New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Following last year's 50th anniversaries of the era-defining albums, Tea for the Tillerman and Mona Bone Jakon, 2021 will see
Yusuf /
Cat Stevens celebrate 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, will be celebrated as a 50th anniversary Super
Deluxe Edition box set, due on November 12th, 2021 via A&M/UMe.
A previously unheard recording of the
Cat Stevens classic and Teaser album highlight "Moonshadow (Olympic Studio Demo, 1970)" is released today. Actually recorded at Olympic before the release of the two 1970 albums, Mona Bone Jakon and Tea For The Tillerman, this version provides a fascinating insight into the origins of one of the most enduring songs of the 1970s.
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 will include: 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 will be 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.
There will also be 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."
50th Anniversary Super
Deluxe Editions of Teaser and the Firecat will be released on November 12th 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)
1. The Wind
2. Rubylove
3. If I Laugh
4. Changes IV
5. How Can I Tell You
6. Tuesday's Dead
7. Morning Has Broken
8. Bitterblue
9. Moonshadow
10. Peace Train
CD2: Demos, Alternate Versions, Bonus Tracks
1. The Wind (Dubville Sessions 2020)
2. Rubylove (Studio Demo)
3. If I Laugh (Studio Demo)
4. Changes IV (Alternate Mix, 1971)
5. How Can I Tell You (Studio Demo)
6. Tuesday's Dead (Studio Demo)
7. Morning Has Broken (Basing Street Rehearsal)
8. Bitterblue (Basing Street Rehearsal)
9. Moonshadow (Olympic Studio Demo, 1970)
10. Peace
Train (Extended String Mix, 1971)
11. The Day They Make Me Tsar (Studio Demo)
12. I Want To Live In A Wigwam
13. Fisherman Song (Studio Demo)
14. Changes IV (Studio Demo)
15. Tuesday's Dead (Alternate Mix, 1971)
16. Morning Has Broken (Studio Demo)
17. Bitterblue² (Reimagined 2021)
CD3: Live On Air, UK, 1971
1. Moonshadow (BBC
Radio Session, 8th November 1970)
2. Tuesday's Dead (BBC
Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
3. How Can I Tell You (BBC
Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
4. Peace
Train (BBC
Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
5. Moonshadow (BBC
Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
6. Bitterblue (BBC
Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
7. Moonshadow (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
8. Where Do The Children Play? (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
9. Longer Boats (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
10. Tuesday's Dead (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
11. Sad Lisa (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
12. Hard Headed Woman (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
13. Father and Son (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
14. If I Laugh (The Old Grey Whistle Test, BBC TV, 5th October 1971)
15. Changes IV (The Old Grey Whistle Test, BBC TV, 5th October 1971)
16. Moonshadow (Cat
Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
17. Tuesday's Dead (Cat
Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
18. How Can I Tell You (Cat
Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
19. Bitterblue (Cat
Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
20. Changes IV (Cat
Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
CD4: Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971
1. Intro (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
2. Hard Headed Woman (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
3. On The Road To Find Out (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
4. Wild World (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
5. Longer Boats (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
6. Maybe You're Right (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
7. Sad Lisa (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
8. Miles From Nowhere (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
9. Katmandu (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
10. Lady D'Arbanville (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
11. Father And Son (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
12. Where Do The Children Play? (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
13. Peace
Train (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
BLU-RAY
HD 24bit/48kHz audio
Teaser and the Firecat (50th Anniversary Remaster)
1. The Wind
2. Rubylove
3. If I Laugh
4. Changes IV
5. How Can I Tell You
6. Tuesday's Dead
7. Morning Has Broken
8. Bitterblue
9. Moonshadow
10. Peace Train
VIDEO
1. The Wind
2. Moonshadow
Cat Stevens Live In Montreux, Switzerland (2nd May 1971)
1. Longer Boats
2. Sad Lisa
3. Wild World
4. Katmandu
5. Lady D'Arbanville
6. Where Do The Children Play?
7. Peace Train
Out Front:
Cat Stevens And
Friends (Yorkshire TV) (7th
September 1971)
1. Moonshadow
2. Where Do The Children Play?
3. Longer Boats
4. Tuesday's Dead
5. Sad Lisa
6. Hard Headed Woman
7. Father And Son
The Old Grey Whistle Test (BBC TV) (5th October 1971)
1. If I Laugh
2. Changes IV
Cat Stevens In Concert (BBC TV) (27th November 1971)
1. Moon Shadow
2. Tuesday's Dead
3. How Can I Tell You
4. Bitterblue
5. Changes IV
LP1: TEASER AND THE FIRECAT (ALTERNATIVE VERSIONS)
SIDE 1
1. The Wind (Dubville Sessions 2020)
2. Rubylove (Studio Demo)
3. If I Laugh (Studio Demo)
4. Changes IV (Studio Demo)
5. How Can I Tell You (Studio Demo)
SIDE 2
1. Tuesday's Dead (Studio Demo)
2. Morning Has Broken (Basing Street Rehearsal)
3. Bitterblue (Basing Street Rehearsal)
4. Moonshadow (Olympic Studio Demo, 1970)
5. Peace
Train (Extended String Mix, 1971)
LP2: LIVE 1971
SIDE 1: Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971
1. Hard Headed Woman
2. Wild World
3. Lady D'Arbanville
4. Father And Son
5. Peace Train
SIDE 2: Live At The BBC, 1971
1. Moonshadow (BBC
Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
2. If I Laugh (The Old Grey Whistle Test, 5th October 1971)
3. Tuesday's Dead (Cat
Stevens In Concert, 27th November 1971)
4. How Can I Tell You (Cat
Stevens In Concert, 27th November 1971)
5. Bitterblue (Cat
Stevens In Concert, 27th November 1971)
6. Changes IV (Cat
Stevens In Concert, 27th November 1971)
7" SINGLE
1. Moonshadow
2. Spike Milligan narration
4CD/Blu-ray SUPER DELUXE EDITION
CD1: Teaser and the Firecat (50th Anniversary Remaster)
1. The Wind
2. Rubylove
3. If I Laugh
4. Changes IV
5. How Can I Tell You
6. Tuesday's Dead
7. Morning Has Broken
8. Bitterblue
9. Moonshadow
10. Peace Train
CD2: Demos, Alternate Versions, Bonus Tracks
1. The Wind (Dubville Sessions 2020)
2. Rubylove (Studio Demo)
3. If I Laugh (Studio Demo)
4. Changes IV (Alternate Mix, 1971)
5. How Can I Tell You (Studio Demo)
6. Tuesday's Dead (Studio Demo)
7. Morning Has Broken (Basing Street Rehearsal)
8. Bitterblue (Basing Street Rehearsal)
9. Moonshadow (Olympic Studio Demo, 1970)
10. Peace
Train (Extended String Mix, 1971)
11. The Day They Make Me Tsar (Studio Demo)
12. I Want To Live In A Wigwam
13. Fisherman Song (Studio Demo)
14. Changes IV (Studio Demo)
15. Tuesday's Dead (Alternate Mix, 1971)
16. Morning Has Broken (Studio Demo)
17. Bitterblue² (Reimagined 2021)
CD3: Live On Air, UK, 1971
1. Moonshadow (BBC
Radio Session, 8th November 1970)
2. Tuesday's Dead (BBC
Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
3. How Can I Tell You (BBC
Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
4. Peace
Train (BBC
Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
5. Moonshadow (BBC
Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
6. Bitterblue (BBC
Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
7. Moonshadow (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
8. Where Do The Children Play? (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
9. Longer Boats (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
10. Tuesday's Dead (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
11. Sad Lisa (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
12. Hard Headed Woman (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
13. Father and Son (Out Front:
Cat Stevens And Friends, Yorkshire Television, 7th
September 1971)
14. If I Laugh (The Old Grey Whistle Test, BBC TV, 5th October 1971)
15. Changes IV (The Old Grey Whistle Test, BBC TV, 5th October 1971)
16. Moonshadow (Cat
Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
17. Tuesday's Dead (Cat
Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
18. How Can I Tell You (Cat
Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
19. Bitterblue (Cat
Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
20. Changes IV (Cat
Stevens In Concert, BBC TV, 27th November 1971)
CD4: Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971
1. Intro (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
2. Hard Headed Woman (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
3. On The Road To Find Out (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
4. Wild World (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
5. Longer Boats (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
6. Maybe You're Right (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
7. Sad Lisa (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
8. Miles From Nowhere (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
9. Katmandu (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
10. Lady D'Arbanville (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
11. Father And Son (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
12. Where Do The Children Play? (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
13. Peace
Train (Live In Montreux, 2nd May 1971)
BLU-RAY Teaser and the Firecat (50th Anniversary Remaster) HD 24bit/48kHz audio
1. The Wind
2. Rubylove
3. If I Laugh
4. Changes IV
5. How Can I Tell You
6. Tuesday's Dead
7. Morning Has Broken
8. Bitterblue
9. Moonshadow
10. Peace Train
VIDEO
1. The Wind
2. Moonshadow
Cat Stevens Live In Montreux, Switzerland (2nd May 1971)
1. Longer Boats
2. Sad Lisa
3. Wild World
4. Katmandu
5. Lady D'Arbanville
6. Where Do The Children Play?
7. Peace Train
Out Front:
Cat Stevens And
Friends (Yorkshire TV) (7th
September 1971)
1. Moonshadow
2. Where Do The Children Play?
3. Longer Boats
4. Tuesday's Dead
5. Sad Lisa
6. Hard Headed Woman
7. Father And Son
The Old Grey Whistle Test (BBC TV) (5th October 1971)
1. If I Laugh
2. Changes IV
Cat Stevens In Concert (BBC TV) (27th November 1971)
1. Moon Shadow
2. Tuesday's Dead
3. How Can I Tell You
4. Bitterblue
5. Changes IV
2 CD DELUXE EDITION
CD1: Teaser and the Firecat (50th Anniversary Remaster)
1. The Wind
2. Rubylove
3. If I Laugh
4. Changes IV
5. How Can I Tell You
6. Tuesday's Dead
7. Morning Has Broken
8. Bitterblue
9. Moonshadow
10. Peace Train
CD2: Demos, Alternate Versions, Bonus Tracks
1. The Wind (Dubville Sessions 2020)
2. Rubylove (Studio demo)
3. If I Laugh (The Old Grey Whistle Test, BBC TV, 5th October 1971)
4. Changes IV (Studio demo)
5. How Can I Tell You (Studio demo)
6. Tuesday's Dead (BBC
Radio Session, 23rd March 1971)
7. Morning Has Broken (Basing Street Rehearsal, 1975)
8. Bitterblue² (Reimagined 2021)
9. Moonshadow (Olympic studio demo, 1970)
10. Peace
Train (Extended String Mix, 1971)
11. The Day They Make Me Tsar (Studio Demo)
12. Fisherman Song (Studio Demo)
13. I Want To Live In A
Wigwam (Morning Has Broken B - side)
1 CD 50th ANNIVERSARY REMASTER
1. The Wind
2. Rubylove
3. If I Laugh
4. Changes IV
5. How Can I Tell You
6. Tuesday's Dead
7. Morning Has Broken
8. Bitterblue
9. Moonshadow
10. Peace Train
1LP 50th ANNIVERSARY REMASTER
Side 1
1. The Wind
2. Rubylove
3. If I Laugh
4. Changes IV
5. How Can I Tell You
Side 2
1. Tuesday's Dead
2. Morning Has Broken
3. Bitterblue
4. Moonshadow
5. Peace Train.
