03/1971-??/2006); The Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA (03/1971-??/2006). Author: Yusuf Islam. Illustrators: Aminah Islam; Cat Stevens. Photographers: David P. Bailey; Harry Goodwin. Arranger: Cat Stevens. Even as a serious-minded singer/songwriter, Cat Stevens never stopped being a pop singer at heart, and with Teaser and the Firecat he reconciled his philosophical interests with his pop instincts. Basically, Teaser's songs came in two modes: gentle ballads that usually found Stevens and second guitarist Alun Davies playing delicate lines over sensitive love lyrics, and up-tempo numbers on which the guitarists strummed away and thundering drums played in stop-start rhythms. There were also more exotic styles, such as the Greek-styled "Rubylove," with its twin bouzoukis and a verse sung in Greek, and "Tuesday's Dead," with its Caribbean feel. Stevens seemed to have worked out some of his big questions, to the point of wanting to proselytize on songs like "Changes IV" and "Peace Train," both stirring tunes in which he urged social and spiritual improvement. Meanwhile, his love songs had become simpler and more plaintive. And while there had always been a charming, childlike quality to some of his lyrics, there were songs here that worked as nursery rhymes, and these were among the album's most memorable tracks and its biggest hits: "Moonshadow" and "Morning Has Broken," the latter adapted from a hymn. The overall result was an album that was musically more interesting than ever, but lyrically dumbed-down. Stevens continued to look for satisfaction in romance, despite its disappointment, but he found more fulfillment in a still-unspecified religious pursuit that he was ready to tout to others. And they were at least nominally ready to listen: the album produced three hit singles and just missed topping the charts. Tea for the Tillerman may have been the more impressive effort, but 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. ~ William Ruhlmann Following in the tradition of his previous effort, with a similar cover design and feel, Cat continued his painful journey through life. Even then, there was a sadness linked to his happy songs such as "Moonshadow," "How Can I Tell You" and "Tuesday's Dead." Our favourite school hymn was also given the treatment - how did he manage to make such a happy verse sound so sad? The answer, as we have all seen, was in himself; he was a rare songwriter but he was mostly a very troubled soul, something he seems to have resolved through his conversion to the Muslim faith. He won, we lost him. Even as a serious-minded singer/songwriter, Cat Stevens never stopped being a pop singer at heart, and with Teaser and the Firecat he reconciled his philosophical interests with his pop instincts. Basically, Teaser's songs came in two modes: gentle ballads that usually found Stevens and second guitarist Alun Davies playing delicate lines over sensitive love lyrics, and uptempo numbers on which the guitarists strummed away and thundering drums played in stop-start rhythms. There were also more exotic styles, such as the Greek-styled "Rubylove" with its twin bouzoukis and a verse sung in Greek, and "Tuesday's Dead," with its Caribbean feel. Stevens seemed to have worked out some of his big questions, to the point of wanting to proselytize on songs like "Changes IV" and "Peace Train," both stirring tunes in which he urged social and spiritual improvement. Meanwhile, his love songs had become simpler and more plaintive. And while there had always been a charming, childlike quality to some of his lyrics, there were songs here that worked as nursery rhymes, and these were among the album's most memorable tracks and its biggest hits: "Moonshadow" and "Morning Has Broken," the latter adapted from a hymn. The overall result was an album that was musically more interesting than ever, but lyrically dumbed-down. Stevens continued to look for satisfaction in romance, despite its disappointment, but he found more fulfillment in a still-unspecified religious pursuit that he was ready to tout to others. And they were at least nominally ready to listen: the album produced three hit singles and just missed topping the charts. Tea for the Tillerman may have been the more impressive effort, but Teaser and the Firecat was the Cat Stevens album that gave more surface pleasure to more people, which in pop music is the name of the game. [In 2008, Teaser and the Firecat appeared in a beautifully remastered edition containing a bonus disc with 11 tracks. The double digipack is illustrated with the original album artwork including two beautiful paintings Stevens did for the inner sleeve. The booklet contains an introductory liner essay by Yusuf Islam, track by track notes from producer Paul Samwell-Smith, and a fine reminiscence by Islam's longtime guitarist Alun Davies. Disc two opens with a live version of "Moonshadow" taken from a performance at the Troubadour in 1971. It's just Stevens and Davies; it gets to the beautiful mystery in the tune and is perhaps superior to the studio version. This is followed by five straight excellent sounding demos of album tracks recorded in February, 1971: "Rubylove," "If I Laugh," "Changes," and a deeply vulnerable "How Can I Tell You" that undresses the album's rather glossy arrangement. The final demo is for "Morning Has Broken." This solo acoustic version (the first recorded one) is slightly different; it's transposed into a different key, Stevens seems a bit unsure of the lyrics (he didn't write them), but they are more convincing. It feels more like the hymn it was designed to be than a pop song. Two songs from a pair of Royal Albert Hall performances are included: a completely overblown "Bitterblue" from 1972, and a stellar drums-and-hums reading of "Peace Train" from 2003 which resembles the version on his 2006 album, The Other Cup. This version's timelessness is revealed in the same way that Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" is. The set ends with "The Wind" from the Yusuf's Cafe Session DVD, recorded with Davies. Here too, the song's poignancy is ever present, even if the performance is a little ragged. This deluxe edition is worth the extra investment.] ~ William Ruhlmann & Thom Jurek

Rolling Stone (12/9/71, p.54) - "..there is "Moonshadow", a simple, unadorned song whose beauty lies in its mystery...He has an unmistakable style, a unique ability to combine sophisticated, commercial melodies with personal, almost primitive lyrics..." CMJ (7/24/00, p.24) - "...Classic folk-pop....brilliant...gorgeously remastered...breathing new life into tunes...while remaining faithful to the albums' original majesty..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.96) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "Stevens' work had become ever more complex since he left his 60s pop persona behind and TEASER represented the perfect fusion of his earnest delivery and songs, which increasingly reflected his thoughts on life's deeper meaning."

Cat Stevens's debut single found its way to the U.K. charts while he was still in his teens. He became an international star with 1970's TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN, which showed an evolution in his style. With his distinctive voice, memorable melodies, and sensitive, socially conscious lyrics, Stevens typified the singer-songwriter aesthetic of the early '70s. His records from that period were incredibly successful, familiar to anyone growing up at the time. Over the years, his music grew a little less accessible, and by the end of the '70s he had converted to Islam, changed his name to Yusuf Islam, and retired from pop music. A 2006 comeback album, recorded under his new name, was a lovely return to form.

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