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 albumby | ||||
| Released | 1 October 1971[1] | |||
| Recorded | July 1970 – March 1971 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Folk-pop[2] | |||
| 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.[3]
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 | |
|---|---|
| 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]
All tracks are written by Cat Stevens, except "Morning Has Broken" (traditional; arranged and adapted by Stevens with additional lyrics by Eleanor Farjeon).
| 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 |
| 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 |
Adapted from liner notes of 2021 CD reissue. [8]
| 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 |
| Chart (1972) | Position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] | 33 |
| 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^ |
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* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||