Teaser and the Firecat is the fifth studio album by Cat Stevens, released in October 1971.
Teaser and the Firecat | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1 October 1971[1] | |||
Recorded | July 1970 – March 1971 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Folk rock | |||
Length | 32:39 | |||
Label | Island (UK/Europe) A&M (US/Canada) | |||
Producer | Paul Samwell-Smith | |||
Cat Stevens chronology | ||||
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Singles from Teaser and the Firecat | ||||
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At the Australian 1972 King of Pop Awards the album won Biggest Selling LP.[2]
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 comedian 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.
English keyboardist Rick Wakeman played piano on "Morning Has Broken" and English musician Linda Lewis contributed vocals on "How Can I Tell You".
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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."[4]
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."[5] It was voted number 539 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[6]
All tracks are written by Cat Stevens except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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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" (Recorded: March 1971 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London, England) | Traditional, arranged and adapted Cat Stevens with words by Eleanor Farjeon | 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 |
All tracks are written by Cat Stevens except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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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" (Demo) | Traditional, arranged and adapted Cat Stevens with words by Eleanor Farjeon | 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, Williamsburg, Virginia) | 4:09 | |
9. | "Peace Train" (Recorded: 1 January 2004 at Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington, London, England) | 4:12 | |
10. | "The Wind" (Yusuf's Café Sessions) | 1:59 |
Chart (1971/72) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] | 1 |
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) | 2 |
United States (Billboard 200)[13] | 2 |
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
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Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] | 67 |
Chart (1972) | Position |
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German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] | 33 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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France (SNEP)[16] | Gold | 100,000* |
Germany (BVMI) | Platinum | 500,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) | Platinum | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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Studio pop albums |
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Live albums | |||||||
Spiritual albums | |||||||
Compilations | |||||||
Singles | |||||||
Other songs |
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