Tea for the Tillerman

by Yusuf, Cat Stevens

Overview

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. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	12/04/2020
Label:	A&M / Island
UPC:	0602508820359

Tracks

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

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Cat Stevens   Primary Artist,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Vibraphone,Lead Vocals,Organ (Hammond),Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Yusuf   Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Harpsichord,Lead Vocals,Piano (Grand),Spanish Guitar,Piano (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String)
Elton John   Primary Artist,Vocals
Pete Vettese   Vocals (Background),Keyboard Synthesizer,Organ,Keyboards,Synthesizer Horn
Jim Cregan   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Peter-John Vettese   Organ,Keyboards,Synthesizer Pads,Vocals (Background)
Martin Allcock   Bass,Piano,Guitar (Bass)
Crispin Robinson   Percussion
Eric Appapoulaye   Spanish Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Perry Melius   Drums
Anna Peacock   Vocals (Background)
John Ashton Thomas   Conductor
Jack Rothstein   Violin
Kwame Yeboah   Keyboards,Percussion,Vocals (Background),Drums
Andreas Andersson   Clarinet
Alun Davies   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Suzanne Lynch   Vocals (Background)
Paul Samwell-Smith   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Andy Caine   Vocals (Background)
John Rostein   Violin
Chico Batera   Piano
Larry Steele   Percussion,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Electric)
Mary Carewe   Vocals (Background)
John Gibbons   Vocals
Jean Roussel   Keyboards
John Ryan   Bass,Guitar (Bass),Bass,Double Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Jack Rostein   Violin,Soloist
Yusuf Islam   Piano,Vocals,Keyboards,Harpsichord,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String Acoustic)
Voxaphonic   Vocals (Background)
Mark Warner   Guitar
John Themis   Guitar,Vocals
Janet Ramus   Vocals (Background)
Brother Ali   Rap
Trevor Barry   Guitar (Bass)
Peter Adams   Keyboards
Michael Henry   Vocals (Background)
Wayne Hernandez   Vocals
Peter Gabriel   Flute
Bruce Lynch   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Gerry Conway   Drums,Percussion
Harvey Burns   Drums,Percussion

Technical Credits

Paul Samwell-Smith   Audio Production,Producer
David Hefti   Engineer,Mixing
Junie Osaki   Reissue Design
Beth Stempel   Reissue Coordinator
John Ashton Thomas   Arranger,Recording Arranger,String Arrangements
Mazen Murad   Mastering Engineer
Tony Clarke   Mixing Engineer
Ted Jensen   Mastering
Nick Ingman   Arranger,String Arrangements
Barry Hammond   Mixing Engineer
Cat Stevens   Composer,Producer,Illustrations,Recording Arranger
Pete Vettese   String Arrangements
Christopher Nightingale   Vocal Arrangement
Julien Gauthier   Studio Work
Yusuf Islam   Composer,Producer
Daniel Cayotte   Assistant Engineer
Peter-John Vettese   Arranger
Michael Bobak   Engineer
Isobel Griffiths   String Contractor
Suha Gur   Mixing Engineer
Bill Levenson   Reissue Supervisor
Del Newman   Arranger,Recording Arranger,String Arrangements
Yusuf   Composer,Producer
Calvin Massey   Composer