Product Description

TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN is one of Cat Stevens's finest albums, and a gem in the crown of early 1970s singer/songwriterdom. Stevens manages to have his cake and eat it too, simultaneously achieving pop accessibility and artistic relevance. While inviting rhythms (buoyed by Stevens's dynamic acoustic strumming) and pop hooks abound, the feel is decidedly gentleand spare. Apart from the occasional string section, Stevens is accompanied only by a three-piece band as he sings his introspective lyrics with appreciable fervour.
While there are some relatively conventional love songs here ("Hard Headed Woman", "Wild World"), the most memorable moments come when Stevens's lyrics venture further afield. "Father and Son" is a poignant but realistic and unsentimental portrait ofthe generation gap, capable of reducing any given dad or junior to tears. "On the Road to Find Out" and "But I Might Die Tonight" reflect Stevens's existential dilemmas, and the resulting spiritual quest that would later lead him to embrace the Islamic faith. The graceful beauty of arrangements, performances, and songs makes TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN a folk-rock classic.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #896 in Music
• Released on: 2000-05-29
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Running time: 36 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Cat Stevens tends to be lumped in with the early-1970s singer/songwriter school led by James Taylor and Carole King but he actually fits in rather neatly with such wistful contemporaries as Nick Drake, Syd Barrett and Donovan. Tea for the Tillerman's "Wild World", "Into White" and "Longer Boats" indicate that he may have been a more gifted tunesmith than the lot of them. As with the best of the Brit folk-rockers, Stevens mixed melancholy with whimsy. Yes, he was prone to airy platitudes but when he harnessed his eccentricities, as he did throughout this 1970's masterwork, you had something truly distinctive. Stevens' greatest drawback was that he was a natural cult artist, à la Tim Buckley and Leonard Cohen. But that's a tough role to play when you're selling 25 million records, as Stevens did before he changed his name to Yusef Islam, established an Islamic school, and raised a ruckus by supporting Ayatollah Khomeini's death decree against author Salman Rushdie. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

Fanbloodytastic
you gotta give it to him, hes a brilliant songwritter. even if your a greatest hits sort of person, you will recognise the hits like wild world and father and son as pure classics. these tracks are brilliant. top knotch. even though the title track is the 1 minute long last track, almost like he finished the album, and they said, at least mention tillermen somewhere. it is a great song. fans of the office and extras will know this song as the theme (im sorry i cant remember which one). also, fans of skins must buy this album, to hear the original version of wild world. granted sids version is very beautiful, and fits into the storyline very well, you gotta hear the original. any fan of boyzone (if any) will remember father and son, its also a beautiful song. he was seriously at his peak with these songs. and infact the album. people. buy this album. you will not regret it. better yet, buy it on vinyl. you cabnt beat it.

Pretty artwork with music to match
Arguably Cat Stevens's best album sees him working with a small group of musicians, incorporating largely understated percussion and what sounds like acoustic bass, extra colour being provided by strings. The subject matter seems unremarkable today, but at the time Stevens was articulating new concerns. 'Where Do The Children Play?' tackles pollution, which was just becoming a major topic (ecology wasn't a common term at the time). He wasn't the only artist to ask what man was doing to the world, of course, but he prodded the subject more effectively than most. The song has a gentle, suitably child-like feel to it and we all know that children ask the most pointed questions. It's a technique he uses elsewhere. 'Miles From Nowhere,' 'But I Might Die Tonight' and 'On The Road To Find Out' don't shout at you. Instead, they are couched in simple melodies, gentle rhythms and Stevens's soft voice, which hits a nerve when it drops into a lower register.

His songs of love and relationships sometimes hint at the state of the world too. Their protagonists tend to appear more like victims of circumstance than errant humans. The melodically memorable 'Wild World' became the best-known song on the album until Westlife covered 'Father and Son,' in which the two generations sing across each other. 'Sad Lisa,' meanwhile, features some spooky electric piano. 'Tea For The Tillerman' is eleven great songs in just thirty-six minutes - no wastage.

Tea For The Tillerman - BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
you should buy this album even if you don't like cat Stevens (which you can't really).the album is fantastic. though only 35 minutes long, it's still great. even if you only know Stevens from his hits like: Father And Son or Wild World. buy it just for those. and if you're a Ricky Gervais fan you'll recognise Tea for the Tillerman (last track) as the end song for his show extras. and if any of you watched the end of skins series 1 you'll recognise the song Sid sang as wild world. So for a 5er. Or if you're a die hard fan, like me, get the LP. You can't go wrong with this. It is Stevens at his best. And along with Teaser And The Firecat, it's regarded as his best work.