''New Masters'' is the second studio album by singer-songwriter
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and musician. He has sold more than 100 million records and has more than two billion st ...
, released in December 1967 by
Deram Records (a new subsidiary of
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...
) as a follow-up to the highly successful debut album, ''
Matthew and Son''.
Overview
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.
[Yusuflifeline Official Website](_blank)
/ref>
"The First Cut Is the Deepest
"The First Cut Is the Deepest" is a 1967 song written by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, originally released by P. P. Arnold for her album The First Lady of Immediate, ''The First Lady of Immediate'' in April 1967. Stevens' own version ...
" 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.Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...
, Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...
, 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
''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'' and ''Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...
'' fame, Duffy and the Jools Holland
Julian Miles Holland (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Marc Almond, Jayne County, To ...
Rhythm & Blues Orchestra.
Track listing
Personnel
* Cat Stevens – vocals, guitars, keyboards
* Chris Hunt – drums
* Herbie Flowers – bass
* Arthur Greenslade, Lew Warburton, Ivor Raymonde – music direction
References
{{Authority control
Cat Stevens albums
1967 albums
Deram Records albums