Catch Bull at Four

Catch Bull at Four is the sixth studio album by Cat Stevens. In the United States it spent three weeks at number one on Billboard's album chart. The title is taken from one of the Ten Bulls of Zen.[4]

Catch Bull at Four
Studio album by Cat Stevens
Released	27 September 1972
Recorded	May 1972
Studio	The Manor Studio, Oxfordshire; Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France; Morgan Studios, London
Genre	Folk rock, soft rock
Length	39:40
Label	Island (UK/Europe) A&M (US/Canada)
Producer	Paul Samwell-Smith
Cat Stevens chronology
Teaser and the Firecat (1971) Catch Bull at Four (1972) Foreigner (1973)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	C[2]
Rolling Stone	(Favorable)[3]

The song "Sitting" was released as a single in 1972, reaching 16 on the Hot 100 Charts. It's a song about meditation, and the apprehensions that may result from the experiences involving self-realization.

Critical reception

Catch Bull at Four was well received both commercially and critically. Rolling Stone was satisfied with the "gorgeous melody and orchestration", while simultaneously disappointed by the lack of a single track comparable to "Morning Has Broken" from Teaser and the Firecat.[5]

Track listing

All songs written by Cat Stevens except as noted.

Side one

1. "Sitting" – 3:14
2. "Boy with a Moon & Star on His Head" – 5:57
3. "Angelsea" – 4:30
4. "Silent Sunlight" – 3:00
5. "Can't Keep It In" – 2:59

Side two

1. "18th Avenue (Kansas City Nightmare)" – 4:21
2. "Freezing Steel" – 3:40
3. "O Caritas" (Andreas Toumazis, Jeremy Taylor, Stevens) – 3:41
4. "Sweet Scarlet" – 3:49
5. "Ruins" – 4:24

Personnel

• Cat Stevens – lead and backing vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, Böhm Diamond organ, Spanish guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric mandolin, RMI Electra piano, synthesizer, pennywhistle, drums, percussion
• Alun Davies – acoustic guitar, Spanish guitar, backing vocals
• Alan James – bass, backing vocals
• Jean Roussel – piano, Hammond organ, Electric piano
• Gerry Conway – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Andreas Toumazis – bouzouki on "O Caritas"
• C.S. Choir – backing vocals on "Freezing Steel" and "O Caritas"
• Linda Lewis – backing vocals on "Angelsea"
• Lauren Cooper – backing vocals on "Angelsea"
• Del Newman – string arrangements
• Jeremy Taylor – Spanish guitar, who assisted in translating "O' Caritas" into the Latin language used in the song.[5]

Production

• Paul Samwell-Smith - producer

Chart positions

Weekly charts Chart (1972) Peak position Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart[6] 1 Canadian RPM Albums Chart[7] 1 Dutch Mega Albums Chart[8] 2 French SNEP Albums Chart[9] 4 Italian Albums Chart[10] 8 Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[11] 3 UK Albums Chart[12] 2 US Billboard 200[13] 1 West German Media Control Albums Chart[14] 17

Year-end charts Chart (1972) Position Australian Albums Chart[6] 12 French Albums Chart[15] 21 Italian Albums Chart[10] 44 Chart (1973) Position U.S. Billboard Year-End[16] 14

Certifications

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Region	Certification
United States (RIAA)[17]	Platinum

External links

• Album details
• Album information at catstevens.com
• Album review

References

1. Ruhlmann, William. Catch Bull at Four at AllMusic
2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 13 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
3. Rolling Stone review
4. zen, 10 bulls by Kakuan
5. Connolly, Dave Review and Information regarding Catch Bull At Four
6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
7. Library and Archives Canada. Archived 10 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 24 February 2012
8. "dutchcharts.nl Cat Stevens – Catch Bull at Four" (ASP). dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
9. "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste : Cat Stevens". infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 6 May 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2012. Note: user must select 'Cat STEVENS' from drop-down
10. "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1972" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
11. "norwegiancharts.com Cat Stevens – Catch Bull at Four" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
12. "The Official Charts Company – Cat Stevens – Catch Bull at Four" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
13. "allmusic ((( Catch Bull at Four > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
14. "Album Search: Cat Stevens – Catch Bull at Four" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
15. "Les Albums (CD) de 1972 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
16. "Top Pop Albums of 1973". billboard.biz. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
17. "American album certifications – Cat Stevens – Catch Bull at Four". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.