When people use the term “singer/songwriter” (often modified by the word “sensitive”) in praise or in criticism, they’re thinking of James Taylor. In the early ’70s, when he appeared with his introspective songs, acoustic guitar, and calm, understated singing style, he mirrored a generation’s emotional exhaustion after tumultuous times. Just as Bing Crosby’s reassuring voice brought the country out of the Depression and through World War II, Taylor’s eased the transition from ’60s activism and its attendant frustrations into the less political, more inward-looking ’70s. He was rewarded with a series of hit albums and singles (surprisingly, many of the latter were covers of old songs rather than his own compositions), and he managed to survive his initial fame to achieve lasting popularity. He continued to tour successfully for decades, and, starting with his 1970 breakthrough Sweet Baby James, all but one of his regular album releases for the rest of the century went gold or platinum, while his 1976 Greatest Hits album achieved a diamond certification reflecting sales of more than ten million copies.
Between 1970 and 1976, James Taylor released six albums with Warner Bros. Records that became the foundation for his unparalleled career that includes five Grammy® Awards, induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, and more than 100 million records sold worldwide.
Each album in the set has been remastered, a process overseen by Peter Asher, who signed Taylor to the Beatles’ Apple Records label in 1968, worked as his manager for 25 years, and originally produced several of these albums.
Disc One: Sweet Baby James, 1970
Disc Two: Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, 1971
Disc Three: One Man Dog, 1972
Disc Four: Walking Man, 1974
Disc Five: Gorilla, 1975
Disc One: Sweet Baby James, 1970 (00:31:54)
01. Sweet Baby James 02:54
02. Lo and Behold 02:39
03. Sunny Skies 02:21
04. Steamroller 02:58
05. Country Road 03:22
06. Oh, Susannah (Stephen Foster / Taj Mahal / Traditional) 02:01
07. Fire and Rain 03:24
08. Blossom 02:13
09. Anywhere Like Heaven 03:27
10. Oh Baby, Don’t You Lose Your Lip on Me 01:49
11. Suite for 20G 04:47
All songs written by James Taylor unless indicated otherwise.
Disc Two: Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, 1971 (00:37:21)
01. Love Has Brought Me Around 02:45
02. You’ve Got a Friend (Carole King) 04:29
03. Places in My Past 02:02
04. Riding on a Railroad 02:43
05. Soldiers 01:15
06. Mud Slide Slim 05:19
07. Hey Mister, That’s Me Up on the Jukebox 03:48
08. You Can Close Your Eyes 02:29
09. Machine Gun Kelly (Danny Kortchmar / James Taylor) 02:37
10. Long Ago (And Far Away) 02:21
11. Let Me Ride 02:44
12. Highway Song 03:53
13. Isn’t It Nice to Be Home Again 00:55
Disc Three: One Man Dog, 1972 (00:37:44)
01. One Man Parade 03:11
02. Nobody but You 02:57
03. Chili Dog 01:35
04. Fool for You 01:42
05. Instrumental I 00:54
06. New Tune 01:37
07. Back on the Street Again (Danny Kortchmar) 03:01
08. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight 02:35
09. Woh, Don’t You Know (Danny Kortchmar / Leland Sklar / James Taylor) 02:11
10. One Morning in May (Bill Keith / Jim Rooney) 02:54
11. Instrumental II 01:41
12. Someone (John McLaughlin) 03:36
13. Hymn 02:24
14. Fanfare 02:36
15. Little David 00:58
16. Mescalito 00:29
17. Dance 02:06
18. Jig 01:14
All songs written by James Taylor unless indicated otherwise.
Disc Four: Walking Man, 1974 (00:34:03)
01. Walking Man 03:35
02. Rock ’n’ Roll Is Music Now 03:28
03. Let It All Fall Down 03:35
04. Me and My Guitar 03:34
05. Daddy’s Baby 02:38
06. Ain’t No Song (Joey Levine / David Spinozza) 03:31
07. Hello Old Friend 02:48
08. Migration 03:17
09. The Promised Land (Chuck Berry) 04:04
10. Fading Away 03:34
All songs written by James Taylor unless indicated otherwise.
Disc Five: Gorilla, 1975 (00:39:02)
01. Mexico 02:59
02. Music 03:47
03. How Sweet It Is [To Be Loved by You] (Lamont Dozier / Brian Holland / Eddie Holland) 03:36
04. Wandering (Traditional, arrt., adl. lyrics by James Taylor) 02:41
05. Gorilla 03:12
06. You Make It Easy 04:12
07. I Was a Fool to Care 03:21
08. Lighthouse 03:16
09. Angry Blues 03:26
10. Love Songs 05:46
11. Sarah Maria 02:45
All songs written by James Taylor unless indicated otherwise.
Disc Six: In the Pocket, 1976 (00:44:56)
01. Shower the People 04:33
02. A Junkie's Lament 03:30
03. Money Machine 04:36
04. Slow Burning Love 03:43
05. Everybody Has the Blues 02:03
06. Daddy’s All Gone 03:39
07. Woman’s Gotta Have It (Darryl Carter / Bobby Womack / Linda Womack) 04:20
08. Captain Jim’s Drunken Dream 04:04
09. Don’t Be Sad ’Cause Your Sun Is Down (James Taylor / Stevie Wonder) 03:29
10. Nothing Like a Hundred Miles 03:43
11. Family Man 03:39
12. Golden Moments 03:36
All songs written by James Taylor unless indicated otherwise.
