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Buddha and the Chocolate Box

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Buddha and the Chocolate Box
Studio album by
Cat Stevens
Released21 March 1974[1]
RecordedFebruary 1974
StudiosSound Techniques Studios, London, England. Mixed at Sound Techniques, AIR Studios, and Morgan Studios, London.[2]
Genres
Length32:16
Labels
Producers
Cat Stevens chronology
Foreigner
(1973)		 Buddha and the Chocolate Box
(1974)		 Saturnight
(1974)
Singles from Buddha and the Chocolate Box
  1. "Oh Very Young"
    Released: March 1974[3]
  2. "Ready"
    Released: November 1974[4]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllmusicStarStarStar[5]
Christgau's Record GuideC−[6]
Rolling Stone(mixed)[7]

Buddha and the Chocolate Box is the eighth studio album by Cat Stevens, released in March 1974. Its two singles, "Oh Very Young" and "Ready", reached no. 10 and no. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.[8] "Ready" also peaked at number 20 in Canada.[9]

Overview

[edit]

Stevens's previous album, Foreigner, was a deviation from his signature sound,[10] and it did not receive favourable reviews.[11] Feeling Foreigner "detached" him from his casual fans,[12] for Buddha, Stevens brought back his old producer Paul Samwell-Smith and returned to his classic acoustic-folk style.[13] In an interview, Stevens said he "figured I'd better come back and show that I can still write the stuff they want."[12]

The album's title comes from an experience Stevens had during a flight, when he found himself carrying a statue of Buddha in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. Later, he reflected that if the plane had crashed, he would be caught between two objects: one that represented the spiritual and one the material.[10] He said: "I suddenly realized that was all I had. Whether I died or not, it would just be the 'Buddha and the chocolate box'. I was trying to find the significance in that when I realized that was the significance. That's all that had to be known."[11]

The song "Ghost Town" references several historical and political figures, including George Washington, Walt Disney, and King Tut, all together in a surreal afterlife setting.[14] The track was influenced by Elton John and Neil Young.[12][nb 1]

The lyrics in "Home in the Sky" were inspired partially by the story of Benten, the Japanese goddess of art and music. In a 1974 interview, Stevens explained:[17]

"I've realized that I can't have a dual relationship between my music and a lady that I love. I can't split myself like that, I brought them together in that song. There's a Japanese goddess called Benten and she's the goddess of music and art, and the idea is that if, in Japan, you have a good relationship with somebody she might get jealous and take away your artistic talent. That's a very simplified version of what happens with me. Art comes from yearning and if you're not yearning you're not creating."[18]

A 50th-anniversary remaster and reissue was released on 4 September 2026.[19][13]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks composed by Cat Stevens

Side one
  1. "Music" – 4:21
  2. "Oh Very Young" – 2:36
  3. "Sun / C79" – 4:35
  4. "Ghost Town" – 3:10
  5. "Jesus" – 2:14
Side two
  1. "Ready" – 3:18
  2. "King of Trees" – 5:07
  3. "A Bad Penny" – 3:21
  4. "Home in the Sky" – 3:38

Personnel

[edit]
  • Cat Stevens – vocals, synthesizer, guitar, keyboards, production, design, concept, illustrations
  • Alun Davies – acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Bruce Lynch – bass guitar
  • Jean Roussel – keyboards and string arrangements
  • Gerry Conway – drums, vocals, percussion

Additional personnel

[edit]
  • Jimmy Ryan – guitar
  • Mark Warner – guitar
  • Roland Harker – banjo
  • Joanne – vocals, choir
  • Judy – vocals, choir
  • Sunny – vocals, choir
  • Ruby – vocals
  • Barry – vocals
  • Joy – vocals
  • Brigette – vocals, choir
  • Suzanne – vocals, solo
  • Jacqui – vocals, choir
  • Clifford – vocals, choir
  • Danny – vocals
  • Rick McCollum – vocals
  • Jimmy – vocals, choir, chorus
  • Larry – vocals
  • Del Newman – string arrangements
  • Suzanne Cox – vocals

Production

[edit]
  • Paul Samwell-Smith – producer
  • John Wood – engineer
  • Victor Gamm – engineer, mixing
  • Alan Harris – mixing
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Robin Black – mixing
  • Roger Quested – mixing
  • Beth Stempel – reissue co-ordination
  • Bill Levenson – reissue supervisor
  • Vartan – art direction
  • Roland Young – design, concept
  • Mathieu Bitton – package design, reissue package design

Charts

[edit]

References

[edit]

Notes

  1. ↑ Cat Stevens had previously collaborated with Elton John on a 1970 demo titled "Honey Man" and would later share the stage with Neil Young during a 2025 Hyde Park show.[15][16]

Citations

  1. ↑ "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America.
  2. ↑ "Cat Stevens – Buddha and the Chocolate Box (2009, CD)". Discogs.
  3. ↑ "Oh Very Young". allmusic.com. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "Ready". 45cat.com. August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  5. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. Buddha and the Chocolate Box at Allmusic. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "Buddha and the Chocolate Box". Rolling Stone. 23 May 1974.
  8. ↑ "Cat Stevens | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles – February 8, 1975" (PDF).
  10. 1 2 "Buddha and the Chocolate Box". Yusuf / Cat Stevens. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Cat Stevens' Return: Pop Goes the Poof – Rolling Stone Magazine – May 1974". majicat.com. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 "Majicat – Cat Stevens Tasty Tunes". majicat.com. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  13. 1 2 Harper, Lane (7 July 2026). "Yusuf / Cat Stevens Announces Remastered Reissue of 'Buddha and the Chocolate Box'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
  14. ↑ "Ghost Town". Yusuf / Cat Stevens. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Underneath the Covers". Majicat. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "London, England". Cat Stevens. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "Majicat – Melody Maker – March 1974". majicat.com. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Cat on the Prowl". Majicat. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  19. ↑ "Buddha and the Chocolate Box". Yusuf / Cat Stevens. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  20. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Retrieved 26 June 2013. See also: Kent Music Report.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  21. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Cat Stevens – Buddha and the Chocolate Box" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  22. ↑ "Top Albums/CDs. Volume 21, Issue 15 (1974-06-01)". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  23. ↑ 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.
  24. ↑ "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
  25. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cat Stevens – Buddha and the Chocolate Box" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  26. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Buddah & the chocolate box".
  27. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Cat Stevens – Buddha and the Chocolate Box". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  28. ↑ "Cat Stevens Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  29. ↑ "Cat Stevens Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  30. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1974". RPM. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  31. ↑ "Les Albums (CD) de 1972 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 27 October 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  32. ↑ "Top Pop Albums of 1974". billboard.biz. Retrieved 24 February 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  33. ↑ "British album certifications – Cat Stevens – Buddha and the Chocolate Box". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 June 2019. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Buddha and the Chocolate Box Cat Stevens in the "Search:" field.
  34. ↑ "American album certifications – Cat Stevens – the Chocolate Box". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
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