James Taylor (album)

Infobox Album |
Name = James Taylor
Type = Album
Artist = James Taylor


Released = December 6, 1968
Recorded = London
Genre = Rock, Folk
Length = 38:30
Label = Apple
Producer = Peter Asher
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dmdyylmjxp9b~T1 link]
*"Rolling Stone" (not rated) [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/jamestaylor/albums/album/113822/review/5945820/james_taylor link]
Last album =
This album = "James Taylor"
(1968)
Next album = "Sweet Baby James"
(1970)

"James Taylor" is singer-songwriter James Taylor's debut album. Released in 1968, it was the first non-Beatle recording released by Apple Records (see 1968 in music), and would also be Taylor's only release on that label.

Notable songs include the Taylor classics "Something in the Way She Moves", "Carolina in My Mind" and "Rainy Day Man". "Carolina in My Mind" was released as a single (Apple 1805) in the United States only in March 1969, but it failed to chart.

George Harrison borrowed the title of "Something in the Way She Moves" for the first line of his song "Something". (Coincidentally, Taylor has said he had meant for the song to be called "I Feel Fine" - after a dominant line in the chorus - but the title had already been taken by a Beatles song.)

The album was produced by Peter Asher, who would continue to produce Taylor's albums after he left Apple. According to the liner notes on Apple's reissue of this album, Taylor also recorded a version of "Fire and Rain", which would be his breakthrough hit on his second album, but Asher did not choose it for the album release.

Because of the difficulty of obtaining licensing rights from Apple during the 1970s, "Something in the Way She Moves" and "Carolina in My Mind" were rerecorded in 1976 for Taylor's "Greatest Hits" album.

Track listing

All songs by James Taylor unless otherwise noted.
#"Don't Talk Now" – 2:36
#"Something's Wrong" – 3:08
#"Knocking 'Round the Zoo" – 3:25
#"Sunshine Sunshine" – 2:49
#"Taking It In" – 3:05
#"Something in the Way She Moves" – 3:01
#"Carolina in My Mind" – 3:37
#"Brighten Your Night With My Day" – 2:27
#"Night Owl" – 4:15
#"Rainy Day Man" (J. Taylor, Wiesner) – 3:00
#"Circle Around the Sun" (Traditional) – 3:24
#"Blues Is Just a Bad Dream" – 3:43

Personnel

*James Taylor — guitar, vocals
*Peter Asher — percussion, vocals
*Louis Cennamo — bass
*George Harrison — vocals (on "Carolina in My Mind"; uncredited)
*Richard Hewson — strings, bassoon, oboe
*Skaila Kanga — harmonica, harp
*Paul McCartney — Fender Jazz bass, guitar, vocals (on "Carolina in My Mind")
*Bishop O'Brien — drums, percussion
*Freddie Redd — keyboards
*Don Schinn — keyboards
*Mick Wayne — guitar