Tea for the Tillerman

A perfect little package of 3-minute acoustic guitar pop gems. Great song writing, beautifully recorded, sequenced and presented. Has Father and Son on it - objectively an all-time great song.

Mona Bone Jakon only began Cat Stevens' comeback. Seven months later, he returned with Tea for the Tillerman, an album in the same chamber-group style, employing the same musicians and producer, but with a far more confident tone. Mona Bone Jakon had been full of references to death, but Tea for the Tillerman was not about dying; it was about living in the modern world while rejecting it in favor of spiritual fulfillment. It began with a statement of purpose, "Where Do the Children Play?," in which Stevens questioned the value of technology and progress. "Wild World" found the singer being dumped by a girl, but making the novel suggestion that she should stay with him because she was incapable of handling things without him. "Sad Lisa" might have been about the same girl after she tried and failed to make her way; now, she seemed depressed to the point of psychosis. The rest of the album veered between two themes: the conflict between the young and the old, and religion as an answer to life's questions. Tea for the Tillerman was the story of a young man's search for spiritual meaning in a soulless class society he found abhorrent. He hadn't yet reached his destination, but he was confident he was going in the right direction, traveling at his own, unhurried pace. The album's rejection of contemporary life and its yearning for something more struck a chord with listeners in an era in which traditional verities had been shaken. It didn't hurt, of course, that Stevens had lost none of his ability to craft a catchy pop melody; the album may have been full of angst, but it wasn't hard to sing along to. As a result, Tea for the Tillerman became a big seller and, for the second time in four years, its creator became a pop star.

A masterpiece by a musical genius. Cat Stevens is a master storyteller. Wish we could have more music by him, but his personal and religious choices are his own. Songs of my youth all abound here (it's before my time, but Cat Stevens was a mainstay in my house growing up). Wild World and Father and Son are some of the best songs ever to grace my ears and I get tears listening to them to this day. Some weaker songs make this a 4.5/5, but I just can't give this album, that meant so much to me growing up, anything other than a 5/5.

A few good songs here and there, but otherwise utterly boring.

I don't know how you can listen to this and not have a smile on your face. Just a joy. Best track: Father and Son

Il est arrivé dans ce générateur avec un statut de favori, et force est de constater qu'il n'a pas déçu. Après une entame tonitruante, Cat Stevens ayant déjà creusé l'écart avec ses principaux concurrents (Gene Clark qui ?) au bout de quatre chansons décide de poser le jeu et faire courir ses adversaires. Une dernière action de classe en fin d'album avec Father And Son permet à Yusuf de terminer la partie sur une bonne note sans avoir été mis en difficulté une seule seconde.

Great fan of this album- was all set to give it 4* (purely for preferring Teaser and the Firecat) but then listened again and was hit by the emotional depth, the wonderful melodies, the great simplicity of the songwriting and arrangements across the record. Bookends don't come much better than "Where do the Children Play" and "Father and Son" (plus the brilliant title track).

I've never really been a Cat Stevens fan, TBH. He's a little too chill for my taste. That said, the songwriting is pretty damn solid. This album was apparently his big "here I am world" moment and it shows with songs like "Wild World" that have stood the test of time and been covered a thousand times. Mostly, this album is kind of ho-hum for me. It's not offensive or exciting. It just... is.

In my opinion, Tea for the Tillerman (and his followup Teaser and the Firecat) are the two best folk albums of the 1970’s. Just great from start to finish. “Wild World” is an obvious standout and gives the album it’s needed pop hit, but “Father and Son” is one of the best songs - in any genre - ever written.

It’s full of heart and soul. Incredible guitar work and earnest vocals. Father and Son made me tear up.

This is my favorite album of all time, must listen!

This is an absolutely amazing start to this project! This is my first time ever listening to Cat Stevens. Such clean guitar acoustics and soulful lyrics.

Far be it from me to come barging back in here and start throwing my weight around but this is so good. I've always thought Cat Stevens has some good tracks but existed all on one level, a sort of airy fairy very light folk sound. I've had him all wrong, this album is really really good. When Wide World came on I was pleased to hear this was a Cat song, but Sad Lisa really got me listening. From then on there are regular gut punches and tear jerks. It's got a rich, full sound and his voice has a wonderful quality that can jump from lightness to great depth at the spin of a wheel.

My mom wore through 2 Lps of this one. I really enjoy it too.

Listened to Cat Stevens multiple times before, but haven't heard any tunes in a while, so this is a quite pleasing listening experience.

4.5/5, some of my favorite Cat Stevens songs on this one

Absolutely love this album. Spoke to many moments and thoughts currently experiencing. 11/11/2020

I mean, it's Cat Stevens

Started this record on the way to drop the kid off at daycare, toying with a joke around Cat Stevens singing “where do the children play”; ended it half a day later driving back with the kid listening to “Father and Son” wondering what portion of my eyes’ moistness I could ascribe to hayfever. One of our group’s silent members loves Cat Stevens and will shake his head for my finding the man’s records too earnest for my taste, taking me back to misty recollections of weird, late 70’s children’s’ tv optimism, but the sheer commitment, the smart production, and the ear worms put him up there regardless of my never-trust-a-hippy reflexes.

I have recently bought a turntable to play my handful of high school and university vinyls. It's a bluetooth turntable so that I can listen to surviving 7 record albums on my speakers. Somewhere along the way, I suppose it was "on the road to find out", this much played & beloved album disappeared. Cat Stevens music is unique in both sound and lyrics.

How happy I was to listen to this today. I wish I had better words to talk about it. It's beautiful. It's both nostalgic and timeless. A few limited observations among many: The lyrics of "Into White" intrigued me. I love the build-up in "Miles from Nowhere" as his search progresses. And as the father of a teenage son, "Father and Son" caught me by surprise and took the wind out of me.

Beautiful songwriting and great lyrics, but the dynamics are really what got me. Stevens is equally powerful whether he be a whispering breeze or a howling gale. In a genre that can often find itself with the dynamics of a snack pack of vanilla pudding, this was quite refreshing.

Flawless.

Instant 5 stars for me. This is one of my all time favorites, and one I revisit frequently. Another one I have a hard time even putting into words. What can be said about Father and Son? or But I Might Die Tonight? Spent the day listening to various mixes of this album. Tea for the Tillerman 2 is wild. Love the addition of strings.

Really enjoyed way more than I thought I would!

In my collection already

Love this album

Beautiful. Truly.

5 stars!

The over-amped mic capturing the plectrum scraping the strings on "Wild World" is, in my opinion, the single worse recording decision in the history of popular music. Otherwise a great album

Trevligare än när han dömer Salman Rushdie till döden i alla fall. Duktig låtskrivare med en lätt frikyrklig ton.

Less spaced-out than Donnovan, less insincere than James Taylor, Stevens is undeniably melodic, consistently rhythmic and surprisingly not annoying; everything I'd expected he wouldn't be. Given how insanely catchy the closer/title track is, I'm shocked it's only lasts a minute. But given his virility as a folk-pop peddler, leaving them wanting more is exactly the right thing to do.

A real banger, from start to finish.

Yes

Cat Stevens or Yusuf, his now adapted stage name, had already a couple of projects released when this dropped but this hit like a bomb. Especially 'Wild World' was and still is a huge success. The album is full of peacefull and soft Folk Pop tunes that are all really cute and interesting. 'Where Do the Children Play?' opens the album with soft guitar notes and slowly builds up into more and more but not anxious tension that releases into a final vocal climax. A beautiful song with a great structure and sound that keeps you interested throughout. This is an incredible song with many great moments both lyrically and instrumentally. The following 'Hard Headed Woman' is a much softer approach with the strings that at one point take most of the attention before the vocals explode out of nothing and completley contradict the start. It is a lovely song but I feel that at times it is a little streched rather than needed especially near the end. The already mentioned 'Wild World' follows and I do think that it's the best song on the album. The chorus is super catchy and the structure is a great mix between conventional and special. The same can be said about the tension that it creates and releases perfectly for the chorus to start again. A perfect song with perfect execution. This is how a Folk Pop song should be done. The more sentimental 'Sad Lisa' switches the guitar with a piano and creates a very sad sounding and emotionally dense track that is amplified even more with the mourning strings that let the song flow through the bridge. 'Miles From Nowhere' closes the albums first half with another great song that really shows the more fast-paced side of the album. It is a really great blend between the Folk Pop of before with more Rock influence. The only thing that I criticise about this song is that the verse can feel a little bland compared to chorus and bridge. The short but sweet 'But I Might Die Tonight' starts the second side with another really good song that again has a little bit of Rock sprinkled in. The "ah-ah-ah" part is really good and for being so short, the song has quite the moments. 'Longer Boats' starts by sounding a lot like a Beach Boys inspired song and that typical vocal harmony style is kept throughout even if it is much less present than what is standard with the Beach Boys. But overall the song is much more average and isn't all that interesting compared to most this project offers. The much more classic Folk inspired 'Into White' is a similar case of being not bad but much more average than most other songs. It's really cute and all but a very peaceful guitar and vocal sound but I'm just not widely interested with what is going on. The by far longest song is 'On the Road to Find Out' is again a rather uninteresting song with the few moments that are being pretty overshadowed. But the length doesn't really matter here which is a pretty good sign because it doesn't get super tiring. Just before the album finishes we get another classic. This time 'Father and Son' is a really simple but hypnotising song that shows the lyrical and songwriting abillity Cat Stevens has in the fullest potential. It's a really lovely song that really sticks out in this second half. This is a really emotional and deeply connecting song. The one minute long title track 'Tea for the Tillerman' closes the album as a kind of outro that mainly plays with piano to create a song that sounds like a final symphonic end to this album. favourites: Wild World, Where Do the Children Play?, Father and Son least favourites: On the Road to Find Out, Into White Rating: decent 8 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

This is pretty much the gold standard for singer songwriters of the 1970s, both for it's quality and for its themes of reflection and search for meaning. Beautiful, melodic songs, with balanced, elegant arrangements. There's something in Stevens' delivery that makes him seem like he was beamed in from another time, long ago - a pop star Thoreau come to tell us, "Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!" He's still on the journey himself at this point, of course. But it's delightful to ride along with him for a while. Listen in a sunny window, cup of tea at hand. Fave Songs: Wild World, Sad Lisa, Father and Son, Hard Headed Woman

Classic Cat right here. In my adolescence I used to think this guy was corny as fuck, but in my adulthood his earnest charm has been slowly eroding my defenses and, at 40, I reckon I could say I'm a fan. I'm a guitar teacher and have taught his tunes for years, but it was more from wanting to share the wider repertoire of guitar with students than from being a fan. Well... rock on... no, that's not right.. folk on, Mr. Cat!

Cat Stevens reflects on the world in front of him as he sees it, asking fundamental questions and offering humble advice. He tends to come at you slowly and then all at once with a jolt of emotion as if his patience has run out. It’s during these 0-60 moments with this sense that he’s betrayed or surprised himself with outburst that he carries a unique sincerity. Where do the children play. Miles from nowhere. On the road to find out.

Yusuf/Cat Stevens has a great voice and great lyrics. Not a single instrument is out of place on this album.

Cat Stevens was also a regular on the potty training playlist, but my interest didn't make it past childhood even in a Greatest Hits style. Listening to this, I am reminded of why - songs are pretty but simple, with my overall impression on the nursery rhyme side of things. Still, "Father And Son" offers good mystical advice, "Miles From Nowhere" would make a neat cremation epitaph, and the title track is odd and majestic.

Folk music framed as a children's book: whimsical, playful, and a bit intense at times. Stevens is particularly good at building songs with this intensity, giving it a sort of build and fall. To that extent, I think Stevens is an excellent songwriter. That being said, it doesn't resonate with me very much. No fault of the music, it just doesn't stick with me.

Fantastic and really pretty record. Father and son is an all time great.

Listened to many times before but nice to return to this album once more.

Love Cat Stevens, just so relaxing

Firstly wild world gives this a good rating already, such a good song. Other tracks like sad Lisa, longer boats and father and son make it a 5/5

Quick and excellent folk. Not a bad song on here but a few fantastic ones, 'Father and Son' being the obvious one but it's a stone cold classic. Always a pleasure to listen to.

I knew of Cat Stevens, but it was a pleasure to stop and listen.

Some unbelievably beautiful and poetic songwriting on this album, it really just makes you stop for a second to take it all in. It's got fantastic production throughout all of it. I was very familiar with Father and Son (generational tier song btw) and I was ecstatic when I saw I got this gem. A great listen! Top 3 Favorites: Father and Son, Into White, and Wild World / SO to Hard Headed Woman and Where Do The Children Play either of these could have been my third. No bad songs on jah 4.50-4.75/5

A Masterpiece. Gently energetic, warming and inspirational.

I've listened to this album for the last 55 years, and it is a key to my musical appreciation. Yusuf's voice is gentle and lyrical, his playing is magnificent. This album plus Paul Simon,James Taylor and Carole King are the foundation of the singer-songwriter movement in the 70s. One of the best albums ever. 5/5

Another one that I think requires some time to sink in. Feeling a bit jagged at first, these songs slowly reveal their touches and subtleties which are quite beautiful. In a way, it seems this album stands outside of time despite that much of it's subject matter still resonates deeply for today.

Folk music. I loved this album. It was simple but excellent. The vocals, the instruments, the lyrics. Top notch.

God I love this album. A little tougher to listen to do many years later because of the bittersweet nostalgia it makes me feel.

Lovely and relaxing

Brings me into the old living room where my Dad showed me this music.

Ugh. The realness. This is what I'm talking about. Apples and oranges, sure, but this makes Paul's Boutique (my last album) feel like a Saturday morning cartoon or a lottery ticket. Cat is so substantive and enriching. Deep and light. Like photosynthesis making me stronger.

I spent a lot of my childhood thinking this guy was a singing cat called Steven.

Great album

I love folk music and I really like his voice and the thoughtful, pensive feeling with his music.

High quality singing and songwriting right here.

Really enjoyed this. Couple of skips, perhaps, but the highs were incredible. 9 / 10

Genuinely one of my favourite albums of all time. Phenomenal as always 5/5.

Bangers, good rotational album

cool

Another familiar name

Cat/Yusuf flexing his best stuff

I remember this and think it is one of the best.

This album touched my heart so much that I listened through twice right away. An incredible, warm and thoughtful album full of rich tones and storytelling. I can’t believe I have gone this long not knowing of its existence but I’m so glad I’ve heard it now! Father and son brought me to tears, and hard headed woman had to be my other favorite.

I'm in my Cat Stevens era ✨💁‍♀️

superb, tripy!

Great album. Listened to it in the morning starting my workday, nice calm energy. Amazing melodies didn’t feel bored of the album even once. Top songs - Longer boats Father and Son

Absolutely love the album and have for years now.

Not a bad song in the album.... Weird how loads of people freaked out that he changed his name to Yusuf, when he was called bloody CAT before. I've never met a man called cat.

own

What is it about Cat Steven’s that makes this so good? From anyone else, I would hate this with a fiery passion. But this is beautiful and sincere. It feels authentic to his spirit. It’s kinda like Bob Marley. His songs are eternal, because they give voice to something universal, some part of the human soul. Like gospel, there’s a special something in this sound that reaches past the lyrics. And the music is so lovely, so gentle. It’s impossible not to get swept up. If you have a problem with Cat Stevens, the problem is you.

Absolutely beautiful. Loved it!

9/16/24. Wow, really enjoyed this one. Peaceful folk rock with soothing, slightly haunting vocals. The songwriting includes great melodies and storytelling. I'll definitely be back to listen to this one!

Arguably the quintessential 'folk-pop' album, personally I prefer this album's predecessor 'Mona Bone Jakon', but I will admit this one has more classic/culturally significant songs. Cat Stevens' lyrics and demeanour on this album inspired hope at the time of its release, and it continues to do so, regardless of how much of a "downward slope" everything in the world seems to be on.

Great voice, great lyrics, great album. Starts on a high note and keeps climbing.

A true classic.

Fantastic

Excellent

gud

Absolutely fantastic backyard chill album. I know a few of his songs, listened to the Cat Steven’s greatest hits, but this album tops anything I was expecting. Definitely a permanent spot in the library. Strong 5.

Ich denke an die Feder von Forrest Gump am Anfang des Films. Sie schwebt leicht über längere Zeit durch die Leinwand bis sie zart landet. So geht es mir mit den Songs, dem Gesang von Cat Stevens und den akustischen Instrumenten. Ein Traum. Ich liebe diesen Liedermacher. "Sad Lisa" zeigt wie man es macht: wunderschöne Musik, zarte, keine aufdringliche Violine, eine wandelbare Stimme umhüllt mit einer Schokolade, die aber laut werden kann ohne den Ton zu verlieren und ob Piano oder Gitarre, es passt einfach haargenau. Nur macht es nicht sad, sondern einfach nur Happy.

Favourite song - Father and son

Enjoyed every song, especially Wild World and Father And Son. A well needed break from slogging through the cesspit of mediocrity that is this list

I was going to give a 4, but I’ve decided to be generous. Wild World. Banger. Father and Son. Banger. Tea for the Tillerman. Banger (and too short) Simpsons: Yes

Good stuff.

This album and I go way back and I can only give it 5 stars, even if there are two songs weaker than the others. But I agree it’s CS’s best, though for a complete experience step back one album and make sure to listen to Maybe You’re Right, I Think I See the Light, and Trouble - all songs included on the soundtrack to Harold & Maude along with some from Tillerman. An inspired soundtrack for sure.

Lots of hits on here

I had no expectations and I wish I did so that they could be exceeded.

I used to own this on vinyl and forgot what an absolute gem this album is. Great songwriting and great vocals. Gave me the feeling you get when you reconnect with an old friend...

A beautiful album.

Soothing.

Really nice album. Whole album can be listened to easily.

Fantastic album. Very soothing, relaxing album that paints a great picture in the mind with Yusuf / Cat Stevens' words

The style has changed, even if it has come around again in the musical cycles, but what hasn’t changed since the early days of blues, is the message…in a million and one voices…baby, baby, it’s a wild world! My dad had one milk crate (sometimes 2) of albums. He crammed the greatest in his eyes of 30 years of rock up until that point (late 70’s) and we listened to them all until they were utterly worn out. This was one of those sacred albums.

Cat Stevens music always takes me to a utopian place that only exists in my head

Da sind einige tolle Lieder dabei