Buddha and the Chocolate Box

Buddha and the Chocolate Box
Buddha and the Chocolate Box
Studio album by Cat Stevens
Released	21 March 1974
Recorded	February 1974
Studio	Sound Techniques Studios, London, England. Mixed at Sound Techniques, AIR Studios, and Morgan Studios, London.
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

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.^{[citation needed]} 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 worlds. The album leans towards the spiritual path and is an indication of the direction his life would follow.^{[citation needed]}

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[3]
Christgau's Record Guide	C−^[4]
Rolling Stone	(mixed)^[5]

The single "Ready" reached number 20 in Canada.^[6]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Cat Stevens

Side One

"Music" – 4:21
"Oh Very Young" – 2:36
"Sun / C79" – 4:35
"Ghost Town" – 3:10
"Jesus" – 2:14

Side Two

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

Personnel

Cat Stevens – vocals, synthesizer, guitar, keyboards, production, design, concept, illustrations
Alun Davies – acoustic guitar, vocals
Bruce Lynch – bass guitar
Jean Roussel – keyboards and string arrangements
Gerry Conway – drums, vocals, percussion

Additional personnel

Jimmy Ryan – guitar
Mark Warner – guitar
Roland Harker – banjo
Joanne – vocals, choir
Judy – vocals, choir
Sunny – vocals, choir
Ruby – vocals
Barry – vocals
Joy – vocals
Brigette – vocals, choir
Suzanne – vocals, solo
Jacqui – vocals, choir
Clifford – vocals, choir
Danny – vocals
Rick McCollum – vocals
Jimmy – vocals, choir, chorus
Larry – vocals
Del Newman – string arrangements
Suzanne Cox – vocals

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

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *Buddha and the Chocolate Box*
Chart (1974)	Position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[7]	22
Canadian Albums (RPM)^[17]	32
French Albums (SNEP)^[18]	46
US Albums (Billboard)^[19]	32

Certifications

Certifications for *Buddha and the Chocolate Box*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[20]	Gold	100,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[21]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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[5]

[6]

[7]

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