A Beautiful Example of Cat's US Double LP of Earlier Pop Hits Matthew and Son (Cat's 1st UK studio album) New Masters (Cat's 2nd UK studio album)
Original US Release on DERAM - DES 18005-10 from 1967. Front, Back & Inside Cover has no tears, splits, ring wear or writing. Very slightly discolored from age. Cover has a LONDON DERAM Promotional Copy NOT FOR SALE sticker (no holes or cutouts). Vinyl appears unplayed. (I didn't play it - no record player!).
Overall a SUPERB example of this very early US release. 
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Matthew and Son (album)

Matthew and Son is the first studio album by English singer-songwriter Cat Stevens. Stevens began writing songs during his early teenage years. His earliest influences included the sound of early British bands, such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, influenced by popular American rhythm and bluesmusic. At the same time, folk influences from artists such as Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel left a strong mark on him, along with some of the musicals being performed so close to his childhood home in Soho that he could often hear them drifting through his room. Stevens's older brother, David Gordon, attracted the attention of music producer Mike Hurst, formerly of the Springfields, in the hope of finding a producer interested in his younger brother's music. After a demo was recorded, a deal was struck between the two.[1] The album was not released until 1967; however, recording began on 10 July 1966, with a few advance singles appearing around that time.

Advance singles[edit]

Although the album was not released until 1967, the first advance single, "I Love My Dog", was released in 1966. It was initially recorded only by Stevens' guitars, piano and vocals. Hurst, however, encouraged Stevens to add a staccato and tympani–and–viola arrangement; this was something that had not been done before on pop music songs. Session bassist John Paul Jones played on the first singles two years before becoming a member of Led Zeppelin. The lyrics for the B-side of the first single, "Portobello Road", were written by Kim Fowley, who encouraged Stevens to compose a melody for the song. The single initially reached No. 28 on the UK charts, followed by "Matthew and Son", the next single and title track, which went to No. 2 on the UK charts, making Stevens into a popular and clean-cut teenage crooner.[2]

Release and reception[edit]

Matthew and Son was released in 1967, eventually reaching No. 7 in the UK. The album track "Here Comes My Baby" was initially recorded and released by the Tremeloes, and was a hit, reaching No. 4 in the UK. "I've Found a Love" was covered by British singer David Garrick but failed to chart, while Stevens's own "I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun" reached No. 6.[2]

"Here Comes My Baby" was used in the Wes Anderson film Rushmore.

Music critic Robert Christgau of The Village Voice later called Matthew and Son "a rarity: a forgotten record that shouldn't be",[3] and said that both its title track and "I Love My Dog" were "two rock songs we should have heard more of in 1967".[4] AllMusic's Bruce Eder gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and said that "it's very distant from the sound that Stevens was ultimately known for, and in many ways, it's more dated than what he did for Island/A&M, but it's much more self-consciously accessible, arranged in different styles".[5]

Track listing[edit]

All songs by Cat Stevens, except where noted.

American LP release[edit]

All tracks written by Cat Stevens.

Personnel[edit]

• Cat Stevens - vocals, guitar, keyboards
• John Paul Jones - bass guitar on "Matthew and Son"
• Nicky Hopkins - keyboards on "Matthew and Son"
• Arrangements by Alan Tew and Mike Hurst
• Mike Hurst: producer, engineer, liner notes
• Vic Smith: engineer

New Masters

New Masters is the second studio album by singer-songwriter Cat Stevens. The album was released in December 1967 by Deram Records, a new subsidiary of Decca Records as a follow up to the highly successful debut album, Matthew and Son. The label was disappointed by his second album's poor sales, given that the previous album made the UK Top Ten and produced several hit singles. New Masters generated little interest, failing to chart in either the UK or the United States. The single "Kitty"/"Blackness of the Night" languished at number 47, becoming Stevens' first single to miss the top 40. This was a sudden and steep commercial decline from the considerable success that Stevens enjoyed with his earlier recordings.[2]

"The First Cut Is the Deepest" has been covered successfully by several artists. Prior to the release of New Masters, Stevens had sold the song for £30 to P. P. Arnold (formerly of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue) which gave the former Ikette her first UK hit.[3] In the decades to come it would also be a hit for Rod Stewart, Sheryl Crow, James Morrison and Keith Hampshire. Hampshire's version reached no. 1 on the Canadian charts in 1973. Other versions have been rendered by singer Barbara Jones, Colm Wilkinson of Les Misérables and Jesus Christ Superstar fame, Duffy and the Jools Holland Rhythm & Blues Orchestra.

Track listing[edit]

All tracks written by Cat Stevens.

Personnel[edit]

• Cat Stevens – vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards
• Chris Hunt – drums
• Herbie Flowers – bass
• Arthur Greenslade, Lew Warburton, Ivor Raymonde – music direction