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

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).

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.

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.

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.

I mean, it's Cat Stevens

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

5 stars!

Beautiful. Truly.

Love this album

In my collection already

Really enjoyed way more than I thought I would!

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.

Flawless.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Yes

A real banger, from start to finish.

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

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.

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!

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

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

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.

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.

A favorite of mine!

oh baby baby baby naaaaaaaadaa

Well that was a classic. Finally.

One of my favorite albums, a must for anyone who likes Cat Stevens or classic 70s folk music Highlights: -Where do the Children Play? -Hard-Headed Woman -Wild World -Sad Lisa -Miles from Nowhere

Beautiful album, was a favorite in my younger years and still holds up.

Supuse un buen disco y ya. No me considero fan de Cat Stevens, ni siquiera sabía que se llama Yusuf. No se quedó en un buen disco y ya, la verdad lo disfruté mucho y después de 3 o 4 vueltas lo podía seguir escuchando sin problemas otras 3 más. Miles From Nowhere fue mi favorita, además de las obligadas Wild World y Father And Son. Hard Headed Woman también es buena y en general el disco es una chulada.

I find it amazing how each song on this album stands out from the other stylistically. Songwriting at the highest level.

Chefs kiss emoji

Really liked this! Wish the title track was a proper song rather than a minute long

Needs no description. It’s just so fucking good through and through.

Beautiful.

i ADORE "wild world", so I'm quite biased :)

Heel leuk album. Je zou denken dat Sufjan Stevens en Cat Stevens familie zijn van elkaar, omdat de muziekstijl wel wat weg heeft van elkaar. Toch is er blijkbaar geen verwantschap tussen de twee.

I liked it. Sincere, simple, beautiful.

Bloody great, will listen again :)

Me gustaron todas las canciones, la verdad. Sintetiza muy bien toda la buena vibra hippie setentera a la que el indie dosmilero le debe tanto. Mención honorífica para “Hard Headed Woman” <3

Good guitar album with excellent texts.

I liked this more than I thought I would. Easy listening all the way through but with enough variation between songs to keep me interested.

The easiest way for me to describe this album is simple, it’s basically the beauty of a Studio Ghibli film condensed into an album, and no I’m not just saying that cause the album art kinda reminds me of them. Anyways, it’s a lovely little folk album.

Awesome

I. Love. This. Album. SO MUCH. Cat Stevens is so good, and I have always loved them. This album is EXCELLENT. 5 stars xD

Another 5 star album

Perfect for a Sunday-afternoon listen. Find it on vinyl if you can.

Solid good album. All songs blend together. One or two noticable songs.

Banger after banger

Father and son is top. The rest of the album is really good.

An album that was part of the soundtrack of my life growing up. In addition to Cat Steven's great voice, the songs touch on basic universal human feelings. A classic that doesn't age.

An old favorite of mine. I love the golden age of Cat Steven's and this is his very best. 5 stars

Excellent album, he had a lot to say and he was on the money, where will the children play indeed.

Honestly loved this. Great album front to back

9/10. I like Cat Stevens.

Loved this. 9

My favorite Cat Stevens album

zaebumba

Classic, no one quite like Cat Stevens.

The last track! 😍 I want it to go on forever, but it doesn’t. The chorus! I play this track over and over. What a baller move to end this album on that unresolved chord. I associate Cat Steven’s with so many pieces of video media as well. “This is Us” uses him almost obsessively. And the title track of which I am enamored is from “Extras”. All in all, good vibes on this album and some substance

Chill album. Good background music but full of depth if you want to listen closely. The two big hits on the album bring some extra energy as well

Chill album. Good background music but full of depth if you want to listen closely. The two big hits on the album bring some extra energy as well

Basically perfection

hard headed woman wild world father and son

A true classic in my opinion. This album brings me a lot of joy

Pretty much perfection.

nice music to listen when you're bored

Great album. The titular track is a personal highlight, and of course wild world slaps from beginning to end

I remember discovering Cat Stevens as a high schooler. Best decision I ever made. This has been, and still remains, one of my favorite albums to put on when I'm having a bad day.

Much more enjoyable than I had expected. Some absolute bangers on here, particularly Miles From Nowhere. Saved 5/11 songs onto my Spotify.

schöne Songs, erinnern an die Jugendzeit

I went through a Cat Stevens phase last year and listened to this one a few times. This might be his best, and it's very listenable end-to-end with "wild world" and "father and son" the clear hits. I'm going to check out the "father and son" 2020 remake where he sings with his 22-year old self!

Great album ands made better on a quiet Sunday morning. There are some amazing tracks on here. Emotional and though provoking.

A true classic. Beautiful.

This was great, varied and powerful lyrics

Clássico.

Pop folk done right, perfectly even in places. It doesn't matter that Wild World and Father & Son have been played to death by others. This has the title track and the sublime Into White.

An absolute masterpiece. It's a flawless album from end to end. Cat has a remarkable talent for drawing listeners in and connecting with them while bearing his soul. And he does it with beautiful pop-folk arrangements, gorgeous melodies, and emotional poignant lyricism. He stirs my soul in a way that no other artist can. I adore this album!

Simply beautiful. I loved this so so much.

Fundamental, um dos prediletos da casa. Sequência magnética.

This healed my soul a little bit.

Decent, some nice hits

Behold, the power of association! I won't share the story here as no one would care except me, but this album has one of the most acutely direct associations with a time in my life and a person (sweet and melancholy memories wrapped in nostalgia) that it is more challenging for me to just hear the album on its own. That's perfectly fine, of course, as art is that which we experience as art, music is that which we experience as music, and we can never separate our subjectivity from the experience. This is hardly the only album or song for which this kind of memory flood rushes in -- everyone has a long list, I know. And there are times when a song, artist, or album has a strong association but the music doesn't hit us the same way. This album stands up well for me. I love the songwriting, and it's all performed superbly well. I feel like I'm listening to some real poetry and storytelling, and the music accompanying the lyrics is compelling to me. I'm a bit overdone with 'Wild World,' but that's just because it's been everywhere for so long. I particularly love 'Where Do The Children Play?', 'Miles From Nowhere', and 'On The Road To Find Out'.