In the early 1970's, Chariots of the Gods was a very popular book that everyone had an opinion about. In it Von Däniken, the author, posits a variety of hypotheses dealing with the possibility of 'extraterrestrial beings' influencing ancient technology. Von Däniken suggests that some ancient structures and artifacts appear to represent higher technological knowledge than is presumed to have existed at the times they were manufactured. The people around me, friends or workers, all seemed to read alien affects into everything. We had many interesting discussions around alien influences and where they may be referenced. The song Longer Boats, from Cat Stevens, falls into this category. Longer Boats is from Cat Stevens' "Tea for the Tillerman" album. The lyrics refer to the "Longer Boats are coming to win us." We thought Cat was singing of alien spaceships... I remember some interesting evenings talking with friends about the allusion. In a 1973 interview, Cat Stevens does allude to flying saucers in a dream that made him think of the lyrics when he woke up. Well, what can I say?!!
Playlist
Longer Boats - Cat Stevens
What Can I Say - Boz Scaggs
p.s. of course, Cat Stevens is now known as Yusef Islam.
