Cat Stevens clawed his way through into the mainstream in 1970 with his fourth studio album - Tea for the Tillerman. Four years prior, Stevens was nothing more than a pop musician, but by the turn of the decade he made a transition towards folk leaning singer-songwriter. On Tillerman, his brand of folk still meshed with a certain pop sensibility, resulting in a rightfully successful album with plenty of classics to back itself up - "Why Do the Children Play," "Hard Headed Woman," "Wild World," and "Father and Son" sit amongst Stevens' most well-known songs to this day. In many ways, the following Teaser and the Firecat is a spiritual successor to what Stevens began with Tillerman, right down to the album artwork. At some points more acoustic, at other points more plugged-in and produced, Teaser is the slightly more varied follow-up, and manages to stick the landing most of the time.
I'd say that Tea for the Tillerman is a very morning or daytime kind of album - from the bright, expressive cover to the upbeat material and performances, something about it resonates with the waking hours. In contrast, Teaser and the Firecat is nocturnal, at points sounding much more beautifully reserved and aware than its predecessor. I believe that the best way to examine this difference is by looking at the opener "The Wind" which, while in many ways parrots "Why Do the Children Play," is decisively more acoustic and gentle than how Tillerman opens. These moments with more scant instrumentation play into the strengths of Firecat, as it creates an album that is far more atmospheric. Prime example is "Moonshadow," one of the album's most enduring moments - it's quite possibly my favorite Stevens tune, with a gorgeous melody, rich instrumentation, and his iconic, gentle vocals. Many other moments that mark the pinnacle of Firecat follow in this more down-trodden minimalism. "How Can I Tell You" and "Morning Has Broken" are two more incredibly strong moments that largely follow along this format, especially the former.
Of course, some moments are far more produced than just about anything from Tillerman, and these moments showcase the album's Achilles' Heel. Sometimes it works like on "Rubylove," which is a nice energetic kick after the gentle "The Wind," and a song that I feel plays really well into the nighttime, nocturnal feel of the record. On the other hand, moments like "Bitterblue" are incredibly tepid and far more produced than how I ever want to hear a Cat Stevens song to sound - similar case for "Changes IV," although not nearly as bad. I also feel this way about, potentially controversially, closing track "Peace Train," a song that, while it works as a closer, has a similar sense of being overly-polished that I don't desire at all - "Moonshadow" would've made just as good a closer. These more polished moments are generally where the album falters in comparison to Tillerman, which generally never got this showy with it.
One could argue that it may be unfair to compare Teaser and the Firecat so heavily to Tea for the Tillerman, but the two follow along very similar lines, and generally the same things that make one strong are the exact same qualities that strengthen the counterpart - companion pieces at the least in my eyes, and debatably a sequel if you look into it enough. Even still, Teaser holds a lot more valleys and mountains than Tillerman, which is generally far more consistently good. Still, what you're looking at is quite the duology of albums from Stevens, and one that would establish him as the great singer-songwriter that we know him as. If you enjoyed Tillerman, chances are that you'll find just as much to love and confide in with Teaser and the Firecat - who knows, you may even find more.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to Teaser and the Firecat.
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