Article: The Best Version Of… Cat Stevens's Tea For The Tillerman

[Josh Mound]

View full article

[The Computer Audiophile]

Another masterpiece @JoshM! I have only a couple of these versions. Tillerman wasn't an album I fully appreciated until very recently. This is just fantastic stuff!

[JoeWhip]

Wow, that took a tremendous amount of work. I happen to have the MFSL and the original vinyl. Both sound great to these ears. Since it is a vocal album, I would have to think that the version that best captures the vocal tracks is most faithful to the original tape. But, as with all things, and as my lovely wife will be happy to attest, I could very well be wrong. Well done Josh, as always.

[austinpop]

Thanks for this monumental comparison, Josh! Incredibly helpful.

 

Would you be so kind as to share the Qobuz links for the "Jensen hi-res download" and the "50th anniversary remaster."

[ray-dude]

This album (along with Suitner's Beethoven's 9th) were the first CDs I bought in 1984 (still have that disc).  I can't tell you how often I listened to them (mainly because I couldn't afford any CDs after buying that Nakamichi OMS-5 CD player as a freshman in college...ouch)  Truly epic album.  Thank you for this deep dive

[Josh Mound]

1 hour ago, austinpop said:

Thanks for this monumental comparison, Josh! Incredibly helpful.

 

Would you be so kind as to share the Qobuz links for the "Jensen hi-res download" and the "50th anniversary remaster."

 

Here's the 24/192 Jensen:

https://open.qobuz.com/album/0060253781231

 

Here's the box set:

https://open.qobuz.com/album/kfh0t3s5942za

 

 

[Geoff13]

What a review. I feel you should have divided it into some kind of series. Great job! Wauw. I just recently discovered this album and I really love the tillerman2 version. But now I'm going to buy one of your preferred versions. Damn what an article. 

[saturdayboy]

Amazing scholarship!!! I was always aware of Cat’s music, but it wasn’t until I recently saw him live on his Cat’s Attic tour that the beauty and depth of his songs was revealed to me. He’s among my favorites now.

[DuckToller]

Epic!! The album as well! 😉

[Archimago]

Brilliant work @JoshM!

 

This is an audiophile masterpiece! 👍

[Josh Mound]

10 minutes ago, Archimago said:

Brilliant work @JoshM!

 

This is an audiophile masterpiece! 👍

 

Thank you. It means a lot coming from you!

[Synfreak]

What a great review! Almost unbelievable how much work must have been gone into this article.

 

Time for a re-listen session :-)

[Josh Mound]

21 minutes ago, Synfreak said:

What a great review! Almost unbelievable how much work must have been gone into this article.

 

Time for a re-listen session :-)

Thank you. Every TBVO is a labor of love — and (depending on how convoluted the mastering history is) maybe a little frustration!

[robocop]

Excellent detailed article. Have to say I compared the MFSL(Ultradisc II Gold) to HD tracks 2012 24/192. And do prefer the HD. I find these days the MFSL's dated somewhat with a bassy preference. At the same volume the MFSL stage was smaller turning MFSL up it enlarged and recording clearer but with a background brightness, with bass overlay. I have several other MFSL's and they all have a similar signature. In saying that they were the best until hi res masters appeared. Vocals and treble has more detail and prescence on 24/192 recordings. Instruments better balance. I do not have the latest 50th version. You are right Josh at the end of the day its what you prefer as your end sound.  Robert

[KDinsmore]

Thank you for another “best version “. I LOVE these!

[agladstone]

Great article! I’ve always preferred the AP 2015 SACD /DSD, now I’ll need to get all OCD and once again compare it to the MFSL and the Qobuz DSD 128 download (these are the 3 versions I own). 

[Josh Mound]

On 3/18/2022 at 5:15 PM, robocop said:

Excellent detailed article. Have to say I compared the MFSL(Ultradisc II Gold) to HD tracks 2012 24/192. And do prefer the HD. I find these days the MFSL's dated somewhat with a bassy preference. At the same volume the MFSL stage was smaller turning MFSL up it enlarged and recording clearer but with a background brightness, with bass overlay. I have several other MFSL's and they all have a similar signature. In saying that they were the best until hi res masters appeared. Vocals and treble has more detail and prescence on 24/192 recordings. Instruments better balance. I do not have the latest 50th version. You are right Josh at the end of the day its what you prefer as your end sound.  Robert

 

This was a really tough call. Audiophiles are lucky to have at least three great masterings for this album. 

[fas42]

Yes, what an amazing article!

 

I'll throw in a tuppence here ... audio friend up the road was very heavy into the vinyl world some years ago; and he told me of his efforts to get a "good pressing!" of Tillerman, on vinyl - he constantly raided the used shops in the area, because his belief was that the premium SQ was with a very specific LP label run, by Island. Which he eventually snagged - but oh, boy! It was noisy, really noisy - it had seen many hard years under a needle - pops and crackles were through the roof.

 

But, the quality of that mastering still shone through. In spite of "the rain constantly falling on the roof", the actual sound of the voice and instruments were as I recalled, way back in my teenage years, hearing it in a room with others, on a basic record player ...

[coegh]

These are such amazing write ups.   Really appreciate all the effort and evaluation you put into these and i like learning more about recording and mastering from your research.   I have the mobile fidelity version and that glitch on "On the Road to Find Out" annoys me to no end (and mars an otherwise great sounding disc).  Has the glitch been removed on your two runner ups?

[Josh Mound]

12 minutes ago, coegh said:

These are such amazing write ups.   Really appreciate all the effort and evaluation you put into these and i like learning more about recording and mastering from your research.   I have the mobile fidelity version and that glitch on "On the Road to Find Out" annoys me to no end (and mars an otherwise great sounding disc).  Has the glitch been removed on your two runner ups?

 

Yes, the glitch is only on the MFSL. So that's a point in favor of the two alternate picks.