In December of 1968, James Taylor’s self-titled debut album for Apple Records was released in the U.K.
It didn’t do particularly well there or in the U.S. where it was released just a few months later.
But in 1970, Taylor’s luck changed when his next label, Warner Brothers, released “Sweet Baby James”, the album that would make the quintessential singer-songwriter a household name and provide the soundtrack for a generation. That album would endear him to legions of fans, some of whom have followed his career for almost 50 years, buying everything he releases and monitoring his tour schedule for dates close enough to travel to.
Fast Facts:
- Rhino.com is offering exclusive bundles that pair both the CD and LP versions of the set with a 12” x 12” lithograph of a classic Taylor photo from 1970.
- Additionally, the first 350 pre-orders of the LP version from Rhino.com come with a signed version of the lithograph.
Taylor would record six albums in total for Warner Brothers before leaving the label in 1976 after the release of “In the Pocket”.
Those albums would help define his career and inspire countless other artists to follow the musical path he had chosen, a career path that would eventually see Taylor sell more than 100 million records, win five Grammy Awards and be inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Rhino Records, the music industry’s premiere label for major reissues, has just released a boxed set containing remastered versions of all six of those albums on CD and on 180-gram vinyl.
They are also being made available on all digital download and streaming services. A number of these albums have not been available on vinyl for years unless you were lucky enough to find an original copy in a second hand music store or online.
“James Taylor - The Complete Warner Bros. Albums: 1970-1976”, brings together “Sweet Baby James”, “Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon”, “One Man Dog”, “Walking Man”, “Gorilla”, and “In the Pocket”.
Between them, these albums gave such classic Taylor offerings as “Sweet Baby James,” “Fire And Rain,” “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” “Walking Man,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You),” “Mexico,” “Shower the People” and the song that became Taylor’s first No. 1 hit and earned him his first Grammy Award, the Carole King-penned “You’ve Got A Friend”.
Also in the mix are little gems like “You Can Close Your Eyes”, his acoustic lullaby from “Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon”, the 10-minute song cycle that closes “One Dog Man”, “Rock ’n’ Roll Music Is Now” from “Walking Man”, which features backing vocals by Paul and Linda McCartney, and “Don’t Be Sad ’Cause Your Sun Is Down” from “In the Pocket”, a song Taylor wrote and recorded with Stevie Wonder.
Peter Asher, who originally signed Taylor to the Beatles’ Apple Records label in 1968 and managed his career for 25 years, oversaw the remastering, which seems most appropriate since he was the original producer on several of them.
In the liner votes, Asher wrote that revisiting these albums several decades later has been revelatory, nostalgic and exciting.
“I have heard bits and pieces frequently over the years, of course, but listening with concentration and in detail to each of the original tapes without interruption has been a thrilling luxury.”
For any hardcore Taylor fan this boxed set should be a must-have. But it’s not cheap. It will set you back about $60 for the CDs and close to $140 for the LP version.
Doug Gallant is a freelance writer and well-known connoisseur of a wide variety of music. His On Track column will appear in The Guardian every second Saturday. To comment on what he has to say or to offer suggestions for future reviews, email him at [email protected].
