teaser and the firecat

Cat Stevens followed up the massive success of 'Tea For The Tillerman' with the even bigger success of 'Teaser And The Firecat'. After his breakup with American model Patti D'Arbanville, he says,"Everything I wrote while I was away was in a transitional period and reflects that. Like Patti. A year ago we split; I had been with her for two years. What I write about Patti and my family... when I sing the songs now, I learn strange things. I learn the meanings of my songs late..."

Stevens stuck with the winning team of producer Paul Samwell-Smith and guitarist Alun Davies. The music was a blend of delicate ballads and hard strummin' thumpers. Cat says, "I get the tune and then I just keep on singing the tune until the words come out from the tune. It's kind of a hypnotic state that you reach after a while when you keep on playing it where words just evolve from it. So you take those words and just let them go whichever way they want... 'Moonshadow'? Funny, that was in Spain, I went there alone, completely alone, to get away from a few things. And I was dancin' on the rocks there... right on the rocks where the waves were, like, blowin' and splashin'. Really, it was so fantastic. And the moon was bright, ya know, and I started dancin' and singin' and I sang that song and it stayed. It's just the kind of moment that you want to find when you're writin' songs."

'Teaser And The Firecat' made it to number two on the album charts in Canada, Norway, the UK, and the US; and spent fifteen weeks at the top of the Australian charts.











http://catstevens.com/

An anthem for social change through spiritual means, 'Peace Train' became his first number one hit, topping the US Adult Contemporary chart.

"Now I've been crying lately, thinking about the world as it is

Why must we go on hating, why can't we live in bliss

'Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train

Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again"

'Morning Has Broken' was also an Adult Contemporary number one. Stevens did his own arrangement of the hymn by Eleanor Farjeon based on the traditional Gaelic folksong 'Bunessan'.

"Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning.

Born of the one light Eden saw play.

Praise with elation, praise every morning;

God's recreation of the new day."

Cat Stevens - Morning has broken by BasitRoy

'Moonshadow' reached number thirty on the US pop chart and number ten on the AC chart. Stevens recalls, "I was on a holiday in Spain. I was a kid from the West End (of London) - bright lights, et cetera. I never got to see the moon on its own in the dark, there were always streetlamps. So there I was on the edge of the water on a beautiful night with the moon glowing, and suddenly I looked down and saw my shadow. I thought that was so cool, I'd never seen it before." This animated version appeared at the 1977 Fantastic Animation Festival. It is narrated by Spike Milligan.

"Did it take long to find me?

I ask the faithful light

Oh, did it take long to find me?

And, are you going to stay the night?"

'Tuesday's Dead' addresses those who spread the lie that grace is gone from the world.

"Now every second on the nose, the humdrum of the city grows.

reaching out beyond the throes of our time.

We must try to shake it down. Do our best to break the ground.

Try to turn the world around one more time."

'Rubylove' features dueling bouzoukis and lyrics in Greek.

"Ruby glykeia (Ruby my sweet)

Ela xana (come again)

Ela xana konta mou (come again close to me)

Ela proi (come in the morning)

Me tin avgi (by dawn)

Hrisi san iliahtida (gold as a sunbeam)

Ruby mou mikri (You small Ruby)"

'The Wind'

"I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul

Where I'll end up, well I think only God really knows

I've sat upon the setting sun...

But never, never, never, never

I never wanted water once

No never, never, never"

'Teaser And The Firecat'  
full album:





All tracks written by Cat Stevens except where noted.


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
6. "Tuesday's Dead" 3:36
7. "Morning Has Broken" (Traditional, arranged and adapted Cat Stevens with words by Eleanor Farjeon) 3:20
8. "Bitterblue" 3:12
9. "Moonshadow" 2:52
10. "Peace Train" 4:04