Catch Bull at Four by Cat Stevens

Catch Bull at Four

by Cat Stevens

Released: September 27, 1972

Folk rock, soft rock

musicOnOff editorial

Why This Album Matters

This album matters because its strongest editorial story is: Breakthrough.

01

The Album

"Catch Bull at Four" is the eighth studio album released by the British singer-songwriter, Cat Stevens. The album is named after one of the Ten Bulls of Zen, a series of short poems and accompanying pictures that are intended to illustrate stages of a practitioner's progression towards understanding, and the return to society to enact enlightenment. The album was launched on Island Records in the UK and A&M Records in the US and Canada on September 27, 1972.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

The name reflects the philosophical approach of theโ€ฆ

The name reflects the philosophical approach of the album, which features introspective and spiritual thematic content.

Musically, "Catch Bull at Four" retains Cat Stevens'โ€ฆ

Musically, "Catch Bull at Four" retains Cat Stevens' traditional folk rock sound while also experimenting with more ambitious arrangements and production techniques.

Start listening here

Essential Tracks

01

Sitting

Famous for its hit singles "Sitting" and "Can't Keep It In," the album quickly rose to the top of the charts, becoming Stevens' first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 in the US, where it stayed for three weeks.

02

Can't Keep It In

Famous for its hit singles "Sitting" and "Can't Keep It In," the album quickly rose to the top of the charts, becoming Stevens' first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 in the US, where it stayed for three weeks.

Then

Reception

Overall, the album received positive reviews from critics for its songwriting and musical diversity, further solidifying Stevens' status as one of the leading singer-songwriters of his generation. It is notably known for having achieved significant commercial success. Famous for its hit singles "Sitting" and "Can't Keep It In," the album quickly rose to the top of the charts, becoming Stevens' first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 in the US, where it stayed for three weeks.

Full background

The Complete Album Story

"Catch Bull at Four" is the eighth studio album released by the British singer-songwriter, Cat Stevens. The album was launched on Island Records in the UK and A&M Records in the US and Canada on September 27, 1972. It is notably known for having achieved significant commercial success.

The album is named after one of the Ten Bulls of Zen, a series of short poems and accompanying pictures that are intended to illustrate stages of a practitioner's progression towards understanding, and the return to society to enact enlightenment. The name reflects the philosophical approach of the album, which features introspective and spiritual thematic content.

Famous for its hit singles "Sitting" and "Can't Keep It In," the album quickly rose to the top of the charts, becoming Stevens' first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 in the US, where it stayed for three weeks. It also managed to top the charts in Canada and Australia while in the UK it reached number two. These accomplishments cemented "Catch Bull at Four" as one of Stevens' most commercially successful albums.

Musically, "Catch Bull at Four" retains Cat Stevens' traditional folk rock sound while also experimenting with more ambitious arrangements and production techniques. Overall, the album received positive reviews from critics for its songwriting and musical diversity, further solidifying Stevens' status as one of the leading singer-songwriters of his generation.

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