James Taylor - Mud Slide Slim & The Blue Horizon (1971)

James Taylor is a highly successful American singer-songwriter.

The beginning of 1971 saw James Taylor start work on his third album, and by now he had become very popular, having scored a Top 10 album (in both the US and UK) and a #3 hit single. He was one of the most successful of the new breed of California-based singer-songwriters, with his mellow, radio-friendly style. He even earned himself a Time magazine cover story.

Mud Slide Slim & The Blue Horizon came out in March, and became another massive critical success. Among the backing musicians featured were fiddler Richard Greene, bluegrass musician John Hartford, Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love of The Memphis Horns, bassist Leland Sklar, drummer Russ Kunkel and guitarist Danny Kortchmar. Kortchmar also contributed "Machine Gun Kelly", one of the two songs featured not penned by Taylor. The other was Carol King's "You've Got A Friend", which featured backing vocals from both King and Joni Mitchell. King's own version (with the same musicians) had been released just a month before on her Tapestry album. However it was Taylor's version that became the hit, as it got to #1 and gave both him and King a Grammy each.

A second single, "Long Ago And Far Away", got to #31. The album itself got to #2 (just held off the #1 spot by Tapestry!) and set Taylor's success in stone.

Sweet Baby James (1970) <|> One Man Dog (1972)
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James Taylor - Sweet Baby James (1970)

James Taylor is an American singer-songwriter.

By the end of 60s, James Taylor had seen many ups and downs in his life, and had released one promising but ultimately flawed album on Apple Records. However he left Apple when the company began to fall apart, taking Peter Asher with him as his manager. He was clearly going places though, as he headlined a six-night series of gigs at L.A.'s Troubadour, and played the Newport Folk Festival to a great reception. It was then however that he broke both hands and both feet in a motorcycle accident. Nevertheless he continued writing, and was signed to Warner Bros. Records. Once recovered he moved to California and recorded his second album.
Sweet Baby James was released in 1970. Overall it was a much more consistent record than his debut, showcasing his talents in a more constructive way. It was a massive success, and earned him a legion of new fans. The single "Fire And Rain" got to #3 on the singles charts, and the album itself also charted at #3. It was this album which was responsible for breaking Taylor through into the mainstream, and placed him as one of the first of the new breed of mellow California-based troubadours that would soon come to dominate the charts.

James Taylor (1968) <|> Mud Slide Slim & The Blue Horizon (1971)
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James Taylor - James Taylor (1968)

James Taylor is an American singer-songwriter.

James Taylor was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and when a child his family moved to North Carolina. He learnt guitar at a young age, listening to folk and blues music, and played as a duo with his friend Danny Kortchmar. Towards the end of his school career he began to suffer from depression, and at Kortchmar's urging moved to New York City to start a band, which became The Flying Machine. Around this time he got into heroin, and things looked bleaked, until he was rescued by his father and return to North Carolina to recover.
After his recovery he decided on a change of scenery, and moved to London to work as a solo act. His demos were heard by Peter Ascher, and he was soon signed to The Beatles' Apple Records, the first non-Brit to do so. When it came to recording his debut album, he had already lived alot, and seen many ups and downs - ingredients for some powerful singer-songwriter material. His self-titled album was built around his tender voice and talented acoustic guitar picking, with orchestration added by arranger Richard Hewsen. This orchestration, which included unusual link passages between the songs, received a mixed reception, and it could be argued that it marred an otherwise fine record. However two brilliant songs stood out, which have endured as among his best-loved works - "Something In The Way She Moves" and "Carolina In My Mind".
Unfortunately during the recording of the album Taylor got back into heroin. He returned to New York and was hospitalized. On the album's release he was uable to promote it, and subsequently it did not chart well. At the same time, Apple Records had fallen into chaos, and they parted ways with Taylor. But he did take Peter Ascher with him as his manager, and before long was signed to Warner Brothers. After many years of hard work, great things were soon to come his way.

|> Sweet Baby James (1970)
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