The 20th of February 1973
Official U.K. Albums Chart results from Sunday the 18th to Saturday the 24th of February 1973
Cut-off for sales figures was up to the end of Saturday the 17th of February
Results counted from Sunday the 18th,
announced on Tuesday the 20th,
and broadcast on B.B.C. Radio 1 on Sunday the 25th of February 1973.
Cat Stevens
Catch Bull At Four
At No.27, on the “The Top 50 U.K. Albums Chart” on my 1st Birthday, is Cat Stevens with “Catch Bull At Four”.
We come now to a place in the road of spiritual enlightenment…
…for Cat Stevens’ 6th and latest album release.
With the title of the album referencing a stage in an ancient asian series of ten short poems using the bull (or ox) to show the eqivalent practice, and struggles of practitioners, and how, at the beginnings of practising, meditation can be the same as first searching for the bull to discovering it’s trail, to then sighting the bull, to then attempting to catch the bull, after which the next stage is to attempt to tame the bull to then ride it back home.
The same with meditation, how once first discovering meditation, there is much difficulty in maintaining any type of concentration due to other thoughts invading into your mind constantly. However, with much continuous practice, you can enter, and manage to maintain attention for, first only a minute, then, with hundreds of hours of practice, up to an hour, although the mind can still let distractions in, if it is not “tamed”.
Once the mind achieves deep tranquility, after thousands of hours of practice, little effort is then made to achieve a higher level of concentration which can last up to four hours without succumbing to any interruptions.
From there, according to the poems, the bull (or mind) will transcend, with yourself eventually able to follow its transcendance, eventually leading you back full circle to your spiritual source, before joining back into your society, with yourself now spiritualy enlightened.
Early versions of these percieved stages goes back as far as the 11th and 12th Centuries, some only showing five stages in pictures portraying the Ox (or bull) changing colour from dark to light through the enlightenment process, in the same way the practitioner would progress to more pure Zen-like meditative states.
However the most popular is the ten pictures, the most famous being the 12th century drawings by Rinzai Chán (Zen) master Kuòān Shīyuǎn, who also wrote the introductory words and poems which accompany each picture’s stage.
With Cat Stevens giving this subject to his new album, it’s fascinating to trace his own Spiritual stage in his journey from being Cat Stevens to becoming Yusuf.
As for the album itself,..
…it had originally entered the chart at the impressive position of No.3, on the 1st of October 1972, before climbing up a week later to claim a further position at No.2, only being denied the top spot by the album which, this week, is now sitting at No.30.
It would stay at No.2 for a second week before slipping slightly, but would keep inside the Top 10 for a further 5 weeks up to the 25th of November.
Another 11 weeks (apart from one slip back to No.23) would see it sit in the Top 20 until last week, in this year of 1973.
From here, it will keep inside the Top 30 for three further weeks before slipping back further still until it will transcend out of the U.K. Album Chart, accomplishing 27 weeks presence, after the 7th of April.
I’ve created my own separate playlists for both Sides 1 and 2 of this album with (I hope) the correct versions and the original track sequencing order for the U.K. release.
Side 1
Side 2
Many thanks go to the following YouTube Channels for providing the chance to hear this music once again.
Please show your appreciation by visiting their channel:
The Top 50 U.K. Singles Chart Playlist for the week of my 1st Birthday:
The Top 50 U.K. Singles Chart Playlist for the day I was born:
Grab Your Binoculars, Come Follow Me
What is it…?
Why am I…?
How do I…?
When am I…?
