The albums I’ve listed so far among my favorites of 1971 earned their spots on the strength of a few excellent songs. My #6 album, Cat Stevens’ Teaser and the Firecat, is excellent start to finish.
Sure, it has its highlight moments, including ‘The Wind,’ ‘Morning Has Broken,’ ‘Moonshadow,’ and ‘How Can I Tell You,’ one of the prettiest loves songs ever written. But ‘Rubylove,’ ‘If I Laugh,’ ‘Changes IV,’ ‘Tuesday’s Dead’ and ‘Peace Train’ are all worthy of high praise.
Today’s featured track, ‘Bitterblue,’ is another standout that I had forgotten about entirely before revisiting the album for this list.
Teaser was Stevens’ fifth album and his most successful (tied, actually, with the previous year’s Tea for the Tillerman). He released six more albums between ’72 and ’78 and then retired from the music industry.
Don’t hand it back to me bitterblue
No bitterblue
Yes, I’ve done all one man can do
Don’t pass me up oh bitterblue
My bitterblue
Yes, I’ve been running a long time
On this travelling ground
Wishing hard to be free
Of going round and round
Yeah, yes I’ve been moving a long time
But only up and down
I gave my last hope to you
Don’t hand it back to me bitterblue
My bitterblue
I’ve done all one man can do
Please help me lose this bitterblue
My bitterblue
‘Cause I’ve been waiting a long time
Aeons been and gone
Looking at the horizon
For my light to dawn
Oh yes I’ve been running a long time
Looking on and on
I’ve been running a long time
Summers come and gone
Oh, drifting under the dream clouds
Past the broken sun
Oh yes I’ve been living a long time
To be back beyond
I gave my last hope to you
Don’t hand it back bitterblue
Oh, my bitterblue
I’ve done all one man can do
Don’t pass me up oh, bitterblue
My bitterblue, oh my bitterblue
Yeah, my bitterblue, oh my bitterblue
Oh bitterblue, yeah
I gave my last chance to you
Don’t hand it back to me bitterblue
Meet Me In Montauk 
I confess that I am really only familiar with Stevens’ hits. I guess I need to do a deeper dive into thesis album and Tea…