Filmed at L.A.'s KCET Studios before a small audience, this 1971 concert features Cat Stevens—the future Yusuf Islam—in a mostly unplugged acoustic set. Stevens, who plays guitar and piano, is joined by longtime bandmate guitarist Alun Davies with Larry Steele on bass and congas. Weighing in at roughly a half hour, Tea for the Tillerman Live serves up eight songs, seven of which hail from the titular LP: the smash hit “Wild World,” as well as “On the Road to Find Out,” “Miles From Nowhere,” “Longer Boats,” “Hard-Headed Woman,” and audience favorites “Where Do the Children Play?” and “Father and Son.” The opener, “Moonshadow,” hails from Stevens' follow-up release Teaser and the Firecat, which is also featured at the close during an archival animated short. Presented in Dolby Digital stereo, with so-so looking video (trivia tidbit: the associate producer here is Taylor Hackford), this brief performance is a nostalgic blast from the past…as far as it goes. However, fans would be much better off with the far superior 20-song Cat Stevens: Majikat—Earth Tour 1976 (VL-7/04), which includes most of the tunes presented here. Optional. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)
A Classic Concert: Cat Stevens—Tea for the Tillerman Live
(1971) 36 min. DVD: $14.95. Music Video Distributors (avail. from most distributors). Volume 23, Issue 6
A Classic Concert: Cat Stevens—Tea for the Tillerman Live
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