Cat Stevens had two absolutely great albums, and this is one of them. The other was _Tea for the Tillerman_, and _Mona Bone Jakon_ was darned close. If you have those three, skip the "very best of" collections; you have most of the "very best of" Cat Stevens already. Borrow _Buddha and the Chocolate Box_ from somebody and tape "Sun/C79" and "Oh, Very Young," and you'll have the rest.

(Not that his other stuff isn't _good_, but it's mostly not of the same quality -- though portions of _Catch Bull At Four_ come within inches of it. I don't have much patience with "fans" who tell us that the rest of us aren't "true" fans if we find "Foreigner Suite" to be much ado about nothing and don't especially care for _Izitso_. If we have to suspend our powers of discrimination and uncritically adore everything an artist emits, who wants to be a "true" fan of _anybody_? And what genuine artist would want such "fans"?)

Since this album is so solidly written and produced (and its quality, in my opinion, more evenly distributed than that of _Tea_), it's hard to single out any highlights; besides, it's been one of my absolute favorite albums for about thirty years, and who can be objective after that long? Heck, I learned to play the guitar from Cat Stevens, James Taylor, and Jim Croce, with some help from Lightfoot and Fogelberg and CSN+/-Y and a handful of others. I can't step back now and pretend I'm hearing this stuff for the first time.

But like all of its longtime listeners, I have my personal favorites. One of these is "The Wind," which is just about the most perfect "spiritual-seeker" song ever written in all of human history. (Hey, I said I wasn't going to be objective.)

His take on the old hymn "Morning Has Broken" is just stunningly gorgeous. If you even _know_ this hymn, he's probably responsible at least indirectly; it enjoyed an amazing popular resurgence in the liturgies of the 1970s after he turned it into a hit. And "Moonshadow" also made quite a few appearances in religious programs during that same decade -- not to mention around campfires in various altered states of consciousness. (Moreover -- voice of experience here? you guess -- the song is sufficiently simple that it can be played convincingly in almost any of those states.)

But my real favorites are some of the less popular cuts. "If I Laugh." "Changes IV." "Tuesday's Dead." "Bitterblue." And the great "Rubylove," a challenge in seven-eight meter and one of the man's few recorded nods toward his Greek heritage. (After he converted to Islam and adopted the name "Yusuf," i.e., Joseph, I fell briefly into the not-quite-nice habit of referring to him as "Bouzouki Joe.")

Which reminds me -- here's a little history for the uninitiated:

"Cat Stevens" was the stage name of Steven Georgiou, who was born in the U.K. in 1949 of a Cypriot father and a Swedish mother. Something of a musical prodigy, he released his first two albums well before he was twenty years old as was on his way to becoming a "pop star." He then fell victim to a terrible case of tuberculosis. When he returned to singing and songwriting, he had taken a decidedly more reflective turn and found himself delivering absolutely beautiful stuff with no apparent commercial potential. That was fine with him; he was no longer particularly interested in commercial success. But, perhaps ironically, his delicate confessional songs and his deliberate avoidance of "commercial-ness" turned him into a huge international star.

Well, he eventually (1977) became a Muslim and adopted the name "Yusuf Islam" (after the biblical dream-interpreter Joseph). At that time he also left the music industry. He has since recorded a couple of albums about Islam, but his last collection of commercial music was _Footsteps In The Dark_ (ostensibly a second volume of his "greatest hits," but in fact a set of lesser-known favorites and a handful of tunes not available elsewhere).

You can feel safe in ignoring the comments from people who think he has become "rigid" and/or "intolerant." The simple fact is that nearly every Cat Stevens album (the exceptions being his first two) are filled with "spiritual seeking," and he eventually found what he was looking for in Islam. His "recent" (actually, 1990) remarks on Salman Rushdie were not what you probably think they were (and in particular he didn't call for Rushdie's death). He's no more "rigid" or "intolerant" than the rest of us; he's simply a religiously observant Muslim, that's all. There's a problem here only for people who think seekers should never get around to finding, or that traditional religion is more "dogmatic" than irreligion.

_Tea_ and _Teaser_ are still great albums, and they don't need to "transcend" their creator in order to be great; there's no need to run down Yusuf in order to elevate Cat. And since these albums _were_ written during his "seeker" stage, they're suitable for everybody -- future Muslims or not.

When my mom bought Cat Stevens best hits, I liked it so much that I dug around our basement to find old cassette tapes of his. I discovered "Teaser and the Firecat" and started playing it in the van I drove every day. I loved it so much that I bought the CD and I have listened to it hundreds of times. Every song on this album is great, and I am definitely going out to buy more Cat Stevens albums before I leave for college in a few weeks. Cat Stevens is a very talented artist and every word of his songs has a special meaning.

I wasn't even born when this album came out, but I grew up listening to the timeless tunes of this prolific genius. He poured his heart out onto every song and this is evident in "Bitter Blue" and "The Wind". He was on a search to find the meaning of life, one of which many of us never embark, let alone attain. It is very sad that he gave up this beautiful gift from God, but if you know what he went through to get to where he is today, you'll know why he gave it up. I don't like that many people disapprove of his choice to become Muslim, but he is happy. Even though this musical master's career was short-lived, we'll be able to enjoy his creations for a lifetime and beyond. If anyone likes folk-music, this is definitely a piece for your musical collection.

Like many children born to the so-called "hippie" generation, I was bred on the songs of the 70's singer/songwriter genre. At any moment in my home, the music of Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, James Taylor, Carole King, and many others, could be heard. Among the most played songs in my home (and on any radio) was the anthemic "Peace Train," and through it came my formal introduction to the world of the former Cat Stevens. I loved his songs then, and cherish them even more now that I am in my early 30's. The music he created resonates as well now as it did then.

For my money, "Teaser and the Firecat" was, and remains, Cat's most perfect statement. From the opening strains of the uplifting and prophetic "The Wind" to the final pluckings on "Peace Train," Cat welcomes the listener into his world and you find all facets of the human condition talked about with ease and grace. How many of us can't relate to the sound of the embittered lover in "If I Laugh," or to the possibilities of love in "Ruby My Love," or to the heartfelt dealing of death and love lost in the emotionally charged and poignant "How Can I Tell You?" Very few, I'm sure. The pure outburst of emotion on these songs alone make the lp a keeper.

Many people of my generation will dismiss Cat as an idealistic hippie after listening to "Peace Train", "Moonshadow," or "The Wind," and perhaps that was true to a degree, but one can not deny the optimism that Cat Stevens brought to his music, and through it, to countless fans (myself among them- not a day goes by without listening to this lp at least once). In the wake of recent events in the US and abroad, the time has never been better to (re)introduce oneself to the music of Cat Stevens, and see what the fuss was about when he was at the peak of his popularity. For me personally, the lp hearkens back to the days before innocence was lost forever- to the simple pleasures of being a child, singing and dancing to music because it made you FEEL (and feel good, too). The world needs more such outbursts. Perhaps then we can all ride the Peace Train as Cat hoped for us to do.

While a few of the tracks can be deemed "dated" or "products of its time," "Teaser and the Firecat" is still an amazing album that holds more than its own in 2002. Find out why. Indispensible listening.

I am no longer sure whether it is a good thing to remember when an album was first released. I recall when "Teaser and the Firecat" was issued, and the enthusiasm that greeted it on AM radio. Cat Stevens, who eschewed commercial success, was a pop star. Perhaps a bigger surprise should have been that many of the songs are folk songs, many of which are contemplative and occasionally introspective, rather than the lightweight "bubble gum" pop that seemed to dominant AM at the time. Perhaps it was partially that contrast that made this album so successful.

The tone of the album is set by "The Wind," a short, simple and peaceful song about dealing with personal temptation and the pilgrimage to understanding both oneself and the world. I find it amazing that an artist can place so much depth in a song accompanied only by a pair of acoustic guitars. Perhaps it was that pilgrimage that drove Cat Stevens to write his songs and music.

The following song is a love song. "Rubylove" is yet another simple song with heartfelt words. The music relies on a few instruments (including bouzoukis) and harmonies to bring out the power of the words. One of the highlights of this song is the portion sung in Greek (I think it is Greek). The words translated into English (which are available on several web sites) are:

Sweet Ruby come back
Come back to my side (or me)
Come in the morning with the dawn
You were a ray of sunshine (or like a sunbeam) my little Ruby

"If I Laugh" is a lament for a love that never happened; a poignant and interesting concept for a love song. Another song with a similar subject is "How Can I Tell You," which deals with his inability to tell someone that he loves her. The faster pace song "Bitterblue" may deal with yet another aspect of love unfulfilled, this time after providing her with several opportunities that she did not accept. It would appear to a casual observer that Cat Stevens was having problems with his love life at that time.

Another interesting song that has fast pace and idealistic lyrics is "Changes IV." The music is good, but the lyrics are a description of Steven's philosophical view of the world at that time, which are fully of lovely late 60s cultural desires that we are as far from fulfilling today as we were then.

One of the most worthwhile and interesting songs on this CD is "Tuesday's Dead." The pace is fast with a calypso flavor and the nearly meaningless lyrics appear to be there more for their ability to enhance the music than for any particular message.

The opening piano chords of "Morning Has Broken" are some of the most recognizable chords of any song from that era. This beautiful song combines religious elements with a pop sound so subtly that a casual listener may be unaware of the fact that the song is religion-based. The song is also a celebration of the beauty of life, and is one of the best songs to ever give someone the feel of how great it is to be alive. I always enjoy the backing vocals in the last minute of this song that give the song an angelic touch. This song will always be one of the classics of rock and pop.

"Moonshadow" is yet another song that is subtly religious. This song plays on several levels, all of them with a touch of innocent enjoyment of the wonderment of nature. Cat Stevens captured the feeling of walking alone in a natural place with but the moon's light to accompany him, and then provided speculation as to the meaning of life, but in such a non-intrusive way that you never realize the depths of the song. In spite of the song's depth, the song remains humble with an air of mystery that quietly inspires awe rather than overwhelming bombast.

The album closes with the cheerfully optimistic song "Peace Train." Remember that this era was the close of the 60s and the beginning of the 70s, and the era where we were all tired of wars (times have changed little - we are still tired of wars). Cat Stevens saw the movements of the 60s as being a power that could drive worldwide peace. The upbeat pace of the song, the pace and power of the lyrics and the mixture of hand-clapping with pop and folk elements make this one of the unique songs of rock and pop.

Cat Stevens was a rare artist who lived in the pop world and wrote unpretentiously and easily in the folk world, and gained popular acceptance in spite of his lack of desire to be popular. This mixture of elements has created almost a myth around Cat Stevens, now Yusuf Islam. Cat has always been unabashed in his desire for a better, more peaceful world. He has supported his desires with actions, recording music that is overtly religious and providing money to purely charitable activities. Yusuf also finally recognizes that Islam accepts music, and has started to record again. Time has gone from the era of the Cat Stevens we knew, but perhaps Yusuf Islam could yet recapture the childlike wonder of the man we once knew as Cat Stevens. We can only hope, and perhaps pray.