New Masters
New Masters is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, released on 15 December 1967 by Deram Records. Stevens had established himself as a successful pop star by the summer of 1967, with top-ten singles such as "Matthew and Son" (1966) and his highly successful debut album Matthew & Son (1967). Stevens wanted to branch out from the musical style that made him successful, much to the dismay of Deram and producer Mike Hurst, the latter of whom got into a legal feud with Stevens. Nonetheless, New Masters was recorded amidst this legal trouble primarily between October and November 1967 with a session spanning back to July. Most of the album was recorded at Decca Studios, although several songs were recorded at Olympic Studios. The sessions also produced the non-album single "A Bad Night" (1967).
Conceived as a "darker album" than the predecessor, New Masters was intended a more self-conscious and serious album than Matthew & Son. It contains a plethora of different genres, primarily his previously established folk-pop and baroque pop style but also songs inspired by the Wild West, songs written with influences from the British Museum alongside re-writes of Stevens' previous hit singles and protest songs. All of the album's tracks were written by Stevens', including his rendition of "The First Cut Is the Deepest" which had been originally recorded by P. P. Arnold.
Preceded by the single release of "Kitty", Deram released New Masters on 15 December 1967 in the United Kingdom and in January 1968 in the United States. Decca Records was unwilling to promote the album due to the legal troubles between Hurst and Stevens', which means it failed to chart upon initial release in both territories. Deram re-released New Masters in 1971 after which it reached number 173 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and the album has since been re-issued on both CD and vinyl. Upon original release, New Masters received primarily positive reviews, with a focus on the strength of Stevens' songwriting. Retrospective assessment has been mixed, with critics finding it overproduced. Stevens parted ways with Hurst shortly after the album's release, and it was also his final album for Deram.
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