British singer-songwriter Yusuf/Cat Stevens has shared an energetic new song titled “Bitterblue 2” in celebration of the reissue of his 1971 album, Teaser and The Firecat. The album is being revitalized with a 50th anniversary box set that includes a remastering of the singer-songwriter’s original album artwork and never before heard versions of the songs. “Bitterblue” originally featured on the 1971 version of Teaser and The Firecat.

For this special rendition of the song, Yusuf/Cat Stevens worked with the album’s original producer, Paul Samwell-Smith and his longtime guitarist Alun Davies. “Bitterblue 2” sounds upbeat, and carries a sense of forward momentum driven by the rhythm of the acoustic guitars. Yusuf/Cat Stevens sings the vocals an octave lower than the original song, giving the song a new sense of maturity and wisdom. The new track beautifully touches Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ growth and aspirations in his life, while also maturely assessing how time has affected him as a person. He sings, “I’ve been running a long time / Summer’s come and gone / Drifting under the dream clouds / Past the broken sun.” Yusuf/Cat Stevens shows that he’s been tried and tested by life’s obstacles, yet he has an acceptance and an understanding of where life will take him in the future. 

Teaser and the Firecat is arriving to the public on November 12 in a brand new Super Deluxe edition box set. The release includes: 41 previously unreleased audio tracks and 21 live video performances on disc for the first time, 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 a 108 page hard-cover 12” essay book, alongside a host of other rarities across 4CDs, Blu-Ray, 2 LPs and 7” vinyl. The pre-order is available here. 

Last year, Yusuf/Cat Stevens was honored for the 50th anniversary of his 1970 studio album, Teatime for Tillerman, by artists like Feast, Sad13 and Haim, who covered songs from the album on stage. It took place at the virtual CatSong festival in a live stream.