Download this album for unlimited listening.
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Cat Stevens' Matthew & Son was among the handful of releases that introduced Decca Records' "offbeat"-oriented (but ultimately largely psychedelic/progressive) Deram label in England. Actually, Stevens' "I Love My Dog" launched the label in fine style by climbing to number 27 on the U.K. charts, and its follow-up, "Matthew & Son," hit number two, resulting in the release of the original album of the same name. The latter was not only a fine account of Stevens' early folk-influenced pop/rock sound, but was also a beautiful, candid audio "snapshot" of one side of Swinging London's musical ambience in late 1966 and early 1967. It melds tinkling harpsichords ("Matthew & Son") and moderately ambitious orchestrations (mostly horns and strings) on some songs ("I Love My Dog") with folky acoustic guitar on others ("Portabello Road"), a lot of it carrying highly expressive, weirdly personal lyrics. Though it was like pulling teeth to get some of those early records out from Decca, this album sounds today like the record that should have accompanied the American version of the Beatles' Rubber Soul onto millions of turntables. 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, ranging from vaudeville-style band accompaniment ("I See a Road") to trippy Donovan-esque ballads ("Baby Get Your Head Screwed On," "When I Speak to the Flowers," "Hummingbird"). Some of it, such as the sax-driven "Come on and Dance," is a little awkward as efforts at a soul sound, but all of it is fun, even the slightly too Engelbert Humperdinck-esque "Lady."
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr124,99/month
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1966 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1966 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Kim Fowley, ComposerLyricist - Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Mike Hurst, Producer
℗ 1966 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1966 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Cat Stevens, Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Alan Tew, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hurst, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Decca Music Group Limited
Album review
Cat Stevens' Matthew & Son was among the handful of releases that introduced Decca Records' "offbeat"-oriented (but ultimately largely psychedelic/progressive) Deram label in England. Actually, Stevens' "I Love My Dog" launched the label in fine style by climbing to number 27 on the U.K. charts, and its follow-up, "Matthew & Son," hit number two, resulting in the release of the original album of the same name. The latter was not only a fine account of Stevens' early folk-influenced pop/rock sound, but was also a beautiful, candid audio "snapshot" of one side of Swinging London's musical ambience in late 1966 and early 1967. It melds tinkling harpsichords ("Matthew & Son") and moderately ambitious orchestrations (mostly horns and strings) on some songs ("I Love My Dog") with folky acoustic guitar on others ("Portabello Road"), a lot of it carrying highly expressive, weirdly personal lyrics. Though it was like pulling teeth to get some of those early records out from Decca, this album sounds today like the record that should have accompanied the American version of the Beatles' Rubber Soul onto millions of turntables. 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, ranging from vaudeville-style band accompaniment ("I See a Road") to trippy Donovan-esque ballads ("Baby Get Your Head Screwed On," "When I Speak to the Flowers," "Hummingbird"). Some of it, such as the sax-driven "Come on and Dance," is a little awkward as efforts at a soul sound, but all of it is fun, even the slightly too Engelbert Humperdinck-esque "Lady."
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 16 track(s)
- Total length: 00:41:10
- Main artists: Cat Stevens
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Decca Music Group Ltd.
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 1988 Decca Music Group Limited This Compilation ℗ 1988 Decca Music Group Limited
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.