Buddha and the Chocolate Box

Buddha and the Chocolate Box
Studio album by Cat Stevens
Released	19 March 1974
Recorded	February 1974, Sound Techniques Studios, London, England
Genre	Soft rock, folk rock
Length	32:16
Label	Island (UK/Europe) A&M (US/Canada)
Producer	Cat Stevens Paul Samwell-Smith
Cat Stevens chronology
Foreigner (1973) Buddha and the Chocolate Box (1974) Saturnight (1974)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	C−[2]
Rolling Stone	(mixed)[3]

Buddha and the Chocolate Box is the eighth studio album by Cat Stevens. The title came to Stevens when he was travelling to a gig on a plane with a Buddha in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. He pondered that if he were to die in the plane these would be the last objects with him, and he would be caught between the spiritual and the material. The album leans towards the spiritual path, and is an indication of the direction his life would follow.

Track listing

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

6. "Ready" – 3:18
7. "King of Trees" – 5:07
8. "A Bad Penny" – 3:21
9. "Home in the Sky" – 3:38

Personnel

• Cat Stevens – synthesizer, guitar, keyboards, producer, design, concept, illustrations
• Alun Davies – acoustic guitar, vocals
• Gerry Conway – drums, vocals
• Jean Roussel – strings, arranger, keyboards, string arrangements
• Bruce Lynch – bass

Additional personnel

• Jim Ryan – guitar
• Mark Warner – guitar
• Roland Harker – banjo
• Joanne – vocals, choir, chorus, singer
• Judy – vocals, choir, chorus, singer
• Sunny – vocals, choir, chorus, singer
• Ruby – vocals, singer
• Barry – vocals, singer
• Joy – vocals, singer
• Brigette – vocals, choir, chorus, singer
• Suzanne – vocals, soloist
• Jacqui – vocals, choir, chorus, singer
• Clifford – vocals, choir, chorus, singer
• Danny – vocals, singer
• Rick – vocals, singer
• Jimmy – vocals, choir, chorus, singer
• Larry – vocals, singer
• Del Newman – strings, arranger, string arrangements
• Suzanne Cox – vocals, singer

Production

• 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

Weekly charts Chart (1974) Peak position Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart[4] 5 Austrian Albums Chart[5] 3 Canadian RPM Albums Chart[6] 3 French SNEP Albums Chart[7] 9 Italian Albums Chart[8] 6 Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[9] 5 UK Albums Chart[10] 3 US Billboard 200[11] 2 West German Media Control Albums Chart[12] 34

Year-end charts Chart (1974) Position Australian Albums Chart[4] 22 Canadian Albums Chart[13] 32 French Albums Chart[14] 46 Italian Albums Chart[8] 25 US Billboard Year-End[15] 32 Certifications } } Region Certification United Kingdom (BPI)[16] Gold United States (RIAA)[17] Platinum

References

1. Ruhlmann, William. Buddha and the Chocolate Box at Allmusic. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
2. Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Cat Stevens: Buddha and the Chocolate Box". Retrieved 24 February 2012.
3. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/buddha-and-the-chocolate-box-19740523
4. 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.
5. "austriancharts.at Cat Stevens – Buddha and the Chocolate Box" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved 29 October 2011.
6. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 February 2012
7. "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
8. "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1974" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
9. "norwegiancharts.com Cat Stevens – Buddha and the Chocolate Box" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
10. "Chart Stats – Cat Stevens – Buddha and the Chocolate Box" (PHP). UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
11. "allmusic ((( Buddha and the Chocolate Box > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
12. "Album Search: Cat Stevens – Buddha and the Chocolate Box" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
13. "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1974". RPM. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
14. "Les Albums (CD) de 1972 par InfoDisc" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
15. "Top Pop Albums of 1974". billboard.biz. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
16. "British album certifications – Cat Stevens – Buddha and the Chocolate Box". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Buddha and the Chocolate Box in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
17. "American album certifications – Cat Stevens – the Chocolate Box". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH