Commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ highest charting launch Catch Bull At 4, the album might be out there on vinyl for the primary time since its authentic launch in 1972, together with a brand new remaster, out Dec. 2.
The discharge, which follows the earlier fiftieth anniversaries of Stevens’ seminal albums, Mona Bone Jakon, Tea for the Tillerman, and Teaser and the Firecat, might be out there at CatStevens.com, and in addition be launched on CD for the primary time since 2000.
Stevens’ sixth album, Catch Bull At 4 adopted the artist’s increasing world success with hits like “Wild World,” “Father and Son,” “Peace Prepare,” “The place Do The Youngsters Play?” and “Morning Has Damaged.” Produced by former Yardbird Paul Samwell-Smith and guitarist Alun Davies, who collaborated with Stevens on his prior three recordings, the album title was impressed by Kuòān Shīyuǎn’s “Ten Bulls of Zen,” a collection of quick poems, which comply with a protagonist in the hunt for a bull. He finally catches and tames the animal and finds enlightenment by the expertise.
“Opposite to the religious nature and theme of the album, ‘Catch Bull At 4’ went straight to primary and have become certainly one of my greatest industrial accomplishments,” stated Yusuf in an announcement. “It was scary. I feared it might divert me from my religious purpose. That’s exactly why I adopted it up with an album referred to as ‘Foreigner,’ which might sacrifice my newly acquired crown for a welcome return to obscurity.”
Catch Bull At 4 got here a really prolific time in Stevens’ profession, following a bout of tuberculosis and discovering extra spirituality, his music started veering extra into reflective songwriting and a extra stripped-back folk-rock sound, a departure from his earlier hits “I Love My Dog” and “Matthew and Son,” which he launched as a teen.
Sonically, Catch Bull At 4 included lusher instrumentation, and the album finds Stevens involved for the state of the world on tracks like “Can’t Maintain It In” and “O’Caritas,” together with the extra hopeful “Silent Daylight,” and addressing his newfound fame and religious journey on tracks like “Sitting”—Sitting by myself not on my own / All people’s right here with me / I don’t want to the touch your face to know / And I don’t want to make use of my eyes to see. … Bleeding half my soul in dangerous firm / I thank the moon I had the power to cease.
When launched, Catch Bull At 4 hit No. 1 on the Billboard 100, the place it remained for 3 weeks. The album was licensed platinum, peaked at No. 2 within the U.Okay., and in addition topped the album charts in Canada and Australia.
Photograph: Michael Putland/Getty Photographs
