Matthew and Son (album) - Advance Singles

Advance Singles

Although the album was not released until 1967, the first advance single, "I Love My Dog" was released in 1966. It was initially recorded only by Stevens' guitars, piano & vocals. However, Hurst encouraged Stevens to add a staccato, tympani–and–viola arrangement; this was something that had not done before on pop music songs. Bassist John Paul Jones makes his debut on the first singles two years before becoming a member of Led Zeppelin. The lyrics for the B-side of the first single, "Portobello Road," were written by Kim Fowley, who encouraged Stevens to compose a melody for the song. The single initially reached #28 on the UK charts, followed by "Matthew and Son," the next single and title track, which soared to #2 on the charts there, propelling Stevens into a popular clean-cut teenage crooner.