Customer Reviews

Matthew & Son

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Luis Mejia (son) - The first Cat Stevens album, some songs quite left a mark in the 60's era, and even though it's difficult to find it or to tell about it as a Cat Stevens point of reference, it isn't that what makes it so nice, it's just the simple but very well thought rythms, the juvenile and fresh style of the album and the familiar mellodies. The orchestration is also a very nice touch.

Just as I mentioned the rythms of the album are very easy listening (not as a genre), juvenile and fresh, quite a different from his later deep works. Lady, I've Found A Love and Hummingbird are simply sweet and mellodic ballads; the title track, Portabello Road, I Love My Dog and The Tramp are rythmical song with the greatest use of orchestra, possessing a deeper composition (much more alike with his later works) and very cathcy rythms; Here Comes My Baby, Bring Another Bottle Baby, Come On And Dance, Baby Get Your Head Screwed On, Granny, I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun and When I speak To The Flowers are also very catchy songs, not too much that I like them, maybe Granny and Here Comes My Baby, but are also a little bit jazzy and a little bit incoherent but refreshing.

A record for all fans to possess, cause it's always a new point of view by hearng the first cd, though I don't recommend it too much for casual listeners.

For those that are unaware, Cat Stevens is one of the greatest singer/songwriters ever and this is just another stunning example of his abilities.

As for albums, this is not the greatest and is also not the most well-known, but if you are a fan of acoustic guitar and some great lyrics, this is a must own as well as if you are a fan of Cat Stevens or his later Yusef stuff.

I say this album is good, because it shows originality. It was written by a young Cat Stevens at the time when he was in the begining of his music career. It is different from his other newer albums by still a great album. My favorite track is Here comes my baby. If you are a Cat Stevens fan, buy this album considering the fact that it's different with what you're used to.

In 1989, Yusuf Islam came out in support of Ayatollah Khomeini's 1989 fatwa (death threat) on novelist Salman Rushdie for his book, The Satanic Verses.

Wouldn't it just be good old-fashioned ironic fun to attend a Yusuf Islam concert now and yell out requests from his back catalog? "I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun," would be a nice choice. Or how about "Baby Get Your Head Screwed On?"

I'm sure there are some songs that he no longer feels comfortable playing in concert. There's no reason why we still can't enjoy them. These songs represent some of the best in 60's big band pop music made at the time. "Bring Another Bottle Baby" gets me in the mood every time, and I just want to swing, baby, yeah! I'm sure it's one of Austin Power's favorite tunes as well. Great music, but a little dated now. Aren't we all?

Cat Stevens did psychedelic music? He sure did and this is that album! Very Donovon-like in style, it was and is interesting to hear Cat Stevens doing a style than i'm not accoustmed to hearing out of him.

Is it amazing? Well no...i wouldn't say that. It is interesting AND the music being played is top notch.The lyrics aren't deep at all and are very much light and fluffy and very sixties inspired. All that being mentioned, it doesn't mean you should not pick up the album as it IS quite good....---for THAT kind of music---

I love tunes from that era and have always loved Cats voice, so to me it was a no-brainer and something i needed to own.

This early material from The Cat bears little resemblance to his earth-shifting work of the 1970s, but it has its charms. The songs are produced in a way that was typical for a lot of UK hits at the time... so as well as being an important chapter in Cat's career, this disc also acts as a reminder as to why the hit singles of The Beatles, The Stones and The Who were so refreshing. That's not to say the songs are bad-- they're not-- but they do sound 'of a time'. The extra tracks cover all the bases for this period, making it essential for completists.

You CANNOT go into this album expecting the artistry, maturity, spirituality, or excellence of Cat Stevens' later work (starting with "Mona Bone Jakon" and going on from there). If you do, you will most likely be turned off, as I initially was, and write off this and his next album NEW MASTERS as being shallow, amateurish and over-produced, as I initially did.

Well, I honestly can't refute those rather negative descriptions; compared to such beautiful songs as "Trouble," "Morning Has Broken," and "If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out," the songs on MATTHEW & SON really are shallow, amateurish and over-produced. But when taking this album on its own terms, its own merits, then there's plenty of fun to be had. You have to realize that Stevens was only in his late teens when he wrote most of these songs, and had not yet found the spirituality that would be the driving force of his best-known work. So what we get instead are fun, bouncy pop tunes that, while sometimes sounding rather dated (thanks to both the Mike Hurst production and Stevens' rather contrived lyrics), make for good, clean fun. Don't misunderstand me and think that I'm saying it's "so bad it's good." I'm simply saying that you can't really take any of it too seriously. Songs like "Matthew & Son" and "I've Found A Love" may not have a whole lot of depth to them, but they're still very good songs. And "Here Comes My Baby" is an unjustly underappreciated CLASSIC!!!

If you haven't yet heard MATTHEW & SON, just be sure to go into it with the right mindset and you'll enjoy it. If you have heard it and were turned off by it, give it another chance. If anything, it's essential listening for all Cat Stevens fans in order to fully appreciate his growth as an artist throughout the years.

I say a 'must' because it was Cat's first album - not easy to find these days -and it is always interesting to compare a performer's earliest work with later hits. It contains a few easily recognisable songs and a lot of others that I personally had not heard before. During the first couple of plays I wasn't too sure, but typical Cat - the more you play it the more it grows on you and I love it! I'm particularly fond of Portobello Road (takes me back to the 60's in West London) and Lady. Matthew and Son and Come on and Dance are the tops.

This is such a great CD! It really is a rare gem. The songs are really good and it brought back a lot of great memories. Cat Stevens is really an awesome performer and artist. The order came in great condition and we have enjoyed it.

Because this was Cat Stevens's earliest recordings, his fans need this album to round out the collection. Everyone will recognize early radio hits off the play list. The songs are simple, yet orchestrated. Very 60s baby.