Warner Bros / Wea
2003
The Best Of James Taylor
About This Album
To compile a comprehensive one-disc best-of James Taylor album is a daunting task in and of itself. To compile it from material from three labels is a gutsy thing for David McLees and Warner Bros. to do and expect to make fans -- let alone pompous critics (no exception here) -- happy. Over 20 tracks, Warner has succeeded -- with full cooperation from Taylor, who wrote the liner notes -- in giving an accurate representation of the songwriter, who has survived and even flourished for over 35 years in the music biz. More importantly, they've displayed the great range of the artist as a songwriter of purpose, humanity, and empathy, an artist who has never placed himself above his audience. The album kicks off with "Something in the Way She Moves" from his only release for the Beatles' Apple imprint, and moves to the Warner material that covers the years 1969-1976, many would argue his greatest years. It's strange how songs like "Fire and Rain," "Country Road" (the 45 version), "Mexico," "Walking Man," and "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" do not seem to age; they feel as immediate and relevant in the 21st century as they did in the 1970s.
Track List (try tracks 10,12,13,14,15 and 20)

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