Will I even wake up again or something?

Continuing my trip back in time through the album charts

28/01/73 : Catch Bull At Four - Cat Stevens

The more album titles I hear from the lad, the more I wonder whether he's just doing it to annoy us - I'm looking forward to Wikipedia explaining this one to me.  I didn't mind his last album though, so I'm intrigued as to what this is going to sound like - at least it's not Donny.

He's in full-on troubadour mode here - regaling us with songs that are obviously supposed to tell us something, but I don't have the faintest idea what that might be.  Nothing jumped out as being exceptional, but "O Caritas" did stand out as an odd track with a very Mediterranean feel to it, in a language I don't immediately recognise.  The album is all a pleasant enough sound though and I can imagine it was listened to countless times by those looking for meaning - I don't feel I quite "got" it on first listen and, although I suspect it could be a grower, I doubt it's going to get the chance.

We're at #6 on his 18th week of a 27 week run, having peaked at #2 in his second and third week - he spent his first seven weeks in the top five, so it certainly did better than I expected.  The top five this week were Slade, Gilbert, Carly, Simon & Garfunkel and the LSO and the highest new entry was Free at #16 with the only other one being Stevie Wonder at #41 - and it's nice to mention Stevie who was on a purple patch around this time and we've not seen nearly enough of him.  Carly was once again the highest woman (but not for much longer) and she had Karen and Nana for company again, but much further down the chart.

Wikipedia doesn't have a lot on the album but it does tell me "the title is taken from one of the Ten Bulls of Zen".  Well, I'm glad that's cleared that up.  Just in case you're in the 0.01% that doesn't have a fucking clue what that's on about, they are "a series of short poems and accompanying drawings used in the Zen tradition to describe the stages of a practitioner's progress toward enlightenment, and their return to society to enact wisdom and compassion".  And the fourth poem is entitled "Catching the Bull", so it all makes sense.  

Back to the album, it does tell me that "O Caritas" is in Latin (obviously) and also gives us an idea that Cat might be quite talented, given that he only contibutes "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" to the album.  Which was well received both critically and commercially, spending three weeks at #1 in US - which, to be honest, seems astonishing but I'm pleased for the lad.

"Customers also listened to" Don McLean, Russell Morris and The Speedos - well, I've heard of Don at least.  As I'd heard of Cat before I started all this nonsense, but the more I hear of him, the more I like him - it's odd that it's his best known album that's come off worst for me so far.

21/01/73 - What?!?  But, wait - this isn't terrible!
04/02/73 - Please, just make it stop.