Product Description

When his debut appeared in 1968, James Taylor was the firstnon-Beatle to release an album on the Fabs' Apple label. Since then, his long, consistent career has been a model of integrity and craft. While he hasn't ventured very far afield as say, his contemporary Joni Mitchell has), Taylor has maintained the gentle, introspective, archetypal singer-songwriter sound he defined over his first couple of albums. Eschewing quantity for quality, he remains a perennial favorite even with infrequent releases of new material.
THE BEST OF JAMES TAYLOR is the first collection to combine tracks from his three labels, rounding the set out with the newly recorded "Bittersweet". Though Taylor was among the first to usher in the era of autobiographical singer-songwriters, he also had a number of hits covering others (from Marvin Gaye's "HowSweet it Is" to Carole King's "You've Got a Friend)". The 20 songs here cover the arc of his career, serving to remind that not only do his early recordings remain essential components to the soundtrack of their era, but that Taylor remains one of the smoothest, most agile singers to emerge from the singer/songwriter boom.

Track Listing

1. Something In The Way She Moves
2. Sweet Baby James
3. Fire And Rain
4. Country Road
5. You've Got A Friend
6. You Can Close Your Eyes
7. Long Ago And Far Away
8. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
9. Walking Man
10. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
11. Mexico
12. Shower The People
13. Golden Moments
14. Steamroller
15. Carolina In My Mind
16. Handy Man
17. Your Smiling Face
18. Up On The Roof
19. Only A Dream In Rio
20. Bittersweet

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #501 in Music
• Released on: 2007-04-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 61 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Any good singer can interpret a song, but it takes a stylist to make it his own. James Taylor is a stylist. You've Got a Friend obviously can't chronicle much more than the hits and high points of Taylor's career, but it nonetheless captures the artistic essence of a performer who's become a virtual synonym for "singer-songwriter" since his emergence in the late 1960s. A lot of ink has been spilled ruminating about Taylor's role in soothing a 60s-burned generation, but given his own well-known demons (depression, addiction) his gentle voice often sounds like the physician wisely healing himself. His muse seems fully formed from the opening "Something in the Way She Moves", a track cut for the Beatles' Apple label in late 1968 (and one that seems to share some symbiotic relationship with George Harrison's own classic "Something" from the period), its tone at once familiar and inviting--if ripe for a few decades of parody--as it wends its way from his seminal early-1970s hits through a slate of later originals, R&B ("How Sweet It Is", "Handy Man") and pop ("Up on the Roof") covers. Tellingly, he delivers those chestnuts with an offhand confidence and illumination that makes them his own, a sense that informs even his jazz and Brazilian ("Only a Dream a Rio") flirtations. The set's newly recorded bonus cut, John Sheldon's "Bittersweet", is a pleasant pop confection that showcases Taylor's knack for being laconic and upbeat in the same breath. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Long live JT!!!!!!
What can i say, other than he's one of the greatest artists in contemporary music! Each and every single one of his tracks in this album brings some memory, some important date, some discovery, some period of my life. His songs are evocative, intelligent, funny, his voice is full and he managed to capture a time to perfection. Though i find it hard to be subjective, i will say that this album contains material from his best era; what he produced later in the 90s does not match his earlier work, so on that basis, i'd say go ahead and buy it and, like some other person reviewed here, smile while you listen to Walking Man...and let yourself go with Shower the people..!

Smooth Operator
A spiritually uplifting collection of gentle songs largely from his period of greatest success in the 70's (there is one song from the mid 80s and a completely new song as the last track) that has a fantastically calming affect on the listener. If you want to relax listening to songs that are quiet but do not lack substance this is a must buy!

You've got a friend in James Taylor
After waiting a while since the release in the USA, we now get the opportunity to listen to a great collection of JT's old releases, but why another "Greatest Hits"?

A simple answer, the collection has been remastered and the sound quality is just great - all those nuances that were missed are now clear to hear.

There is of course also the addition of another great track written by John Sheldon, entitled "Bittersweet" - this being an instant hit with me.

If you are just starting out on a JT collection, this is a "must have" - if you are a JT fan of old, this is a must add (to your collection).

Here is a tip - get a quality pair of headphones and listen to this CD - cut everyone else out of your life for a little while and ENJOY!!

Dibbs!!