Sweet Baby James

Very unsettled by this, it’s what I’d expect a murderer to have playing in the background whilst I’m strapped to a chair and he begins to systematically remove my face skin with a scalpel. Then he peels off and wears my face and mouths along to all the lyrics. Especially the song “sunny skies”

Craving authenticity, Taylor slathers these songs with as much honey as he can get his hands on. Seems to have worked, as he's treated like an angel by many. Occasionally he sounds like one -- even less frequently these songs have a kick -- but the rest of the time he comes off like exactly the kind of dork who'd approve this album title and cover. He was never going to offer the nutritional value of John Prine or Gram Parsons -- I guess fast food salesman is a decent second place.

Oh Sweet Baby James, you sinister, demented villain. Laying your sappy brand of sap upon the world with merciless vigor, coating the masses in a film of safe, gentle sweetness. The world is stagnant because of you, failing to venture into richer realms of funk and rock, treading circular to nowhere, listening easy and listening safe, the soft drips of the acoustic dragging them all to the ground day by day, with each adult mix blend station play. You and your gaggle of singer/songsucker demons not only won the mid seventies, but irre-“vocally” tainted the hearing skills of so many for ages to come. I will not succumb to it. In my mind sunny skies are not a persons name but an adjective and plural noun. I refuse to be bewitched by your light voice and simplistic stylings, I find refuge in drum beats, in guitars electric, in songs not stupid. You have dulled the souls of millions, Sweet Baby James, but you will not weaken mine, for I too have seen fire and rain, and I know the truth of them. Fire is hot and rain is wet. You, Sweet Baby James are mild and dry.

this sounds like a nice cosy evening with raining outside and just chilling inside

This album can give you diabetes with a single track

Mom was just telling me yesterday that she wanted to see albums from the likes of James Taylor and Carole King. I told her to be patient, but I guess patience isn't necessary. Previously, I'd heard only "Fire and Rain" from James Taylor, and I love that song. He's a great singer-songwriter, akin to Jim Croce but probably a bit younger and more marketable. This is a solid album, with good lyrics and great guitar work. Also a nice degree of variety, so it doesn't feel like a one-note singer-songwriter project--good use of other instruments. The music feels very organic, and James sound right at home in the different genres he explores. I wouldn't say I love it, but it's very good and enjoyable. Favorite songs: Fire and Rain, Oh Baby Don't You Loose Your Lip On Me, Lo and Behold, Steamroller Blues (up until the point where the horns come in). Album art: This is a pretty classic picture. Fits the genre in that it looks like a senior photo. Wikipedia lore says James was basically homeless and couch surfing when he made this album. For that reason, I'll assume he's not wearing pants. Put some pants on, James. Otherwise, great job.

Wow, former president James Taylor. 8/10

I've owned this album since I was an early teen and don't remember ever listening to it all the way through. I was obsessed with "Sweet Baby James" and "Fire and Rain" as a young kid, think the latter is one of my earliest memories of songs I've heard on the radio. The record is an impressive blend of country, folk, and blues. Bummer I've waited this long to listen all the way through. Favorite tracks: "Fire and Rain", "Steamroller Blues", "Country Road"

Having been a teenager in the early 90’s, this type of soft rock singer-songwriter schlock will never be anything but painfully uncool to me. The only way shit like this sold in the 90’s was by way of the Time-Life compilations that were advertised via infomercials aired on Saturday or Sunday afternoons. It was boring and lame then, doubly so now. Just have a look at these lyrics from “Steamroller”: “I'm a cement mixer A churning urn of burning funk I'm a cement mixer A churning urn of burning funk I'm a demolition derby A hefty hunk, steaming junk I'm a steamroller baby I'm 'bout to roll all over you I'm a steamroller baby I'm 'bout to roll all over you I'm gonna inject your soul With some sweet rock 'n' roll And shoot you full of rhythm and blues” It’s possibly the dumbest metaphor for coitus ever committed to tape. Also, imagine telling someone you were a “churning urn of burning funk” and that person not looking at you like they were about call for a restraining order. Finally, you can thank me later for the mental image of James Taylor shooting his “rhythm and blues”.

Super nostalgic for me. This is a fantastic album and Sweet Baby James is an all-time great song. James' voice is smooth and effortless. A real treat.

Listening to this album made me feel like I was watching an episode of Sesame Street for some reason. This is super country. It’s not like the rock country or the blues country or even fiddle country. This is just straight living in the Appalachians with a hand crank well pump in your front yard and an outhouse. If you like that, listen to this album. It might be too heavy for you though.

I hate this so much. It's sugary and gross. Safe mom rock for the masses. A mention of weed is out of place I'll admit but this is as bland and American wholesome as it gets. And it sucks.

Very nice. Exactly one of my styles. really liked the sweet songs

More looks on here than I knew him for. The blues was particularly good

Great album. Great acoustic songs, no misses though only a few memorable songs high 4.5

Fantastic soft rock album

Absolute perfection, could listen to this album over and over.

Perfect

i love this album every song is so good. while i am rating this 5 stars, i acknowledge that i have an extremely positive bias towards this album.

Fuck Facebook! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpDGJbC8RMo&ab_channel=MikeMcCarty I love James Taylor. Fire and Rain is an all-timer.

My mom used to listen to a lot of James Taylor when I was a kid and I got very burned out on it, but I was surprised by how much I like it now... maybe I'm getting old. Fire and Rain is great, and Steamroller is fun because Mama Rims used to skip that song because it's too dirty. I still think you need to be in the right mood for James Taylor but I found it pleasantly digestible.

The classic Dad album. Timeless songwriting and great recording. James Taylor is one of the best lyricists of all time and this album resonates with men of many ages. My dad loved it in his time as do I.

All timer.

A few fantastic songs, a few good ones, and definitely some filler. Fire & Rain, Country Road, and Sweet Baby James are just beautiful songs. I like Steamroller’s inclusion here as a gritty blues song that cuts against melancholy of F&R and SBJ.

I could listen to James Taylor all day forever.

Play this to experience Fire and Rain!

C'est bien simple, James Taylor est en fait une version évoluée de Gene Clark. En effet, James nous porpose une country impeccable pendant 30 délicieuses minutes, qui parvient même à surclasser celle de son grand ami Eugene Clark. Seul petit bémol, une présence scénique inexistante, James passant l'intégralité de l'album prostré sur son tabouret, à plusieurs mètres du jury. Il faudra travailler l'aspect chorégraphie de sa performance, sans quoi la place en finale risque d'être compromise.

Another neat folk album with some blues and other cool stuff thrown in. Fun easy listen but nothing life changing.

It's a weak four for me, not because it's lacking anything really, but it's on the edge of what I would normally listen to on a random day. That said, there's a lot I like about the album, and I could easily recommend it to anyone who likes the broad singer songwriter genre.

Pour vous donner un peu de contexte, James Taylor venait d'apprendre juste avant l'enregistrement de cet album que ses deux sourcils n'allaient finalement jamais se rejoindre. Ni une ni deux, les textes de ce projet traiteront essentiellement de cette inquiétude passée. Les démons de Taylor ne s'éclipseront toutefois pas en un clin d'œil et son manque de confiance en lui continuera de transparaître dans Sweet Baby James. On entendra en effet dans plusieurs morceaux l'équipe technique lui murmurer des encouragements tels que « rapproche-toi, n'aie pas peur », « chante un peu plus fort on t'entend pas ici » ou encore « allez James c'est pas le moment de craquer »... Le projet d'enregistrer un album entier était peut-être trop ambitieux.

I'll be honest: I sort of hate James Taylor. James Taylor is just John Denver with harder drugs. And those hard drugs aren't even better drugs. Just harder, more boring drugs. If you ever want the poster child for an Anti-Heroin campaign, this is your guy. I go out of my way to avoid listening to any of his songs, except for "Fire and Rain", which is the one all-time classic in his catalog. I've probably listened to it thousands of times, and it gets me every single time. The one time when Taylor truly caught lightning in a bottle. And that's about as far as I'll go with JT. I wish I could figure out what exactly it is about him that bothers me. He sporadically refers to himself as "Sweet Baby James". Taylor Swift is allegedly named for him. He took the absolute most yawn-inducing version of a Carole King song to number 1. He was Jay Leno's final "Tonight Show" guest because of course he was. Maybe it's that he married Carly Simon and they celebrated their love by releasing an annoying version of that "Mockingbird" song that was always on the radio even though no one ever wanted to hear it. It's probably because he never again found another "Fire and Rain", yet he gets all the Laudits that get him on lists like this one instead of Jackson Browne or Bob Seger.

Someone’s gotta tell me why I needed to listen to this album. Dude’s got no variation. And the name of this album??

Fire and rain is a good song The rest is the sound of a bed being wet

This is offensively bland, I can feel my personality trickling out of my ears. Terrible, how did this even get on the list, is it a joke? Is it just here to make everything else sound better? This man never deserved the Taylor name. Appalling.

fuck country music. fuck it right in its eye. chop off its tits with a rusty hacksaw blade. stick a fork in its throat. comfortably the shittest off all the genres. i know there has to be bad music for good music to exist and if country didn't exist then something else would take its place but fuck me its bad.

I was only familiar of James Taylor for his brief appearance on the Simpsons. His music was described as bittersweet folk rock. I will describe it as bad. I did not know that Fire and Rain was the name of the song which he sang in the Simpsons episode. I once took the lyric of "Sweet Dreams and Flying Machines" and changed it to "Sweet Dreams and Pie Machines." Anyways pie is good. This album is not and thankfully it was short and thankfully I don't have to listen to it again.

James Taylor is that guy who brings his guitar to a camp fire, and starts playing just when you're in a middle of a really lively conversation. And of course everyone has to stop talking and listen politely, cause he's pretty good after all, better than any one of us that's for sure, but what we really want to do is drink and talk shit, not feel all sad and nostalgic over cliches like empty country roads and lush green pastures and sunny skies.

“I am a napalm bomb for you baby”. James, you are barely a firecracker. You ain’t got an ounce of blues in you.

Couple skippers on this one but all is forgiven. 4.5

Un classique, j’adore 5*

Lovely

Always Great. JT is wonderful in every way.

Any artist who uses my name Twice in one album is a rock star in my book! It is amazing how someone so talented had challenges with drug abuse and depression. He has such amazing lyrics that make you stop and listen. He seems to be telling a story of his life and journey in every track. Great talent on loan from God. I just saw him and Carole King doing a live set to an intimate audience and his agent was there. James thanked him for all the years of commitment . I say thank you for all the amazing hits you’ve put out all theses years. His words have healed him and maybe many others

Obviously Fire and Rain is outstanding, but I really enjoyed the rest of the album a lot. It’s a really interesting mix of big band and country and rock that I didn’t realize existed before.

Simple & brilliant. I love the hits (particularly SBJ, Steamroller, and F&R) but I think the other tracks complement them nicely. I really like this album.

Really, really enjoyed this album. So easy to listen to and I honestly can't believe it came out in 1970! Love the country/Americana/blues vibe. Favorite album so far.

A tremendous album, I don't know how I've managed to miss it up to now.

Absolutely amazing - the perfect album before bed

very nice

Instant mood lifter. Great for the background of a relaxed evening or cooking

Classic Singer/Songwriter. This album help set the bar for all singer/songwriters to come.

Every year I get older I get more into James Taylor. A quintessential attribute of my suburban white dad final form I have to assume

Surprisingly creative and fun folk/blues/rock album! The covers were great and the slower songs were gorgeous, too!

This album was really good, easy to listen to. I enjoyed all of the songs! 5/5 stars.

One of the GOATS

Almost tempted to lower this to 4/5 because it's a little cheesy and I've heard the best songs too many times, but it's just too good.

Ohhhh, this is an all time favorite of mine. 5 all day

Fantastic album. There’s nothing like James Taylor. I could listen to this everyday and find joy in it. What a delight.

He has such a great voice. I don't love every song on this album, but his guitar and voice is just so great makes it worthy of 5 stars.

A true treasure of an album, an aural comfort blanket that lifts the soul and warms the heart. James Taylor could sing the phone book and it would still be worth a listen. "Country Road" has a special place in my heart, featuring as it does in one of my most favourite films. Not one wasted second in this album, and one that I will listen to again and again.

So nice. Makes you want to go fishing all day on a row boat. Fire and rain is one of my favourite songs, but have never really listened to the others.

Beautiful album. Very Bluesy.

Such a beautiful voice

rreally good

Great album, one of the first \"Singer Songwriters\" this is a great album, love \"Sweet Baby Jane\" \"Steamroller Blues\" \"Oh Susannah\" and \"Fire and Rain\" James at his best before the alcohol and male pattern baldness kicked in! Look at that Mane like hair! Great Album Rightfully in the list in my honest opinion.

Baby making music. Fav tracks: " Oh Susanna" " Fire and Rain"

Yes a good one!!

Country blues folk rock thing very much enjoyed!

This is great. And I don't usually go for this kind of stuff. But every note, every artistic decision, the voicing and just every touch on the album is perfect. Loved it

I've known of this album for a long time but never given it a proper listen. I loved it. Taylor's voice is just fantastic and coupled with that lovely acoustic guitar playing. Such great stuff.

Yes. Everything.

They don’t make them like the old ones anymore!

Love love it.

Classic album

Great album, comforting vocals, standouts "Fire and Rain", "Sweet Baby James"

Great music to ease your way into the day. Taylor's voice is so pure and rich and music is simple but beautiful. It goes to show you don't need autotune and digital effects when you have pure, raw singing and songwriting talent. Wish we had more music like this today.

Sooo good!

I first fell in love with James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” when I was 10 years old watching Remember the Titans with my parents. After that I listened to more and more of his music and was amazed at his clean vocals and acoustic guitar. He mixes singer-songwriter with blue grass and blues. Even “Oh, Susana” he makes interesting. This is a near perfect album for me.

This was a fantastic album. What a great voice and great songwriting. I don't know how this album could have been better so I've got to give it the coveted 5 stars.

super chillig und schön, mit eingestreuten groovy songs

Great production, great songs. It feels weird to give it 5 stars because I don't particularly find it groundbreaking, but it feels like a flawless record.

Fantastic album....could listen to JT all day. Love his voice and his style. This one contains some of my all time favs. 4.5/5

First album I ever owned(so long ago)…always will be one of the best

Essential album, loved it from start to finish.

james taylor is a bit of a musical blind spot for me, and i wish he wasn’t, because this is excellent. great vocals, great guitar, the bit with the horns was super cool. just a great album.

Great guitar tone, great voice, reverent to the Americana tradition without feeling derivative. If you like James Taylor, it’s a winner.

Just right for me

If you hate this you also hate joy and beauty

My wife and I used to listen to side 2 of this record going to sleep for several years. We'd turn it on and fade away to the smooth timber of his voice and the lovely Travis-picking. It's a great songwriter's record. These are simple songs elevated with great guitar work and smooth effortless voice. There are few things as organic as that and James was probably one of the best. People forget that he was around the Beatles early on and influenced their songwriting, even directly inspiring "Something" by George Harrison. Also, he's one of the most underrated guitar players on the planet. Listening to Lo and Behold off of this record is an absolute master class in finger-picking and writing two completely separate guitar parts that can be played independently and still sound like the song enough to play and sing to, but when played together blend so perfectly that they almost sound like a single piece. Perfect. Story-time: In the summer of 2002 while I was in college, on a lark, my aunt bought me a ticket to see James Taylor live. She knew I liked music and was a bit of a hippy, so she thought that was appropriate. She's... not real hip. I went alone b/c no one else wanted to buy tickets and I was the only person under 60 at the show. Let me tell you, JT and his band were absolutely fantastic. So much so, I bought solo tickets to 6 other shows on the tour and followed him down the I-10 corridor from Jackson to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio over the next 10 days or so. It was during the summer and I just stayed with college friends along the way. So, the summer after freshmen year in college while my friends were all living it up on summer vacation or following Widespread Panic or gearing up for Phish's imminent reunion or whatever college freshmen do, I was following James Taylor. I was not very cool.

Yes! This was great, I’ve only heard Fire and Rain before. Really nice acoustic songs and powerful harmonies.

Wow. Man was I wrong about James Taylor. This album is so good. I love the variety of genres he dapples in. The beautiful fingerpicking guitar throughout on the slower songs. It was perfect.

For me

Before today, the only song I'd ever heard by James Taylor was "Carolina in My Mind", which isn't on this record, so I knew I was in for a folk album, but was unsure how I would like it. Well, I loved it! James Taylor is very similar in musical attributes to John Denver, with that smooth country folk/blues style. This music tells a story. You can sit back, relax, sip a coffee, and be taken on a trip by his lyrics. James has a way of painting the most vivid pictures through his songs (especially the songs Sweet Baby James, "Oh, Susannah (which I know is a cover, but he does a phenomenal job of it), and Country Roads to name a few). I absolutely love this type of music. It instantly removes all of the stress from my life, and for half an hr, all of life's hardships melt away. I will 100% listen again! I don't know why I slept on James' music for so long! This album is going to be put in regular rotation now!! Favourite songs: Fire and Rain, Anywhere Like Heaven, Sweet Baby James, Steamroller, Country Roads, Suite for 20 G, "Oh, Susannah", Lo and Behold Least favorite songs: if forced to pick, Sunny Skies 5/5

This album hits home for me, it was on my parent's record player for a decade, then it was on my record player for years - shit my first born is partly named after James Taylor. ❤️

This is the finger picking guitar style I’ve always admired and wished I could emulate. JT’s delivery is smoothly soothing. I must have thought, “oh, this is my favorite track,” at least 5 or 6 times. Sweet Baby Jane, Sunny Skies, Country Road, and Fire And Rain stand out the most although most of the other songs are a mere tick below these. Oh, Susannah and Anywhere Like Heaven are my least favorite tracks, and I still enjoy them thoroughly. This album is as consistently good as most any album I can remember from the first 528 albums so far. There’s no dud, no song I’d rather not be on the album, which is rare I’ve come to learn. The only folk rock album I’d take over this one is Bob Dylan’s Freewheelin’.

I'm a medium James Taylor fan - I have his JT album on LP (5 stars) and very vaguely know this one. A very easy listen, light instrumentation and simple melodies. I'm obsessed by songs not lasting too long, and the album is nice and snappy. I also enjoy when an album really encapsulates an era or genre, which this does. Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain, and Blossom are my favourites, but I could (and have) re-listened to the album a couple of times. Country Road also stands out. 4.5 for me.

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Chill country, ta bueno

great

Richtig gute Stimme, tolle Gitarre, hat mir sehr gut gefallen.