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List Price: $18.98 | | Label: A&M
Salesrank: 926
Released: May 23, 2000 |
| Our Price: $7.04 |
| Used Price: $5.91 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Tea for the Tillerman Track Listing:
1. Where Do the Children Play?
2. Hard Headed Woman
3. Wild World
4. Sad Lisa
5. Miles from Nowhere
6. But I Might Die Tonight
7. Longer Boats
8. Into White
9. On the Road to Find Out
10. Father and Son
11. Tea for the Tillerman
Editorial Review:
Cat Stevens tends to be lumped in with the early-'70s singer-songwriter school led by James Taylor and Carole King, but he actually fits in rather neatly with such wistful English 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 masterwork, you had something truly distinctive. A natural cult artist, à la Tim Buckley and Leonard Cohen, Stevens connected with record-buyers to the tune of 25 million units sold before he changed his name to Yusuf Islam, established an Islamic school, and raised a ruckus by supporting Ayatollah Khomeini's death decree against author Salman Rushdie. This remastered 2000 version of the 1970 recording, which was overseen by the artist, is a vast improvement over the earlier CD reissue. --Steve Stolder
Tea for the Tillerman Reviews:
for you will still be here tomorrow but your dreams may not 
2009-11-23 - This was Cat Steven's masterpiece and a lot of us had this album recorded on tape with his Teaser And The Firecat on side B. That is how we used to listen to music many years ago so we would not damage our albums (just some extra info you can shock your parents with). Cat Stevens had a huge following because the music of his songs was as powerful as the meaning of his lyrics. Both were simple and beautiful. It all seemed to flow straight out of Cat's heart and the inspiration had started after a serious illness tied him down to a London hospital for a period of many months. Success followed Cat Stevens and showered him and many around him with riches. However, Cat Stevens seemed not strong enough to be able to live the life of stardom and not let the emptiness which comes with it to affect his balanced core (as is often the case).The balance had broken, like the morning has broken and one day, while drowning in the Pacific Ocean he asked God for help, and promised to work towards God's glory if saved. Apparently a huge wave came out of nowhere and carried our singer to shore. That was the beginning of the end, because Cat Stevens meant his promise quite literally, unfortunately for the millions of fans who could have used the perfect way of transmission of his simple golden words. On the other hand, quite frankly, rare are these humans (and it very well may have a lot to do with how unaffected by their so called success they become) whose power of creation doesn't fade away. Personally I find a lot of his later albums without the spirit of Tea For The Tillerman. Perhaps it was time for him to focus on other things in life. I have purchased his music under the Yusuf Islam name and did not find much in it, either. Perhaps I was not able to come up to its level. However, I respect him as a human being tremendously, and I think that when we pull his songs we used to cover out of new editions of our albums and when we start pretending that he did not exist simply because he switched out of our way of life, that is purely a sign of our insecurity and hypocrisy. Remember - we are supposed to be the guardians of freedom.
A few years ago I have compiled my favorite songs of Cat Stevens, and I used his words to title this compilation: 'For You Will Still Be Here Tomorrow But Your Dreams May Not':
1. Sad Lisa
2. The Wind
3. Where Do The Children Play
4. Father And Son
5. If I Laugh
6. Monshadow
7. Where Are You
8. O Caritas
9. Hard Headed Woman
10. The Foreigner, part
11. Oh Very Young
12. Morning Has Broken
13. Wild World
14. Lillywhite
15. But I Might Die Tonight
16. Rubbylove
17. Sitting
18. Miles From Nowhere
19. Peace Train
20. On The Road To Find Out
21. Northern Wind
22. Trouble
23. Longer Boats
24. Lady D'Arbanville
"Yellow Delanie" continues to haunt
2009-11-16 - I originally bought this wonderful album in the 70's; the "yellow delanie" has haunted me ever since, to the point that I suggested "Delanie" as a name for my granddaughter to be born next year. Cat Stevens (or Yusuf Islam) writes such beautiful, gentle, joyful music that sounds unlike any other.
An old favorite
2009-10-27 - I have had the original LP for many years and it was always a favorite. Lately I seldom make the effort to play any of my vinyl and started looking for replacement CD's. This one sounds great and has all the artwork from the original record too.
One of the top albums ever, rated by Rolling Stone
2009-07-12 - I grew up with this album and just recently got it on CD. My favorite song is "Where Will the Children Play?", very appropriate for the times we live in.
In fact, I believe this song made a huge impact on me and my siblings, as three of the four of us are heavily involved in environmental businesses for the past 20 years.
You absolutely cannot go wrong with buying this CD.
Cat Stevens review
2009-05-20 - For myself, Cat Stevens is one of the worlds great artist. Tea for the Tillerman, is by far his greatest work as Cat Stevens. For anyone looking for the best of Cat Stevens, this is the must have CD.
It bothered me that we lost Cat Stevens as we knew him, but now we have Yusuf Islam. Set aside the religion and hate, and just listen to the music, I think you will find that Cat Stevens is still here. Try his CD: An Other Cup Yusuf.
