Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman² [50th Anniversary Album]

This November will mark the 50th anniversary of Cat Stevens’ landmark album Tea for the Tillerman, which features “Wild World,” “Father and Son,” “Where Do the Children Play?” and other classics. To celebrate, the songwriter (who now records under the name Yusuf) has re-recorded the entire album with original producer Paul Samwell-Smith and original guitarist Alun Davies. He’s called it Tea for the Tillerman² and it was released on September 18, 2020. The new renditions of the 11 Tea for the Tillerman tracks are not note-for-note recreations. In many cases, they are lusher than the sparse originals and some take surprising left turns, like a funkafied “Longer Boats” featuring guest vocals from rapper Brother Ali. “Wild World,” meanwhile, now sounds almost like a waltz. That said, Yusuf worked hard to maintain the same spirit of the originals.“This album is very important because it’s celebrating so many people,” he tells Rolling Stone. “It’s their soundtrack and people’s memories are s