Record Reviews

CAT STEVENS ~ MATTHEW & SON DERAM 602498108215 (Barcode: 602498108215) ~ UK ~ Classic Pop Recorded: 1966 - 1967 Released: 2003 This is a reissue of the debut album by British singer / songwriter Cat StevensFind albums by this artist. The original album presented fourteen original songs, all by Stevens. This remastered and expanded edition adds eight bonus tracks, mostly mono versions of the album’s tracks, released as singles and two non-album tracks. The music is absolutely stunning and each of the songs is a Pop gem, typical of the era, when gems like that were created en masse. A few of the songs are just Stevens accompanying himself on guitar, but most have brilliant orchestral arrangement, created by producer Mike HurstFind albums by this artist, who discovered Stevens, and composer / arranger Alan TewFind albums by this artist, little known library music aficionado. The wonderful aura of creativity and innocence that this music projects, which characterized to “Golden Decade” of 20th Century music, is sadly long gone, but we can enjoy our escapism by revisiting these time capsules, as if the world stood still. The album marked Stevens as a major songwriting talent, and his idiosyncratic vocal style became one of most powerful British Pop statements over the years. A convoluted career influenced by conversion to Islam did not silence his creative powers and he is still releasing new albums five decades later. Fifty-five years after this music was recorded it sounds absolutely fresh and timeless, overshadowing almost everything recorded in the last decades, a sad testimony of human Culture simply disappearing.

Updated: 18/09/2021Posted: 18/09/2021

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend