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Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman: Deluxe Edition
The one with the Extras theme song
Stevens’ second album of 1970 picked up where its predecessor, Mona Bone Jakon, left off. Against a frequently Spartan musical backdrop, the singer again ruminates on life and death and the desire for a more tangible spiritually-led existence, as if still trying to shake off the last vestiges of his previous pin-up pop star career.
The eco lament Where Do The Children Play? may seem a little pompous, and is clearly far removed from chart fluff such as I Love My Dog, but Wild World and Sad Lisa are sombrely honest post-romance songs with serious clout. The generational baton-passing of Father & Son manages to sidestep mawkishness thanks to its literacy and depth.
A second disc neatly replicates all 11 songs of the original album in demo, live or radio session form, the most effective being Longer Boats and Into White, taken from an intimate show at LA’s hip hangout The Troubadour. It’s here where the fragile beauty of Stevens’ voice really grabs the listener, a tender instrument with an extraordinary ability to tug at our hearts.
Universal/Island | 1787088 (2-CD)
Reviewed by Terry Staunton
<< Back to Issue 358
You might also like:
- ARTICLE: Fear of the Cat
- DVD REVIEW: Tea For The Tillerman Live by Cat Stevens
- ALBUM REVIEW: Teaser & The Firecat by Cat Stevens
