Cat Stevens - Teaser And The Firecat

It is easy to understand why a kid would be so drawn to Cat Stevens’ Teaser And The Firecat. It’s lyrically simplistic and memorably melodic, making it easy for young music fans to relate to and remember. But my past is littered with music that I thought was cool as a young’en only to disregard it when I was old enough to know better.
I should be old enough to know better with Cat Stevens, but there’s something inherently infectious about him and it’s hard to discount.
First, this is well-executed folk music, heavy on pop overtones and flavored with a dash of world music. When music is done this good and is this simple, you not only have material that’s suitable for children, it’s suitable for a lifetime of enjoyment.
Noted for its three hit singles (“Peace Train,” “Moonshadow,” and “Morning Has Broken”), Teaser And The Firecat’s other selections are just as noteworthy, allowing it to be one of those albums without a hint of filler.
At a mere 1:42, album opener “The Wind” ranks as one of Stevens’ finest, most simplistic songs that could easily be billed as one of folk’s most timeless treasures. I always ranked “How Can I Tell You” as one of his best love songs and, somewhat unfairly, it’s most recently gained notoriety as a Cat Power cover featured prominently as the musical backdrop for diamonds commercial.
To her credit, the song is not available for purchase, so fans of the song will have to settle with Cat Steven’s original that’s found here.
Teaser And The Firecat also marks the end of a three album run of great folk albums for Cat (Mona Bone Jakon and Tea For The Tillerman are the other two). He produced albums of lesser and lesser quality after this, perhaps as he grew more and more disenchanted with the music business in general. But during a two-year period in the early seventies, Stevens continued to seek his spiritual satisfaction with his music, and in the process, managed to satisfy a lot of us in the process.