Archive-name: music/james-taylor 
Last-modified: 1994/01/27
Version: 1.22



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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for alt.music.james-taylor
Version 1.22
January 27, 1994
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Introduction:

This FAQ is an attempt to compile some useful information about James Taylor
and his music.  I am by no means an authority on JT, so if you have anything
to add, please send it along.

Updated in this version are a list of JT's duets and songs on other albums,
more information about the Live in Rio recording, more on the Squibnocket
video, some specific info about JT's Saturday Night Live appearances,
and several other tidbits.

Please note the news about the former FTP site below.

If you have any more information to add or find errors, please E-mail:

                jrisberg@garnet.acns.fsu.edu <Joel Risberg>


FTP SITE:

The former FTP site at pa.itd.com is no longer available.  I'm currently
looking for a new site to post the FAQ, lyrics files, and GIFs.  Please
mail me if you can suggest an alternate site.



BIOGRAPHY:

James Vernon Taylor was born in Boston, Massachusetts on March 12, 1948
His father was the dean of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
 medical school.
Brothers: Livingston (born 1950), Alex (1947-1992), and Hugh (b. ?)
Sister: Kate (b. 1949)
JT studied cello before giving it up for the guitar
All the siblings have recorded albums
JT met Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar while in school 
JT and Kootch played folk gigs locally
1964 - JT moves to New York
1964 - JT forms a band, The Fabulous Corsairs, with brother Alex
Kootch and Joel O' Brien joined JT to form The Flying Machine
Released one single: "Night Owl" / "Brighten Your Night With My Day"
An album of The Flying Machine's first efforts was released years later
 after JT hit it big.  It was only released on vinyl.
17-year-old JT spends ten months in McLean Psychiatric Hospital in
 Massachusetts
Song "Knocking 'Round the Zoo" on first album was inspired by his stay there
1968 - JT went to England and recorded demos
Introduced to Paul McCartney by Peter Asher and signed to the Beatles' record
 label, Apple Records
December, 1968 - "James Taylor" released with little commercial success
1969 - Returns to U.S.
1969 - Enters Austin Riggs, another mental hospital in Massachusetts
1970 - "Sweet Baby James" released on Warner Brothers label, went to top ten
1971 - JT on the cover of Time Magazine, touted as originator of the
 "singer/songwriter era".
1971 - Appeared in film "Two Lane Blacktop", which was panned by critics
1972 - Wins Grammy, "Best Pop Male Vocalist"
1972 - Marries Carly Simon -- son Ben from that marriage.  Also has a 
 daughter, Sarah, who is the subject of "Sarah Maria."
1977 - Leaves Warner Brothers for Columbia Records
1982 - Divorces Carly
1986 - Comeback album, "That's Why I'm Here", released


ALBUMS:

"James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine" -- 1967 - Euphoria
Reference #: Z4RS-1335 (vinyl)
Not available on CD
Songs:
 Rainy Day Man
 Knocking 'Round the Zoo (lead vocal by JT)
 Something's Wrong
 Night Owl
 Brighten Your Night With My Day
 Kootch's Song (Danny Kortchmar)
 Knocking 'Round the Zoo (lead by Kortchmar)


"James Taylor" -- 1968 - Apple Records
Remastered and re-released on CD and tape by EMI Records in 1991
Reference #: CDP 7975772 (U.S.) / SAPCOR3 (U.K.)
Songs:
 Don't Talk Now
 Something's Wrong
 Knocking 'Round the Zoo
 Sunshine Sunshine
 Taking It In
 Something In the Way She Moves
 Carolina In My Mind
 Brighten Your Night With My Day
 Night Owl (later recorded by Carly Simon)
 Rainy Day Man
 Circle Round the Sun
 The Blues Is Just a Bad Dream

"Sweet Baby James" -- 1970 - Warner Brothers Records
Reference #: 1843-2
Songs:
 Sweet Baby James
 Lo and Behold
 Sunny Skies
 Steamroller
 Country Road
 Oh, Susannah
 Fire and Rain
 Blossom
 Anywhere Like Heaven
 Oh Baby, Don't You Loose Your Lip On Me
 Suite For 20G

"Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon" -- 1971 - Warner Bros.
Reference #: W2 2561
Songs:
 Love Has Brought Me Around
 You've Got A Friend
 Places In My Past
 Riding On A Railroad
 Soldiers
 Mud Slide Slim (with Carole King, Kate Taylor, et al.)
 Hey Mister, That's Me Up On The Jukebox
 You Can Close Your Eyes
 Machine Gun Kelly (with Peter Asher)
 Long Ago and Far Away
 Let Me Ride (with Kate Taylor)
 Highway Song
 Isn't It Nice To Be Home Again

"One Man Dog" -- 1972 - Warner Brothers 
Reference #: WAR 25933 
Songs:
 One Man Parade (with Carole King, Abigale Haness, and Carly Simon)
 Nobody But You
 Chili Dog
 Fool For You
 Instrumental I
 New Tune
 Back On the Street Again
 Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
 Woh, Don't You Know (with Alex and Hugh Taylor)
 One Morning In May (with Linda Ronstadt)
 Instrumental II
 Someone
 Hymn
 Fanfare (with Abigail Haness and Carole King)
 Little David
 Mescalito (with Carole King and Abigail Haness)
 Dance
 Jig


"Walking Man" -- 1974 - Warner Brothers 
Reference #: WAR 2794
Songs:
 Walking Man
 Rock 'n' Roll Is Music Now (with Paul and Linda McCartney, Carly
  Simon, and Rick Marotta)
 Let It All Fall Down (with McCartneys and Simon)
 Me and My Guitar (with Peter Asher and Simon)
 Daddy's Baby (with Simon)
 Ain't No Song (with Simon and Asher)
 Hello, Old Friend
 Migration
 The Promised Land
 Fading Away

"Gorilla" -- 1975 - Warner Bros.
Reference #: 2866-2
Songs:
 Mexico (with Graham Nash and David Crosby)
 Music
 How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) - (with Carly Simon)
 Wandering
 Gorilla
 You Make It Easy
 I Was a Fool To Care
 Lighthouse (with Nash and Crosby)
 Angry Blues
 Love Songs
 Sarah Maria

"In the Pocket" -- 1976 - Warner Bros.
Reference #: 2912-2
Songs:
 Shower the People (with Carly Simon)
 A Junkie's Lament (with Art Garfunkel)
 Money Machine
 Slow Burning Love
 Everybody Has the Blues
 Daddy's All Gone
 Woman's Gotta Have It
 Captain Jim's Drunken Dream (with Garfunkel)
 Don't Be Sad 'Cause Your Sun Is Down (with Stevie Wonder)
 Nothing Like a Hundred Miles (with David Crosby and Graham Nash)
 Family Man
 Golden Moments

"Greatest Hits" - 1976 - Warner Brothers
Reference #: WAR3113
Songs:
 Something In the Way She Moves (re-recording since debut album)
 Fire and Rain
 Carolina In My Mind (re-recording)
 Country Road
 You've Got A Friend
 Shower the People
 Mexico
 Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
 Sweet Baby James
 How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
 Walkin' Man
 Steamroller Blues (live version)

"JT" -- 1977 - CBS Records
Reference #: CK 34811
Also available in a new edition on a 24K gold CD with 20-bit recording
Reference #: CBS 53787
Songs:
 Your Smiling Face
 There We Are
 Honey Don't Leave L.A.
 Another Grey Morning
 Bartender's Blues (with Linda Ronstadt)
 Secret O' Life
 Handyman
 I Was Only Telling A Lie
 Looking For Love On Broadway
 Terra Nova (with Carly Simon)
 Traffic Jam
 If I Keep My Heart Out Of Sight

"Dad Loves His Work" -- 1978 - CBS 
Reference #: CBS 37009 
Songs:
 Hard Times (with David Lasley and Arnold McCuller)
 Her Town Too
 Hour That the Morning Comes
 I Will Follow (with Lasley and McCuller)
 Believe It Or Not
 Stand And Fight (with Lasley and McCuller)
 Only For Me (with Lasley and McCuller)
 Summer's Here
 Sugar Trade
 London Town (with Lasley and McCuller)
 That Lonesome Road (with Peter Asher, Jim Gilstrap, Bernard Ighner,
  Lasley, McCuller, and Jennifer Warnes)


"Flag" -- 1979 - CBS
Reference #: CD 36058
Songs:
 Company Man (with Graham Nash)
 Johnnie Comes Back
 Day Tripper
 I Will Not Lie For You
 Brother Trucker (with Alex Taylor)
 Is That the Way You Look?
 B. S. U. R. (with Carly Simon)
 Rainy Day Man
 Millworker
 Up On the Roof
 Chanson Francaise
 Sleep Come Free Me

"That's Why I'm Here" -- 1985 - CBS
Reference #: CK 40052
Songs:
 That's Why I'm Here
 Song For You Far Away
 Only A Dream In Rio
 Turn Away
 Going Around One More Time
 My Romance (only on CD version)
 Everyday
 Limousine Driver
 Only One (with Don Henley, Joni Mitchell, et al.)
 Mona
 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (with Graham Nash)
 That's Why I'm Here (reprise)

"Never Die Young" -- 1988 - CBS
Reference #: CK 40851
Songs:
 Never Die Young
 T-Bone
 Baby Boom Baby
 Runaway Boy
 Valentine's Day
 Sun On the Moon
 Sweet Potato Pie
 Home By Another Way
 Letter In the Mail
 First Of May

"New Moon Shine" -- 1991 - Columbia
Reference #: CK 46038
Songs:
 Copperline
 Down In the Hole
 (I've Got To) Stop Thinkin' 'Bout That
 Shed a Little Light
 The Frozen Man
 Slap Leather
 Like Everyone She Knows
 One More Go Round
 Everybody Loves To Cha Cha Cha
 Native Son
 Oh Brother
 The Water Is Wide

"James Taylor Live" -- 1993 - Columbia
Reference #: C2K 47056
Songs: (all new live versions recorded in concert)
 Disc 1:
 Sweet Baby James
 Traffic Jam
 Handy Man
 Your Smiling Face
 Secret O' Life
 Shed a Little Light
 Everybody Has the Blues
 Steamroller Blues
 Mexico
 Millworker
 Country Road
 Fire and Rain
 Shower the People
 How Sweet It Is
 New Hymn

 Disc 2:
 Walking Man
 Riding On A Railroad
 Something In the Way She Moves
 Sun On the Moon
 Up On the Roof
 Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
 She Thinks I Still Care
 Copperline
 Slap Leather
 Only One
 You Make It Easy
 Carolina In My Mind
 I Will Follow
 You've Got A Friend
 That Lonesome Road


SINGLES:
 
 Carolina In My Mind / Taking It In (3/69)
 Something's Wrong (7/69)
 Sweet Baby James / Suite For 20-G (4/70)
 Fire and Rain / Anywhere Like Heaven (8/70)
 Carolina In My Mind / Something's Wrong (11/70)
 Country Road / Sunny Skies (1/71)
 You've Got A Friend / You Can Close Your Eyes (5/71)
 Long Ago and Far Away / Let Me Ride (9/71)
 Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight (10/72)
 One Man Paradise / Hymn (2/73)
 Hymn / Fanfare (3/73)
 Daddy's Baby / Let It All Fall Down (7/74)
 Walkin' Man / Daddy's Baby (8/74)
 How Sweet It Is / Sarah Mariah (5/75)
 Mexico / Gorilla (8/75)
 Shower the People / I Can Dream of You (5/76)
 You Make It Easy / Woman's Got To Have It (10/76)
 Handy Man (4/77) 


NON-U.S. COMPILATIONS:

"Classic Songs" -- 1987 - CBS/WEA (Germany)
Reference #: iMi10985
Songs:
 Fire and Rain
 Mexico
 You've Got a Friend
 How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
 Carolina In My Mind
 Something In the Way She Moves
 Shower the People
 Sweet Baby James
 That's Why I'm Here
 Everyday
 Up On the Roof
 Your Smiling Face
 Her Town Too
 Handyman
 Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
 Only a Dream In Rio

"Best Classics" -- ? - ?
Reference #: ?
Songs:
 ?

"Starbox" -- ? - Alex Imports (Greatest hits collection from Japan)
Reference #: ALE 393
Songs:
 ?


"Live In Rio" --  ? - Columbia (Brasil)
Reference #: 700060
Songs:
 Long Ago and Far Away
 Carolina In My Mind
 Up on the Roof
 You've Got A Friend
 Shower the People
 Fire and Rain
 Mexico
 Walking Man
 Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
 Knock on Wood
 How Sweet it Is                         


OTHER WORK:

"A League Of Their Own Soundtrack" -- ? - ?
Reference #: ?
 JT sang two songs: "Paper Moon" and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was"

"Perfect Love" -- Cohn/JT duet on Cohn's self-titled album

"Mockingbird" duet with then-wife Carly Simon on her album, "Hotcakes," and
 also on her Greatest Hits album.

"Song of Long Ago" -- Carole King/JT duet - 1971

"The Water is Wide" -- Karla Bonoff/JT duet - 1979

"Old Blue" -- Sung with violinist Mark O'Connor - 1987

"City Light" -- Duet with brother Livingston on his 1987 album, "Life Is Good"

"Back In the High Life" -- JT sang backup for Steve Winwood on this song

"Second Star To the Right" -- JT sang it on "Stay Awake," a collection of
 Disney songs (A&M records number 3918)


OTHER TAYLOR FAMILY ALBUMS:

Alex:
 "With Friends and Neighbors" -- 1971
 "Dinnertime" -- 1972
 "Dancing With the Devil" -- ?

Livingston:
 "Livingston Taylor" -- 1970
 "Liv" -- 1971
 "Over the Rainbow" -- 1973
 "Man's Best Friend" -- 1974
 "3-Way Mirror -- 1978
 "Good Friends" -- ?
 "Our Turn to Dance" -- 1993

Kate:
 "Sister Kate" -- 1971
 "Kate Taylor" -- 1979?


WHERE TO FIND JT's ALBUMS:

 All the U.S. albums are available on tape and CD in the U.S.
 Most of the CDs, including the non-U.S. ones, are for sale online.
  telnet holonet.net and login: cdc
 Vinyl albums are harder to find, of course.  If you can't find what
  you're looking for locally, someone suggested Acoustic Sounds 
  at 1-800-525-1630
 

VIDEOS:

"Squibnocket" -- 1993 - ?
Pre-1992 tour covering through "New Moon Shine"
VHS, 65 minutes, stereo
Songs:
 Secret Of Life
 Wandering
 Traffic Jam
 (I've Got To) Stop Thinkin' Bout That
 You've Got A Friend
 Fire and Rain
 Sun On the Moon
 Frozen Man
 Shed a Little Light
 Copperline
 Sweet Baby James
 Country Road
 Mexico
 Your Smiling Face
 You Can Close Your Eyes

 (and several interviews)
 

APPEARANCES:

Many appearances on Saturday Night Live.  Some highlights, according to
Ken Kwartler (kmklegal@corp.sgi.com):

Mid-October, 1976: Sang "Shower the People" and "Sweet Baby James"

1979: Sang "Johnnie Comes Back" and "Up On the Roof"
 Also played small role in a skit as a ship's crewmember.

100th episode special (1980?): Sang with Paul Simon on "Sunny Skies,"
 "Take Me To the Mardi Gras" (a Simon song), and "Cathy's Clown" (made
 popular by the Everly Brothers).

others...

November 13, 1993: Sang "Memphis" (written by Chuck Berry, 1959) and "Secret
 'O Life."

 
Several appearances on Sesame Street
Several benefit concerts aired on Public Television (U.S.)
 
[Anyone have more specific info/dates for these or others?]


TOUR INFORMATION:

 I don't have any for now.  Anyone have a list of future tour dates?

FAN MAIL:

 Try reaching JT through his manager, Peter Asher: 
 
 James Taylor
 c/o Peter Asher Management
 644 North Doheny Drive
 Los Angeles, CA 90069

 And no, he probably doesn't have an E-mail address, but George
Massenburg, who co-produced and mixed JT's latest live album, does read this
group and has said that JT will eventually hear about it.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

A special thanks to Ken Kwartler (kmklegal@corp.sgi.com), the quintessential
JT guru, Norma Pincus (norma@hpcllmr.cup.hp.com) and others on amj-t
for their help in compiling this FAQ.


Please email any corrections, additions, or suggestions to the address below:

-= Joel Risberg =-

-- 
 Joel Risberg  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  jrisberg@garnet.acns.fsu.edu
      "Me?  I'm a fingersmith.  I'm a professional fingersmith."
  -= Roald Dahl -=- "The Hitchhiker" =- 


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