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Est. 1999

I raise my hand and touch the wheel of change
taking time to check the dial

As many of you may know, the official fan club of Cat Stevens was titled ' The Fantasy Ring’ and was headed by Val Davies ( Alun Davies wife) and Sarah Harrison. Over the few years the fan club was in operation, they distributed a couple different issues of the 'Fantasy Ring' booklets to it's members. This particular booklet is one of the first booklets that was sent to its members. It's not a big booklet but interesting to read. It measures about 9 " x 6 " and has a glossy cover to it. All the pages are made of shiny-coated paper. I especially enjoyed reading the poem by the fan " A Night at the Auditorium Theatre’. I am dating myself here by saying, I remember those flashcubes and sitting impatiently waiting to see Cat come out on stage. And when he finally appeared, the show was over all to soon. It was fun going back in time if only for a few minutes while placing this book on line. I hope you have as much fun reading the Fantasy Ring as I had. A special thank you to Jane Irwin for trusting me enough to send   her rare memorabilia,  so I could place it on line for all to enjoy.  The Fantasy Ring Cover page 1 &  2 The Fantasy Ring Book has taken some while to get together mainly because of a lack of contributions which, perhaps, might have been due to the time you spent writing to me personally! However, this is not a criticism Your letters have been fantastic; ego boosters for me as well as Steve. They make me think that our Ring is very special to us all, and I hope it will continue in this way for a long time to come. As usual with first editions we have to feel our way carefully, and by the next issue I hope we will have been able to create a more constructive magazine. So, you have pictures of Steve, his band, and even Sarah and myself— now at least you know who you are writing to. We hope you will enjoy this first attempt and let us have your comments, as this is an important part of the feeling of our Ring. Finally, more than anything else, a big thank you to Steve for bringing us all together with his music and songs. My love to you all..... VAL  xxx page 3 & 4 Thanks for a thousand free cokes... These two pages were originally intended to be devoted entirely to pictures and chat on Cat Stevens and his musical career at present but Steve wanted to pay a small tribute to his father and his restaurant, hence the heading and the photo on the opposite page. The photograph represents the front cover of the menu for the Restaurant, which is called STAVROS. Stavros in the Greek language means cross; it is also the name of his father. The restaurant itself is the face-lifted Moulin Rouge, which is on the corner of New Oxford Street and Shafteshury Avenue, (serving Greek meals and snacks) and is well worth a visit if any of you are in London. Most of the writing on this page is as a direct result of Steve’s notes which he made, all I have done is to tidy them up a bit for him. For your interest the music he is at present listening to is "Fingers" by Airto and "Fulfillingness" by Stevie Wonder and the people he is reading are Mirdad, Buddha and Pythagoras. Somewhere in these notes he wanted this poem by Lao Tsu included which he hopes you like: Knowing others is wisdom Knowing the self is enlightenment Mastering others requires force Mastering the self requires strength He who knows he has enough is rich Perseverance is a sign of will power He who stays where he is endures To die but not to perish is to be eternally present. Although its old news now, Steve’s latest single is ‘Another Saturday Night’’, an old Sam Cooke number. This single was recorded in Australia whilst on tour and the brass mix added in Tokyo. The proceeds from the tour and part of the money from the single will be going to a charitable trust which is called The Hermes Foundation, and whose aims are ‘‘ultimate freedom for children’s fragile growth in a world of factories for conditioned souls - a return to truth, love and wisdom."   Page 5 & 6   A Fans Poem   A Night at the Auditorium Theatre How do l look? Yes I have the tickets. Yes I have the camera and the flashcubes Yes I have the tickets. Let’s go. Where is this place? Turn on the radio. Open the window, the pipe smells. What’s the problem? Get in the other lane. The truck hit a bridge. I see the Sears Building. There’s the post office. "JESUS" Oh I hope he sings that. Park here. Lock the door, Park someplace else. Watch that car. Let’s go. Lock the door. Watch the other car. That’s it? Look at the crowd. Walk around the block. Let’s go to Goldblatt’s. You want some candy’? No I’ll puke. Let’s go. Sears is closed. Sky pilot xxx wow Adult books Adult posters We just came from here. People are going in. Let’s go. Should I take out the tickets’? NO FLASHCUBES!!! First balcony. Three more flights. Next floor. Here are your seats. Everything looks so miniature. 1 have seat 5, this is seat 4. 3,4, 5, see I have seat 5. There’s someone onstage. Is it ALUN? Who is it’? I can see them moving backstage. Someone just lit a Cigarette back there. I’ll get some programs.What if he gets lost? Oh boy. Let me get my camera ready. Let me see that. It looks like the picture in the paper. What’s that noise’? Who’s that on stage? Is it ALUN? Well here he comes, this is it. What that’s not CAT STEVENS, that’s Linda Lewis. More time to wait. I can’t wait. My fingers are stuck to the camera. Well here he comes.What 15 more minutes’? Jesus I’ll go crazy. Who’s that’? THERE’S ALUN! THERE’S JEAN!! Where’s CAT’? Where’? There. There right there."WILD WORLD". Oh great. What a doll. Nothing. Oh a cut up finger. Poor baby. Sing. WOW! A puppet on stage, pick it up. Wow look at that body. OOh gee. Don’t apologize. "KING OF TREES’’. Get a picture of this. Who me’? Do you know you’re not supposed to have flashcubes’? No. Well, you’re not. Well I’m sorry Give me them. Ah ha I fooled him, a burned out flashcube. He’s leaving. Look at that body. He’s bowing. He’s gone. Jesus the noise. He’s back. Now he’s leaving again. (I can’t get over that great body) Come back before the matches burn out. He’s back. Sing, sing, sing. He’s leaving. Wait sweety so I can get another picture!!! He’s gone. Come back. The lights are going on. He isn’t coming back. Oh my God I’ll never see him again. Look at all these people. A full moon. It’s a moonshadowy night! Home. Got to write to Val before I go to sleep. I gotta go to sleep. Sweet quiet dreams (I hope).   Michelle Hayse Cartoon Drawings page 7 & 8 page 9 & 10 I have included some pictures of each member of the band that worked with Steve on the last tour. The cartoons were all done by Steve, and I think they are great although not altogether flattering! The band members are Alun Davies (guitar and vocals), Gerry Conway (drums) Jean Roussel (keyboards), Bruce Lynch (bass) Larry Steele (percussion) Susie Lynch and Anna Peacock (backup vocals). Linda Lewis also accompanied Steve on tour with her own band and is at present recording a song which Steve specially wrote for her called "Old School Yard". On the subject of recording, as I’m sure you are aware there have been rumours of a ‘live’ album from Steve, but this idea has been shelved for the time being. Steve is living in Rio at the moment and writing some songs out there for a new album, so that’s something we can look forward to. THE FANTASY RING by Cat Stevens '74 page 13 & 14 page 15 & 16 As most of you probably know, Steve was brought up, along with sister Anita and brother David, above the restaurant -- now called Stavros, then known as the Moulin Rouge - owned and run by his father. However, in 1970 he decided to move to a house of his own, and now lives in a quiet street in Fulham. It’s a small house, tailored distinctly to Steve’s requirements, very definitely a "working" house. The top floor is very light, being completely white, and Steve often paints here, it’s a relaxed room, and the dividing walls having been removed it’s nice and large.There is a bathroom, and the bed is on a wooden platform set into the wall. Downstairs is again one big room, half for a dining area, and half for sounds, with earphones set into a carpeted well in the centre, and the whole of this area is dark brown, with soft velour covering the walls and ceiling. In the dining area stands the "Tea for the Tillerman" tree, inside which is a dumb waiter down to the kitchen, very useful for ferrying the cups of tea up and down! Downstairs is the kitchen an(l studio, where Steve often works on perfecting ideas etc., before going into other, more sophisticated studios, to actually record.The garden was finished just before Steve left on his latest tour, and is looking lovely. It’s Japanese in design, and a bamboo screen at the bottom was the inspiration for the screens used on stage during the tour of England and Europe. Set in the lawn is a pond, with water running into it over gray pebbles, the sound of which is very soothing. By the time Steve returns to London, the garden should be fully established, perhaps we shall have a picture of it in the next Fantasy Ring book The tour is now coming to an end, and we have included in this issue pictures and a little information al)out the people who have traveled round the world and back again with Steve, and who worked hard to make.   page  17 &  18   More Poetry   I’ve got it, time Shines like a dime in my pocket Never spend it Only check my pocket And mend it So it won’t slip through   A quarter century has swept his face And weathered his soul to the ways of fools Thinking is a joy that most misplace And loving people is against the rules.   Nothing is nothing that I can say Moods without a shell to live Emptiness never far away Little enough I have to give. Tears won’t flow in lonely nights Dawn soon marks the fate of days Sleep overcomes the weariest fight When will this loneliness fade away. The beauty of simple things is appealing Renews my body with trust and feeling But memories of pain Won’t fade, like moisture, so quick From a hot August afternoon meadow After rain. Sitting here alone Looking into the garden I realise that without loving And being loved Our lives are incomplete. With love we flourish and bloom Gaining strength And accomplishing things thought impossible. Radiating love to all those around The words from the song come flooding into my mind —How true they seem —Yes, I’m ready to love.      Today   Yesterday’s gone.Tomorrow never knows What to expect. So who cares? Today is all I know.   How long I lived in the past, Bitter-sweet pleasures prefacing only pain, Memories stir emotions laid to rest. Enjoyed once, now better left alone.   I see nothing in my future years, Loneliness .Tears. A vortex of uncertainty. Today is all I need. page 19 & 20 page 21 & 22 Don’t forget we want the next Fantasy Ring book to be bigger, fatter, and full of your own original ideas, either poems, short stories, or pictures and drawings. We have with the Fantasy Ring, a unique opportunity to bring together ideas of people in many different countries, and this is what Steve really would like to see, and was one of the reasons for printing Teaser and the Firecat in 12 different languages.   Fantasy Ring Volume II Fantasy Ring Volume III Pause Fan Club Magazine