And thatвЂ™s not a criticism of what was originally done.вЂќ вЂњI think this version is much more representative of what was on the tape. вЂњI think weвЂ™ve gotten something quite a bit better than what was originally issued,вЂќ Marino says. Marino then used a Neumann VMS 80 lathe with a Neumann SX 74 cutterhead. Mike Spitz at ATR Services made a unique preview modification for Sterling so that they could cut this record using an Ampex. While Ampex has long been revered for their sound, they had never made a preview version so that a mastering engineer could cut a lacquer from an Ampex machine. He used an Ampex ATR-102 tape machine, another significant point of interest. Using the original tapes, George Marino handled the mastering this time. How appropriate then that we should go back to Sterling for this monumental reissue. So, it was originally cut at Sterling вЂ“ as were all of the early original Cat Stevens albums вЂ“ and the tapes were last used at Sterling. ItвЂ™s incredible, but Sterling still has all of their notes filed away. We actually found HulkoвЂ™s original mastering notes from more than 40 years ago. HeвЂ™s considered among the first engineers to advance mastering from just transferring music from tape to lacquer to an art where attention is paid to all the details that result in better sound. Hulko started Sterling in 1968 and was its original mastering engineer. and Island Records in the UK using a Telefunken M10 tape machine and a Neumann VMS 66 lathe with a Neumann SX68 cutterhead. In 1970, Lee Hulko at Sterling Sound cut Tea For The Tillerman for A&M Records in the U.S. But, wow, was it ever worth it! The tapes were last used in December 1999 when Ted Jensen at Sterling, along with producer Paul Samwell-Smith, remastered the Cat Stevens catalog for CD. It took an unbelievable amount of digging and research вЂ“ and luck вЂ“ to get this project done to the standards of Analogue Productions. We couldnвЂ™t pick a better vehicle for which to show off what weвЂ™re so confident will be the highest quality records ever pressed.Д«ut hereвЂ™s something else thatвЂ™s cool: We scored the absolute original analog masters, and the tapes were in impeccable condition. In fact, to list the hits would be to list the entire song list. ItвЂ™s that rare record that couples breathtaking sound with hit after hit after hit. First and foremost, itвЂ™s a masterpiece of a record. There are so many things perfect about this release. And the most common and full-of-anticipation question was inevitably: What will be the first title that you press? Well, we couldnвЂ™t possibly imagine hitting a bigger home run than to open Quality Record Pressings (QRP) with one of the all-time most classic audiophile records, Cat StevensвЂ™ Tea for the Tillerman from 1970. When word got out that we were beginning a pressing plant, customers began to call with questions. The Very First Title Pressed at Quality Record Pressings IsвЂ¦

Cat stevens tea for the tillerman