Editing Teaser and the Firecat

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Teaser and the Firecat
| type       = Studio album
| artist     = [[Cat Stevens]]
| cover      = Teaser & the firecat.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = 1 October 1971<ref>{{cite web|title=Teaser and the Firecat|url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/stevens_cat/83717/album.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040801015847/http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/stevens_cat/83717/album.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 August 2004|publisher=MTV Networks|accessdate=12 July 2010|year=2010}}</ref>
| recorded   = July 1970 – March 1971
| venue      =
| studio     = {{hlist|Paramount, Los Angeles|[[Morgan Studios|Morgan]], London}}
| genre      = [[Folk-pop]]<ref name="Molanphy 2021">{{Cite podcast|url=https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2021/02/billboard-charts-are-you-experienced-the-stranger-back-in-black-the-fame|title= The AC/DC Rule Edition|website=Hit Parade {{!}} Music History and Music Trivia|publisher=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|last=Molanphy|first=Chris|date= February 12, 2021|access-date= February 3, 2024}}</ref>
| length     = 32:39
| label      = [[Island Records|Island]] (UK/Europe)<br>[[A&M Records|A&M]] (US/Canada)
| producer   = [[Paul Samwell-Smith]]
| prev_title = [[Tea for the Tillerman]]
| prev_year  = 1970
| next_title = [[Catch Bull at Four]]
| next_year  = 1972
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Teaser and the Firecat
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Moonshadow (song)|Moonshadow]]
 | single1date = September 1970 (UK); June 1971 (US)
 | single2     = [[Peace Train]]
 | single2date = 1971 (worldwide); September 1971 (US)
 | single3     = [[Morning Has Broken]]
 | single3date = 1972
}}
}}
'''''Teaser and the Firecat''''' is the fifth studio album by [[Cat Stevens]], released in October 1971. 

At the Australian [[Australian pop music awards|1972 King of Pop Awards]] the album won Biggest Selling LP.<ref name="Top40TV">{{Cite web | url = http://users.ncable.net.au/~ronjeff/top40/oz_king.htm | title = Australian Music Awards | publisher = Ron Jeff | accessdate = 16 December 2010 }}</ref>

==Overview==
The album contains 10 songs, including the hits "[[Morning Has Broken]]", "[[Moonshadow (song)|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 Albums Chart|UK]] and [[Billboard 200|US]] top 3 and also spending fifteen weeks at the top of the [[ARIA Charts|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 ==
{{album ratings
| rev1      = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0000192004}}</ref>
}}
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."<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=97 |date=9 December 1971 |first=Tim |last=Crouse |title=Cat Stevens ''Teaser and the Firecat'' > Review |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/teaser-the-firecat-19711209 |accessdate=30 May 2008 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121222316/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/catstevens/albums/album/116642/review/6212900/teaser__the_firecat |archivedate=21 November 2007}}</ref>

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."<ref name="Allmusic">{{AllMusic |class=album |tab=review |id=r50190 |first=William |last=Ruhlmann |accessdate=13 September 2005}}</ref>
It was voted number 539 in the third edition of [[Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]'' (2000).<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2006|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=185}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{tracklist
| all_writing = [[Cat Stevens]], except "[[Morning Has Broken]]" (traditional; arranged and adapted by Stevens with additional lyrics by [[Eleanor Farjeon]]).
| headline = Side one
| title1 = The Wind
|length1 = 1:42
| title2 = Rubylove 
|length2 = 2:37 
| title3 = If I Laugh
| length3 = 3:20
| title4 = Changes IV
|length4 = 3:32
| title5 = How Can I Tell You
|length5 = 4:24
}}

{{tracklist
|headline = Side two
|title6 = Tuesday's Dead
|length6 = 3:36
|title7 = [[Morning Has Broken]]
|length7 = 3:20
|title8 = Bitterblue
|length8 = 3:12
|title9 = [[Moonshadow (song)|Moonshadow]]
|length9 = 2:52
|title10 = [[Peace Train]]
|length10 = 4:04
}}

==Personnel==
*Guitar: [[Alun Davies (guitarist)|Alun Davies]], Cat Stevens 
*[[Bouzouki]]: Angelos Hatzipavli, Andreas Toumazis
*Bass: Larry Steele
*Keyboards: [[Jean Alain Roussel]], Cat Stevens, [[Rick Wakeman]]
*Drums: Harvey Burns, [[Gerry Conway (musician)|Gerry Conway]]
*Percussion: [[Paul Samwell-Smith]], Larry Steele
*Strings: [[Del Newman]]
*Backing Vocals: Alun Davies, [[Linda Lewis]], Paul Samwell-Smith, Larry Steele<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/release/21130087-Cat-Stevens-Teaser-And-The-Firecat | title=Cat Stevens - Teaser and the Firecat | website=[[Discogs]] | date=19 August 2023 }}</ref>

==Charts==
===Weekly charts===
{|class="wikitable 
|-
!scope="col"| Chart (1971/72)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=293}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
|-
|United Kingdom ([[Official Charts Company]])
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
|-
|United States ([[Billboard 200]])<ref>{{AllMusic |class=album |tab=charts-awards |id=r50190 |label=Cat Stevens > Teaser and the Firecat > Charts &amp; Awards > Billboard Albums |publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
! scope="col"| Chart (2021)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Switzerland|67|artist=Cat Stevens|album=Teaser and the Firecat|rowheader=true|access-date=28 November 2021}}
|}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col" | Chart (1972)
! scope="col" | Position
|-
! scope="row" | German Albums ([[GfK Entertainment charts|Offizielle Top 100]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1972|title=Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts|date=1972|publisher=[[GfK Entertainment Charts]]|language=de|access-date=2 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509214918/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1972|archive-date=9 May 2015}}</ref>
| 33
|}

==Certifications==
{{certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=France|artist=Cat Stevens|title=Teaser and the Firecat|award=Gold|certyear=1982|relyear=1971|certref=<ref>{{cite web |title=Les Certifications depuis 1973: Albums |url=http://www.infodisc.fr/Album_Certifications.php |publisher=Infodisc.fr |accessdate=11 June 2019}} (select "Cat Stevens" from drop-down list)</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Germany|artist=Cat Stevens|title=Teaser and the Firecat|award=Platinum|certyear=1992|relyear=1971|accessdate=11 June 2019}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Switzerland|artist=Cat Stevens|title=Teaser|award=Platinum|certyear=1993|relyear=1971|accessdate=11 June 2019}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Cat Stevens|title=Teaser and the Firecat|award=Gold|certyear=2007|relyear=1971|accessdate=11 June 2019|id=6489-3392-2}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=Cat Stevens|title=Teaser|award=Platinum|number=3|certyear=2001|relyear=1971|accessdate=11 June 2019}}
{{Certification Table Bottom}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{YouTube|vEsfQy1zy7Y|How Can I Tell You (Live, 1970)}}

{{Cat Stevens}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cat Stevens albums]]
[[Category:1971 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Paul Samwell-Smith]]
[[Category:Island Records albums]]
[[Category:A&M Records albums]]
[[Category:1970s concept albums]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Morgan Sound Studios]]
[[Category:Folk-pop albums]]