Cat Stevens began his recording career at Deram, a subsidiary of Decca Records. Under the aegis of his manager Mike Hurst, he cut his first recordings in 1966, resulting in two top ten hits, I Love My Dog and Matthew & Son.
In the 1960s, the BBC were party to an agreement with the Musicians Union, which limited radio stations to playing maximum six hours per day of records on air. In order to play more pop, the company had to schedule live radio sessions and so over a period of two years, Cat Stevens recorded exclusive radio-only versions of his early songs along with his 30-piece orchestra. And 50 years on, we are proud to present the songs the young Cat Stevens played at the BBC in 1967.