Cat Stevens - Teaser And The Firecat Original LP Sealed

$

41

Cat Stevens

Teaser And The Firecat Original LP Sealed

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A&M Records SP4313

Review

by William Ruhlmann

Even as a serious-minded singer/songwriter, Cat Stevens never stopped being a pop singer at heart, and with Teaser and the Firecat he reconciled his philosophical interests with his pop instincts. Basically, Teaser's songs came in two modes: gentle ballads that usually found Stevens and second guitarist Alun Davies playing delicate lines over sensitive love lyrics, and up-tempo numbers on which the guitarists strummed away and thundering drums played in stop-start rhythms. There were also more exotic styles, such as the Greek-styled "Rubylove," with its twin bouzoukis and a verse sung in Greek, and "Tuesday's Dead," with its Caribbean feel. Stevens seemed to have worked out some of his big questions, to the point of wanting to proselytize on songs like "Changes IV" and "Peace Train," both stirring tunes in which he urged social and spiritual improvement. Meanwhile, his love songs had become simpler and more plaintive. And while there had always been a charming, childlike quality to some of his lyrics, there were songs here that worked as nursery rhymes, and these were among the album's most memorable tracks and its biggest hits: "Moonshadow" and "Morning Has Broken," the latter adapted from a hymn. The overall result was an album that was musically more interesting than ever, but lyrically dumbed-down. Stevens continued to look for satisfaction in romance, despite its disappointment, but he found more fulfillment in a still-unspecified religious pursuit that he was ready to tout to others. And they were at least nominally ready to listen: the album produced three hit singles and just missed topping the charts. Tea for the Tillerman may have been the more impressive effort, but Teaser and the Firecat was the Cat Stevens album that gave more surface pleasures to more people, which in pop music is the name of the game.


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- Record Grading:
* SEALED:
Sealed at factory and never opened.  Item is assumed to be undamaged and mint.

* MINT:
VINYL: Record appears to have just left manufacturer without any handling, and should appear perfect. No scratches, stains, writing or scuffs on either the label or vinyl.
COVER: Cover should appear to never have had a record in it. Ring wear, frays, bends, seam splits, writing; none are allowed in this grade.

* NEAR MINT:
 VINYL: Record is otherwise mint but has one or two inconsequential flaws that do not affect it's play.
 COVER: Cover will still be close to perfect with only minor signs of wear or age evident, such as a slightly dinged or bent corner.

* VG++:
VINYL: Record with more inconsequential flaws than a NM grade allows.

Imperfections can include light scuffs and faint surface scratches that do not have an affect on play. There should be no surface noise on a VG ++  record.
COVER: Cover should still have no wear, but it might have slight dings on more than one corner or very slight wear along the opening edge from removal of the record.

* VG +:
VINYL: Record may sometimes be referred to as Excellent. A VG+ record has been handled or played either infrequently or very carefully. The record may have light paper scuffs from sliding it in and out of a paper sleeve. The vinyl may have lost some of it's luster. Light scratch(es) that do not affect play would be acceptable in this grade. Some light surface noise may be expected with a record in this grade.
COVER: Some cover wear from storage is acceptable, especially light wear that does not overly affect the text or artwork.

*VG:
VINYL: Record will exhibit visible signs of handling and playing. It will have a loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear, or spindle trails.

A VG record looks like it will have some audible noise upon play, but any such noise should not overwhelm or ruin the listening experience.
COVER: Cover will show visible signs of handling such as ring wear on front and back, some seam splitting, bent corners or loss of gloss to photos or artwork.