Teaser and the Firecat

Teaser and the Firecat
Teaser and the Firecat
Studio album by Cat Stevens
Released	1 October 1971
Recorded	July 1970 – March 1971
Studio	Paramount, Los Angeles; Morgan, London;
Genre	Folk-pop
Length	32:39
Label	Island (UK/Europe); A&M (US/Canada)
Producer	Paul Samwell-Smith
Cat Stevens chronology
Singles from Teaser and the Firecat
	"Moonshadow"; Released: September 1970 (UK); June 1971 (US); "Peace Train"; Released: 1971 (worldwide); September 1971 (US); "Morning Has Broken"; Released: 1972;

Teaser and the Firecat is the fifth studio album by Cat Stevens, released in October 1971.

At the Australian 1972 King of Pop Awards the album won Biggest Selling LP.^[3]

Overview

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".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]

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."^[5]

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."^[6] It was voted number 539 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).^[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Cat Stevens, except "Morning Has Broken" (traditional; arranged and adapted by Stevens with additional lyrics by Eleanor Farjeon).

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Wind"	1:42
2.	"Rubylove"	2:37
3.	"If I Laugh"	3:20
4.	"Changes IV"	3:32
5.	"How Can I Tell You"	4:24

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Tuesday's Dead"	3:36
2.	"Morning Has Broken"	3:20
3.	"Bitterblue"	3:12
4.	"Moonshadow"	2:52
5.	"Peace Train"	4:04

Personnel

Musicians

Adapted from liner notes of 2021 CD reissue. ^[8]

Cat Stevens – acoustic guitar (all tracks), vocals (all tracks), tambourine (tracks 2, 9 & 10), piano (tracks 4 & 9), percussion (tracks 4, 8 to 10), harpsichord (track 5), marimba (track 6), organ (tracks 6 to 8), harmonium (track 7), vibraphone (track 8)
Alun Davies – acoustic guitar (tracks 1, 3 to 6, 8 to 10), backing vocals (tracks 1, 3 to 6, 8 to 10), claves (track 4), autoharp (track 10), handclaps (track 10)
Larry Steele – bass (tracks 2, 4 to 8, 10), percussion (tracks 4 & 6), handclaps (track 4), backing vocals (tracks 4 & 7)
John Ryan - bass (track 3)
Gerry Conway – drums and percussion (tracks 4, 6, 8), additional drums (track 10)
Harvey Burns – drums and percussion (tracks 3 & 10)
Linda Lewis – backing vocals (track 2), solo girl's voice (track 5)
Jean Alain Roussel - Hammond organ (track 10)
Andy Roberts – guitar & Kriwaczek string organ (track 5)^[9]
Rick Wakeman – Hammond organ (track 3), piano (track 7)^[10]
Andreas Toumazis – bouzouki (track 2)
Angelos Hatzipavli – bouzouki (track 2)
Paul Samwell-Smith - finger cymbals (track 1), backing vocals (tracks 2 to 4, 9)
Del Newman – string arrangements (track 10)

Technical

Cat Stevens - cover artwork^[11]
David Bailey - photography^[12]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1971/72)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[13]	1
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)	2
United States (Billboard 200)^[14]	2

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[15]	67

Year-end charts

Chart (1972)	Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[16]	33

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)^[17]	Gold	100,000^*
Germany (BVMI)^[18]	Platinum	500,000^{^}
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)^[19]	Platinum	50,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[20]	Gold	100,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[21]	3× Platinum	3,000,000^{^}
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.