Cat Stevens ‘brings new life’ to breakthrough album with reworked version
YUSUF/CAT Stevens has said a new and re-recorded version of his acclaimed album Tea For The Tillerman will “bring new life” to its songs.
The singer-songwriter, 71, has re-imagined his breakthrough 1970 album to mark its 50th anniversary. The record, released when he was 22, was his fourth and contained hits including Wild World, Father And Son and Where Do The Children Play?
Stevens, who goes by the name Yusuf Islam, re-imagined its 11 tracks during recording sessions at La Fabrique Studios in the south of France during summer 2019.
He said: “Part of the wisdom of this is that when you look back usually you see what you did wrong. In this case, I saw what I did right and tried to make it relative to myself today.
“When I go touring, of course that has been called off now, a lot of people want to hear these songs. I have to make it real for me today.
“I wanted to bring new life to these songs.
“That’s one of the reasons why I have gone back in the studio and done that again, but it’s also a challenge.
“I love a challenge.”
The album, titled Tea For The Tillerman2, reunites some of the original album’s key players, producer Paul Samwell-smith and guitarist Alun Davies.
The cover illustrates the same tea time scene from the original album, but this time the Tillerman has returned from a trip to space to discover the world has become a darker place.
Two toddlers still play beside him but now they stream the latest music and video call each other on their mobile phones.