# Tea for the Tillerman

Tea for the Tillerman is the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, released in November 1970.

## Overview

Stevens' fourth album released during the year 1970, Tea for the Tillerman includes many of his best-known songs such as "Where Do the Children Play?", "Hard Headed Woman", "Wild World", "Sad Lisa", "Into White", and "Father and Son".
Stevens, a former art student, created the artwork featured on the record's cover.
In November 2008, a "Deluxe Edition" was released featuring a second disc of demos and live recordings. In January 2012, a hi-res 24/192 kHz version was remastered using an Ampex ATR100 and a MSB Technology Studio ADC and released on HDtracks.com.
Fifty years after the original album's release, in September 2020, Stevens remade the album as Tea for the Tillerman$^2$, including new lyrics and new instrumentation, and he sings along with his 22-year-old self in "Father and Son". That same year, Tea for the Tillerman was re-released as a 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition. Along with five discs, the Super Deluxe Edition also includes a Blu-ray containing music videos, live videos, and audio of the 2020 mixes of the original album, as well as a 12" vinyl record of live recordings by Stevens in 1970 at the Troubadour, Los Angeles.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B− |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau found the music monotonous and lacking the "dry delicacy" Stevens exhibited on Mona Bone Jakon (1970). Rolling Stone magazine's Ben Gerson said that Stevens' songs effortlessly resonate beyond their artfully simple lyrics and hooks, despite his occasional overuse of dynamics "for dramatic effect."
In a retrospective five-star review, AllMusic's William Ruhlmann praised Stevens' themes of spirituality and transcendence, and felt that he had continued to show his ability as a pop melodicist: "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." On 18 November 2003, Rolling Stone included this album in its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list at number 206, number 208 in a 2012 revised list, and currently at number 205 on its latest list published in 2020. In 2006, the album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2007, the album was included in the list of "The Definitive 200 Albums of All Time", released by The National Association of Recording Merchandisers and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was voted number 342 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.

## Track listing

All songs were written by Cat Stevens.

### Deluxe Edition
#### Disc one

Original album.

#### Disc two

All tracks are written by Cat Stevens

### Super Deluxe Edition
#### Discs one, two and three

The first disc on the Super Deluxe Edition contains 2020 remasters of the original album; the second disc contains 2020 mixes of the original album; and the third disc contains Tea for the Tillerman$^2$.

#### Disc four

All tracks are written by Cat Stevens

#### Disc five

All tracks are written by Cat Stevens

### Re-recording

On 28 May 2020, Yusuf (also known as Cat Stevens) announced his new album, Tea for the Tillerman$^2$, which was released on 18 September 2020. Tea for the Tillerman$^2$ is a reimagining of "the same eleven songs for a new age with dramatic results", celebrating the 50th anniversary of Tea for the Tillerman.

## Personnel

Adapted from liner notes of 2020 CD reissue.
* Cat Stevens – guitar (tracks 1 to 3, 5 to 10), keyboards (tracks 1, 3 to 7, 10, 11), vibraphone (track 1), Hammond organ (track 9), lead vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (1, 5 to 7, 9, 11)
* Alun Davies – guitar (tracks 1 to 10), backing vocals (tracks 1, 5 to 7, 9)
* Harvey Burns – drums and percussion (tracks 1 to 3, 5 to 7, 9, 10)
* John Ryan – double bass (tracks 1 to 3, 5 to 10)
* Del Newman – string arrangements (tracks 1, 2, 4, 8)
* Jack Rothstein (as John Rostein) – solo violin (track 4)
* Paul Samwell-Smith – backing vocals (tracks 1, 5 to 7, 9, 11)

### Technical

* Cat Stevens - front cover illustration
* Shepard "Shep" Sherbell - photography

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Australia (ARIA) | Platinum | 70,000$^^$ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) Super Deluxe | Gold | 100,000$^‡$ |
| France (SNEP) | Gold | 100,000$^*$ |
| Germany (BVMI) | Platinum | 500,000$^^$ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | Gold | 7,500$^‡$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 100,000$^*$ |
| United States (RIAA) | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000$^^$ |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||

## In popular culture

"Tea for the Tillerman" was used as the closing title track of the British sitcom Extras.
The opening scene to a 2014 episode of The Simpsons titled "Super Franchise Me" parodied the artwork to this album, with the title track playing over it.
A previously unreleased version of "But I Might Die Tonight", was used in the 1970 film Deep End in the opening and closing scenes. The version of the song used in the film was eventually released in 2020.
Four of the songs from this album were used in the 1971 film Harold and Maude: "Tea for the Tillerman"; "Where Do the Children Play"; "Miles from Nowhere" and "On the Road to Find Out".
The song "Father and Son", was used in the closing scene of the 2017 film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The song is also featured in the 2009 film The Boat That Rocked.