Catch Bull at Four

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]

Catch Bull at Four is the sixth studio album by Cat Stevens. The title is taken from one of the Ten Bulls of Zen.[4]

In the United States the album spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard 200. It also reached number one in Australia and Canada and became Stevens's second consecutive album to reach number two on the UK Albums Chart. The song "Sitting" was released as a single in July 1972, reaching 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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]

Record World described "Sitting" as a "magnificently produced up tempo tune" that is "one of [Stevens'] best."[6]

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, Grand piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, RMI Electra piano, Böhm Diamond organ, synthesizer, Spanish guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric mandolin, pennywhistle, drums, percussion
• Alun Davies – acoustic guitar, Spanish guitar, backing vocals
• Jeremy Taylor – Spanish guitar, (assisted in translating "O' Caritas" into the Latin language used in the song).[5]
• Andreas Toumazis – bouzouki on "O Caritas"
• Alan James – bass, backing vocals
• Jean Roussel – piano, Hammond organ, Electric piano
• Gerry Conway – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• 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

Production

• Paul Samwell-Smith - producer

Chart positions

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Catch Bull at Four Chart (1972) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[7] 1 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] 1 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 2 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] 10 French Albums (SNEP)[11] 4 Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[12] 8 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[13] 3 UK Albums (OCC)[14] 2 US Billboard 200[15] 1 West German Media Control Albums Chart[16] 17

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Catch Bull at Four Chart (1972) Position Australian Albums (ARIA, 1972)[7] 12 French Albums (SNEP, 1972)[17] 21 US Albums (Billboard, 1973)[18] 14 West German Albums (Offizielle Top 100, 1973)[19] 37

Certifications

Certifications for Catch Bull at Four

Region	Certification
United States (RIAA)[20]	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. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 18 November 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
8. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4218". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Cat Stevens – Catch Bull at Four" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
10. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Cat STEVENS". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 246. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
11. "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
12. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 17 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Catch bull at four".
13. "Norwegiancharts.com – Cat Stevens – Catch Bull at Four". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
14. "The Official Charts Company – Cat Stevens – Catch Bull at Four" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
15. "allmusic ((( Catch Bull at Four > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
16. "Album Search: Cat Stevens – Catch Bull at Four" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 24 February 2012.^[dead link‍]
17. "Les Albums (CD) de 1972 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
18. "Top Pop Albums of 1973". billboard.biz. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
19. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1973. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
20. "American album certifications – Cat Stevens – Catch Bull at Four". Recording Industry Association of America.