New Masters

New Masters is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, released on 15 December 1967 by Deram Records. Stevens established himself as a successful pop star by the summer of 1967, with top-ten singles such as "Matthew and Son" and his debut album Matthew & Son. Stevens wanted to branch out from the musical style that made him successful, disappointing Deram and producer Mike Hurst; Hurst got into a legal feud with Stevens. New Masters was recorded amidst 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". Conceived as a "darker" than its predecessor, New Masters was intended as more self-conscious and serious than Matthew & Son. It contains many 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 and re-writes of Stevens's previous hit singles and protest songs.

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