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Walking Man by James Taylor (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Walking Man
  • Artist name: James Taylor
  • Year: 1974
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Distinguishing characteristics:
    • Sticker on front of album: PROMOTIONAL COPY / NOT FOR SALE
    • Printed on both sides of LP: PROMOTION NOT FOR SALE
    • Scratched into side one of LP: 1W2794-40795-1B
    • Scratched into side two of LP: 1W-2974-40796-1
  • Buy it on Amazon: $10.00

Walking Man by James Taylor

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve never heard this record before, but it will be the fifth by James Taylor that I review. The previous four were:

What I expected

More easy listening.

What it was actually like

This was pretty bad, and I had a difficult time listening to it.

Several of the songs had a nod (or more) to a funk sound, such as Me and My Guitar. I don’t think mixing funk into an easy listening record was a wise move, musically.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Music Now sounded like it actually could have been a good song, if James Taylor had not been determined to annihilate it with his terminal boringness.

It was difficult to pick a worst song, but Hello Old Friend was certainly a candidate, and I felt that way even before its horrific saxophone part towards the end.

The best song on the record was easily his cover of Chuck Berry’s Promised Land, but it pales in comparison to Chuck Berry performing it himself. There have also been a bunch of great covers of that song by other famous artists, such as Elvis Presley, and by Youtube micro-celebrities, like Lovesick Duo[1].

Grade

2/5: bad, but I was able to listen to the whole thing

References

References
↑1 And check out some of their other covers, like Beautiful Delilah, Viva Las Vegas and Nadine

One Man Dog by James Taylor (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: One Man Dog
  • Artist name: James Taylor
  • Year: 1972
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Warner Records Inc.
  • Distinguishing characteristics: “SIDE 1 – CUT 2 SKIPS” written in blue ink on back of album
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it on Amazon: $145.55

One Man Dog by James Taylor

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve never heard this record before, but it will be the fourth by James Taylor that I review. The previous three were:

What I expected

One curious thing about One Man Dog is that I’m not sure if it’s meant to be interpreted more as “one-man dog” (ie, a dog that is only for one man) or as “one man-dog” (ie, a single creature that is part man, part dog). The album art features one man (James Taylor) and one dog, in a boat, but unfortunately that does not do much to clear the matter up.

What it was actually like

These songs were all really short, and there were 18 of them.

One Man Parade was all over the place, and it sounded like every few seconds there was some other instrument that was jumping in, but the instrument that I disliked the most was the bongo drums, which made an appearance on several other songs.

Fool for You and Woh, Don’t You Know both hinted at funk, which I thought was a pretty interesting sound on a soft rock record.

Chili Dog had a bit of a country vibe, but was still basically soft rock (also, I love chili dogs), while Dance was closer to country, with nice fiddle and steel guitar.

Instrumental I sounded very Renaissance.

One Morning in May was a totally serviceable version of a traditional song, but I like this bluegrass version a lot better.

The only song on the record that I strongly disliked was Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight. In fact, I was neutral on it until its horrible saxophone solo. Fanfare was the record’s most musically expansive song, with brass and choral accompaniment, and it also had saxophone, but its saxophone made sense and worked well.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

James Taylor (1968) (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: James Taylor
  • Artist name: James Taylor
  • Year: 1968
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Apple Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it on Amazon: $32.50

James Taylor (1968)

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve never listened to this record, but I’ve previously reviewed two other James Taylor records:

What I expected

Maybe folk rock.

Also, the label is Apple Records and there’s a song on the record called Something in the Way She Moves, but the lyrics are included in the album and it’s not the same song as George Harrison’s song Something.

What it was actually like

I think I probably liked this record a little better than James Taylor’s others, but not much better.

One interesting thing about it was the extensive use of harpsichord and violin. Songs with harpsichord included Brighten Your Night With My Day and Taking It In, which had a good, lively tempo also. Violin songs included Knocking ‘Round the Zoo, Sunshine Sunshine and Carolina in My Mind.

Rainy Day Man was more of a normal folk rock song in the style that I had expected.

Something in the Way She Moves was 100% forgettable, so here is George Harrison performing his completely different song that only suggests a similarity.

Don’t Talk Now was a totally boring folk rock song with a repeating “nah nah nah” line, but did have great electric guitar in the background, especially towards the end.

Something’s Wrong sounded like it started with Greensleeves, but was otherwise bad. Night Owl sounded like a marching band song, with a horrible atonal horns part.

Circle Round the Sun was Taylor’s version of I Know You Rider, but I don’t know why anyone would choose his version over another.

The Blues Is Just a Bad Dream had an intro that sounded like a Moody Blues song, but turned into a pretty standard good blues song.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

Gorilla by James Taylor (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Gorilla
  • Artist name: James Taylor
  • Year: 1975
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Warner Bros.
  • Collection: Selman
  • Distinguishing characteristics:
    • Sticker on front: PROMOTIONAL COPY / NOT FOR SALE
    • Written on sticker: Selman
    • Printed on both sides of LP: PROMOTION NOT FOR SALE
    • Written on side 1 of LP: Selman
  • Buy it on Amazon: $26.01

Gorilla by James Taylor

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I listened to Sweet Baby James by James Taylor last month and was not that impressed, but I’ve never heard of this record before, and the only song I know by name is Marvin Gaye’s How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You).

What I expected

More 1970s singer-songwriter easy listening.

What it was actually like

This was an extremely bland record, with hardly any personality. It mostly wasn’t bad, but there was one offensively bad song: You Make It Easy, which was made far worse by its saxophone.

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) was pretty faithful to Marvin Gaye’s version, but why not just listen to that one, which has a remarkably fun sound for a love song?

Angry Blues was part funk and part country, which might have been interesting if it had been explored some more.

I started to write that Mexico sounded like a Jimmy Buffett song, but then checked, and it actually was covered by Jimmy Buffett!

Grade

2/5: weak, but I was able to listen to the whole thing

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

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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

Sweet Baby James by James Taylor

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