Buddha and the Chocolate Box is the eighth studio album by Cat Stevens, released in March 1974. Its two singles, "Oh Very Young" and "Ready", reached no. 10 and no. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. "Ready" also peaked at number 20 in Canada.

Overview Stevens's previous album, Foreigner, was a deviation from his signature sound, and it did not receive favourable reviews. Feeling Foreigner "detached" him from his casual fans, for Buddha, Stevens brought back his old producer Paul Samwell-Smith and returned to his classic acoustic-folk style. In an interview, Stevens said he "figured I'd better come back and show that I can still write the stuff they want."

The album's title comes from an experience Stevens had during a flight, when he found himself carrying a statue of Buddha in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. Later, he reflected that if the plane had crashed, he would be caught between two objects: one that represented the spiritual and one the material. He said: "I suddenly realized that was all I had. Whether I died or not, it would just be the 'Buddha and the chocolate box'. I was trying to find the significance in that when I realized that was the significance. That's all that had to be known."

The song "Ghost Town" references several historical and political figures, including George Washington, Walt Disney, and King Tut, all together in a surreal afterlife setting. The track was influenced by Elton John and Neil Young.

The lyrics in "Home in the Sky" were inspired partially by the story of Benten, the Japanese goddess of art and music. In a 1974 interview, Stevens explained:

A 50th-anniversary remaster and reissue was released on 4 September 2026.

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

Weekly charts +Weekly chart performance for Buddha and the Chocolate BoxChart (1974)PeakpositionAustralian Albums (Kent Music Report)5Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)6French Albums (SNEP) Note: user must select 'Cat STEVENS' from drop-down9 Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi) Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Buddah & the chocolate box". 6

Year-end charts +Year-end chart performance for Buddha and the Chocolate BoxChart (1974)PositionAustralian Albums (Kent Music Report)22Canadian Albums (RPM)32French Albums (SNEP)46US Albums (Billboard)32

Certifications

References Notes

Citations