Following last year’s 50th anniversaries of the era-defining albums, Tea for the Tillerman and Mona Bone Jakon, Yusuf / Cat Stevens is celebrating the succeeding album that immortalized his status as a forerunner in the singer-songwriter movement – the 1971 multi-platinum selling landmark record, Teaser and the Firecat – with a suite of 50th anniversary editions, available now via A&M/UMe.
Cat Stevens achieved phenomenal success with his early work, but it was Teaser and the Firecat, his third LP with Island Records – A&M in the U.S. – that propelled Cat Stevens into superstardom, spawning some of his most unforgettable hits including “Moonshadow,” “Peace Train” and “Morning Has Broken,” songs by a youthful spiritual seeker, wise beyond his years that would lay the pretext for a poignant new wave of soulful troubadours and poets. Later, “The Wind” would see Teaser and the Firecat celebrated anew, rising to prominence following the song’s use in Wes Anderson’s much celebrated film “Rushmore” as well as the Oscar-winning Cameron Crowe film, “Almost Famous.” Through his spell-binding gift for songwriting and his introspective vision, Cat delivered a universal sense of hope and peace in Teaser and the Firecat that still resonates profoundly to this day.
Teaser and the Firecat walked tall in what was a year of classic albums and events that would echo down the decades. The 12 months of 1971 was a transitional year in pop culture in which the album joined John Lennon’s Imagine, David Bowie’s Hunky Dory, Joni Mitchell’s Blue, Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers and Led Zeppelin IV as the soundtrack to the momentous 500,000 strong anti-Vietnam war March on Washington D.C., the largest demonstration against US war in history, and the “Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden, New York City which saw Joe Frazer hand Muhammad Ali his first ever defeat. With the '60s now in the rear-view mirror – The Beatles gone, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin having already passed on, and Jim Morrison tragically joining their number in July '71 – there was a distinct mood of change in the air. Along with burgeoning heavy rock and the socially-conscious R&B of Funkadelic and Sly And The Family Stone, it was the era of the poetical singer-songwriter. As well as being part of this latter movement, Cat Stevens was himself inspired by it.
Half a century later, Teaser and the Firecat has been given the ultimate treatment in a brand new Super Deluxe Edition set; the most in-depth and definitive version of the album possible. Presented in a remastering of Yusuf’s original artwork, the release includes: 41 previously unreleased audio tracks and 21 live video performances on disc for the first time, amongst an entire CD and LP of studio demos and alternate mixes; a stunning 44-page, 12” soft cover replica of the original Teaser and the Firecat book, hand written and illustrated by Yusuf in 1972, and now featuring text in 10 languages; and a 108-page hard-cover 12” essay book, alongside a host of other rarities across 4CDs, Blu-Ray, 2 LPs and 7” vinyl. The set is presented in a rigid clamshell box and is the latest in a series of boxsets - so far consisting of Back To Earth, Mona Bone Jakon and Tea for the Tillerman - that celebrate the albums in full depth with the direct involvement and direction of Yusuf and his son Yoriyos, who curates and designs each boxset.
Also now available is a slimmed down version of the Super Deluxe Edition, including the 108-page book in a soft cover format, along with the 4CDs and Blu-ray, housed in a rigid slipcase. Other 50th Anniversary reissue formats include a 2CD Deluxe Edition, plus 1CD and 1LP Remasters.
The 50th anniversary remaster of the album was mixed by David Hefti on CD and LP, the Super Deluxe Edition also includes a CD of previously unreleased studio material and bonus tracks, an alternate version of the album on LP, as well as a third and fourth CD featuring 23 live performances from 1971. The 50th anniversary remaster was completed at Abbey Road Studios, and was overseen by original album producer, Paul Samwell-Smith.
The set includes a remastered 7” single of "Moonshadow," backed with a previously unreleased Spike Milligan narration of the track from the 1977 Teaser and the Firecat animated video. The 50th anniversary edition also includes an exclusive vinyl LP, tracklisted with 5 live performances at Montreux in 1971 and six BBC Recordings, as well as a Blu-Ray disc featuring a restored version of the 1977 animated video for "Moonshadow," a live performance of “The Wind” from 2020, plus 21 live TV performances.
Also featured in the collection is “Bitterblue²,” a newly recorded and never-before-heard version of the classic Teaser album track. Yusuf’s rich vocal, sung a full octave lower than the original, imparts a new sense of experience and gravity to the song whose lyrics seem to resonate with a whole new level of meaning: “I’ve been waiting a long time/To be back beyond.”
Ahead of the 50th anniversary Teaser and the Firecat celebrations, 2021 has seen Yusuf / Cat Stevens partner with New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds to produce “Peace Train,” a children’s book celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the iconic song's original release. Featuring joyful illustrations and the timeless lyrics of the much-loved peace anthem, this hopeful picture book – now a New York Times bestseller itself – continues Yusuf’s commitment to children’s education and shared love for people of all cultures and identities.
Elsewhere, July 2021 saw a special Record Store Day release of the 1971 “Harold And Maude” soundtrack, featuring iconic songs from Tea for the Tillerman and Mona Bone Jakon alongside two new compositions for the film, “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out” and “Don’t Be Shy.”
Teaser and the Firecat 50th Anniversary Editions are available now via A&M/UMe. Full format details are listed below.
4CD/Blu-ray/2LP/7” SUPER DELUXE EDITION BOX SET
CD1: Teaser and the Firecat (50th Anniversary Remaster)
The Wind
Rubylove
If I Laugh
Changes IV
How Can I Tell You
Tuesday's Dead
Morning Has Broken
Bitterblue
Moonshadow
Peace Train
CD2: Demos, Alternate Versions, Bonus Tracks
The Wind (Dubville Sessions 2020)
Rubylove (Studio Demo)
If I Laugh (Studio Demo)
Changes IV (Alternate Mix, 1971)
How Can I Tell You (Studio Demo)
Tuesday's Dead (Studio Demo)
Morning Has Broken (Basing Street Rehearsal)
Bitterblue (Basing Street Rehearsal)
Moonshadow (Olympic Studio Demo, 1970)
Peace Train (Extended String Mix, 1971)
The Day They Make Me Tsar (Studio Demo)
I Want To Live In A Wigwam
Fisherman Song (Studio Demo)
Changes IV (Studio Demo)
Tuesday's Dead (Alternate Mix, 1971)
Morning Has Broken (Studio Demo)
Bitterblue² (Reimagined 2021)
CD3: Live On Air, UK, 1971
Moonshadow (BBC Radio Session, 8th November 1970)
Tuesday's Dead (BBC Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
How Can I Tell You (BBC Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
Peace Train (BBC Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
Moonshadow (BBC Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
Bitterblue (BBC Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
Moonshadow (Out Front: Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th September 1971)
Where Do The Children Play? (Out Front: Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th September 1971)
Longer Boats (Out Front: Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th September 1971)
Tuesday's Dead (Out Front: Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th September 1971)
Sad Lisa (Out Front: Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th September 1971)
Hard Headed Woman (Out Front: Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th September 1971)
Father and Son (Out Front: Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th September 1971)
If I Laugh (The Old Grey Whistle Test, BBC TV, 5th October 1971)
Changes IV (The Old Grey Whistle Test, BBC TV, 5th October 1971)
Moonshadow (Cat Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
Tuesday's Dead (Cat Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
How Can I Tell You (Cat Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
Bitterblue (Cat Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
Changes IV (Cat Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
CD4: Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971
Intro (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
Hard Headed Woman (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
On The Road To Find Out (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
Wild World (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
Longer Boats (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
Maybe You're Right (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
Sad Lisa (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
Miles From Nowhere (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
Katmandu (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
Lady D'Arbanville (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
Father And Son (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
Where Do The Children Play? (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
Peace Train (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
BLU-RAY
HD 24bit/48kHz audio
Teaser and the Firecat (50th Anniversary Remaster)
The Wind
Rubylove
If I Laugh
Changes IV
How Can I Tell You
Tuesday's Dead
Morning Has Broken
Bitterblue
Moonshadow
Peace Train
VIDEO
The Wind
Moonshadow
Cat Stevens Live In Montreux, Switzerland (2nd May 1971)
Longer Boats
Sad Lisa
Wild World
Katmandu
Lady D'Arbanville
Where Do The Children Play?
Peace Train
Out Front: Cat Stevens And Friends (Yorkshire TV) (7th September 1971)
Moonshadow
Where Do The Children Play?
Longer Boats
Tuesday's Dead
Sad Lisa
Hard Headed Woman
Father And Son
The Old Grey Whistle Test (BBC TV) (5th October 1971)
If I Laugh
Changes IV
Cat Stevens In Concert (BBC TV) (27th November 1971)
Moon Shadow
Tuesday's Dead
How Can I Tell You
Bitterblue
Changes IV
LP1: TEASER AND THE FIRECAT (ALTERNATIVE VERSIONS)
SIDE 1
The Wind (Dubville Sessions 2020)
Rubylove (Studio Demo)
If I Laugh (Studio Demo)
Changes IV (Studio Demo)
How Can I Tell You (Studio Demo)
SIDE 2
Tuesday's Dead (Studio Demo)
Morning Has Broken (Basing Street Rehearsal)
Bitterblue (Basing Street Rehearsal)
Moonshadow (Olympic Studio Demo, 1970)
Peace Train (Extended String Mix, 1971)
LP2: LIVE 1971
SIDE 1: Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971
Hard Headed Woman
Wild World
Lady D'Arbanville
Father And Son
Peace Train
SIDE 2: Live At The BBC, 1971
Moonshadow (BBC Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
If I Laugh (The Old Grey Whistle Test, 5th October 1971)
Tuesday's Dead (Cat Stevens In Concert, 27th November 1971)
How Can I Tell You (Cat Stevens In Concert, 27th November 1971)
Bitterblue (Cat Stevens In Concert, 27th November 1971)
Changes IV (Cat Stevens In Concert, 27th November 1971)
7" SINGLE
Moonshadow
Spike Milligan narration
