Tea for the Tillerman

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.

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

like a 2, kinda weird

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.

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.

You’ve gotta be stoned to listen to this

Another Meh!

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.

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.

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

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

Good music and lyrics. Love Wide World.

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.

Something about it felt very repetitive

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

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

Classic folky album. Not my entirety my thing.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

It's OK. Some are good, some are wrist slitting sad.

Too sad and folksy for my tastes. I immediately forgot it when I finished listening.

Wild World

Very folky, a genre that I never really listened to much. It's catchy but kind of boring.

Not a bad album. Had a few bangers but the backing band is incredible.

There's nothing wrong with this album, it just doesn't resonate with me. Favorite song: Longer Boats.

Not for me. Liked some tunes, generally happy music, cat stevens sounds like neil young. Great cover art tho. 3/10

great story teller gotta respect the cat , but a lot of this album seems like filler

Too preachy. Basically every song is from the perspective of conceited man who has “figured it all out” and can’t wait to bless the ignorant people surrounding him with his profound life lessons.

this makes me feel trapped in a teen indie film. Whenever people start singing about barley I am fucking out

Meh

Meh

Not my thing but seems to be interesting and well-played. Reminds me of Peter Gabriel who is also not my thing.

“Wild World” and “Father and Son” are wonderful songs. But Cat Stevens doesn’t do much for me. I don’t have any persuasive reason for that opinion. I know people who absolutely love him but I don’t connect much with these songs or his style. The album just floated by for me.

I felt nothing listening to this album.

i understand the demographic for this album and why it was successful but i wont be listening to this ever again

some of these songs r such a slog. his voice bothered me at first but it rlly grew on me. the happy up beat tunes REALLY light up this album and put a smile on my face. the guitars were soooooooo beautiful. I appreciate the artistry n musicianship but idk maybe if I was in a different mood it would hit better but sadly I will be giving this a 2. sorry kitty cat!!! fave tracks : wild world OBVI, but I might die tonight, into white least fave : sad lisa 🥱🔫 would I listen again ?? no sorry... some songs...perhaps ..

I understand that this was super popular in the 1970s, but so was Mogadon, for for many of the same reasons. Boring cod-philosophy, inoffensively produced to the point of torpor. Occasional sexism (Wide World). For me, this one crosses the line from merely bland to actually aweful.

Never hits any real heights, thoroughly alright

I guess the talent is there, but the whole thing leaves my emotionally empty. Two hard headed women out of five.

Just ok. Not my thing.

Always a bit weedy and nerdy for me. And the last bloke you'd want to end up being stuck in the kitchen with at the end of a party, man.

This album doesn’t really get me purring. Cat lost me when he kept asking where the children are playing in the first song. Concerning question. Some moments here but this one just a little too folky and mellow for me. I have a limit over how much acoustic guitar I can handle and this surpasses that by a mile.

Folk rock sucks.

Couple good songs but mostly slow stuff

Meh

Vähän turhan rauhoittavaa tähän hetkeen. Sopii ehkä johonkin hetkeen. Rauhallista akustista

New artist! Not for me! Favoriet: Father and son 2/5

While Stevens plays from the heart and bares his soul across this LP, it's ultimately not striking enough to leave much of an impression. There are no melodic or lyrical hooks to turn heads and elicit a response, meaning the whole album feels somewhat anticlimactic and monotonous.

It’s a nice listen, but not something I would seek out.

Not my thing

Et par hits jeg kender udenad og kan lide, i øvrigt ret kedeligt!

Enjoyed this album....Where do the children play....Father and Son.....Wild World....some of his best work!

Folky and joyous.

It all blends together after awhile-folk folk folky

Gosh Father and Son, Sad Lisa and Wild World are irritating aren't they? A bit like American Pie there is surely no need to ever listen to them again, so whether they're any good or not is beside the point. Apart from these monsters there is a well-arranged set of 70s singer-songwriter tunes. He could craft a song alright, but not my scene at all.

A bit too twee for me

I liked that more than I was anticipating. I sure wish this rating scale was out of 10, as 1-5 is a tight parameter for 1001 albums! I’d like to give this a 3, but I like my other “3” albums way more…

Still can’t get into Cat Stevens. I think it’s something about his voice that gets under my skin. Not rational, I know.

Hmm... the two hits, Wild World and Father and Son, are both decent songs. But in the end this album is pretty tedious.

Me gusta Wild World y Father and Son, pero el resto me aburre

Not for me

Surprisingly soulful, great production. Gets a little preachy.

some songs nostalgic but overall i don’t like

As I sit here eating a novelty size neopolitan ice cream that's dripping through my fingers and onto my lap, I can't help but feel emotionally compelled to put my fist through my daughter's face.

I should like this but something about it just doesn't work. It's too nice perhaps?

Several catchy songs but most of them blend together and drag. It’s just not my style

I always mix up Cat Stevens with Ted Nugent because of Cat Scratch Fever. Color me confused. Anyway, when future generations look back at my notes, keep in mind that I'm not judging any of these musicians on their musical ability, skill, or talent. My notes are solely based on the likelihood that I would listen to the album again in the future.

Kinda weird..just ok

Not overly impressive. Very bleh.

La portada es genial. La música no me gustó tanto, la verdad. Su voz tiene un dejo de Van Morrison luego. Se me antojó escuchar a Van y dejar esto para otro momento. La primera está muy chida, la de dónde jugarán los niños. El resto no sé.

So, if I was to compare this to our other 1970 folkie of the week, Paul Simon, I would say these songs seem much more genuine and when Cat tries to change pace or bend the genre a bit he’s totally within himself. So, I guess this is what all the girls listed to when their boyfriends played Led Zeppelin.

5

Well that was relaxing. happy places out of 5

2.5 | Nunca me ha llamado mucho Cat Stevens o Yusuf o como quiera que sea correcto llamarle. Se me hizo un disco difícil para calificar. Inició y se me hizo lenta la canción, la letra bien escrita pero algo cursi... de repente cuando falta poco menos de un minuto para que acabe la canción la levanta le mete ganas y termina muy bien. Empieza a sonar prometedor el disco. La segunda canción... se repite, rock folk tranquilo, que se va sintiendo medio lentón con un cello, falta un minuto... levanta la canción acaba chingón. Esto de levantar la canción no vuelve a ocurrir, me voy quedando solo con canciones bien escritas, agradables, con instrumentación si no novedosa ni super brillante, sí al menos variada. Sin embargo esas letras aunque bien escritas se siguen sintiendo más cursis que Simon, Garfunkel, Dylan o cualquiera de los otros folksosos que nos han tocado. Se sienten... "Preachy," medio obvias y en un disco de este tipo justo las letras son parte fundamental creo. Me agradó el disco, quizá demasiado tranquilo a ratos y aunque no tenga planes de meterlo a rotación hay calidad (tanto musical como lírica a pesar de lo cursi), quizá solo no es mi estilo.

1.5| lento, ñoño y hasta un poco aburrido el tipo de folk que no me gusta mucho

Folk-like

Probably his most popular album...but I don‘t like it too much. Highly controversial person...somehow I feel a lot of ambivalence when listening to this.

Very eh

Don’t like this

fucking hell I hate Cat Stevens

I did not finish. It sucked to me. I’m sorry

like soo slow 1 star

early (70s) singer songwriter with lots of emotion, expansive expressions with drum and bass breaks. it's got that piano that feels a bit elton john... a bit too moody for the day i listened to it first but it's got a whole lot of heart. 2.5 stars - probably wouldn't revisit. it's almost like glee... Sad Lisa i could see Kurt or Puck going crazy lmfao

Normal cantautor no special songs

not for me

No me gustó en nada, lol que mal 0

Wild World is a great tune, but I prefer Jimmy Cliff's cover. The rest kind of passed me by

Ummmm…a tricky one, for the first 20 seconds or so of most of the songs I feel that perhaps I shouldn’t disparage it as much as I do then the cod philosophy kicks in alongside the saccharine melody, reminding me why it sits so firmly among the one stars, albeit superior to Deep Purple. Tom.

I hate Wild World and it's the best song on the album so that tells you everything you need to know. TRITE/MONOTONOUS/OLD DUDES YAPPING/BORING/ONE-DIMENSIONAL

Nothing special here for me but did enjoy a few songs. Can’t see myself going back to this one

Fav is wild world. Enjoyable listen mostly but didn’t find any other songs I wanted to add to my playlist.

I really don't like Cat Stevens, for a number of reasons.

I can hear the talent, but this was still a hard listen.

nah

Tea for the Tillerman by Cat Stevens was hard listening. The lyrics, even for my ear, had much mansplaining. "I know how the world works — let me tell you" Even if the intent is maybe compassion, but when directed to women or younger crowd it become mansplaining. Compared to, say, Joni Mitchell or later Leonard Cohen, or even Bob Dylan, Stevens rarely turns the lens sharply back on himself. Musically, it’s beautifully economical. Melodies are disarmingly direct. But the lyrics needs re-evaluation.

really good functional music for torture

Roadtrip in the country. Not my fave.

smooth and sweet and for someone ahead of its time for some reason like 1970 feels too odd but he converted to islam soo.... not a fav but nice to know

The couple songs on here that I’ve heard covered by other artists are good, but I just couldn’t get into this album. I’ll say say 1+ stars, but I don’t feel like I can even round up to 2 here.

Awfully close to country. Also boring as fuck.

Desperately boring. Longest 36 minutes of my life.

One long singer/songwriter acoustic slog.

I hated this

Pure uncut boomer sentimental schlock. 35 minutes of lullabies for adult babies. Hey, it works - a real snoozefest!

Ik vond dit niet heel erg spannend

Watered down music for people who like going to church.

Emotive writing & some beautiful instrumental sections just don’t personally do enough to salvage the album for me.

1. play - 1 2. uuoman - 1 3. uuorld - 2 4. Lisa - 1.5 5. Miles - 1 6. Tonight - 1 7. Boats - 0 8. White - 1 9. Road - 1 10. Father - 2 11. Tea - 1.5

could not finish listening to it. not my vibe.

Not resonating with me. I can tell the songs are well crafted, and the performances are solid. Just not my type of music

Sounds like Christian-adjacent campfire stuff. Fake wisdom and that limp “don’t worry” glaze. Tea for the Tillerman is spiritual wallpaper for cowards.

This couldn’t be over fast enough. And because it wasn’t, we stopped it. Even the album’s standout – “Wild World” – failed to bring merriment, proving in the moment only that familiarity is a fickle thing. (While at times the pleasure of recognition overrides any critical faculty, at others it breeds only contempt.) And this was a contemptuous experience; a chimney of exhausting whimsy that befouled and smogged the air. Never again, please.

Not for me thanks.

Not a fan of the album. Only like Wild World

Dåligt

Not in to it.slow not good vocals.boring

Some of the blandest nothing music I've ever heard in my entire life. not a single memorable melody or chord progression on the entire album. You could play this album on repeat as a form of water drop torture on people

This album was pretty ass, just boring. Cat Stevens has kinda good vocals, but this one was just boring for me.

The music is boring, the drums suck, the lyrics suck, everything about this sucks. -5 stars.

forgettable, couple of ok tracks

Hey it’s the guy from Skins! Feel bad giving it a 1 out of 5 because you guys think I’m mean but it’s gonna be really difficult/impossible to get a 5 star album on a first listen I think. I really liked Father & Son and obviously Wild World is a classic but the rest kind of was just lifeless. Sozinho.

Lori- 4.5 Mike- 4 Michael- 4 Miles- 4.5 Cole- 3.5

So boring

It is boring for me. I just enjoyed "longer boats" while others were mid like "sad lisa", "but i might die tonight" and "tea for the tillerman". The rest of the album was just there, even though most of the melodies were really good i found the lyrics unrelatable so i didn't enjoy the album. 4.5/10

Eh

Too old and not of interrest to me. I get bored of hearing it!!!

I don't know why but I have never cared for this musician.

Nope

Cat Stevens’s is really not my thing

"He must be killed. The Qur'an makes it clear – if someone defames the prophet, then he must die." With comments like that about Salman Rushdie, how can you take the words of this record seriously? Luckily, I found it boring as fuck. Minus stars if I could.

Not my cup of tea

Wild World is good song... but the orignal here is sadly not the best version I've heard. Otherwise a super boring experience 1/5

Sigh. I want to be the sort of person who can enjoy the earnestness of something like this, but in my ear it's just saccharine. Wholesomeness is just no respite for me.

Didn't like it one bit

didn't like at all he sings like I had to sing in front if people and I was insecure about my singing and thus would sing bad and goofy on purpose to cope that I was just pretending to be bad

don't like this at all

not my swag

WHATEVER

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.

“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.

Gah, not a fan of Cat Stevens. So whiny

Its good album, but not for my taste

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

Rubbish

J'aime vraiment pas

This genre of folk rock doesn't really land for me, didn't finish the album but hopped around the hits.

Prøve egentlig å holda meg unna cat stevens i livet mitt

another american acoustic/sof rock. Don't like it.

Soft and slow, wasn’t my cup of tea

This was a surprisingly decent album. Cat Stephens is one of those singer/songwriters that should have left the singing to someone else. 'Mad World', 'Miles From Nowhere' and 'Father and Son' all soar high as wonderfully crafted tales. 'Sad Lisa', 'Longer Boats' and 'Into White' are proper shit.

ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne

Overindulgent sentimental mush. Some nice tunes though

Oh no, bit this again

Not my vibe.

Not catchy, didn't liked it

snoozefest