Teaser and the Firecat [Deluxe Edition]

I have to say I was never really very interested in Cat Stevens when he was well known and a big 'star'. Most of the people I knew were much more interested in progressive rock and the Blues and regarded this sort of thing as rather childish. Now 40 years plus on I can honestly say that of all the CDs I have recently put the old ear to (and that includes, Blues, modern jazz, traditional blues, folk and rock such as Jack |Bruce etc.) this is far and away the most enjoyable to listen to. Hearing it now with with more mature and less excitable ear I can sense talent oozing out of this young man's hands in abundance, and it comes as no surprise he sold millions. The compositions are lyrical, subtle, the arrangements and orchestration really excellent and, for me the songs are a joy to listen to. I can appreciate why he converted to Islam (if only it had been Christianity) as the disillusionment that must have accompanied such a rapid rise to world wide fame and adoration must have been enormous. Sadly success, as many will tell, is a bitter pill. These tracks really put the likes of Oasis's 'Wonderwall' (their most successful track?) into the proverbial sewage pit. I even find these songs much more enduring and endearing than those of Donovan or Don MacLean for example, that sound just hackneyed now. God bless you Yusuf!

This is a classic album.

I have had this album on vinyl for as long as I can remember. However, I find I’m not playing my vinyl stuff quite as much and decided to add the cd to my collection. Good to get the additional cd with some live and unaccompanied songs. Good value for a different format of one of my all-time favourite albums.

"Teaser and the Firecat" from 1971 is one of Cat Stevens' most successful albums - both artistically and commercially.Many of the songs on the album are among his best known; eg. "Moonshadow", "Morning Has Broken", "How Can I Tell You" and "Peace Train". All tracks are written by Stevens himself, except "Morning Has Broken" which is a traditional; arranged and adapted by Cat Stevens.The three singles on the album, "Moonshadow", "Morning Has Broken" and "Peace Train" all did well on the charts despite their relative differences. The former is folkish, "Morning Has Broken" a magnificent anthem/ballad while "Peace Train" is close to the soul genre.As a whole, it is probably the folk label that suits "Teaser and the Firecat" best and in this genre you find strong tracks like "The Wind", "Ruby My Love", "How Can I Tell You" and "If I Laugh". More rocking are "Tuesday's Dead", "Bitter Blue" and "Changes".This is an album without weak or boring tracks and an album that is always a pleasure to return to.

The beautifully presented deluxe edition series has once again enticed me to invest in a classic from yesteryear. The packaging is top notch, with wonderful design work and an informative and clear (and isn't it nice to be able to read the notes comfortably) booklet. Really enjoyed reading their recollections of the recording process. The original CD, his most rounded work, sounds great. Stand-out highlights for those who dont know the album are 'Morning has broken', 'Peace Train' and 'Rubylove', although in truth there are no weak tracks here. The additional CD is a combination of simple demo's(just guitar and voice) plus some cracking live recording (see Bitterblue & Tuesday's dead)with a superb reworking of 'Peace Train'. My only gripe would be the length of the CD's. Both discs are quite short and I would have expected a little more. I guess its quality not quantity in this case. Anyway its must-have in my opinion, along with the excellent 'Tea for the Tillerman' CD - PS if you like his older material you might like to try his recent 'An Other Cup'.

A rare treat. A CD package which actually improves on the vinyl original! More artwork, revealing liner notes and some beautiful acoustic and live versions of tracks from the album. I particularly like The Wind, Peace Train, which is like being at WOMAD, and the extra emotional How Can I Tell You. The bonus disc has the feel of a group of friends round a late night campfire and with the original classic album makes a great package which I thoroughly recommend.

I have this album on vinyl but I have never purchased it on CD, The music is just as good now as it was then. The extra tracks are interesting, particularly the live tracks.The service was as good as ever. I get stuff from Amazon on a regular basis and they and partners have only let me down once and in that case the item was coming from Australia and they kept me informed of how long I would have to wait and any alternatives I had.Very happy with both the CD and the service

Great album cannot understand how I missed it first time around. Recommend this album if you have not heard of Cat Stevens.

Parfait l'enregistrement excellent

ALLES TOP

私が生れて初めて買ったアルバムがこれでした。もう４０年以上聴き続けていますが、全く飽きることがありません。LP・CD合わせて7000枚くらい所有していますが、やはりこれが一番好きなアルバムです。このデラックス盤は２枚目にアウトティクやライブなどが収録されていて、また新たな気持ちで聴くことができました。

Inconditionnelle de Cat Stevens dans les années 70, j'ai retrouvé avec émotion cette voix particulière qui s'est arrêtée de chanter depuis de nombreuses années. Pour les amateurs, c'est un réel plaisir!

Can't praise this album enough.