Tea for the Tillerman

I don’t know what to call this genre of rock/singer/songwriter, but it’s not my style. It ends up feeling pretty generic and very similar to a lot of other projects. That’s not to say that it’s not a serviceable album, just not for me.

A consistently strong collection. The songwriting is excellent. The production let the songs breathe which serves it well over 50 years on.

Surprisingly excellent

a damn classic. 5 stars.

LETS FUCKING GOOOO NEVER LISTENED FULLY BUT THIS WAS JUST AS GOOD AS I HOPED FATHER AND SON IS ONE OF THE GREATEST SONGS EVER WRITTEN

This whole week has been filled with solid, good musicians. However, and as it is for Cat Stevens, there are lots of solid, good musicans out there. As a singer songwriter, Stevens has a MASSIVE dose of competition. They all have room at the table and there are a couple of wonderful songs on this album that are worthy of his place there. However the table is rather long and he is down there among them. As good and professional as he is it still only gets him to a "yeah, he is Ok." place.

Beautiful perfect album.

Really enjoyed the early work of Yusuf Islam! Sweet melodies of the early 70's without the late 60's insistence on being heard. Can melt into this and dream of children, peace, and self-discovery.

Surprise for me. Really enjoyed most all these songs. And, like his sound.

Decent but not really my thing. Fun to listen to though and indicative of musical genius.

Much to my delight, I really enjoyed this album. Cat Steven’s voice is something I’m shocked I didn’t get annoyed by however I think it perfectly executed his songs and made me feel comfortable. I have no complaints for this album. Although it’s hard to give 5s for me, and I don’t usually give them out to albums I listen to once, I’m pleasantly surprised.

One of the few singers that I actually enjoy for their own sake - good old Cat. He seems to take songs that would have otherwise been a bit mid and elevate them. I'm a little more of a fan of his next album Teaser & The Firecat as I think the songs are stronger and a little more diverse there but this is still a great joyous throwback that also provides almost a wistful vibe throughout. An album I think I can always listen to. Highlight: "On The Road to Find Out" 7/10 4 stars

Big ole snoozefest

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this album. One of my favorites from a great singer song writer

It’s fine, I suppose he’s a great songwritter. Gets quite boring but ends up being an easy listen.

Really liked it, more of a 4.5 stars if not even a 5!

Sounds very 70s, not terrible but not my thing. Has some bowie vibes

Cozy AF. If I didn't love this album, I'd think his voice was goofy and his guitar was jangly.

Mostly easy to listen to

Have always enjoyed Cat Stevens, so no surprise that I enjoyed this album... Sad to say that I've never really listened to any of his albums start-to-finish - other than a Cat Compilation album that I got from The Columbia House Record "13 Albums For A Penny" deal that I had back in the day... Would have to listen to some of his other albums to get a sense as to where this one ranks... Obviously "Wild World" is the track from this album that everyone knows, but I thought the album was extremely well-done from top-to-bottom, as there are no throw away songs on it - it's just that some are stronger than others, and I liked the variation throughout (i.e. some guitar driven, some piano driven...). In addition to "Wild World" I really thought highly of "Sad Lisa" & "Miles From Nowhere", and the run at the end of the album of "Into White", "On The Road To Find Out", and "Father And Son" were all exceptional... Once again, I wish I could give partial scores like 3.50 or 3.75, but alas, I can't... Probably would have given this a 3.75, because I'm quite sure it's a 4 - which I just don't give out willy-nilly - but then again, I thoroughly enjoyed just about half the songs on the album - so I guess that means I'm gonna have to go with the higher rating, so a 4 it is...

Americana/folk type vibe. Easy listening and soft spoken. Great for the right vibe

Cat Steven as you know how, Hits a'plenty - beautiful music and voice.

Didn't feel super impactful, and there wasn't a lot of variety. Overall it was fine and had a couple songs I enjoyed, but I will be forgetting the rest of the album very quickly.

Really enjoyed the album. It was calm and peaceful, loved the music and enjoyed the lyrics/message. 4/5!

Pedazo de músico

I liked this

Lost my review for this one, but it's really good. Gentle and sweet, but with a lot of energy 4/5

One of the first albums I owned on vinyl. Good vibes from Yusuf every time.

Ab-so-lu-tely marvellous. There's a strong argument that Cat/Yusuf is in the top few songwriters of all time. I guess the fact that whenever some schmuck like Rod Stewart covers a Cat song it's so terrible is testament to the fact he also performs them immaculately as well. The big hits on here really stand out, Sad Lisa is tremendous, Father and Son is one of the most emotional and moving songs on record IMHO (and I will be taking no questions on that), while Wild World is both poignant and toe-tapping. That little guitar run after the title line gets me every time. It loses 0.1 for reminding me of the existence of Rod Stewart and Boyzone, but this album is close to perfect. Actually, forget that. FIVE POINT NOUGHT STARS.

Good stuff. As good as Teaser and the Firecat. There's one song in the middle which isn't as good, about light ships or long ships or something like that. Either way, an unnecessary addition to an otherwise great album.

Not gonna be my favorite. His other album is a little better, but just not for me tbh. Low 3

Longer Boats is a great song that I wasn't familiar with. Same with On the Road to Find Out. Album also includes the classic Wild World.

Easy listening with a few very well known classics.

Easy 5

I'm my early teens I didn't find this type of soft acoustic melody driven music very appealing. However l, every time you heard this voice it had something that pulled you in. Not the greatest voice by any means, but kind of haunting. You truly believe the singer owns the song and lyrics.

Perfect album. Problematic person. It’s difficult to reconcile. Do we separate the man from his art? Can we commend one while banning the other? It’s a fine line to walk. This is one of, if not the, best folk album ever recorded.

Pretty good. Calming but passionate music

This album feels heavily influenced by the likes of The Beatles, Bob Dylan amongst others. I don’t have many qualms, as this is right up my alley. Wild World, Hard Headed Woman and On the road to find out were my stand out tracks for me.

Cute it is just cute picnic music. It starts a bit slow but it reminds me a lot of cats and the Cradle like sad dad music Divorced dad music for sure

Good middle school memories

Good piano jams Better than expected

I liked this one. The dreamy and sometimes energetic folk is very fun, calming, charming. The acoustic guitar, playing is intricate and overall very good. The same goes for the vocals, which are also very good. This one’s one I didn’t know if I’d like or not, but I’m glad I did!

a few excellent songs in here, Wild World especially stands out. but for every fun or emotional song there's another equally dull one that is forgettable

Took me back to high scy

slow but somewhat interesting

Not the worst album on here, but definitely not the best. I found that I was able to get through it without getting irrationally angry.

Great album. Not the best to listen to while lifting weights, but that doesn't detract from it.

If I was judging this album by the music alone, it would probably be somewhere between a 3 and a 4. I think I would end up giving it 3, as although there were some good tracks, there were also a few that were a bit dull, or short, or even short and dull (which is difficult to pull off). However, I'm pushing it down to 1 stars as I can't bring myself to give the artist more than the minimum allowed. When I was at university, many decades ago, I had a friend who was fine most of the time, but there was some darkness about him. That dark part in him must have called out and found an answer somewhere, because one day he decided he was quitting university, changing his name, and joining the cult of Islam. Looking back, this was probably an early sign of mental illness. Anyone who can justify killing another human for the crime of writing a book doesn't deserve more than one star.

Rather pleasant, if a little goddy

4.5/5, 💙 personal favourites: • where do the children play? • on the road to find out • father and son

Beautiful songs, sweet sound, but a little boring. Better to listen in the right mood.

An important album, then and now. 50+ years later, it remains relevant. Every. Single. Song. Musically and lyrically, this album is close to perfect.

Some great songs but overall lackluster

Great folk album.

Excellent

Schönes Wochenend-Fruhstuck-Album

Hm. Opener fand ich schrecklich und ich hab mich gefragt, ob der Mann eigentlich wirklich singen kann. Wurde dann aber relativ schnell besser. Ist schon ziemlich corny, aber es sind halt auch einige Klassiker dabei und tlw. ne ganz schöne Stimmung. Best: Sad Lisa, Miles from Nowhere, Father and Son. Worst: Where Do The Children Play?, Longer Boats, Into White (Lyrics)

Kind of all just blends together aside from the songs you already know.

I don't like this wimpy type of folk rock, and I don't like this weirdo asking where the children play. 2/5 because Wild World and Miles From Nowhere are OK.

Beautifully lyrical songwriting- some profound. Bit of an ambivalent person to me but you can't deny his talent so I forgive. Glad to see so many others feel the same.

Cat Stevens is arguably the artist that had the most profound impact on me as a songwriter. Memorable melodies, inventive harmonies, and just all around excellent acoustic rock. It’s easy to think he’s simply another folk artist, but just listen to those choruses on “On The Road to Find Out” and tell me that he isn’t rocking. This album features several of his best and most well-known songs: “Where Do The Children Play,” “Wild World,” “Hard Headed Woman.” But my favorite is “Father and Son”—beautiful, heartbreaking, impassioned, clever. I love Cat Stevens and this is without a doubt his crowning achievement. An easy 5/5 for me.

Really solid album.

I grew up on this one.

Thank you for bringing this back to me!

There's nothing to really dislike here and it's quite the refreshing lighter selection compared to some of the other 1001's, but that simultaneously puts a ceiling on how seriously this can be taken as "elevated" art....god that sounds pretentious. Surprised how much closer it is to orchestral rather than twangy folk. All said, a pleasant, coloring-book invoking listen! Favorite track: Hard Headed Woman

Mys!

Mammas favorit och måste erkänna att även jag är svag för katten 😻

Absolutely loved it from start to finish. I can see this becoming a favourite album.

oooooh baby baby it’s a wild world - some guy named cat

like a 2, kinda weird

chill

No notes. Perfection.

An emotional and hard hitting acoustic pop album. You can feel so much emotion in most of the songs. The melodies and songwriter are top tier. I also love that there is some variety on the album. Variety in style and a variety in instruments. It's an interesting album all the way through. It opens so strong with Where Do The Children Play? Wild World is another amazing song. On Spotify, But I Might Die Tonight and Longer Boats are the least popular songs on the album which is surprising to me. I feel like they're both underrated. I think my least favorite song is probably Sad Lisa mostly due to how he says the word Lisa. Father and Son is just one of the best songs ever written.

There are only a few artists that can cut me with sincerity, sadness and optimism. Yusuf's song are always full of journey, wonder and longing. His music is always telling the story of the evolving quest that he is on. We're lucky enough to be able to join that quest via song and album. Nowhere is more true than Tea of Tillerman. - It starts out with the building and thoughtful "Where do the Children Play?" a good reminder to slow down. - Hard Headed Woman always kills me. I'm right there with him as he's looking for that hard headed woman. - Wild World. Classic and always relevant. - Sad Lisa though a less popular one has elements on HHW and is a good palate cleanser as the album progresses. - Miles from Nowhere reminds us that we're back on this journey. Another thoughtful relic. - But I Might Die Tonight just makes sense after Miles from Nowhere. Am I listening to a musical?? - Longer Boats is somewhat obscure, but one of my favorites. It reminds me of Sloop John B in island inspired sound. Again, the lyrics ground you. - Into White another palate cleanser and we lead into the final third of the record. - On the Road to Find Found another one of my favorites. Let's hit the rowdy road! I love how this builds. - Father and Son don't make cry. This song is important. - Tea for Tillerman one of the best ways that I've ever heard an album finish. A one minute choir anthem?? Its so rad. I want more, but its also perfect.

I love Cat Stevens and there are some classics on this, but I cannot give it a super high rating.

Beautiful. I’m happy I got to listen to this today.

Loved this!!! Great album

The album art is so very bad. I listened to most of the album and a lot of the lyrics are beautiful. It just isn't my taste. I don't really like his voice.

I like tea with Cat.

Stevens at his best.

Yes. More like this please!

Perfectly captures Cat Stevens style. “Wild World” is a classic. “Father and Son” is beautiful. For one of my birthdays Sam gave me the vinyl version of this album and the song always reminds me of him. ****

Great album! The back half was spectacular!

Classic. I love his vibe, his voice, his guitar work, his life's work.

So calming. Trying this journey out. Not sure if I can make it to the end... But I guess I'm not forced to listen to all of it. ALSO THIS MANS MUSLIM NOW?

2 riktiga klassiker knyts ihop av ett gäng 3+ låtar

Very cute, very emotional. Being lost in such a fast moving world and just wanting to be happy and live your life. I feel that! Wild World, Father and Son, Where the Children Play, Miles from Nowhere, and Hard Headed Woman are amazing and a great first exposure to a full funk album. Not perfect, but 5/5 either way

10/10 - love it

Nice

Tfw just watched another hilarious episode of Ricky Gervais’s “Extras”

This album is nice.

Was just kinda underwhelmed?

01) Where Do The Children Play? - 8,5 02) Hard Headed Woman - 8,0 03) Wild World - 10,0 04) Sad Lisa - 8,5 05) Miles from Nowhere - 7,5 06) But I Might Die Tonight - 7,5 07) Longer Boats - 8,0 08) Into White - 7,5 09) On the Road to Find Out - 7,5 10) Father and Son - 9,0 11) Tea for the Tillerman - 6,5 TOTAL: 8,05 (81/100) It's a nice album, a solid 4 stars. It features two big hits and it seems I prefer "Wild World" over "Father and Son".

Some beautiful songs on this one, with great use of piano and strings. Relaxing vibe without getting boring

Favorites: where Do the Children Play? & Hard Headed Woman & Wild World & Father and Son

Dont really remember it. Though I enjoyed it

Very folky. All the songs blend together and thematically similar. Better than bob dylan. 3.45

Love it. Even the non-hits are solid and Father and Son pushes it over the edge. Will never leave my collection

Z'n stem is regelmatig vervelend. Dat geknepen stemgeluid vind ik enorm irritant. Een gekke combinatie van Phil Collins en Bee Gees. Het zou prima achtergrondmuziek zijn als die stem de boel niet naar de voorgrond forceerde. Zo'n nummer als Miles From Nowhere vind ik enorm lastig om niet af te zetten en zo zijn er meer. Ik vind het een beetje kut, Stevens. De wat rustigere stukjes zijn wel aardig, maar daar kun je niet op overleven. Father And Son vind ik een aardig nummer. Een stukje acoustische gitaarsolo zorgt ervoor dat Cat wat minder loopt te kwaken. Ik kom niet verder dan 2 sterren.

“Wild World” is a legitimate classic. The rest of the album…not so much. “Into White” started off well musically but lost me with the lyrics. It is, however, the best, “Red legged chicken,” song I have ever heard. Be sure to listen to “Tea For The Tillerman” with headphones on if you enjoy having your ears blasted by the “Happy Day” choir. The album was ridiculously mixed with that song being the most ridiculous. I am curious to know how they managed to make a 5-disc anniversary edition for this average, at best, album. I am just not curious enough to listen to find out. Hopefully, Yusuf learned to use a mixing board in the past 50 years to protect those who appreciate being able to hear.

Cat Stevens is great. The album is a very mellow listen of beautiful guitar music and lovely lyrics

Nostalgic

4/5

Reminds me of Paul Simon. Not really a fan of this guys voice.

Better than average album so far

Pretty nice. It almost comes off as his best of. Father and Son is still such a beautiful tune.

Not bad, reminded me of some Elton John

Timeless and beautiful. Amazing voice and deep lyrics accompanied by the pure guitar play.

proljetno, jednostavno, ugodno, nije mi za svaki dan ali kad me pogodi ovakav mood, slusat cu ga opet!

I like Cat Stevens. Especially the sound track for Harold and Maude :)

Sounds like a mix of Genesis and Jethro Tull, two big favorites of mine. Immaculate vibes and rich instrumentals really sold it for me 9/10

Great melodies and solid songwriting. Not quite my type of music to have a higher rating.

Chill album and a fun listen but didn’t particularly move me in way I expect some of these albums will. Overall an excellent combination of instruments and vocals for easy listening. The hour flew by fairly quickly.

gem lines that seem simple but hit hard There’s so much left to know, and I’m on the road to find out

Zaspao uz ovaj album

Cat/Yousif and Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull have got a similar vocal quality that I just love. Great songs here too.

Flowery classic psychedelic. Probably inspired a lot of future music. Father and son. Very diverse musically. Whimsical story telling. Probably inspired Fleet Foxes.

Great folk classic, I already knew Cat Stevens before this listen

Has a couple of songs that I really love. Good singer.

Amazing

Loved it. Songs still resonate.

decent.

You’ve gotta be stoned to listen to this

I like it. Nice vibes

Another Meh!

Decent folk album

Beautiful.

Uff, ich mag die Stimme einfach nicht und bin bei manchen Songs sogar etwas schockiert, wie ungroovy und handwerklich schlecht die aufgenommen sind: Bei "Wild World" eiert alles frequenzüberlagert in der Mitte rum, "Miles from Nowhere" wird langsam, wenn sie leise spielen und schneller, wenn es lauter wird (Die Pre-Click-Track-Area war nicht immer besser...). Einen Stern mehr gibt's dann doch, weil Wild World und Father and Son halt echte Lagerfeuerklassiker sind und mir bei manchen Stücken die knackige Kontrbassspur echt gut gefallen hat. "Into White" hat mir gut gefallen.

Nice vibes, but didn't find it super memorable

In keeping with my music tastes, if a little cutesy! Cat's limited voice can begin to grate, but he makes up for it with pleasant if a little forgetful for me, melodies. Into White was surprisingly nice, and Wild World's little scale run is still great fun! Long Boats though gets real annoying to me and Father and Son is little overplayed....

- Country psychedelic - Wild World… wow, listen is worth it for this tune alone - Feel like I should be more impacted by the album than I am as a whole , folksy music ain’t really my thing but I can appreciate this still - “i know when I find my honey, it’s gonna make me feel good.” - But I Might Die Tonight… okay this album is special… maybe I do like folksy music? - Losing steam, maybe I really don’t hahah - Glad I listened, prob won’t re listen to anything besides wide world and miles - 7/10

good

Hörbar, Klassiker, doch möchte ich nicht wieder hören.

Honestly, not for me. I used to listen to Cat Stevens in high school and I think if you really like folk then this is it. But I'm not into folk like that.

A folk pop classic with lyrics ranging from the profound to the questionable.

Meh

Tea for the Tillerman By: Cat Stevens Genre: Country Rock Date Ranked: 04 . 01 . 24 Where Do The Children Play?: 7 / 10 ☆ > He has a calm and kinda wholesome voice, similar to Bowie in a way. I think the lyrics are rather wholesome too, and seem kinda strong in some moments. Overall, I think it is a pretty nice little song, maybe it’s just not my genre, if you will. Hard Headed Woman: 6.75 / 10 ☆ > Well, I’d say this one is a bit more lively, I kinda like it, however, I’d say that lyrically, it is losing to the previous song. Wild World: 6.75 / 10 ☆ > The singing at the beginning is not great, however, from there it kinda picks and gets much better. Like, I’d say it is kinda catchy, I kinda like it. Sad Lisa: 6.75 / 10 ☆ > Beautiful music, sounds sad and melancholic, I love it. The lyrics are a tiny bit cheesy, but, overall, it is pretty good. Miles From Nowhere: 7 / 10 ☆ > Hmm, this one is quite nice. I like how nicely it flows from the slightly quicker parts to the slower ones and again. The lyrics? Quite nice too. But I Might Die Tonight: 6.5 / 10 ☆ > Well, that was short, and, to be honest, it was just alright. Kinda weaker than all the previous ones, if I have to be honest. Longer Boats: 6.5 / 10 ☆ > Okay, honestly, I am not a fan when stuff is sung like this. So, yeah, this song is no exception, not a big fan, sorry. Into White: 6.75 / 10 ☆ > That’s cute and everything, but, like, felt extremely short in terms of lyrics, personally. Still, I like the music in this one. On The Road To Find Out: 7 / 10 ☆ > Fair enough, this one is quite good. Like, it is nice, and the chorus is nice, I like the thing with “on the road to find out”, it is nice. Father And Son: 7 / 10 ☆ > Wholesome life advice, I think it is well written, love it. Tea For The Tillerman: 6.75 / 10 ☆ > I liked the loud part, but it was too short overall, unfortunately. Total Percentage: 67.954% —> 68% (Round Up) Average Song Rating: 6.79 / 10 ☆ Best Song(s): > Where Do The Children Play? > Miles From Nowhere > On The Road To Find Out > Father And Son

The string arrangements are so good. Robert Christgau can suck it. This album is amazing. Perfect length and every song is good. Any longer and I think I would have tired but I think Cat absolutely nailed it.

a classic!!

Back when I was a young metal head, I had this girl I was seeing around to my place. So there's this chick with purple hair and piercings going through my cd collection looking for something to listen to. She found this album and freaked out, calling me fake, poser etc. That may be the only time in history Cat Stevens' music ever broke up a relationship. A truly classic album. 5 stars.

Wow, what a great storyteller. I didn't realise how many Yusuf / Cat Stevens I knew but I really like at least 5 of the 11 tracks. It's not just the lyrics but the way he sings too, it's so captivating.

Lawd, the song writing chops on this guy! THE CHOPS! I couldn't name any Cat Stevens songs before getting this album in the project, but upon listening I definitely recognized a couple of them, and I'm pretty sure I've heard some cover versions too... Each of those first three tracks sound like they could be the soundtrack for a pivotal movie moment.... and then you have "Father and Son" later on, that's like that but even more so! Fave tracks - "Where Do the Children Play?", "Wild World", "Father and Son". It's weird that the title track sounds like it's an epic into for something longform, and then it just stops after a minute!

Hard Headed Woman, Wild World, Father and Son are highly significant. Where do the Children Play also is quite good. His voice on this album is about as clear and lucid as he's ever had it. It's a highly significant album. I've been listening to it for 35 years. The middle songs aren't nearly as good..

Lots of memorable AM gold here. I get Jim Croce and Cat Stevens mixed up to me they're the same person. This is the one that changed his name, went into hiding and refused royalties tho, right? Cool. That's punk rock.

The hits are great, but too many others are slow and boring.

Reminds me at times of Nick Drake, which I like.

Another album I had listened to before. Fairly big fan of Cat Stevens. Love this album especially.

Gear: Fostex TH610 Mische (2000 Remaster): greifbar ortbare Gitarrensaiten, spärliche abner knackige Drums, zarte Streicher ("Sad Lisa"), Vocals angenehm trocken mit überraschender Dynamik ("Where Do The Children Play?") Mugge: wunderschön emotionales Folk-Meisterwerk *chef's kiss* Wertung: 5/5

Classic folk/singer-songwriter album. Smooth, melodic, and meaningful. Good listen.

I like Father and Son. The rest of the album just sorta makes you think "I guess every artist has to make an album".

This is just delightful really, it's simple but has remarkable depth, compelling stories, memorable songs, and Father And Son is just one of the best songs of all time.

This is gentle, country, folky music. Not really my thing, but this is a decent version of it - Wild Word and the ending (Father & Son / title track) are unsurprisingly the most popular tracks on the album, but the rest is decent enough too. Doesn't outstay its welcome, but doesn't do enough to really excite me. A middle of the road 3/5.

Good listen but forgettable for me. Expect 'Wild World', great song. Needs a relisten, I could see myself coming round to it.

Pretty solid 70s vibe

It ok, but I wasn't a big fan Don't have much to say Feeling a strong 2

wonderful smooth music :-)

Simple, well-produced acoustic folk tracks with thoughtful lyrics, a raunchy emotional voice, and sophisticated (yet simple) melodies. Many tracks like "On the Road to Find Out" embody the spirit of the catchy pop folk rock of Simon & Garfunkel. A short record, with 2 strong hits (that have been cemented in music canon), a powerful opener and satisfying closer, and something to note of each track. It could be stronger, and could do with less repetition, but it's a very fine folk record for its time, and I don't see any obvious tracks to cut. The middle ones are weaker but still have value.

Anfang der 70er mochte meine kleine Schwester (12) diesen "Cat Stevens". Ich fand ihn immer sehr unsympatisch - ein typischer "Südländer".

🐈

great classics

magnificent

Gentle piece of work with a couple of classic songs on it. Drifted by quite nicely.

Nice & easy

The only Cat Stevens album you need.

Listened to it while sitting in bed with my wife at the dusk of Christmas Eve 2023 - and she told me story how the became familiar with ‚Father and son‘

The songs I did not know were consistent with the style of the ones I did know.

Good music and lyrics. Love Wide World.

fav song: wild world

The title "Father And Son" alone makes this album worthy of 5 stars. Added to this is Yusuf's very beautiful voice.

Back when singer/songwriters wrote acoustic songs with something to say, and have people sing along with! And it also has Wild World!

Classic. Beautiful voice.

Look at me, I am old. But I'm happy. Damn, this line really hit home today. Made my mind go back in time and think of a lot of people and a lot of times. Brought some damn tears to my eyes, some joy and and even some pain to my heart. I thought this was a very good song. I also really liked track #1, Where do the children play? But in between, a lot of slow, uninspiring guitar songs. All I could think was Bluto smashing the dudes guitar in Animal House. Wild World is the only song I have heard before and think it's OK, but mostly meh, like most of this album. It was a nice enough listen, but just not really my listening pleasure. I'm struggling with a number on this one. Not really a 3 for me, but it wasn't anything I would immediately turn off, either. 2.5 Scoreboard will show a 3 for the thoughts and memories the Father and Son song triggered in my head.

2.5 A total vibe change from Public Image Ltd. Look, I don’t want to be that guy, but there’s something about Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ music that I just find really lame. So, this album surprised me a bit with its opener, Where Do the Children Play?, which was actually pretty enjoyable and lowkey kind of a banger. Unfortunately, that charm runs thin pretty quickly, and after a stretch of less interesting songs, I was over this album about halfway through. Father and Son is okay I guess, but F this dude for suing The Flaming Lips over it - I can hear maybe a bit of semblance to Fight Test if I listen closely, but calling it infringement is a joke. Don’t have much else to say on this one - I just don’t see this being the kind of thing I ever put on in my free time. I’ll give it this, I was kind of impressed with how solid the production felt here for being released in 1970, though if I’m being honest, there’s a good chance I would have liked this more if it wasn’t so polished.

All time classic.

Cat stevenssi muutamaan instanssiin kuultu... liekö unohtnut instannssit heh ON UNOHTUNUT... unohdettavaa musiikkia myös.... ei toki huonoa.,, respektiä miekkoselle,,

Enjoyable, well written, and overall tight. It just doesn't do a great deal for me compared to the other singer-songwriters of the age.

very good. some masterpieces here!

Not really my thing, but it was pretty good and what I expected.

Something about it felt very repetitive

Cat Stevens' voice may not reach the heights of his contemporaries but his songwriting really makes up for it, and this is probably the most accessible you can get for Yusuf, though a little dated sounding in places. The Beatles, the blues and even Dylan and Paul Simon influences feel obvious but not in a bad way. Wild World has an all timer chorus. Miles From Nowhere has infectious energy. Longer Boats could be a CSNY track. Father and Son is a classic. High 4

I think Wild World and Father and Son get this a lot a light 4. It’s kind of a soft album but good for a particular vibe. Probably worth a closer listen.

Nice feel good soft rock. The song writing is good but none of it would really bring me back. Maybe I’ll take a lot of heat for this review

I’m not a big fan of acoustic soft rock but this is a very good album. Wild World, Where Do the Children Play and Father and Son are classics. Sad Lisa sounds like Peter Gabriel era Genesis to me. Miles From Nowhere reminded me of Burn Down the Mission or Take me to the Pilot from Elton John.

Great gentle songwriting. Whoever remastered this did an amazing job as it sounds like it could have come out last year. “Wild World”’s verses sounds like when ppl make acoustic versions of rap or r&b songs to me lol. I’d do a 4.5 if possible but I can’t so ill give it a low 5

Excellent!

Easy listening singer-songwriter album. Favorite Tracks: Wild World, Longer Boats, Father And Son

Easy listening!

Man can write a tune. Some duds in the album though.

it ends up one note, outside of the 3 bigger noteworthy songs

this is an album i fell in love with about a decade ago during a bad spat of depression. this album is so cozy to me, and i adore it. it got me through some tough times. if i can be a little overly critical, a lot of the songs are pretty samey. side one is great, side two is not as great. but! it's still a great album.

I love this album; I think I learned 80% of the songs on my guitar!!!! 5 stars!

A great one to start the list with- very solid folk rock with a couple songs that still pop up in popular media with some regularity.

What

It's not time to make a change Great album

Not as many familiar as i would have thoight. Hard headed woman tight

Gah, not a fan of Cat Stevens. So whiny

Don’t hate it, but definitely feels dated and wow there are some weird lyrics

Very short album. I really enjoyed this. I’d heard Wild World before and always loved it. Sad Lisa also stood out a great track. I guess I like Folk because this is the second album I’ve rated 5 and the other was Bob Dylan.

Enjoyable but not something I'd go back to. Favourite Song: Father And Son

What a perfect acoustic pop album. Just an emotional trip.

Ágætis kósíplata.

Three five star songs and the rest are 3 or 4

Good album, not my style but can appreciate

Now this is some great music right here. After getting my first 1/5, I was really hoping that I would get something that was at least decent to follow it up. Luckily, Tea for the Tillerman is a great album. I really don't have any complaints. Cat Stevens is a very unique singer, but I definitely like his singing. I like how he's able to vary his singing depending on the song (or in the case of the absolute classic that is "Father and Son", depending on who's speaking in the song). The writing is meaningful and goes over various topics that are both personal and still relevant to many people to this day. The instrumentation is pleasant, with there being some variety in what instruments are used for different songs. Overall, this is an amazing album that, because I'll probably grow to like it even more over time, deserves a 5/5.

Cat Stevens throws down some really good folk rock on this album. It sounds correct for the era, but the wings have stood the test of time. Iconic album.

Great feel good music, classic Favorites: -Where do the Children Play -Hard headed Woman -Wild World -Father and Son

Father and Son and Wild world are classics but not too much else interesting on this one.

It was alright

Quintessential acoustics early 70s

Absolute bangers

Goed nice album met chille bangers 4/5

Classic folky album. Not my entirety my thing.

Pretty okaty.

4.5. I've never listened to the whole album and there's some great tracks I had never heard!

Enjoyed the instrumentals and found it a cohesive album but didn’t enjoy his vocals so wouldn’t rush back to listen to it

In high school, I had an ongoing flirtation with a guy who loved Cat Stevens. The whole thing was a deeply hurtful and negative experience and even though I literally never think about that dude anymore, apparently it soured me on Cat Stevens. It seemed like a good album, though.

Happened to listen to this while on vacation based on a friend’s recommendation. Very calm and reflective record.

No, Tea for the Tillerman is not a children's picture book like the cover, title, and artist name might have you believe. It's a surprisingly good folk album that made me feel a Lost In The Dream level of relaxedness. While I don't think this album is as good as that one, It's still a chill and relaxing album with some good lyrics. Best Song: Hard Headed Woman Worst Song: Longer Boats

Know this one super well too. Solid album. Good rainy day, sad boy album. I’d give it 5 stars but Sad Lisa makes me take it down a notch.

Wat een fijn album, zeg. Wordt er rustig van.

Good but dated

Thoughts before listening: I'm sure I'll know a lot of songs on this album but I've never listened before. I really like the hits, so I'm sure the album will be great. Review: Yeah, this was very good. I expected a folky album and there is that aspect to the sound, but there's definitely more of a pop rock production to these songs. Wild World and Father & Son are great and I also really enjoyed Sad Lisa.

Enjoyed the melodies, nothing too revolutionary. Nothing stood out lyrically but it was a pleasant listen. Very satisfying bits from the acoustic G at moments. Would listen again, but not often.

Learned his songs when I was in 3rd grade

53/100

Grande album, bei virtuosismi con la chitarra. Due pezzi speciali, talvolta un po' di monotonia a livello di atmosfera.

Growing up my dad was a big Cat Stevens fan but I found him dull. But listening again all these years later I finally fucking get it. A beautiful moving album

Overall a very good album, with some of Cat Stevens best songs (Wild World, Father and Son, Tea for the Tillerman). Other tracks fall down for being over sentimental or their hippy-dippy lyrics. But Miles from Nowhere stands out as a more ambitious and sophisticated number. It gets 4* on the basis of the title track

Best album

Heading into this album, the only Cat Stevens song that I was familiar with was "Wild World," which I was delighted to see was on Tea for the Tillerman. Even though I was unfamiliar with most of this album, I was immediately blown away by its beauty. The guitar, piano, strings, and percussion were in perfect harmony, and Cat Stevens's singing was fantastic too. I loved how so many songs built to these booming crescendos, and sometimes multiple crescendos, and Stevens's singing matched each rise and fall perfectly. The lyrics were full of raw emotion, and I love that Stevens drew on multiple things for inspiration for these songs. As it turns out, I had actually heard "Father and Son" before today; I think I've heard it several times (or maybe I've just listened to The Flaming Lips' "Fight Test" a lot), but I know that I recently heard it during the finale of Ted Lasso, and hearing it today, just made me want to bawl. What a wonderful album this was. I really need to get a copy of it on vinyl to have around the house.

Very happy vibes. I liked it.

A great, nostalgic album for me.

If an album was a much needed hug during a hard time in life, this is it. Warm and gentle, yet still so grand in it's presentation, I was pleasantly surprised by how much of this album I liked! There wasn't a single song that was a real let down to me, though I will say stand out tracks are easily it's opening track "Where do the Children play?" and "Father and Son", it's title track "Tea for the Tillerman" is also a phenomenal closer to such a beautifully somber and cozy album. Definitely recommend it to anyone who likes albums like Bob Dylan's "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan". Love this and I've definitely become a new Cat Stevens fan!

nice 3*

love this album

Really liked it :) I like that he wrote a song about longer boats (and I'm sure it has a greater significance than I'm giving it)

This sounds like exactly how the album looks. Supreme vibe will probably listen to it again.

Dang, before now I didn’t realize what an emotional connection I have to Wild World. Maybe another song to add to my funeral playlist (aka “STINK-BOY JAMZZZ VOL 69”). Or maybe not.

Another perfect record, and always nice when I can listen to my own vinyl copy. A friend of mine once described the title track as the perfect song, it’s the exact length it’s supposed to be.

One of my favorites. My favorite Cat song is Peace Train, but this has a few of his hits on it. And they’re very good. So are the other songs.

Rating albums can seem redundant when they're all amazing

A bit too slow and acoustic for me, but some good vibes at some pointti.

This is a wonderful album, and a great example of Cat Stevens’ distinctive style.

You can only give it 5 starts. It still one of the records that I could listen to every day. And I have it as a shirt :D

Enjoyable acoustic jams. I liked when Cat would up the intensity and wished he did it more. 4/5

Paul Simon/Fleetwood Mac/Peter Gabriel vibes, lige noget for mig! Har aldrig hørt et Cat Stevens album før, positivt overrasket!

Meget meget behagelig plade. The Flaming Lips has stjålet hele melodien til Fight Test fra Father and Son og det gør lidt ondt på mig for jeg kan virkelig godt lide Fight Test.

Havde ingen idé om at Wild world var en cat Stevens sang. Father and Son 👌 Havde faktisk aldrig bevidst hørt en Cat Stevens plade før, men den var sgu overraskende god. Lige et par misserne - Sad Lisa, lød som hvis Tommy Wiseau havde skrevet en sang..

Boy I hate the album art for this. So so much. But otherwise I'm mostly enjoying this album.

Oh, looks like I'll have a good cry today. Important people in my life have this record and they've all put it on at one critical point in time or another. I get all the feels when I hear it.

Very good! Healing music ❤️‍🩹

Lovely album. Some songs I recognised. I’d listen again.

I have always enjoyed putting cat/Yusuf on shuffle but I've never listened to an album of his. An enjoyable listen with some big hits, but some of the songs were more background music than attention grabbing

Really love this album! Really a 4.5 but going for a 4 as a couple of the songs are not quite “just right”

An all around timeless folk album who's brisk runtime feels like a lot more time than I had time for. I won't say anything new or revolutionary about the great Cat Stevens. He's a great songwriter, and the world is better with his music in it. But it's a little too plain for me. This album just feels..."there" to put it in a word. There's some clever and thought provoking lyricism, even if half the album feels cringeworthy just because of how much we've heard the same proclamations coming from folk artists about the ever-decreasing state of society, but the songs are just kind of songs. I'm very middle-of-the-road on this one.

There’s some tired cliché about the cracks of a broken heart helping to let the light in, and without getting too sappy, I’ll say that the sips of this tea helped to illuminate the room and restore my fractured spirits.

Beautiful album, with Some really special moments.

Great songwriting, really enjoyable and chill to listen to.

Its good album, but not for my taste

This was so good! As soon as I started it, I had a feeling I might be heading to my first 5-star ever! This did not disappoint, I was hooked. This mellow tone and folk sound is just my style. A truly great album that I would listen to again!

Not really my vibe, found their voice to be quite grating

4/5 - Wonderful album, his voice can't help but to bring depth and soul to the lyrics which are consistently beautiful and thought provoking.

Great album, my only complaint is probably that a lot of songs felt like they were ending just as I was starting to really enjoy them. A lot of these songs have been covered many times and there are 1/2 where I prefer the cover but the original is still good. Johnny Cash's cover of father and son is my favorite cover of a song on this album. Highlights from this record include wild world, father and son and where do the children play.

Iconic Song "Father and Son" and "Of you want to sing Out, sing out". Apart from that the Singer Singer Writer Folk Rock is not remarkable.

Heerlijk album. Met Wild World en Father and Son twee absolute knallers, en de rest mag er ook gewoon wezen. 5 sterren.

Very nice album with focus on acoustic guitars and piano. Great vocals!

Dude this album is frickin ridiculous. I get it if its not your taste or something like that but you can't deny the musicality of this album. The only song I don't like is Sad Lisa but even then it is still seeping with talent. This is exactly what I wanted from this 1001 albums "you must listen to before you die" because I have never heard of this person or album and I was blown away at how varied and unique the music was.

Well this one sure hits allot different at age 41 then at 31 or 21 or 11 which is roughly when I would have first heard my parent's LP copy. Longer Boats is the song I remember from back then with its sing along chorus. Wild World, On the Road to Find Out and of course, Father and Son are all classics

Super chill, soulful album. Didn't know Father and Son was by Cat Stevens... what an incredible song. Loved it

Wild world and father and son are two incredible songs. Downloaded sad Lisa from the album. The rest didn’t stand out too much. They all sound pretty similar, which isn’t necessarily bad because they still sound good, just not good enough for me to download

There's almost a childlike feel to this. It's simple, but effective. The arrangements are nice, but don't do more than allowing the vocals and story to be told. I enjoyed it, but don't think it's anything I'll come back to. Favorite tracks: "Longer Boats", "Wild World"

Diggin' this. Favorite track: Sad Lisa.

pretty bizarre vocals. first song is just weird. Creepy as fuck, terrible vocal choices (plaaaayyyyaaaaayyy heeeeyyyy ayyyyyy). Talking about always remembering her as a child, girl. What the fuck. This guy is a creep.

Great songwriter and a very enjoyable album. Just doubt it would make my top 1001.

Still holds up after 50+ years.

Klassík. Hlusta oft á þessa plötu. Alinn upp við þessa plötu. Instafimma

Agalega fín plata

Vá, held ég hafi fundið lagið þeirra Hjartar og Ólafar nr. 2 á þessari plötu :)

Great lyricist

It was ok, not really my style but I liked a few songs

Good stuff from Cat. No surprises for me on this album, having grown up listening to Wild World, which represents this album well.

Definitely an album of the 70s. One of the best acoustic guitar tones there is. Warm and makes you feel like you are inside the guitar. Acoustic tracks are great pensive musings on life. At times they get into the eye-rolling lyrics, not Dylan-level. Lush strings to back the sound add to the feel and depth of the album. Longer Boats is TERRIBLE. Pastiche of the worst kind. But overall not a bad artistic statement.

Oyendo de nuevo el 17 de Junio del 2025 porque nunca lo reitié en el 2023 ni dejé notas. 1. Donde juegan los menores. Suena como un señor cantando. Nope. Got real bored real fast. 2. Boring, música de señor gringo maybe con camisita pol dentro. 3. That's a nice intro. It's Wild World ¬¬ el pato de Mau comes to mind. Good song tho' 4. Sad indeed, super ladilla 5. ¡Ladilla! 6. Boring af -Aquí pensé: Hey, nunca he escuchado alguna canción que me haya hecho preguntarme like "Damn, ¿quién es ese?" y que la respuesta haya sido "Cat Stevens!- -Tampoco alguien me ha dicho like "Marico escucha este tema de Cat Stevens, ¡es arrechísimo!"- 7. Gaaay. After el mensaje motivacional it got groovy tho', sounds good. Fue basically el ending... 8. Zzzzzz 9. Fun, better rythm to my taste. Nice. 10. Father and Son. Reminds me of my dad who sent it to me not long ago. Love him :( Thanks dad. -AHH CLARO, LA ÚNICA QUE ME RECOMENDARON SIENDO CAT STEVENS JAJAJA. Thanks, pa.- 11. Outro super X 1

Meh. A couple of half decent tracks swamped by dullness.

Cat Stevens always feels incredibly intimate in both sound and melody, but the themes of the lyrics have universal relevance. At times it becomes just a bit too much with the full orchestration, but when you have song material like 'Wild World' and 'Father and Son' it's difficult to really mess up.

Hauntingly beautiful record from Cat Stevens displaying grande emotions, storytelling that feels as contemporary today as during its release and all of that is topped with the undeniably strong vocal that is Stevens’. The greatest tracks are among the best of the entire genre. And the few songs that are not as good as those are never actually bad. It’s just hard being on the same album as “Wild World” and “Father And Son”.

Opnieuw luisteren ajb

22 years old is impressive i guess. doesn’t mean it isn’t fucking lame.

4/5 Very good. Solid

An undisputed masterpiece. For some reason I've never listened to all of it before. But it's clear from the very first track the people weren't wrong. Inferior, popped up covers of the most famous songs here fail to dim the frail majesty of the originals.

Rubbish

Wow 😮

I could sense the song-making talent but felt outside the scope of people which would like this the most. Felt very Christian rock to me, but it was very soothing. About half the tracks lacked the rhythm, lyricism, or song structure that I would find interesting. I had just as much fun reading about his life as listening to the album. 4/10

Nice

Listened in the office and on the train. A train took a while. Man leaning on A train. Lots of thoughts and feelings even though simplistic. Ended at 145th street.

Father and Son is a great song, quality album

Dope stuff. Cat seems to be trying to use the full range of a human voice; falsetto, gravelly, etc. Real good production as well.

Love cat Stevens

simple music, but artful lyrics

Lisaaa