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All Songs Considered

Yusuf Cat Stevens On Remaking 'Tea For The Tillerman' 50 Years Later

All Songs Considered

NPR

Music

4.4 β€’ 3.2K Ratings

πŸ—“οΈ 22 September 2020

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In a conversation with All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen, Yusuf Cat Stevens explains how β€” and why β€” he decided to re-record his landmark album a half-century after it was first released.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Activist Aaron Doerr tells his flock of pro-gun followers on Facebook that he's tirelessly fighting for their second amendment rights.

0:10.0

But if that's true, why do so many pro-gun Republicans hate him so much?

0:15.5

Aaron Doerr is a scam artist, a liar, and he is doing islands no services and no favors.

0:22.5

Find out on the No Compromise Podcast from NPR.

0:27.0

From NPR music, it's all songs considered I'm Bob Boylin.

0:31.0

In 1970, I heard a record that I think redefined the singer-songwriter.

0:37.0

The album was Teeth for the Tillermann by Kat Stevens.

0:41.0

Singer-songwriter albums were often acoustic folk records, often overtly political.

0:47.0

And Teeth for the Tillermann was neither of those things, at least to me.

0:50.0

It was deeply personal, it was more philosophical, even when it did tackle issues of ecology.

0:56.0

Issues of ecology as a miss-song, where do the children play?

1:00.0

Well, I think it's fine, building jungle plains, taking a ride on a cosmic train.

1:16.0

Switch on, summer, from a slad machine.

1:23.0

There's good watch you wonder if you want, as you can get anything.

1:31.0

I know we've come a long way, we're changing day to day.

1:39.0

But tell me, why do the children play?

1:45.0

Now, 50 years later, the artist, now known as use of Kat Stevens, has remade the entire record.

1:53.0

In some cases, he offers arrangements, sometimes he changes the words to reflect his current life.

1:58.0

Still, he always maintains that intimate, personal tone.

2:02.0

Will you crack the sky? Scrape us, build the air?

2:10.0

But will you keep on building higher? Till there's no more room up there?

2:18.0

Will you make us laugh? Will you make us cry?

...

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