Record basics

Album name: Sweet Baby James
Artist name: James Taylor
Year: 1970
Number of discs: one
Label: Warner Bros. Records
Collection: Brenner / Gessner
Distinguishing characteristics: “Annie” written on James Taylor’s head on the album cover and “Brenner” written on the LP, indicating that my mother’s sister owned it
Buy it on Amazon: $39.99

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve heard of James Taylor, and I know the song Fire and Rain, but that’s about it.

What I expected

Folk rock.

What it was actually like

This was ok, but not that good, and extremely 1970s folk rock singer-songwriter. In fact, Sunny Skies might be the most representative song of that category that could possibly exist, though it would not be a stretch to say that for much of the record.

Steamroller was actually a blues song that didn’t fit in at all with the rest of the record, and had the most hilariously goofy lyrics, such as:

Yeah I’m a napalm bomb, baby
Just guaranteed to blow your mind

I didn’t recognize Oh! Susanna by name, but as soon as it started playing, I recognized it as that song (just think “banjo on my knee”), but I didn’t care at all for Taylor’s version of it.

I never thought Fire and Rain was bad, but never really liked it, either, and having listened to it intentionally now for the first time, can say that it definitely fit in well with the rest of the record, though I don’t understand at all how it became a hit.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

Sweet Baby James by James Taylor (Vinyl record album review)