UMeCat Stevens‘ first two studio albums, Matthew & Son and New Masters, will be reissued on 180-gram vinyl on March 27.
This will mark the first time that either album, which were both originally released in 1967, will be available on vinyl since 1982.
The reissues, which can be pre-ordered now, have been remastered at London’s famous Abbey Road Studios using the facility’s “Demix” software, which allows for elements such as the vocals and bass to be enhanced for a superior listening experience.
Matthew & Son was released in March of ’67, and features two U.K. hits — the title track and “I Love My Dog,” which peaked at #2 and #28, respectively. It also includes “Here Comes My Baby,” a song covered by the British group The Tremoloes, whose version reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the U.K. singles chart in 1967. The album made it to #7 on the British chart.
New Masters, which was released in December of ’67, was not as commercially successful as its predecessor, although it did feature Stevens’ rendition of his own “The First Cut the Deepest.” Earlier in 1967, American-born singer P.P. Arnold took the song to #14 on the U.K. chart, while Rod Stewart‘s version was #1 in the U.K. in 1977 and reached #21 in the U.S.
After the release of New Masters, Stevens contracted tuberculosis, and as he recuperated, he read a book called The Secret Path that inspired him to move away from the pop-oriented material he had been writing and recording, and he started to compose more introspective and spiritual songs for which he’s now best known.
Here’s the Matthew & Son track list:
Side A
“Matthew & Son”
“I Love My Dog”
“Here Comes My Baby”
“Bring Another Bottle Baby”
“Portobello Road”
“I’ve Found a Love”
“I See a Road”
Side B
“Baby Get Your Head Screwed On”
“Granny”
“When I Speak to the Flowers”
“The Tramp”
“Come On and Dance”
“Hummingbird”
“Lady”
And here’s the New Masters track list:
Side A
“Kitty”
“I’m So Sleepy”
“Northern Wind”
“The Laughing Apple”
“Smash Your Heart”
“Moonstone”
Side B
“The First Cut Is the Deepest”
“I’m Gonna Be King”
“Ceylon City”
“Blackness of the Night”
“Come On Baby (Shift That Log)”
“I Love Them All”
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