New Masters

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

New Masters
Studio album by
Cat Stevens
Released15 December 1967
Recorded3 July – 3 November 1967
StudioDecca and Olympic, London
Genre
Length30:55
LabelDeram
ProducerMike Hurst
Cat Stevens chronology
Matthew and Son
(1967) 		New Masters
(1967) 		Mona Bone Jakon
(1970)
Singles from New Masters
  1. "Kitty"
    Released: 1 December 1967


New Masters is the second studio album by singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, released on 15 December 1967 by Deram Records (a new subsidiary of Decca Records) as a follow-up to the highly successful debut album, Matthew and Son.

Overview

[edit]

The label was disappointed by Cat Stevens' 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.[1]

"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.[2] 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.

Recording

[edit]
Two of the tracks present on New Masters were recorded at Olympic Studios[3]

Cat Stevens and producer Mike Hurst finally convened together at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London on 3 July 1967 together with music director Arthur Greenslade.[4] This was Stevens' first studio session in almost half a year, following his 1 February recording of "Here Comes My Baby", which had appeared on Matthew & Son.[5] Stevens' recorded two songs that would appear on New Masters at Olympic; "Moonstone and "The Laughing Apple"[6]. A third song, "A Bad Night", was aimed as a single release.[6] Following this, Stevens garnered a preference for Olympic Studios, compared to Decca Studios in West Hampstead where most of his other Deram output was recorded.[7]

According to both Stevens and Hurst, the recording of New Master was "horrendous"; the latter admitted that lawyers were present in the studio during the recording sessions.[8] Due to the contractual problems with Stevens, Decca believed the album might "have been their last shot with him", and thus forced him to record the rest of it at Decca Studios, despite his objections as he wanted "to use Olympic again".[9] Despite this, Stevens wouldn't enter a recording studio for another few months to allow for Deram to release "A Bad Night" as a single,[10] which they did on 28 July.[11]

"A Bad Night" reached number 20 on the Record Retailer chart,[12] which prompted Decca to rush him into Decca Studios as it was descending the charts on 24 September to cut an early rendition of "Come on Baby (Shift That Log)", which was ultimately discarded.[6] The released recording of "Come on Baby" was ultimately recorded on 4 October, together with another outtake titled "Sing!"[6] On 5 October, "The First Cut Is the Deepest" and "I Love Them All" were recorded, with "I'm So Sleepy" and "Ceylon City" following during later dates in October.[6] "Kitty", "Smash Your Heart" and "I'm Gonna Be King" were all taped in November,[13][nb 1] with the final recording session of songs aimed for album release occurred on 3 November when "Northern Wind" and "Blackness of the Night" were committed to tape.[6]

Stevens played guitar and was backed by several session musicians during the recording sessions,[10] as he had been for his debut album.[14] Although most documentation regarding musicians on the tracks have been lost to time, it is known that it included Herbie Flowers and John Paul Jones (bass),[15][16] Big Jim Sullivan (guitar),[17] Nicky Hopkins (keyboards),[18][19] Chris Hunt (drums),[15] alongside a plethora of string- and woodwind players; Hurst estimated 35 performers to be present during the Olympic recording session.[4] In addition to producing the album,[20] Hurst also contributed with rhythm guitar and backing vocals.[17][21] In contrast to Matthew & Son, which was entirely orchestrated by Alan Tew, New Masters features five different music directors present: Tew Phil Dennys, David Whitaker, Ivor Raymonde, Des Champ.[22] This reflected the conflict Stevens was facing during the album's recording process.[15]

Release and commercial performance

[edit]
Advertisement for New Masters in Billboard[23]

New Masters was initially slated for release in September 1967,[24] but was delayed to allow for a revised track listing.[25] On 1 December, Deram issued "Kitty", backed by "Blackness of the Night" as a single as a "taster of things to come".[6][26][nb 2] The single only showed a mild performance on the charts, reaching number 47 for a single week,[12] prompting Deram to rush-release New Masters in the UK on 15 December 1967 in both mono and stereo formats.[28][nb 3][nb 4] A release of New Masters followed in the United States during January 1968, where it was distributed through London Recordings.[29][nb 5] Although the album received promotion in major trade magazines including Billboard,[23] Decca was generally unwilling to promote the album due to the "potentially litigutous" legal problems between Stevens' and Hurts resulting in it failing to chart entirely in both the UK or the US upon initial release.[1][30] This marked a rampant decline in Stevens' initial popularity as a teenage idol.[31]

Interest in Stevens' earlier output arose in the US following his chart success there as a folk rock singer with albums such as Tea for the Tillerman (1970) and Teaser and the Firecat (1971).[32] This success prompted Deram to re-issue New Masters in a double album package with his debut album Matthew & Son in March 1971.[33][nb 6] This release sold well enough to reach the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 173 in June 1971 during a 12 week run.[34] Despite being a chart failure in the UK, New Masters was never deleted from the Deram catalogue, and re-issued multiple times during the 1970s.[35] When Decca were in the process of re-releasing much of their pop catalogue on the compact disc format in the late 1980s, New Masters finally received such a release in 1989.[35][nb 7] This re-release also collected Stevens' four non-album singles during the later parts of his Deram career, starting with "A Bad Night" (1967) and ending with "Where Are You?" (1969).[36] New Masters was issued on CD again in 2003,[35][nb 8] collecting his non-album Deram singles in addition to having the mono single versions for "Kitty", "Blackness of the Night" and "The Laughing Apple".[27] Finally, New Masters was re-issued on vinyl for the first time since 1982 on 27 March 2020, this edition being remixed at Abbey Road Studios.[38]

Reception

[edit]

Contemporary reviews

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Record Mirror[39]
New Musical Express[40]

Upon initial release, New Masters received primarily positive reviews in the UK press. In Disc and Music Echo, journalist Penny Valentine found that Cat Stevens' musical abilities came "off far better on an LP" than on singles, and considered the album to be better than his previous one.[41] Writing for Record Mirror, journalists Peter Jones noted the album to have a "folky feel" which was a trademark for his music, and praised the song arrangements, believing the album to be "well recorded".[39] Though they single out "Kitty", "I'm So Sleepy" and "Ceylon City" as the LP's most "striking tracks", the duo felt that Stevens' own interpretation of "The First Cut Is the Deepest" was inferior to P. P Arnold's original as it was "less frenetic and effective".[39] They end the review by noting that they were unsure whether they "liked it [the album] or not", despite giving it four out of four stars.[39]

New Musical Express reviewer Allen Evans believed that New Masters established Cat Stevens as a forceful beat singer, and noted the contrasting tempos, timbre and music genres found on the album.[40] Evans found it impressive that Stevens had composed all of the LP's tracks, and singled out "Ceylon City" and the "Dylanesque" "Blackness of the Night" as his favorite tracks.[40] He gave the LP four out of four stars.[40] Chris Welch of Melody Maker opinioned that the music deserved "recognition", and believed the album was Stevens' best vocal performance thus far, likened his voice on certain tracks to "a sort of Arabian Tim Hardin".[42] He praised the songs as being "often beautiful" and "picturesque", mostly due to the production of Mike Hurst and the arrangements by the various music directors.[42] Though he noted the LP would've benefitted by including liner notes, he ended his review by stating that it was "surprising Cat hasn't had a hit single recently", owing to the strength of the material.[42]

In the US, New Masters also received reviews in the major music trade publications, but was largely ignored by other reviewers.[43] The anonymous reviewer in Billboard magazine wrote that the album was full of "highly inventive material", singling out the "The Laughing Apple", "The First Cut Is the Deepest," and "Come on Baby (Shift That Log)" as highlights.[44] The reviewer also opinioned that the rest of the material was "topnotch", predicting a breakthrough for Stevens in the US.[44]

Retrospective assessment and legacy

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Stereo ReviewGood[45]
Allmusic[1]

Retrospectively, New Masters has received primarily mixed reviews by critics, mostly owing to the orchestration.[43] Noel Coppage of Stereo Review found the album to be "outlandishly overproduced", with "needless blasts, tinkles, and rattles intrude on almost every song".[45] He notes "Come on Baby (Shift That Log)" as an exception, but derides "Moonstone" as "buried under glop".[45] Despite this, Coppage found that every song had appeal.[45] AllMusic critic Bruce Eder stated that the album was as "uneven musically" as Stevens' debut album album "was bold", but noted that the two albums were "more of the same" albeit believed New Masters to be less interesting as a "late 1967 release".[1] He noted the albums diverse tracks, ranging from the "pop balladry" of "Smash Your Heart", the whimsiness of "Moonstone" the folky-pop, which he believed to be "highly derivative" in some cases.[1] He singled out "The First Cut Is the Deepest" and "Come on Baby (Shift That Log)" as the album's highlights.[1]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks written by Cat Stevens.[27] Track lengths adapted from the 1989 re-issue of New Masters.[46]

Canvas one[nb 9]

  1. "Kitty" – 2:17
  2. "I'm So Sleepy" – 2:17
  3. "Northern Wind" – 2:45
  4. "The Laughing Apple" – 2:33
  5. "Smash Your Heart" – 2:55
  6. "Moonstone" – 2:11

Canvas two[nb 9]

  1. "The First Cut Is the Deepest" – 2:59
  2. "I'm Gonna Be King" – 2:24
  3. "Ceylon City" – 2:23
  4. "Blackness of the Night" – 2:25
  5. "Come on Baby (Shift That Log)" – 3:42
  6. "I Love Them All" – 2:04

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for New Masters
Chart (1971) Peak

position

US (Billboard 200)[34] 173

References

[edit]

Notes

  1. ^ Writer John Tracy suggests that "Smash Your Heart" and "I'm Gonna King" may have been recorded at an "outside studio but not delivered to Deram until that November".[6]
  2. ^ Catalogue number Deram 156.[27]
  3. ^ Mono catalogue number DML 1018, stereo catalogue number SML 1018.[6]
  4. ^ Writer John Tracy stated that New Masters was released during the "Christmas period",[6] whereas Andy Neill opinioned it was issued in January 1968.[8]
  5. ^ Mono catalogue number DE 18010, stereo catalogue number DES 18010.[6]
  6. ^ Catalogue number DES 18005-10.[33]
  7. ^ Catalogue number 820 767-2.[22]
  8. ^ Catalogue number 981 082-2.[37]
  9. ^ a b The back sleeve of the album's cover has the A- and B-sides labeled as "Canvas one" and "Canvas two", respectively.[43]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f Eder, Bruce. "New Masters Review by Bruce Eder". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  2. ^ Marrin, Minette (26 September 2004). "Profile: Yusuf Islam aka Cat Stevens: Not so much a zealot more a lost musician". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  3. ^ Neill 2003, p. 2; Tracy 1989, p. 3; DeYoung & Stevens 2001, p. 66.
  4. ^ a b DeYoung & Stevens 2001, p. 66.
  5. ^ Charlesworth 1984, p. 27; DeYoung & Stevens 2001, p. 65.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Tracy 1989, p. 3.
  7. ^ Neill 2003, p. 2; DeYoung & Stevens 2001, pp. 64–69.
  8. ^ a b Neill 2003, p. 2.
  9. ^ Neill 2003, p. 2; Brown 2006, p. 46.
  10. ^ a b Charlesworth 1984, p. 26.
  11. ^ Anon. (22 July 1967). "Cat Stevens Disc" (PDF). Melody Maker. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  12. ^ a b Roberts 2006, p. 529.
  13. ^ Tracy 1989, p. 3; DeYoung & Stevens 2001, pp. 66–67.
  14. ^ Brown 2006, pp. 23, 45.
  15. ^ a b c Charlesworth 1984, p. 27.
  16. ^ Borg, Janelle (9 September 2024). ""I told Lou Reed, 'Can I get the double bass out of the car? Because this song is a bit jazzy'": British bass legend Herbie Flowers, best known for his work with David Bowie and Paul McCartney, dies aged 86". Guitar World. Archived from the original on 11 February 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^ a b DeYoung & Stevens 2001, p. 68.
  18. ^ Jones, Ray (September 1967). "The Session Men, No. 24: Nicky Hopkins" (PDF). Beat Instrumental. No. 9. p. 32. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  19. ^ Brown 2006, p. 44.
  20. ^ Neill 2003, Booklet back.
  21. ^ Anon. (30 December 1967). "Scene" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  22. ^ a b Tracy 1989, Back cover.
  23. ^ a b Anon. (27 January 1968). "40 Greats for 68" (PDF). Billboard. p. 79. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 June 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  24. ^ Anon. (22 July 1967). "Cat's LP Release Date" (PDF). New Musical Express. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  25. ^ Charlesworth 1984, pp. 27–28.
  26. ^ Anon. (18 November 1967). "New Cat Single" (PDF). Melody Maker. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory. Cat Stevens' new single will be "Kitty", another original composition, released on the Deram label on December 1 [1967].
  27. ^ a b c Neill 2003, p. 6.
  28. ^
  29. ^
  30. ^ Tracy 1989, pp. 3–4; Neill 2003, p. 3.
  31. ^ Charlesworth 1984, p. 28; Neill 2003, p. 1.
  32. ^ Brown 2006, p. 88.
  33. ^ a b Anon. (20 March 1971). "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 46. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 March 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  34. ^ a b "Cat Stevens Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  35. ^ a b c Brown 2006, p. 208.
  36. ^ Tracy 1989, pp. 2–4.
  37. ^ Neill 2003, Back cover.
  38. ^ Anon. (6 February 2020). "Yusuf / Cat Stevens Reissues First Two Albums". PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  39. ^ a b c d Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (30 December 1967). "New LP's - Monkees U-S Chart Topper, Value for Money, DC5, and Second Cat Stevens LP" (PDF). Record Mirror. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  40. ^ a b c d Evans, Allen (13 January 1968). "Impressive First Album From Herd" (PDF). New Musical Express. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 August 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  41. ^ Valentine, Penny (30 December 1967). "Monkees move on from the 'Believer' sound" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  42. ^ a b c Welch, Chris (20 January 1968). "A Pleasant Reminder of Kinks Songs, But Little Else" (PDF). Melody Maker. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  43. ^ a b c Charlesworth 1984, p. 32.
  44. ^ a b Anon. (3 February 1968). "Special Merit Picks" (PDF). Billboard. p. 67. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 September 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  45. ^ a b c d Coppage, Noel (October 1971). "Stereo Tape" (PDF). Stereo Review. No. 10. p. 143. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 December 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  46. ^ Tracy 1989, p. 2.

Sources