Matthew & Son – CAT STEVENS*****

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/Baby Get Your Head Screwed On/Granny/When I Speak To The Flowers/The Tramp/Come On & Dance/Hummingbird/Lady/School Is Out/I’m Gonna Get Me A Gun

Debut collection of brilliant bouncy pop songs from Cat Stevens, different in style from his later better known, reflective and introspective material on the Island label. Matthew & Son includes the UK No. 2 title track and No. 6 I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun. (UK:7)

"A really strong debut from the troubadour to be. This puts all of Swinging London in a bottle and shakes it up - a beautiful postcard from a particular time and place."

"It's fun and original, and the orchestration is pretty awesome. If you're looking for some good pop music from the sixties, look to this album, it won't disappoint."

"A great sixties pop album - it's still a classic, and the tracks that do it, really go all the way. Very cool album. Don't pass it up if you like 60s pop masterpieces."

"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."

"It is interesting, and the music being played is top notch. The lyrics aren't deep at all being very much light and fluffy and very sixties inspired. This doesn't mean you should not pick up the album as it is very good for that kind of music. I love tunes from that era and have always loved Cat's voice."

"Bouncy pop tunes that, while sometimes rather dated, make for good, clean fun."

"This early material from 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 of many 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 music of the time was so refreshing."

"These songs represent some of the best in 60s 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 favourite tunes as well. Great music, but a little dated now. Aren't we all?"