| Matthew and Son | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 10 March 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 14 July 1966 – 1 February 1967 | |||
| Studio | Decca Studios, West Hampstead, London | |||
| Genre | Folk rock, baroque pop | |||
| Length | 34:03 (Original UK release) 29:07 (Original US release) 39:09 (1988 reissue) 54:06 (2003 reissue) | |||
| Label | Deram | |||
| Producer | Mike Hurst | |||
| Cat Stevens chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Matthew and Son | ||||
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Matthew and Son is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, released in March 1967.
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 blues. 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.
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. 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]
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]
All songs by Cat Stevens, except where noted.
All tracks are written by Cat Stevens. "Portobello Road" co-written by Kim Fowley.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Matthew and Son" | 2:46 |
| 2. | "I Love My Dog" | 2:23 |
| 3. | "Here Comes My Baby" | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Bring Another Bottle Baby" | 2:44 |
| 5. | "Portobello Road" | 2:29 |
| 6. | "I've Found a Love" | 2:32 |
| 7. | "I See a Road" | 2:11 |
| 8. | "Baby Get Your Head Screwed On" | 2:22 |
| 9. | "Granny" | 3:12 |
| 10. | "When I Speak to the Flowers" | 2:25 |
| 11. | "The Tramp" | 2:11 |
| 12. | "Come On and Dance" | 2:10 |
| 13. | "Hummingbird" | 2:36 |
| 14. | "Lady" | 3:04 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "School is Out" | 2:55 |
| 16. | "I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun" | 2:11 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun" (Stereo Version) | 2:14 |
| 16. | "School is Out" (Stereo Version) | 2:59 |
| 17. | "I Love My Dog" (Mono Single Version) | 2:26 |
| 18. | "Portobello Road" (Mono Single Version) | 2:30 |
| 19. | "Matthew and Son" (Mono Single Version) | 2:50 |
| 20. | "Granny" (Mono Single Version) | 3:12 |
| 21. | "School is Out" (Mono Single Version) | 2:56 |
| 22. | "I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun" (Mono Single Version) | 2:16 |
All tracks are written by Cat Stevens
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Matthew and Son" | 2:46 |
| 2. | "I Love My Dog" | 2:23 |
| 3. | "Here Comes My Baby" | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Bring Another Bottle" | 2:44 |
| 5. | "I've Found a Love" | 2:32 |
| 6. | "I See a Road" | 2:11 |
| 7. | "I'm Gonna Get a Gun" | 2:11 |
| 8. | "School is Out" | 2:55 |
| 9. | "Baby, Get Your Head Screwed On" | 2:22 |
| 10. | "When I Speak to the Flowers" | 2:25 |
| 11. | "Hummingbird" | 2:36 |
| 12. | "Lady" | 3:04 |
Yusuf Islam, commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and musician. He has sold more than 100 million records and has more than two billion streams. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later in his career, Islamic music. Following two decades in which he performed only music which met strict religious standards, he returned to making secular music in 2006. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
Tea for the Tillerman is the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, released in November 1970.
New Masters is the second studio album by singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, released in December 1967 by Deram Records as a follow-up to the highly successful debut album, Matthew and Son.
Mona Bone Jakon is the third studio album by singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, released in April 1970 on the Island Records label in the United Kingdom and on A&M in the United States and Canada.
"Peace Train" is a 1971 song by Cat Stevens, taken from his album Teaser and the Firecat. The song climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the week of November 6, 1971, becoming Stevens' first US Top 10 hit. The song also spent three weeks at No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart. It is also featured on The Very Best of Cat Stevens compilation album. He re-recorded the song for the charity War Child in 2003.
"I Love My Dog" is a song written by Cat Stevens, and was his first single, appearing the following year on his debut album Matthew and Son. Stevens later acknowledged that he had essentially written the lyrics to the music of American jazz multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef's "The Plum Blossom", from his 1961 Eastern Sounds. Stevens indicated that he "told Yusef Lateef about it, gave him a big cheque, and in fact, started paying him royalties." The song is now released with credits that include Yusef Lateef.
"Here Comes My Baby" is a song written by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens. It is well known for being an international hit for the Tremeloes in 1967.
"The First Cut Is the Deepest" is a 1967 song written by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, originally released by P. P. Arnold in April 1967. Stevens's own version originally appeared on his album New Masters in December 1967.
Gold is a two-CD compilation of classic singles and album tracks by British singer-songwriter, Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam. It is part of Universal Music's series of double-disc anthologies derived from their extensive back catalog. The track list starts with Stevens' early British hit "Matthew & Son" and ends with a new recording by Islam, "Indian Ocean", recorded and first released as a digital download on the iTunes Music Store to benefit 2004 Asian tsunami relief efforts.
Foreigner is the seventh studio album released by British-Emirati singer-songwriter Cat Stevens in July 1973. In addition to the minor hit "The Hurt", which received a moderate amount of airplay, Foreigner also included such songs as "100 I Dream" and the 18-minute-long "Foreigner Suite", which took up the entirety of side one.
Izitso is the tenth studio album released by the British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens in April 1977. After the lacklustre Numbers, the album proved to be his comeback. The album updated the rhythmic folk rock and pop rock style of his earlier albums with the extensive use of synthesizers and other electronic music instruments, giving the album a more electronic rock and synthpop style, and anticipating elements of electro.
Back to Earth is the eleventh studio album released by the British singer/songwriter Cat Stevens. It is the only album he recorded using the name Cat Stevens after his conversion to Islam until the release in September 2017 of The Laughing Apple, his fifteenth studio album. It was also the last album of contemporary Western music that he recorded until An Other Cup, 28 years later.
"Moonshadow" is a song written and performed by Cat Stevens, first released as a single in the UK in 1970 on the Island label and in the US in 1971 on the A&M label. It also appears on Stevens' 1971 album Teaser and the Firecat.
"Father and Son" is a popular song written and performed by English singer-songwriter Cat Stevens on his 1970 album Tea for the Tillerman. The song frames a heartbreaking exchange between a father not understanding a son's desire to break away and shape a new life, and the son who cannot really explain himself but knows that it is time for him to seek his own destiny.
An Other Cup is the twelfth studio album by Yusuf, released on 10 November 2006 in Germany, 13 November in the UK and the US and worldwide on 14 November. It is Yusuf's first Western pop album since Back to Earth, which was released in 1978 under the name Cat Stevens. An Other Cup is the artist's first studio album under the name Yusuf. It heralded his return to Western pop music.
"I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun" is a song that Cat Stevens wrote, composed, and recorded in 1967, and was produced by Mike Hurst of Decca Records's recently added Deram Records label. It was released as a 45 in the UK, reaching number 6 in the UK Singles Chart, and it was featured on U.S pressings of his debut album Matthew and Son.
"Matthew and Son" is a song written and released by singer-songwriter Cat Stevens in 1966. Following his discovery by producer and manager Mike Hurst, Stevens debuted professionally in the music business with the release of his single "I Love My Dog" in September 1966. The song's surprising commercial success established his idiosyncratic songwriting style and extended his contract with Deram Records. "Matthew and Son" was musically inspired by a previous song he had written, while the lyrics were inspired by his girlfriend at the time who worked a lot. Musically, the song is a baroque pop song with both brass and string arrangements while the lyrics tells the tale of the titular company exploiting their timid workers. "Matthew and Son" was recorded on 1 December 1966 at Decca Studios in London with Hurst producing.
Alun Davies is a Welsh guitarist, studio musician, recording artist, and composer who rose to fame primarily with his supporting guitar work and backing vocals as accompanist for English musician Cat Stevens, from early 1970 to 1977.
"Lady D'Arbanville" is a song written and recorded by Cat Stevens and released in April 1970. It subsequently appeared on his third album, Mona Bone Jakon, released later that year. It was his first single released after signing a contract with Island Records, with the encouragement of his new producer, Paul Samwell-Smith, fostering a folk rock direction. "Lady D'Arbanville" has a madrigal sound, and was written about Stevens' former girlfriend, Patti D'Arbanville, metaphorically laying her to rest.
Cat Stevens is a four-disc box set by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam. Released on October 30th, 2001, it features 79 tracks—hits, B-sides, live tracks and previously unreleased material from his tenures on Deram and Island/A&M Records—spanning his career from 1965 to 1978, plus one track from 1997 recorded as 'Yusuf'.
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