Track Listing

1. Something In The Way She Moves
2. Carolina In My Mind
3. Fire And Rain
4. Sweet Baby James
5. Country Roads
6. You've Got A Friend
7. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
8. Walking Man
9. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
10. Mexico
11. Shower The People
12. Steamroller

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1684 in Music
• Released on: 2005-09-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
James Taylor's mid-70s departure from Warner Bros may be one of the best things that ever happened to the label; otherwise, it might not have been in such a rush to compile his Greatest Hits, one of the company's biggest sellers ever at 11 million and counting. Taylor's style, which all but defines the word diffident, has more backbone than it's often given credit for. Here, as surprisingly complex songs like "Carolina in My Mind" (in a newly recorded version) and "Steamroller" stack up, he sounds like an artist worth spending some time with. At the least, few of his singer-songwriter cohorts came up with a melody as lovely as "Sweet Baby James". --Rickey Wright

CD Description
What self-respecting '70s pop music fan's collection would be complete without James Taylor's GREATEST HITS? Not many, apparently, since it is one of the biggest selling cataloguetitles of all time. All of Taylor's huge hits from the first, and possibly most acclaimed, leg of his long career are included. "Fire And Rain", "You've Got A Friend", "Sweet BabyJames" and "How Sweet It Is" sound as golden as the day they were first heard on the radio.
Interestingly, two of the songs here, "Something In the Way She Moves" and "CarolinaIn My Mind" from Taylor's first album have been re-recordedespecially for this collection. Special guests like Carole King, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash, David Crosby and David Sanborn add an extra special something to the atmosphere. Listening to these songs together in one collection takes you back to a gentler time when a carefully crafted song was a thing of beauty and not just a product to be marketed like so many shiny trinkets. If you are among the few whodon't already own this special collection, what are you waiting for?

Customer Reviews

The Ultimate JT collection
This album gathers together all the best 'tunes' of the great man.I remeber first hearing 'Fire and Rain' back in the summer of '72 and it still stirs those same emotions in me today. From the counrty ballads of 'Carolina'& 'Sweet Baby James' to the excellent live version of 'Steamroller Blues' I highly recommend any fan of great music to get this album ASAP

What a man
James Taylor is regarded as a legend by almost all whom have listened to his music. I agree. He is a legend. He can write songs which hold such meaning and convey such passion. This almbus captures and condenses his huge mass of work into what I consider to be one of the single greatest albums of all time. It has the only James Taylor songs you need hear on it. The opening song "Something in the way she moves" is a beatiful example of his ability to sing and play complex finger-style guitar. "Steamroller" is just amazing to listen to as it is both musically brilliant and hilarious at the same time. While "Shower the people" may be a little flimsy, it in no way dimishes the rest of the album as the calibre is so high. 99% of people regard him as a truly fantastic singer-songer writer. 1% are able to recognise his expertise and skill with a guitar. But, for some unfathomable reason, too few realise the sound of his voice. When you listen to "You've got a friend", just stop and LISTEN. He has to have the most beatiful voice ever. I exaggerate not. His voice is simply amazing. This album has a few of those songs where you hear his voice at its best. "Country Road" is a wonderful, lively song. "You've got a friend" is by far the best cover of a song ever. And, well. What can yuo say about "Fire and Rain"? This is a true gem of a song. Inspired by the loss of his close friend Suzanne, this is a beautiful example of folk music. These really are great hits. Legend.

The magic of James Taylor in its most concentrated form
As a North Carolina Tarheel, I feel a special affinity for James Taylor and his music. When my entire freshman class in Chapel Hill was assembled on my first day of college, the program opened with a rendition of Carolina in My Mind. It's a great song, no matter where you live or what college you support, but I always feel a little special tingle every time I hear that song. Of course, this is just one of many great songs James Taylor has given us over the years, and 12 of his all-time best are collected here on this stand-out Greatest Hits collection. Some songs should be widely familiar by name: the classic Fire and Rain, Taylor's cover of How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), and of course the moving, inspirational, and timeless You've Got a Friend. The other songs were ones I was not as familiar with, yet it only took one hearing to make them all feel like old favorites if not old friends. Steamroller, I should mention, is an unusually forceful live recording that does contain one rather unexpected swear word in the moment of its highest energy, but in this day and age that one familiar word injected into such an amazing performance is, in my opinion, of very little import.

Something in the Way She Moves, Country Road, Walking Man, Mexico, and the somewhat sappy Shower the People are all wonderful songs sung in that unique manner and style of this most distinctive of singers. Taylor's voice sort of washes over you, instantly putting your mind and soul in a more peaceful state; his voice is in fact almost hypnotic, in my opinion. No matter how bad a day you may be having, I do not think it is possible to listen to James Taylor and then walk away in a bad mood. There are some all-important and beautiful things in the world, many of them amazingly simple, and a subtle yet powerful type of optimistic joy for these simple things in life is poignantly reflected in Taylor's songs. This goes a long way toward explaining Taylor's popularity over the years with listeners of all ages; his songs as well as the messages contained within them are timeless.