interesting review of james taylor

[ProblemAgain]

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May 29, 2014 at 3:28 PM

Still sweet, certainly no longer a baby, James Taylor plays the Key | Concert review

Posted by Paul de Barros

When James Taylor’s breakthrough second album, “Sweet Baby James,” came out in 1970, a friend put it on the turntable and half way through the first side, somewhere after “Steamroller,” I shouted, “Take that off! That guy doesn’t know the first thing about the blues. And he sounds like José Feliciano!”

We never got as far as “Fire and Rain,” the first classic hit by Taylor, who performs Saturday, May 31 at KeyArena. Too bad, because it might have changed that first impression.

That song was followed by many more, including “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” “Carolina In My Mind” and Taylor’s stone ownership of Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” all of which he will certainly perform Saturday.

Back when Taylor hit the airwaves, the whole concept of the sensitive, pop singer-songwriter was pretty new. Bob Dylan — and the individual Beatles, to some extent — had opened the territory, but that only meant the bar was that much higher.

But writers rose to the challenge. Indeed, looking back, it’s clear that Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman, Carole King, Willie Nelson, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young and Paul Simon, to name a few, ushered in a golden era of songwriting, penning a body of work that infused gravity into the music of the baby boomer generation.

One of Taylor’s strengths is the stripped-down simplicity of his lyrics. In the first six lines of “Fire and Rain,” he moves from a stark statement of loss through a zoned-out reaction (“I just can’t remember who to send it to”), a poetic objectification of manic depression — fire and rain — then lands on a heartbreaking refiguring of grief — “but I always thought that I’d see you again.”

Because Taylor also has a great ear, his payoff lyrics come with musical punches. That last line, for example, lands on a surprise major chord that reinforces the feeling of suspension and disorientation.

Songs like this aren’t written by accident.

Indeed, precision is Taylor’s hallmark, even as he’s laying behind the beat, a combination that recalls Taylor’s minimalist, swing era predecessor, Count Basie. That balance of care and calm gives his music a cool, elegant, yet focused and emotional sound that was quite new at the time.

Taylor has gone on to win five Grammy Awards and in 2000 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His “Greatest Hits” album has sold an astonishing 12 million copes in the U.S.

Though his career took a dip in the ’80s, he came back after the turn of the century with strong albums, such as “Hourglass” and “October Road.”

The serrated edge of his slightly mournful voice and the carefully calibrated emotion of his trim lyrics continue to be a huge pleasure.

But you know what? “Steamroller” is still a terrible blues. And though everyone has forgotten who José Feliciano is, Taylor still sounds like him.

8 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at KeyArena, 305 Harrison St., Seattle; $59.50-$79.50 (800-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com).

Paul de Barros (206-464-3247 or [e-mail]) covers music at blogs.seattletimes.com/soundposts/ or follow him on Twitter @pdebarros

[frenchy]

and here's a pic of her from a few years ago .. i'm sure she's had some work done to not look her age but how much ?? as much as she can afford and she ain't broke ..

[frenchy]

and another one thats more recent .. i saw her on youtube singin with taylor swift but she kept her sunglasses on .. at night .. probably cause they pulled her skin back so tight she can't open her eyes anymore .. don't believe me ??

 

[frenchy]

and even carol king was pretty back then .. here's a clip of her and james on the bbc back in 71.. carol was a songwriter from way back before she made her own album .. her first big hit she wrote was will you still love me tomorrow .. she also wrote the loco motion that was cut by little eva who just happened to be carols maid .. it was supposed to just be a demo but they liked her voice so much they released it with little eva and it was a smash .. she also wrote songs for the monkees .. one of them was pleasant valley sunday which was about livin in the suburbs of west orange new jersey on pleasant valley way .. if you are from around there you'll know what i'm talkin about .. 

another true story .. as some of you now i build guitars .. been doin it since the late 60's .. what can i say ?? i'm a guitar junkie .. most guys would be hangin out at somebodies garage drinkin some brews and hot roddin their cars .. me ? i'd be in my room takin guitars apart and rebuildin em better than they were before .. so i built this telecaster ..it was a real beauty .. ( i've had a love affair with telecasters all my life ) but i needed money cause of that crazy girl who loosened up my lugnuts so i decided i'd sell that guitar .. i listed it in the local for sale rag they had in jersey at the time it was either the buylines or the want ad press and i got a call from this guy who was really interested .. so we talked on the phone a bit and we had a lot in common and i agreed to bring the guitar by his place that saturday cause it was on my way wherever i was goin .. i get there and ring the bell and it plays will you still love me tomorrow .. he comes to the door and i said thats a weird doorbell .. he says yeah my folks bought this house from carol king when she moved to los angeles right before she cut that album tapestry .. so i go inside and take out the guitar and we start jammin and a friend of his stops by and we're doin all kinds of stuff with three part harmony .. crosby stills and nash and beatles and eagles ..and i'm playin this red tele i brought over .. we drank a few bottles of wine and poked a bunch of smot and it was indeed one of the greatest impromtu afternoons i ever spent in my life .. had a great time .. absolutely fabulous .. and finally i'm gettin ready to go and the guy says so you gonna sell me that guitar or what ? and i said .. NO ..  i can't do it . i just can't do it .. and he said yeah .. i kinda thought so .. the way you were playin it i didn't see how you could let it go.. it was like a piece of you ..and he might have been annoyed , but he didn't show it .. it was like he understood completely ..  anyway here's carol back when she was beautiful

   

[frenchy]

and here's a clip of joni mitchel when she was still joni anderson from saskatoon on some canadien folk music show .. if you watch in the begginin you can see harry chapin and his brothers .. the whole fam damily of em .. anyway you might not believe its joni mitchell . she was absolutely stunning .. 

[frenchy]

and here's a song i'm sure you've heard by her but it never seemed more relevant than it does now .. the circle game .. read the words as she's singin .. cause thats what i was gettin at this whole time .. 

[Wayne Goodwin]

I have a Bald Noggin ...

[Karin M Fichtner]

French......have you got any recent shots of Carole King? I am not sure when she and James did that "Return to the Troubador" concert, but it wasn't more than a couple years ago. I thought she looked pretty darned good for a broad her age. I wouldn't mind looking like her! I am so glad neither of them have been ravaged by arthritis, and are still able to play like they do. She can still tickle those ivories! Funny you mention the afternoon spent in her old house; you could probably still get a contact high from what I understand went on in that house around that period of time! ;-).

And, just for the record......you're one of the only living people who can call me a trollop without pissing me off. I was amused by the word, "trollop", though. I don't think I've heard that term since my mother was still alive!

[Wayne Goodwin]

First time i ever heard that word , interesting !

[Karin M Fichtner]

It's an old word; French is showing his age :-) I used to hear my mom use it a lot. Half the girls I hung out with were trollops as far as my mom was concerned! And the rest were suspect. ;-)

[frenchy]

nothin wrong with bein a trollop karin .. in fact they're my very best favorite kind of people .. it was meant as a compliment .. it means you still can and you still will .. and above all .. you like it .. whats not to like about a woman like that ?? 

far as her old house goes i can attest that we didn't break any traditions that afternoon ..

and i don't have any more recent pics of carol but i'll just say this .. i was watchin a documentary about them releasin wolves back into the wild in yellowstone and they were goin door to door talkin to the residents and askin em how they feel about it and one of the houses the lady who answered was in fact carol king .. at first i didn't know it cause she looked so different .. older .. less polished ..ok lemme just say it, she looked pretty beat up .. she had no idea these people were commin nor did they know she would be on the other side of the door when they knocked .. in fact they never even said why its carol king what are you doin here ?? they never mentioned it .. but it was her .. so my best guesstimate is if she's gonna appear in public anyplace it probably takes her about 3 days to get her face on .. ok i'm kiddin .. maybe only a day and a half .. what can i say .. we all get old .. the rich and the famous and us peeons . the rich usually can stave the appearance of gettin old off longer than us peeons but it eventually gets to them too .. as jim morrison said nobody gets outta here alive ..and all that kinda ties in with uno's post about becommin invisible ..    

[ProblemAgain]

[ProblemAgain]

and in 1970....